Page 25 of Indigo Deception
My heart shatters into a million pieces.
A few minutes later, Angelo falls asleep beside me, one arm still draped possessively across my waist. In sleep, he looks way younger, unburdened.
Almost innocent.
My chest aches with the weight of my betrayal.
I ask myself again: What have I done?
I've crossed a line I can't uncross. I've compromised everything—my mission, my career, my integrity. And for what? To spend a night with a man who would hate me if he knew the truth?
Yet as I watch him sleep, I can't bring myself to regret it. Not yet. My waist is held close when his arm is wrapped around me. Not when his breathing is steady against my skin.
Later, I'll have to face the consequences. Later, I'll remember who I am and why I'm here. Tomorrow, I'll be Special Agent Gianna Rossi again.
But today, at least in my heart, I’m just Gianna.
A woman falling for a man she shouldn't want. A woman caught between duty and desire.
A woman who's placed surveillance devices in the home and office of the man she's falling for—and who does not know how to reconcile these two realities.
9
Angelo
Iwakebeforeshedoes.
Sunlight cuts through the half-drawn curtains, painting golden stripes across Sarah’s sleeping form. Her dark hair—free from that severe bun she always wears—spills across my silk pillowcase.
I catch myself staring. My Little Auditor looks nothing like herself in sleep—she’s softer somehow, the sharp edges smoothed away, unburdened by whatever she's carrying during the day.
My phone buzzes on the nightstand. I snatch it before the sound can wake her.
Unusual network activity detected. Multiple access points. Singapore servers compromised.
Shit. Singapore is Veronica's territory. I frown, sliding out of bed and grabbing my shirt from the floor. Then I make my way to the kitchen, shutting the door behind me softly.
In the kitchen, I start the coffeemaker and dial Matteo. My brother answers on the second ring, his voice thick with sleep.
"Christ, Angelo. It's not even seven."
"We've got trouble." I keep my voice low, glancing toward the bedroom. "Security flagged unusual network activity. Someone's been poking around our systems from multiple endpoints, including Singapore."
"Fuck." The grogginess vanishes from his voice. "The Kovacs?"
"Maybe. They've been circling like vultures ever since we moved into Eastern Europe."
"I told you we should've handled them the old way."
I rub my temples, feeling a headache forming. "And I told you that those days are over."
“Yeah, I know,” Matteo grunts. “So, what's the plan now?”
"I have built some systems, and with that I can…"
"Angelo—"
The soft pad of bare feet on hardwood makes me turn. Sarah stands in the doorway, her hair tousled and wild, wearing nothing but my white dress shirt from the closet, the hem barely skimming her thighs. For a second, I forget how to breathe.
