"Can you hear me?" Noctis' voice crackled softly in Isaac's earbud.
"Yes. What's the situation?"
"Quiet, as expected. There are a few guards, but they seem to be watching the grounds rather than your target location. The old bastard is still in his office, though."
"Then I'll wait a bit longer."
"That's probably best. In an emergency they'll likely reach you faster than you'd like," Noctis yawned. "Sometimes I really wish I could hack into everything the way Ember can."
"Thanks for the compliment, Sandman, but this time the most I can do is disable the alarm system," Ashe said.
"Oh come on, no false modesty. We both know you could just as easily blow the whole estate to pieces."
"Tempting," Ashe said, "but tonight really isn't the night for fireworks."
"Can you see how many guards are outside?" he interrupted the two of them.
"Of course, darling. There are six guards outside and three guard dogs. They look pretty nasty—almost as big as calves."
"And inside?" Isaac asked impatiently.
"Hard to say. I'd guess four. Four guards and the old man."
That was manageable. He didn't need to go outside anyway; as long as he could reach the safe unnoticed, everything would be fine.
"The painting is hanging in his office as planned?"
"Yup," Noctis replied. "Though his estate is well lit."
"As soon as anyone spots Moonshadow, I'll blow the gate," Ashe said.
"So you are blowing something up after all?"
Isaac could practically see the grin on his face. He sighed, though a small smile tugged at his lips.
"I didn't say I wouldn't," Ashe replied dryly. "At least I'll get to cut loose a little tonight."
Noctis chuckled. "Don't you get enough of that on our heists?"
"You have no idea how stressful those are," Ashe snorted. "The small but important difference is that they're not expecting a theft here. Besides, our little wildcard isn't joining us tonight."
Now Noctis laughed.
"Don't laugh—he's worse than a sack of fleas. Every time my heart nearly stops because I'm afraid he'll get caught and the whole thing will blow up in our faces."
"He won't be pleased about being left out," Noctis remarked with amusement.
"He'll never find out that we were all involved. Officially, only Moonshadow is here, understood?"
"Goes without saying," Noctis said. "Though if you blow something up, everyone will know our beloved Moonshadow wasn't alone."
"That's why he can't get caught," Ashe said dryly.
"Status?" Isaac cut in. "Besides, nobody's going to catch me. They're not expecting me—did you forget that?"
"Nope. But it never hurts to be prepared for anything, right?"
"You're absolutely right about that."
"The old man is talking to one of his subordinates right now," Noctis replied. "Got anything good lined up, Ember?"
"Of course. Just wait and see."
"Things are starting to move," Noctis said. "Get ready, darling."
"Okay," Isaac said, getting to his feet.
For this heist he had chosen a completely black outfit. Unlike at the museum, he didn't need to dress in white this time. He only hoped he could make good use of the shadows.
"I'll keep giving you updates on their positions. Unfortunately I can't really see how they're arranged inside. It's almost boring that you only have to go into the office."
"No problem," Isaac said. "This suits me more than the big heists."
"You sound pretty pleased about that," Noctis said. The grin in his voice was unmistakable.
It wasn't even a lie. Inside, he felt such a deep calm that he didn't even have a racing heart at the thought of breaking into someone's home he had never seen before.
Well, maybe a little—because this time he didn't have to worry about Noah. Only he himself was inside, and Noctis would only step in if he really got into trouble. It was almost like back then, when he used to carry out his heists entirely on his own.
Almost.
Still, it didn't bother him that Noctis and Ashe were helping him. Noctis had offered himself and suggested bringing Ashe on board so they would be prepared for any eventuality. In and out quickly. Only in an emergency would they take action.
"Ooooh, what do we have here?" Ashe murmured. Then she laughed softly. "I love it when quick background checks spit out useful information."
"Did you find something?"
"Can't tell you yet. But if I did, it's really good material for sending our friend a little message. You wouldn't happen to still have one of my sticks with you, would you?" Ashe asked.
"Yes," Isaac said. "It's in my backpack."
He quickly bent down, took the stick out of his backpack, and slipped it into his pocket. Isaac was glad that he always kept his backpack prepared just in case. On private missions especially, it happened quite often that Ashe asked him for things like that.
