GHOST

***Damian***

Jax paced back and forth, his steps echoing through the room like blows from an invisible hammer. His jaws ground, his hands buried in his hair, and his eyes sparkled with unspoken rage. He was like an animal in a cage, ready to attack anything or anyone that came too close.

“Jesus Christ, Damian, what the hell is so hard about finally shooting this bitch and getting rid of her for good, hmm?” Jax's voice was a mixture of desperation and anger. ”We've never been afraid to solve problems. Why now?”

I leaned against the wall, folded my arms across my chest and exhaled slowly. His anger was understandable, but it didn't help us one bit. “Jax,” I began calmly, “the problem isn't that we can't. The problem is that we can't find her.”

“Can't find her?” He stopped and fixed me with a look that was like a dagger. ”She's a person, not a ghost! She can't be invisible. She's hiding somewhere out there. Why the hell can't we find her?”

“Because she's one of the best hackers around,” I said, sitting up. ”Jax, you know this better than anyone. She's not just good – she's the best. She helped us find me back then, remember? She manipulated your systems without you realizing it. And that was when she was still on your side.”

“Maybe so,” Jax growled, taking a step closer, ‘but she's not invincible. No one is invincible.’ His voice trailed off, darkening. ”Who's better, Damian? There's got to be someone.”

I stared at him, feeling the pressure in his gaze, the unspoken challenge. “Jax,” I finally said, “there aren't many who play in her league. And the few who do have either worked with her or fear her.”

He laughed bitterly, a rough, cold sound that pierced the room. “So you're telling me there's nothing we can do? That we just sit here and wait for her to tear us all apart?”

I shook my head. ”No. I'm saying we need to find someone better than her.”

“All right,” Jax finally said, banging his fist against the wall. ”Who's better, Damian? Let's go find that person!”

I remained silent while my mind retreated into the past, going over the names, the abilities that I knew. There were only a few who were even close to Marie's level. And only one person who might have been better.

“There is someone,“ I finally said, my voice calm but firm.

“Who?” Jax asked immediately, his eyes glowing with hope.

“Raven.”

Celine, who had remained silent until now, raised her head and looked at me. “Raven?” She furrowed her brow. “Do you mean the Raven who...”

“Yes,” I interrupted her. “Exactly that one.”

Jax looked back and forth between us, confusion and frustration in his eyes. “Who the hell is Raven?”

I sighed and dropped onto a chair. ”Raven is... a legend. He – or she, I'm not sure – is one of the best hackers around. Better than Marie. Maybe the only one who's better.”

“Where do we find this Raven?“ Jax asked without hesitation.

“That's the problem,” I said, rubbing my temples. “Raven only shows up when he wants to. Nobody knows where he is or how to reach him. But...” I paused and looked at Jax. “...I know someone who might.”

“Who?“ Jax asked, his voice as sharp as a knife.

“Ghost.”

Jax's face went pale. ‘Ghost? You're telling me we should talk to Ghost?”

I nodded. ’If anyone knows how to reach Raven, it's him. But...” I hesitated. “...it won't be easy. Ghost doesn't owe me anything. And he doesn't trust anyone.”

Jax snorted, but I could see that he knew we had no other choice. “Then let's waste no time,” he said, grabbing his jacket. “Let's find Ghost.”

Celine stood up, her eyes full of concern. ‘Damian, are you sure this is a good idea? Ghost is...’ She paused, searching for the right words. ”He's dangerous.”

“I know that,” I said softly. ”But we have no other choice. If we don't stop Marie, she'll tear us all apart. And I won't let her destroy our family.”

Jax nodded, and I could see that he was ready. I wish I could say the same for myself. Ghost wasn't a friend, and he wasn't an ally. But he was our only hope.

“Let's go,” I finally said, heading for the door. ”There's no time to lose.”

Marie was out there, and the clock was ticking. We had to find her before it was too late.

Damian's perspective

Raven and Ghost. Their names were legends in the dark corners of the web. They were the invisible fingers pulling the strings while everyone else stumbled in the dark. They hacked through the strongest firewalls, paralyzed corporations, moved millions through accounts that officially didn't exist, and built false identities so convincingly that even governments fell for them. Everyone knew their names, but no one had ever seen them – or almost no one.

