Chp 8 luca

Our club was carved out of shadows and smoke —

deep leather booths, black marble floors, and a constant pulse of music that never reached the back rooms.

This was our place.

Where no one could overhear.

Where only the wolves were allowed.

I stepped through the velvet-curtained doorway, nodding once at the guard before moving deeper inside.

Adrian was already waiting, sitting at a private table, a glass of bourbon in his hand.

He looked up when he saw me — sharp-eyed, restless, always two moves ahead.

"Boss," he said, standing briefly before dropping back into his seat.

I slid into the chair across from him, signaling the bartender for a drink.

"Talk," I said.

Adrian leaned in, voice low and direct — the way he always was.

"The hacker — she's dangerous. Smart. Trained. She's not some freelancer looking for money."

I already knew that.But I let him finish.

"We traced the breach deeper. It wasn’t just the Silicans she hit. She’s been gathering information on everyone. Quiet. Surgical. Like she's preparing for something bigger."

My fingers tapped once against the table.

"And?"

Adrian’s jaw tightened.

"Boss... we have two choices."

I arched an eyebrow.

"We take her out now — clean and fast — before she does more damage."

He paused, gaze steady.

"Or... we flip her."

A thin smile curved my mouth.

"Flip her?"

"Bring her to our side," Adrian said, voice dropping. "Someone with skills like that — she could do more for us inside than dead."

I leaned back, studying the ceiling for a long moment.

Ashley  Petrov.

The hidden daughter.

The spark in the powder keg.

Kill her —

or own her.

My smile sharpened.

"First," I said softly, "we find out exactly why she’s playing this game."

Because no one risks everything without a reason.

And I intended to find out what hers was.

Before she even knew she was caught.

Adrian watched me across the table, waiting.

I picked up the glass of whiskey and let it rest in my hand for a long moment before I spoke.

"It's  Petrov 's daughter," I said, my voice low.

Adrian froze.

His fingers curled tightly around his glass.

"Ashley," I added, letting the name settle between us like a loaded gun on the table.

For a moment, neither of us moved.

Then Adrian leaned back slowly, exhaling through his nose.

"You're telling me," he said carefully, "the hacker who's been screwing half of Europe... is Viktor  Petrov’s daughter?"

"Da," I said.

Russian, deliberate.

A thin smile pulled at Adrian’s mouth — humorless.

"That complicates things."

"It always does," I murmured.

He shook his head, muttering a curse under his breath.

" Petrov protected her so well," Adrian said. "Kept her locked away like a fucking state secret."

"Until now," I said, the words tasting like iron.

Adrian leaned in again, his eyes sharp.

"Boss... if you move against her,  Petrov will retaliate. No matter what kind of business we pretend to have."

I smiled slightly.

"We’re not going to move against her," I said softly.

Not yet.

I wanted to see what she was playing at first.

Because somewhere deep down, I already knew —

Ashley  Petrov wasn't just a daughter.

Wasn't just a pawn.

She was a queen in hiding.

And the second she realized we were hunting her...

She'd start hunting back.