She usually used the information either to sell it or to expand her information network. With her, most of what happened—or went wrong—in the underworld eventually ended up converging.
"You brought it with you? Wow," Ashe said in amazement. "Damn, I love working with you!"
Isaac snorted quietly.
"You help me, I help you. Without you, I'd have ended up in serious trouble more than once," Isaac said as he stepped in front of the painting. He put on his mask, checked the fit of his gloves, and took one more deep breath. "How does it look?"
"You can go in. They just left the office," Noctis said.
"Good. From now on, only necessary communication."
"Understood," the two of them replied simultaneously.
Isaac placed the palm of his hand on the painting.
Immediately he felt the familiar resonance.
The magic responded to him as if it had been waiting for him all along. A fine tingling spread through his fingers, traveled up his hand, and made the blood in his veins run hot.
He closed his eyes.
As he so often did, he imagined the energy gathering in his hand—an invisible current that could be focused if he guided it properly. The heat intensified, burning uncomfortably, but by now he knew the sensation well enough to control it.
Then he searched.
When he found the magical trace, it felt as though an invisible line stretched between the two paintings.
"Link the path and release the seal."
He opened his eyes again and removed his hand from the painting. As always, the burning stopped instantly, leaving only the pulsing of the active magic behind.
Is there also an easier way to do this?
For the moment he pushed the thought aside and focused on the heist.
"I'm going in," he said, stepping through the painting.
Moments later he stood inside the office of an art collector who never missed an underground auction if it meant acquiring the most exquisite pieces. Isaac had only read the basic facts about the man. He seemed fairly normal—if one ignored his obsession with collecting. The guards had only been hired to protect the estate from burglars.
Good thing they weren't expecting this kind of break-in.
The office lay empty before him. He briefly looked out the window in the direction where Noctis was hiding.
"All clear," Noctis said.
Isaac nodded and inserted the stick into the PC before turning it on. He looked outside again and gave a thumbs-up.
"You can start, Ember," Noctis relayed.
"Got it. Give me ten minutes if you can, Moonshadow."
"Yeah," he replied quietly.
Isaac slowly let his gaze wander through the office.
The room was furnished exactly as one would expect from a wealthy art collector. Expensive statues stood on pedestals along the walls, carefully illuminated by small spotlights. Several paintings hung between the shelves—some of them Isaac vaguely recognized from auction catalogs.
All pieces that other thieves would probably have risked their lives for.
But tonight he wasn't here for a work of art. His target was far more inconspicuous: the collector's accounting records.
He immediately got to work. He had no time to waste, even if it was only about the financial documents. Carefully, he opened the drawers, which—as expected—were all well oiled and made no sound. He checked every book he found and every drawer for a false bottom.
He did find a false bottom, but inside were only some risqué photos that he had definitely not taken with his wife. So he closed the drawer again.
"Charming," he muttered quietly.
Then Isaac looked around the room until he heard noises outside the door. Quickly he hid under the desk, but shortly afterward it sounded like someone had gone to take a shower. His heart pounded wildly with excitement.
"No one's coming," Noctis said.
Isaac was just about to leave his hiding place when a call came through. He quickly glanced at the display of his phone, only to see that the boss was calling. Normally, the boss never called when he was in the middle of a heist.
It had to be important. Isaac answered the call.
"What is it?" he asked quietly.
"Do you have the documents?"
"No. I just got inside. He stayed in his office too long."
"I see. Once you have the documents, I want you to get something else for me," he said the words as if it were no big deal.
"Okay. What? It can't be bigger than the portal, as you know."
"I'm aware of that," the boss growled threateningly. "I want you to bring me the lady of the house's sapphire jewelry. I'll send you a photo. Don't screw it up."
"Understood," Isaac said, switching back to the call with Noctis and Ashe.
Isaac glanced briefly at the image that had just arrived: an elegant necklace made of deep-blue sapphires set in white gold.
"What was that about?" Ashe asked with concern.
Isaac left his hiding place and began searching the room for possible locations for his first objective.
"The boss called," he explained quietly.
"What did he want?" Noctis growled.
Isaac walked to the sideboard and searched through it as well, without success.
"He wants me to get something else too."
