Page 27 of The Hacker (Dominion Hall #5)

ELIAS

V ivi’s arrest was a blade in my gut, Jessa’s death the twist that made it bleed. I tore through Charleston’s streets, the SUV’s engine roaring as I raced to the police station, my mind a storm of panic and rage.

The images ShadyLady had posted—Vivi’s red curls on that platform, Jessa’s terrified face—burned in my memory, proof of a hijacked account and a shadowy force orchestrating this nightmare.

I needed to get Vivi out, to hold her, to shield her from the fallout of her friend’s death and the trap closing around her, around all of us.

The station loomed ahead, a squat brick building under a bruised sky. I parked, grabbing my laptop bag, stowing my pistol in the glove box. Inside, the air was thick with stale coffee and decades of perps. The desk sergeant, a wiry man with a mustache, barely looked up. “Name?”

“Elias Dane,” I said, voice tight, leaning in. “Here for Vivienne Laveau.”

He typed slowly, eyes narrowing. “She’s in holding. You her lawyer?”

“No, but I need to see her. Now.”

He snorted, unimpressed. “Take a seat. Someone’ll get to you.”

I bit back a curse, my demon snarling, but arguing wouldn’t help. I found a corner in the waiting area, cracked open my laptop.

If they were giving me the runaround, I’d use the time to track ShadyLady . Vivi was caged, and every second she spent in there was a failure I couldn’t stomach. I had to unravel this, find Department 77’s hackers, and stop them before they hurt her more.

My spiders were still crawling, chasing ShadyLady ’s trail through the dark web. The account’s activity—posting real-time images of Jessa’s fall—didn’t add up. Jessa was dead, her burner app tied to ShadyLady , but the posts continued, taunting with a precision no amateur could manage.

I dug into the forum’s logs, searching for the source.

The photos’ metadata pointed to a server in D.C.

, a hub I’d seen before. Department 77 had gone quiet after a battle with my family recently, one that somehow dodged national news.

They’d been biding their time, waiting in the shadows, and now they were back, using Vivi to get inside Dominion Hall.

Well, fuck that. They thought they could play her like a pawn, exploit her fire to crack our defenses? I’d send a message of my own.

My brothers and I had fought off threats before, but this was personal. Vivi was mine, and no one touched her without paying a price.

I had an idea.

I was a world-class hacker, top-tier, but there were a handful globally in a league of their own, the Michael Jordans of code. One name stood out: PhantomZero , a ghost who’d once crashed a nation’s banking system for kicks. If anyone could outmaneuver Department 77, it was them.

I opened an encrypted channel, my fingers steady despite the panic gnawing at my chest. The message was simple: Need a deep trace and sabotage. Department 77.

I sent it, knowing the cost would be steep.

Seconds later, a reply pinged back: Fifty million. Quarter upfront. Deliverable in 48 hours.

Ridiculous, but worth it to protect Vivi, to dismantle the trap around her. I typed two words— DO IT —and transferred 25% to the provided account, a numbered vault in the Caymans. PhantomZero would get to work, and I’d have answers soon.

I closed the laptop, my pulse still racing, when footsteps approached.

Deputy Norton stepped into the waiting area, his frame taut with authority, sleeves rolled to reveal corded forearms. His eyes, sharp and weathered, locked on mine, but his expression gave nothing away.

I stood, pocketing my phone, ready to demand Vivi’s release, but he spoke first.

“She’s not coming out tonight, Dane,” Norton said, voice low, unyielding. “Processing’s taking longer than expected. And the governor called.”

I stepped into his space, close enough to see the stubble on his jaw, my voice a growl. “If you think you’re keeping her in there, you’ve got all the Danes to worry about.”

Norton didn’t flinch, but his eyes flickered, weighing me. He wasn’t a lightweight—his stance, his calm, screamed professional—but he knew he was out of his depth. The Dane name carried weight, and I wasn’t bluffing. Atlas and the others would tear this place apart if I gave the word.

Norton raised a hand, placating, his tone softening. “Easy, Dane. It’s fine, as long as she doesn’t leave town. I’ll push the paperwork through.”

I held his gaze, my demon barely leashed. “Make it fast.”

He nodded, turning to go, but paused, glancing back. “One more thing. Tell your girlfriend to stay off the internet. Some pretty graphic images from Ms. Lane’s death are making the rounds out there.”

My blood ran cold, the ShadyLady photos flashing in my mind—Vivi’s desperate reach, Jessa’s fall. Norton’s words confirmed they were spreading, a public crucifixion to break her further.

I didn’t respond, just watched him disappear down the hall, my fists clenching as I fought the urge to follow, to demand more. Vivi was in there, grieving, caged, and I was stuck out here, waiting, failing her again.

I sank back into the chair, my laptop closed but my mind racing.

The shadow group—Department 77, I was sure of it—had played this perfectly.

Jessa’s death, Vivi’s arrest, the hijacked ShadyLady account posting images to frame her—it was a calculated strike, not just against her but against me, against Dominion Hall.

They’d used her to draw us out, and I’d missed it, too focused on her to see the bigger game.

My demon snarled, possessive, protective, but rage wouldn’t free her. I needed PhantomZero ’s trace, needed to infiltrate Department 77’s network, needed Vivi safe in my arms.

The waiting area was a blur of fluorescent light and distant voices, the clock ticking too slowly. I thought of Vivi’s face last night, her eyes red but steady, the hope I’d sparked when I promised her a new life.

She’d trusted me, let me hold her, and now she was alone, carrying Jessa’s death, the weight of guilt I couldn’t yet lift. I had to tell her about ShadyLady , about the hijacking, but how? Her grief would be a buzz saw, and I didn’t know how to wield the truth without cutting her deeper.

My phone dinged, an encrypted ping from my spiders, likely more on ShadyLady ’s trail, but I didn’t check it.

Norton would be back soon, Vivi with him, and I needed to be ready—to hold her, to promise her we’d fight this together.

The images were out there, spreading, and I’d shield her from them, from the world’s judgment, from Department 77’s reach.

I leaned forward, elbows on my knees, staring at the floor, my resolve hardening. They’d used Vivi to get to me, but I’d turn their game against them. PhantomZero would deliver, and I’d burn Department 77’s shadows to ash.