Chapter Five: Ghost in the Wires

The Moretti estate was a fortress of old-world elegance, its towering walls concealing the operations that dictated the city's underworld. Behind its grand exterior, an unseen war was unfolding—one fought not with bullets, but with information.

Vincenzo sat in his study, the dim lighting casting shadows along the mahogany desk. His fingers drummed against the polished wood, his dark eyes fixated on the note Marco had handed him earlier. The names on the list weren't random. They were potential weak links—pieces of the puzzle that had yet to reveal their purpose.

A knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts. Marco entered, his expression sharp, purposeful.

"He's on his way," Marco said.

Vincenzo nodded. "Good. He's going to earn his keep tonight."

---

Miles away, in a room bathed in the soft glow of monitors, Theo leaned back in his chair, exhaling smoke from the cigarette dangling between his fingers.

The burner phone on his desk buzzed. A single message lit up the screen:

"Playtime."

Theo grinned. "About damn time."

He crushed the cigarette into an overflowing ashtray and cracked his knuckles. The thrill of the hunt had always excited him, and tonight promised to be interesting.

Pulling on his leather jacket, he grabbed his laptop and a set of encrypted USB drives. A few minutes later, he was on his way to the estate, anticipation buzzing in his veins.

---

The main hall of the Moretti estate was silent, save for the ticking of an antique clock. When Theo stepped inside, Marco was already waiting.

"You're late," Marco muttered.

Theo smirked. "You called me out of my cave. The least you could do is offer a drink."

"Vincenzo is waiting," Marco replied, ignoring the remark.

They entered the study. Vincenzo was standing by the window, his back to them. He didn't turn as he spoke.

"Theo."

Theo dropped his bag onto the chair and stretched. "Boss. Heard you've got a problem."

Vincenzo finally turned, his gaze cutting through the dim light. "We found surveillance tech in one of our warehouses. High-end. Linked to an unknown server."

Theo's grin faded. "That's not amateur work."

"No, it's not," Vincenzo agreed. "That's why you're here."

Marco handed Theo a flash drive. "Here's everything we pulled from the cameras. We need to know what's on those tapes. And more importantly—who put them there."

Theo twirled the drive between his fingers. "I'll need a few hours."

"You have two," Vincenzo said flatly.

Theo chuckled. "No pressure, huh?"

---

Theo worked fast. His fingers flew across the keyboard, bypassing encryption protocols with the ease of a master. The footage was raw—grainy black-and-white feeds from hidden angles within the warehouse.

He scrubbed through hours of recordings, eyes narrowing when he spotted movement. A figure, dressed in black, planting the devices.

Theo isolated the best frames and enhanced them. The man's face was hidden, but something stood out—a tattoo on his wrist. A black rose.

Theo smirked. "Got you."

Now came the fun part. He accessed darknet databases, ran facial recognition against law enforcement records, and cross-referenced underground networks. The process was meticulous—filtering through layers of false identities, buried records, and encrypted logs.

The minutes ticked by. Sweat beaded on Theo's brow as he bypassed another security layer.

Then, his screen flashed.

One name appeared.

Theo's breath hitched. "No way."

He grabbed his phone and dialed Marco. "Wake the boss up. We found our guy."

---

Vincenzo was already waiting when Theo entered the study. Marco stood beside him, arms crossed.

Theo dropped a printed file onto the desk. "Meet our mystery man."

Vincenzo picked it up, his eyes scanning the details.

The name was one he hadn't seen in years. A ghost from the past. Someone who should have never resurfaced.

His jaw clenched. His instincts screamed that this was not a coincidence.

A slow, dark smile spread across his lips.

"Found you."

To be Continued...