He opened the next sideboard and found nothing there either. Next he turned to the large cabinets. When he opened the first one, he found a large, old-fashioned safe with combination dials. Perfect. Those he could open without a problem. He wouldn't need a body part to scan or some hacking device he had to rely on.
"What the hell could be so important that he's giving you another order now?!" Ashe asked indignantly.
"Jewelry. Be quiet for a moment—I need to crack a safe," he whispered calmly.
He sat down comfortably and began slowly turning the dial until he heard the clicking sound. Luckily he had his stethoscope with him. Just in case, he had equipped himself with lock picks and everything else he might need to open locks of any kind. He hadn't expected an old-fashioned safe, but he was glad he always brought everything he might need.
It didn't take long before he had opened the door. He looked through the contents inside the safe, alongside the money, and finally grabbed what he had been looking for.
"Got it."
"Very good. I'm almost done too. Then you can remove the stick. I'll let you know when I've shut it down," Ashe said.
"It's quiet in the house. The old man is still in the bathroom."
So he had been the one who had just gone to take a shower.
"Mm."
Isaac focused on the documents and took photos of the time periods the boss had requested. Afterward he quickly reviewed everything and photographed anything that showed significant discrepancies as well. Then he put the papers back and quietly closed the door.
The safe clicked back into place.
"What does the hallway look like? Someone just went to take a shower, but I don't hear anything anymore."
"I can't see into the bathroom, but apart from the old man there's no one else on that floor."
Shortly afterward Ashe spoke again.
"You can remove the stick."
Isaac went to the desk, pulled the USB stick out of the computer, and slipped it back into his bag.
"After that I'm heading out. I'll check the bedroom first."
"You just need to go straight down the hallway for that. Be careful," Noctis said.
Isaac walked to the door.
He placed his hand on the handle—and immediately noticed it was locked.
"Of course," he muttered quietly.
There was no sound coming from the hallway. He grabbed his lock pick and opened it within seconds, then carefully pushed the door open. He could hear noises coming from the bathroom; shortly afterward a hairdryer switched on.
The old man was humming a cheerful melody.
Isaac frowned slightly.
It seemed strange that someone would still be in the shower at this hour, humming to himself. On the other hand, it worked in Isaac's favor. As long as the man was busy with his evening routine, Isaac could move freely. With a bit of luck, he would already be gone again before the collector even noticed that anything was missing.
He quietly closed the door behind him and hurried softly along the far-too-long, dimly lit hallway. Only a few lamps were still on, casting a gentle, warm light. Complete darkness would have suited him better, but this way he wouldn't be discovered immediately and could move faster without worrying about knocking something over.
The only thing that really concerned him was the lack of hiding places.
He peered into the bedroom and stepped inside when he found it empty. The room was large—larger than he had expected. A wide bed dominated the center of the room: a heavy wooden frame, a thick mattress, several pillows. There was enough space underneath it to hide if necessary.
The curtains in front of the windows were thin and light. Standing behind them would only work from a distance of two meters at most. Not a good option.
The wardrobe on the opposite side of the room remained as the second possibility.
He briefly measured the distance between the bed and the floor with his eyes.
Yes.
Under the bed would be his safest hiding place.
He refocused on his assignment and looked around again, this time with a different perspective. He closed the door behind him.
Where did you hide your jewelry?
Isaac scanned the dark room once more. It was completely silent, and at the moment the only danger was being seen. It was such a stark contrast to all the heists he had done over the past year that he could no longer suppress the thrill.
This was fun. Especially since, for once, he didn't have to worry about suddenly getting shot at. Breaking in somewhere unnoticed really was more his style.
Then the comm crackled in his ear.
"The bathroom light just went out. He's heading toward the bedroom," Noctis warned him.
Isaac reacted immediately.
Two quick steps brought him to the bed, and he slid silently underneath it. He pushed himself far back, pressed flat against the floor, and held his breath.
The door opened. Someone entered the room and turned on the light. Then the doorbell rang.
"Early tonight," the man muttered and left the room again.
Isaac crawled out from under the bed once he could no longer see him. Quickly he pulled the door almost closed and searched the cabinets for the piece of jewelry. The guy hadn't turned off the light, so he would almost certainly come back.
