"Can't we at least stay in bed for a few more minutes?" Noctis asked sleepily.
Isaac was already sitting on the edge of the bed and flinched slightly as a pull shot through his lower back. As much as he wanted to stay, he simply couldn't. They had made love until the early hours of the morning, showered together afterward, and then barely slept four hours. Maybe even less.
He was tired.
But there were more important things to do.
"We can't, Noctis."
Before he could properly get up, an arm wrapped around his waist and pulled him back into bed. Isaac lost his balance and landed half on top of Noctis, who immediately nuzzled his face against his side and pressed a sleepy kiss to his flank.
"Stay with me, darling," Noctis mumbled in his rough morning voice. "If you leave now, I'll probably die a tragic death."
Isaac snorted in amusement.
"Don't talk nonsense."
"I'm serious," Noctis yawned, pulling him even closer.
Isaac raised an eyebrow. "We spent the entire night together."
"And?" Noctis tightened his grip. "That's not enough."
For a moment, Isaac actually let himself sink against him. The warmth beneath the blankets, Noctis' steady breathing against his neck, and that sleepy silence between them felt dangerously tempting. A small, peaceful moment before everything came crashing down on him again.
He lightly pinched Noctis' cheek.
"Forget it. Any more of this and my hip is officially filing a complaint. I can barely move."
Noctis blinked up at him innocently. "Was that criticism? As far as I remember, you didn't have any objections last night."
Isaac couldn't stop himself from laughing. With his completely tousled hair, half-closed eyes, and smug expression, Noctis looked both pathetic and far too handsome at the same time.
And frighteningly enough, everything felt normal again.
"I liked it," Isaac finally admitted, leaning down to kiss him briefly.
The kiss was soft, slow, and far too familiar. Isaac let himself get carried away by it and kissed Noctis longer than he had intended.
It still felt strange to be this close with him again, to speak to him so familiarly, and yet, frighteningly enough, it felt normal—right, even. He had missed being like this with Noctis.
Despite all the lies.
Which didn't mean he still wasn't angry, but Noctis had always acted according to what he believed was best. And even if it had taken him far too long to show Isaac the truth, Isaac had to admit that sometimes you simply couldn't change everything.
Not the circumstances. Not the possibly right moment. Especially not when it came to this.
…Would there ever even have been a right moment before everything went to hell? Before the Boss had beaten and punished him? Or before Noah's death?
The mere thought of Noah made Isaac's chest tighten.
That was another thing he kept thinking about. Yet it hadn't been Noctis who killed Noah or ordered the hit. It had been his brother, Vincent.
Isaac had to learn to notice the subtle differences. After all, he couldn't punish Noctis for everything. He himself had acted under his brother's orders and unfortunately…
…everything made sense. He just had to figure out how much of it made sense to him.
It had already been twelve hours since they had returned and brought all the files back with them. Twelve hours in which he had barely thought about his revenge and instead given himself over to pleasure.
The time had by no means been wasted. For one, Vincent needed time to get an overview of everything, and Isaac had needed the break more than anything. On top of that, the encounter with Levi had once again ripped the ground out from under his feet.
At least he could think more clearly again now, and even though he was pretty sore, he felt lighter.
He should probably channel that energy directly toward the Boss and help ensure he was arrested by the police. Only then would he finally be able to repay him for all the years the Boss had controlled his life.
Slowly, he sat up again and glanced over his shoulder at Noctis.
"Are you coming with me?" he finally asked.
Noctis nodded immediately, still half-buried in the pillows. "Will you make me a coffee?" he murmured hoarsely. "It's been forever since I had coffee made by you."
Isaac pulled on his pants and reached for his shirt.
"Do you even have a decent machine?"
A tired nod.
"And proper beans?"
Another nod.
Just the thought of a good coffee made something stir inside Isaac. It had been a long time since he had properly prepared one. Not calmly. Not simply because he felt like it.
And honestly, he desperately needed one himself.
A small smile crossed his lips.
"Show me where everything is, and you'll get your coffee," he promised.
The moment Isaac finished speaking, Noctis sat up as well. The exhaustion was still plainly visible on his face, yet the prospect of coffee seemed to revive him instantly.
He yawned deeply, stretched at length, and somehow looked as though he had merely finished a light workout instead of spending an entire sleepless night awake.
Quietly humming to himself, he got dressed.
Isaac snorted in amusement and shook his head.
The smile, however, never left his lips.
___
With a soft clink, Isaac set the caramel macchiato down on Vincent's desk and let his gaze wander over the chaos spread across it.
Between open folders, loose documents, marked photographs, and several empty energy drink cans, there was barely any space left visible. Even so, Vincent seemed to know exactly where everything was.
He looked up at Isaac tiredly.
"And what did I do to deserve this kind of attention?" he yawned, though he still immediately reached for the coffee. Carefully, he took the first sip.
Isaac drank from his own far less sweet coffee.
"You didn't," he replied dryly.
Vincent chuckled softly.
"Of course not."
He took another sip and closed his eyes for a brief moment.
"This is exactly what I need right now," he murmured contentedly.
Isaac hadn't been surprised to find caramel syrup in the kitchen. Vincent seemed like the type of person who survived his nights on overpriced sugar and caffeine.
Which didn't mean Isaac liked the sweet smell. Not even after all the years he had worked as a barista at Café Noir.
He had only made the coffee to keep Vincent awake and working. Besides, Isaac still remembered exactly what Vincent had ordered at the café when they first met.
Unfortunately, Isaac was very good at memorizing even the most unnecessary details.
