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Chapter 1
ANDREY
I stand by my father’s hospital bed, the cold, clinical light making his bruises and bandages stand out starkly. My mother, Grace, sits beside him, looking exhausted and worried. The machines beep steadily, a constant reminder of the fragile line my father is walking.
“Does anyone know what happened?” I ask, my voice low.
“No,” she replies, shaking her head. “He walked into the Velvet Lounge when the first of the staff got there and collapsed. Heather called an ambulance, and they brought him here.”
I clench my fists, frustration and worry boiling inside me. “So no one knows where he was or how he ended up like this? Where’s Marco Moretti?”
Grace shakes her head. “I’ve tried calling Marco, but there’s still no reply. Genevra doesn’t know where he is, either. She’s distraught, especially after hearing about your father.”
I grit my teeth. “We need to find Marco and hope he’s still alive because someone needs to let us know what the fuck happened to my father.”
Grace nods, rubbing her temples. “When Marco and your father went missing, I was hoping it was just one of the impromptu trips they take.”
“Unless they had a car accident on their way,” I say, “this looks more like the Irish mob beat him.”
I take a deep breath, trying to push down the anger at whoever dared to do this to my father. I still haven’t ruled out Konstantin, as he did mark my father, but James seems to believe he didn’t kidnap Marco and my father. Konstantin also looked pissed that they were missing.
James had pointed out that if it had been Konstantin who captured Marco and my father, they’d never have gotten out alive. Sergei seems to think that Konstantin has orders not to kill my father or Marco.
It could’ve been a warning from the hackers who threatened to release information that would point to the painted lady containers coming from my family. It seems the hackers are trying to put a new spin on an old game that almost brought down the Morettis and Belovs twenty-nine years ago.
James is trying to find out who has hacked into Velvet Transport’s servers and is using my late brother’s code on the old system to pass containers through. We tried to shut the back door into the new system from the old one, but the hackers caught us and sent out another container. With my father now in the ICU and Marco still missing, we can’t even find out what the fuck the hackers want.
Christ! I hate technology. At least when we have someone skimming or stealing products, there’s always a way to find the fucker and deal with them. Now, we are dealing with a faceless enemy that has obviously employed some slick black hat to help them hide behind a computer, God knows where.
I look over at my mother. Her worry is etched into every line on her face. “Mom, you need to rest. Sitting here isn’t going to help Dad. I’ll stay and keep an eye on him.”
She shakes her head, her eyes filled with stubborn determination. “I can’t leave him, Andrey. I need to be here when he wakes up.”
I sigh, knowing better than to argue with her when she’s like this. “Alright, but at least get some coffee and something to eat. You need to keep your strength up.”
She nods reluctantly and stands up, squeezing my hand before heading out of the room. I turn back to my father, studying his face for any sign of change. The steady beeping of the machines is the only sound in the room.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I pull it out, seeing a message from James.
I’ve got a lead on the hackers. Meet me at the office ASAP.
I hesitate, glancing back at my father. I don’t want to leave him, but if James has a lead, it could be the break we need. I type out a quick reply, telling him I’ll be there soon.
As I head out of the hospital, I send a quick text to Sergei, asking him to keep an eye on my father and let me know if anything changes. I also shoot a message to Genevra, asking if there’s been any word from Marco. I’ve had no response yet.
The drive to the office is tense, my mind racing with possibilities. If we can find these hackers, we can get some answers. And if we find Marco, we can piece together what happened to my father.
When I arrive at the office, James is already there, pacing back and forth. He looks up as I walk in, his expression grim.
“I found something,” he says, leading me to his computer. “The hackers have been using a series of proxy servers to hide their location, but I managed to trace one of the signals back to a warehouse on the outskirts of the city.”
“Do you think they’re there now?” I ask, leaning over his shoulder to look at the screen.
“Hard to say,” James replies. “But it’s our best lead. If we can get there and catch them in the act, we might be able to get some answers.”
I nod, adrenaline starting to pump through my veins. “Let’s go.”
We gather a few men and head to the warehouse, the drive filled with tense silence. As we approach, we park a few blocks away and make our way on foot, trying to stay as inconspicuous as possible.