"Do you have it?" Noctis asked.
"No."
"Should I blow up the gate?" Ashe asked.
"Not yet."
Meanwhile he searched every drawer until he finally found one sealed with a glass panel. He quickly examined the jewelry pieces inside and spotted the item his boss wanted.
"Got you," he murmured.
"Hurry, he's coming back—and he's not alone," Noctis warned him.
Isaac grabbed his lock pick and went to work on the lock.
"They're getting closer."
Isaac opened the glass, grabbed the sapphire necklace, the matching earrings, and the bracelet, then closed both the glass panel and the drawer.
He could already hear their voices.
"Damn it, Isaac!"
In one leap Isaac was at the bed and pulled himself as far underneath it as possible, far enough that he definitely wouldn't be seen. He had just managed to push himself a little farther back when the door swung open.
Isaac's heart pounded with excitement, adrenaline rushing through his veins.
That was damn close, he thought.
But he had made it. Now he only had to get out of here unseen. He stuffed the jewelry into his jacket pocket and zipped it closed so nothing would fall out.
Two people entered the bedroom—the owner of the villa and a woman in high heels and fishnet stockings. They giggled and laughed; he heard the unmistakable sounds of numerous wet kisses, followed by a moan from the woman.
A chill suddenly ran down Isaac's spine.
You've got to be kidding… how unlucky can someone be…?
"How do you want it tonight?" the woman purred in a seductive voice.
"You know exactly how I like it," the old man murmured cheerfully.
"Mmm, I thought maybe you wanted to try something new," the woman giggled.
Someone fell onto the bed. Fabric rustled. The woman knelt down on the floor. Shortly afterward he heard exaggerated sucking noises, wet smacking sounds, and moaning.
Isaac pressed his forehead against the floor and tried to block out the noises.
This can't be happening. This isn't actually happening right now.
From the earpiece he heard Noctis laughing.
And Isaac couldn't even tell him to shut up.
"What's going on? Are you out, Moonshadow?" Ashe asked.
Noctis laughed even louder.
"Why are you laughing?" Ashe asked, confused. "What happened?"
"Our Moonshadow is in a… let's say tight situation," Noctis giggled with amusement.
Under the bed, Isaac clenched his hands into fists.
Laugh all you want, you damn bastard.
"Should I start the distraction?" Ashe asked seriously.
The woman's underwear dropped to the floor and she began pleasuring herself. Isaac closed his eyes in embarrassment and hoped it would be over quickly.
"Not yet. It's just getting good."
Isaac's eyes widened in shock. Was he seriously going to wait? Isaac wanted nothing more than to get out of here.
Just you wait, Noctis…, he thought angrily.
"Huh? What's getting good?"
Above him, the moaning grew louder.
"Shit, stop—I'm about to come. Let me cum on your tits," the old man murmured.
"Go ahead, they're all yours."
The reply was strained moaning.
Isaac pressed his lips together and tried to breathe as quietly as possible while waiting for this nightmare to finally end.
"How can someone have such a sinful body like you?" the man groaned, breathing heavily.
Under the bed, Isaac rolled his eyes.
Then Noctis spoke over the comm again, this time noticeably calmer.
"Okay, we should rescue him," Noctis said.
"All right. I'll cut the power first!"
The next moment, the lights went out throughout the entire house.
The bedroom suddenly plunged into darkness.
"Damn it! Why is the light out?!" the old man cursed.
The woman laughed softly.
"Oooh, just stay here," she cooed. "We can keep going. Or do you want me to get cold?"
The man snorted briefly.
"Then sit on me," he suddenly said again, clearly aroused. "I just took a Viagra. That should definitely make it worth your while."
Isaac grimaced in disgust.
This conversation would probably haunt him for years.
"How thoughtful of you," the woman breathed.
The man snorted with satisfaction.
"My men will have the issue with the lights sorted out in a moment."
Fabric fell to the floor, and shortly afterward the bed began to creak. Isaac decided he wouldn't get a more perfect moment to escape. Carefully he slid out from under the bed. Ignoring the smells and the noises, he crawled along the floor toward the door.
His heart was pounding loudly, as if it wanted to leap out of his chest.
