Dark Dominion

Episode 4: The Devil You Know

The air inside the underground chamber felt thicker than before. The moment Phantom wiped Isabella’s lipstick off his mouth, he knew one thing for sure—she was testing him.

Not for trust. Not for loyalty.

For control.

And he wasn’t about to let her win.

He leaned back in his chair, fingers still resting on the keyboard. The decrypted files were in front of him, but his mind was already racing ten steps ahead.

Damien Kross.

The name alone sent a prickle of unease down his spine. A former government cyber-intelligence officer turned rogue. Phantom had crossed paths with him once before—years ago, in a different life.

And he barely made it out alive.

Isabella noticed the shift in his expression.

"Tell me what’s in your head, Phantom," she purred, circling him like a predator.

He exhaled, tilting the laptop toward her. "You know this guy?"

Her eyes flickered over the name. No reaction. Too controlled. Too practiced.

Liar.

“I’ve heard of him,” she said smoothly.

Phantom snorted. "Try again."

Her expression darkened. "He’s a problem. That’s why you’re going to fix it."

He leaned forward. "Kross isn’t just a problem. He’s a nightmare. This guy doesn’t just hack—he dismantles. Governments. Corporations. People."

Isabella’s smirk remained. "Then we’re going to have to kill him first, aren’t we?"

The Setup

Phantom cracked his knuckles, pulling up Kross’s last known location. Hong Kong. But he knew better than to trust outdated data.

Kross never stayed in one place. Ever.

He needed bait.

He tapped into one of his hidden scripts, sending a signal through the dark web—a breadcrumb trail Kross wouldn’t be able to resist.

A fake vulnerability in a classified military database.

If Kross was watching—and he always was—he’d bite.

Phantom set the trap. Now all they had to do was wait.

Isabella, however, had other plans.

She sauntered toward him, her dress hugging every dangerous curve of her body. "You look tense, hacker boy."

Phantom didn’t answer. Because he knew what she was doing.

Her fingers trailed over his shoulder, down his arm, slow and deliberate.

"You need a distraction."

He caught her wrist before she could go any further. "You don’t mix business and pleasure."

She laughed softly. "Who says?"

His jaw clenched.

She leaned in, breath warm against his ear. "Careful, Phantom. You might enjoy it."

A sharp knock at the door interrupted them. One of Isabella’s men entered, looking tense. "We have a problem."

Isabella turned, her expression shifting from seductive to deadly. "What is it?"

The man hesitated. "We found one of Kross’s men. He’s here."

The Interrogation

They dragged the guy into the room—a wiry man with a busted lip, blood trickling down his temple.

Phantom recognized him instantly.

Jace Rowan. Kross’s second-in-command.

"Well, well," Phantom mused. "If it isn’t the lapdog."

Jace glared at him, spitting blood onto the floor. "You’re making a mistake, Phantom."

Isabella tilted her head. "That so?"

"You think you can take on Kross?" Jace chuckled darkly. "He’s already inside your systems."

Phantom’s stomach dropped.

He shot up from his chair, rushing to his laptop. If Kross was inside…

His fingers flew across the keyboard, scanning for breaches.

The results made his blood run cold.

Kross had already broken through Moretti’s defenses.

And he left a message.

"Nice try, Phantom. See you soon."

The First Attack

The moment Phantom read those words, the lights flickered.

Then everything went black.

The underground chamber plunged into total darkness.

A second later—gunfire.

Isabella’s men started shouting, scrambling. Phantom dropped to the floor, heart pounding. This wasn’t just a hack—Kross had sent people.

A hand grabbed his arm, pulling him to his feet. Isabella.

"Move!" she hissed.

They sprinted down the corridor, bullets ricocheting off the walls. Moretti’s safehouse was compromised.

Kross wasn’t waiting for them to come to him.

He was already here.

TO BE CONTINUED…