Marie had learned from them, or so they said. Raven and Ghost had been her teachers, her mentors in the art of manipulating the world from the shadows. But while Marie shone in the spotlight of her small, twisted games, Raven and Ghost remained hidden. Invisible. Everywhere and nowhere.

I never thought I would ever meet one of them. And yet I did – by a twist of fate that seemed too improbable to be true.

It was years ago, when Jax and I still divided the city between us. He controlled the north, I the south. We were not friends, not allies, but we respected each other – at least back then. Our businesses were doing well, and everyone knew not to get in our way.

It was one of those stifling afternoons when the heat made the streets shimmer. I entered the small café on the corner, an unassuming place that paid protection money like all the other businesses in my neighborhood. I was there to collect the monthly amount and expected nothing out of the ordinary.

But then I saw him.

He was sitting alone at one of the tables, a laptop in front of him, a steaming cup of coffee next to it. He looked unassuming, almost boring – a young man with dark hair, glasses and a face you would overlook in a crowd. But it wasn't his appearance that caught my attention. It was the pages he was opening.

He had set up his laptop so that the screen was easily visible, and I immediately noticed that he was working on something unusual. His fingers flew over the keyboard, while codes and strings of numbers appeared on the screen that seemed strange even to me, with my limited technical experience.

I sat down at a table where I could watch him and ordered a coffee. While I pretended to read the newspaper, I kept glancing over at him. He didn't notice me – or at least he pretended not to.

Then I saw it. A page that briefly appeared on his screen before disappearing. It wasn't an ordinary website. It was an account full of numbers that changed in real time – millions of dollars moving from one place to another.

I knew immediately that I had someone special in front of me. No ordinary hacker could do something like this, and certainly not in public. But what really caught my attention was a name that appeared on one of the files: Raven.

I had heard of Raven, and Ghost too. Their names were as well known in my world as they were in the hacker world. They were the best of the best, untouchable and invisible. And yet one of them was sitting right in front of me.

I waited until he closed his laptop and stood up before I followed him. He walked down the street, turned into an alley, and I quickened my pace.

“Hey,“ I called, and he slowly turned around, his eyes behind his glasses cool and calculating.

“Yes?” he asked, his voice calm, almost bored.

I stopped, only a few steps away from him. “You're Ghost, aren't you?”

For a moment, he showed no reaction, but then he raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly. ”Interesting claim. And who are you to judge?”

I laughed softly, although my heart was beating faster. “I'm Damian. And I control this part of town. You're good, Ghost. But you're also too arrogant. You gave yourself away.”

His smile grew wider, but his eyes remained cold. ”And what are you going to do now? Arrest me? Threaten me?”

“No,” I said calmly. ‘I want you to work for me.”

Ghost looked at me for a long time, his fingers twitching as if he were pressing invisible keys. Then he nodded slowly. ’Maybe. But if you lie to me, Damian, you will regret it.”

From that moment on, I had one of the most powerful hackers in the world at my side – at least for a while. Ghost was brilliant, unpredictable and dangerous. But I always knew that he was loyal to no one.

Marie had learned from him, and I now understood why she was the way she was. Ghost was a shadow, a ghost that destroyed everything in its path. And now we needed him again. But this time not as an ally – but as the key to stopping Marie.

I hadn't left Ghost's side as an enemy, but not as a friend either. Our collaboration was a business deal, a community of convenience that ended when our goals diverged. Ghost was a man who owed nothing to anyone, and I respected that. Likewise, I owed him nothing. But one thing was clear: Ghost was dangerous, unpredictable, and a genius when it came to operating in the shadows.

The good thing about him was that he had habits – as contradictory as that sounded for someone who lived like a ghost. And I knew where I could find him.

He still came regularly to the small café where I had first spotted him. An unassuming place, off the main streets, whose walls smelled of coffee and old books. Ghost appreciated the anonymity of the place. No one who recognized him, no one who asked questions.