When he reached the door, he rose to his knees and listened once more toward the bed, where the two of them were completely absorbed with each other. In the darkness they shouldn't notice anything. So he quietly opened the door, slipped out into the hallway, and closed it softly behind him.
Then he stood up, hurried back to the office, locked the door behind him, and stepped through the painting into the boss's gallery.
"I'm out," he said.
"How was it?" Noctis asked.
Isaac rubbed his forehead wearily. "Please… just keep your mouth shut."
Noctis laughed. "Do you still really prefer jobs like this over museum heists?"
"What exactly happened in there?" Ashe asked curiously. "I want to laugh too."
Isaac hesitated.
"Nothing…," he began.
Noctis cut him off.
"The old man ordered himself a prostitute, and Isaac had a front-row seat," Noctis laughed.
"Noctis!" Isaac snapped, his face turning bright red.
"You're kidding…," Ashe said, stunned. Then she started laughing herself. "That's some seriously terrible timing."
"Ha ha… laugh it up," Isaac muttered irritably. "I'm bringing the goods to the boss. Talk later."
With that, he ended the call before the other two could say anything else.
He placed his hand on the painting.
"I release the bond. The path is sealed."
The magic faded, and everything was as it should be again. He quickly changed clothes, took out the jewelry, and stuffed the outfit into his backpack. This time he hadn't come away with any physical injuries, but whether he would ever recover from the psychological damage remained to be seen.
"Of course something like that had to happen," he muttered irritably.
Then he left the gallery and went straight to the boss. On the way there, he attached the photos of the documents to an email and sent them to him. When he reached the office, Constantine opened the door and asked him to come in.
Isaac felt an uneasy knot in his stomach. It was the first time he had seen the boss since the last major heist. The first time since the boss had beaten him. He took a deep breath and stepped into the office.
"Good evening, Isaac," the boss greeted him.
The door closed behind him. Isaac straightened up and forced more confidence into his steps. He had completed the assignment, and the boss was getting what he wanted. The jewelry was in flawless condition, and he had obtained the documents as well.
There was nothing for him to fear.
"Good evening, boss," he said in a firm voice as he approached the desk.
The boss studied him closely. "I assume you have what I asked for? You took quite a long time."
Isaac nodded. "I just sent you the email," he said. Then he took out the jewelry. "I was also able to obtain the sapphire set. Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy to steal. But no one saw me."
A satisfied grin crept across the boss's face. He held out his hand, and Isaac placed the jewelry into his open palm. The boss examined it without saying a word. The silence stretched uncomfortably long. Isaac's heartbeat thudded far too loudly in his ears.
Then the boss nodded with satisfaction and set the jewelry aside.
"I'm pleased to see that you are still capable of successfully completing an assignment."
Isaac would have liked nothing more than to sigh with relief. Instead, he bowed deeply before the boss.
"Your words please me greatly."
"Mona will be pleased when she receives the jewelry. You have done me a great service today, Isaac. Your payment will be transferred as usual."
Isaac straightened again.
"Thank you very much, boss."
"No need to thank me," the boss replied. He lifted the jewelry demonstratively. "This is how you should complete assignments. This time you performed well—but don't you dare ever disappoint me again."
"I will do my best," Isaac said quietly. "Something like last time will never happen again."
"It won't. Failure will not be tolerated. If you fail, you will feel the consequences very clearly," the boss growled. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Do we understand each other?"
Isaac held his gaze.
"Loud and clear."
A brief moment passed before the boss leaned back again.
"Good. Then get out," the boss said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I'll contact you tomorrow with a new assignment."
"Understood," Isaac said. "I wish you a pleasant evening."
Without another word, he turned and left the office. The door closed quietly behind him. Only when he walked down the hallway did he notice how a heavy tension slowly fell away from him.
A burden that had settled on his shoulders since the last major heist.
For the first time in weeks, it felt as though he could truly breathe again.
The boss did not seem to fully trust him yet, but that was something he could work on with the assignments to come.
He felt lighter as he left the estate.
The first step had been taken. Now everything else only had to fall into place.
But Isaac would work hard to make sure nothing went wrong again.
This time everything had gone well.
And next time, he would make sure it went the same way.