I smiled brightly at him, because sometimes I just can't help myself. "Looking forward to working with you, Watchdog."
Yuri's face darkened to an alarming shade of red, and for a moment, I thought I might have pushed too far. But Nicolai's hand, firm and warm on my hip, reminded me I was safe.
For now, anyway.
"I can fix them," I said, letting innocence drip from every syllable. "Most of them, anyway." I batted my eyelashes for good measure, enjoying the way Yuri's face contorted like he'd just bitten into a lemon soaked in vinegar.
If looks could kill, I'd have been six feet under. Lucky for me, Nicolai's hand was still firmly planted on my hip, making it clear I was under his protection—a fact that seemed to infuriate his second-in-command even more.
Yuri scoffed, the sound dripping with derision. "Our top IT specialists can't identify the problem, but you—" he gestured dismissively at me, "—can fix it? How convenient."
I shrugged, taking a casual sip of my coffee. "I'm good with electronics. It's kind of my thing."
"Your 'thing'?" Yuri's eyebrow arched so high it nearly disappeared into his hairline.
"Everyone has a talent," I replied. "Yours is apparently being permanently constipated."
Nicolai's chest rumbled with what might have been suppressed laughter, but his expression remained neutral."Perhaps a demonstration would be more convincing than words."
Yuri's jaw tightened, but he reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a tablet. The screen was flickering erratically, numbers and text jumping across the display.
"This started malfunctioning an hour ago," he said, holding it out like he was offering me a dead rat. "Our tech team said the circuitry is fried."
I set my coffee mug down on Nicolai's desk and took the tablet. The moment my fingers touched the screen, I could feel the device's electronic pulse—erratic and confused. The damage wasn't severe, just a disruption in the normal flow of electricity through its circuits.
Probably my fault.
Oops.
I closed my eyes, focusing on the sensation of the current flowing from my fingertips into the device. It was like sinking my hands into water and redirecting the flow, guiding it back to its proper channels. The tablet warmed slightly under my touch as I worked, repairing pathways and strengthening connections.
But why stop there? While I had my hands in the system, so to speak, I boosted the processor speed, optimized the memory allocation, and fine-tuned the display resolution. A little thank you for Yuri's charming hospitality.
Or maybe a middle finger. Depended on your perspective.
The screen glowed brighter for a moment, illuminating my face with an eerie blue light. When I opened my eyes, the display had stabilized, showing Yuri's home screen with perfect clarity. I handed it back to him with a smile that was all teeth.
"Good as new, better, actually."
Yuri took the tablet cautiously, as if expecting it to explode in his hands. His eyes widened slightly as he swiped throughscreens that responded faster than before. Applications that had previously taken seconds to load now opened instantly.
"What did you do?" he asked, suspicion lacing every word.
"Fixed it," I replied simply. "And maybe made a few improvements."
I could feel Nicolai's eyes on me, heavy with interest and something darker. He leaned closer, his lips nearly brushing my ear as he murmured, "What else can those fingers do?"
His hot breath sent shivers cascading down my spine, raising goosebumps along my arms. The low timbre of his voice seemed to resonate directly with parts of me that had no business responding while we were in a room with his second-in-command.
I turned my head slightly, bringing our faces dangerously close. "Wouldn't you like to know," I whispered back, fighting a full-body shiver as his massive hand slid from my hip to the small of my back, his thumb tracing small circles against my spine.
Focus, Mishka. Don't get distracted by the hot crime boss.
But focus was becoming increasingly difficult with Nicolai's heat enveloping me and the memory of last night's activities still fresh in my mind.
Yuri cleared his throat loudly, his expression murderous as he watched our exchange. "If we could return to the matter at hand," he said pointedly. "The building's systems—"
"Will be fixed," Nicolai interrupted, his eyes never leaving my face. "Mishka will see to it."
