Page 43 of Devil's Azalea

I shouldn’t have pulled back with my shot at him. When I had him in my sights, finger on the trigger, I should have aimed for that arrogant, perfectly-coiffed head and saved the world from the misery of existing on the same planet as Rafael Moretti.

My trigger finger itches with phantom regret.

“Bastard,” I mutter through clenched teeth, yanking the flash drive from my computer with enough force to probably damage the port. I march into the living room, snatch the bouquet of flowers by its wrapped stems, and continue my furious parade to the kitchen. The flash drive goes in the trash first—if I have to see it for another second, I might actually lose what’s left of my sanity—and after a brief hesitation, the azaleas follow.

“What’s going on, Em? I don’t like all this secrecy,” Katie says behind me. Her voice is soft but heavy with concern, and I can almost hear the frown forming.

“It’s nothing.” That bastardisnothing to me.

But even as I think it, I know it’s bullshit. If Rafael was nothing, my hands wouldn’t be shaking. If he was nothing, I wouldn’t feel like someone reached into my chest and carved out my heart with a rusty spoon.

How could he do this to me?

That ballet performance was my one shot—myonlyshot—at getting dirt on Jason Moore. The fucker always leaves the country a day or two after, and once he’s gone, his offices, including the building where yesterday's event took place, are locked up tighter than Fort Knox.

There’s no way I’m getting anything on him now withoutgetting caught and blowing my cover. In other words, Rafael just made me fail my mission.

Greg’s‘Don’t disappoint me, Emily.’ echoes through my skull like a death knell, and I squeeze my eyes shut, feeling the nausea rising.

What the hell am I going to tell my supervisor tomorrow?

“It was Rafael, wasn’t it?” Katie’s suddenly beside me, and her knowing tone makes me want to scream. “Has he been in touch with you? How did he get our address?”

“It’s Rafael fucking Moretti,” I spit, fists clenched at my sides. “The bastard seems to know everything.”Including exactly how to get under my skin.

“What was on that drive?” Her eyes narrow. “Somehow I doubt you loaned it to him voluntarily.”

“Information I got on Jason last night.” Shame burns across my skin as I confess. “Rafael caught me transferring the files and stole the damn thing from me without me noticing.” I was so stupid. So fucking amateur. So completely outplayed.

Rafael isn’t impulsive. He’s methodical. Coolheaded. Ruthless. He didn’t kiss me because he couldn’t control himself around me, and his hands certainly weren’t all over me because he couldn’t resist my body.

He had a goal. He got close. He struck.

And he did it all without hesitation.

Exactly whatIshould’ve done.

“Fuck,” Katie breathes. “You’re so fucked. Greg is going to rip into you tomorrow.” Her mouth pulls into a grim line. “And you took off the comms we could have used to assist you as well. RIP in advance, my friend.” She tries to make it light, but my lips don’t even twitch.

Because she’s right.

Rafael has set me up for failure, and I’m going to face the consequences.

14

RAFAEL

“So, we’ll have it brought in through the?—”

I tune out the rest of Martin’s words as Enzo steps up beside me. “Urgent call for you. They’ve been trying to reach you on your personal line.”

That’s because I put my phone on DND for this meeting. I frown as I take the phone from him. Only my brothers have the privilege of bypassing my silence filter through Enzo, and if they’re saying it’s urgent,it’s urgent.

I lift the phone to my ear, bracing myself for whatever catastrophe awaits. “Hello?”

“Rafael. Sorry to cut off your meeting. But I haveverygood news.” Romero’s voice practically vibrates with joy, and almost by reflex, a smile tugs at my lips. He wouldn’t sound like that unless it was something big. This sounds promising.

“Let’s hear it,” I prompt when his dramatic pause stretches beyond tolerable limits.