But in this case, he didn't mind.
If it helped Vincent work faster, then it was useful. Because the faster they got through the documents, the faster they could expose the Boss and all his crimes. The Boss had to be confronted and arrested—only then could Isaac finally take his revenge on him.
"How far along are you?" he asked after a brief silence.
Vincent rubbed his tired eyes before turning the next page.
"Not as far as I'd like," he admitted. "So far I've sorted everything roughly and mainly gone through the documents about human trafficking." His voice turned colder. "Let's just say I now have a pretty clear idea of how we're going to proceed."
To Isaac's surprise, Noctis had meanwhile picked up a stack of papers himself and started reading through them attentively.
"Are these the next targets?" he asked.
Vincent gave a short nod.
"I want you to work through the list together with Lucy and Moz. Preferably within the next three days."
As he spoke, he still held the coffee in one hand while already skimming through the next document at the same time. Despite the complete chaos, his mind seemed to work faster than the rest of his body.
"As a distraction?" Noctis asked calmly.
"Exactly."
Vincent leaned back slightly.
"These men have dirt on their hands as well, but they're not directly connected to the Boss. Just kill them the way I wrote it down," Vincent replied. He briefly looked up from the document he was reading. "After that, the Boss will keep his head down for a while. Once you've worked through the list, I want you to take care of this one in a few days."
Isaac watched Vincent silently for a moment. The exhaustion was still clearly weighing on him, yet he seemed far more focused than he had a few hours earlier.
Vincent pulled a single photograph from one of the stacks and handed it to Noctis.
"This little bastard is one of the people involved in the Boss's prostitution and human trafficking business. Though he's only one of the middlemen. He transports the women and children to wherever they've been requested."
Noctis studied the picture carefully.
Isaac felt his stomach tighten unpleasantly.
Vincent noticed his look, but continued speaking without hesitation.
"His disappearance will hurt the Boss. Not enough to make him suspicious immediately — but enough to make him nervous."
Noctis nodded slowly.
"Understood. Which of these am I taking?"
Vincent waved dismissively, exhausted.
"I don't care. Coordinate with Lucy and Moz."
His gaze finally shifted to Isaac.
"I'd appreciate it if you kept a low profile for now," Vincent said calmly. "At least until the Boss is behind bars and we've dismantled most of his operations."
He took another sip of his coffee before continuing.
"If I'm not mistaken, plenty of people know your face — but very few know your identity as Moonshadow." His voice grew colder. "It would be pretty annoying if someone suddenly connected the dots and the police started looking for you. Above all, the Boss absolutely must not find out that you're still alive."
Isaac nodded slowly.
"Makes sense," he replied shortly. After a brief hesitation, he added, "I was going to ask you anyway if I could help you with this."
Vincent raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"I wouldn't mind the help," he said. "But can you actually handle it?" His gaze rested attentively on Isaac. "After our little mission yesterday, you were pretty out of it."
Isaac let his eyes wander over all the crimes hidden within the documents spread across Vincent's desk. Just a brief glance had been enough to turn his stomach. Though that had been back when there was still a little hope left in him regarding the Boss.
The hope that he wasn't as terrible as Noctis had tried to make him believe.
But that hope had completely vanished the moment he read the folder containing all the information about the orphanage and Levi.
Isaac clenched his hand into a fist. He shot Vincent a cold look.
Vincent hadn't really been asking about his current state of mind, but whether he could be trusted. Whether they were standing on the same side.
"That fucking bastard is going to pay for everything he did to me and to all of you," Isaac growled quietly. "So just tell me what I can do to finally make him disappear."
Silence hung in the room for a brief moment.
Vincent stared at him. His coffee cup tilted slightly in his hand, yet he said nothing at first.
Then, slowly, an amused grin spread across his face.
"Vincent…" Noctis hissed immediately, annoyed. "Don't even think about it."
"If you ever get bored or frustrated, feel free to come to me anytime," Vincent remarked dryly. "That look you just gave me actually sent a little shiver down my spine."
The very next moment, Noctis wrapped an arm possessively around Isaac's waist and pulled him demonstratively closer to him.
Isaac blinked in irritation.
"Thanks, not interested," he snorted dryly. "Can we continue now?"
Vincent's grin only widened.
"What a shame." He shrugged. "The offer still stands."
By now, it was almost impossible not to notice that the two of them were brothers.
Not only because of the similar way they grinned, but also because of that utterly shameless openness with which both of them spoke about their interests. Isaac practically had to stop himself from mentioning Benedict. By this point, he was fairly certain there was far more going on between him and Vincent than simple cooperation.
So why would Vincent suddenly develop an interest in him over a single look of all things? The comment certainly didn't make Isaac like him any more.
Quite the opposite, actually.
The door opened without warning and Lucy stepped inside. Tucked beneath her arm was a thick brown envelope, which she placed directly onto Vincent's already overcrowded desk.
"You look awful. Did you seriously stay up all night?" she asked, a faint note of reproach in her voice.
Vincent merely nodded tiredly.
"Unfortunately, this whole mess doesn't read itself." He immediately reached for the envelope. "What did you find out?"
Lucy let out a quiet sigh.
"Ashe checked the list of potential buyers. You'll find everything you need to know in those documents. How they spend their time and what they spend their money on. A few of those disgusting bastards have already bought one person or another. We still don't know the condition of those unwilling slaves, but if you want, I can take a closer look at one or two of them."
Vincent had already opened the envelope and was skimming through the first pages.
"No," he finally said calmly. "I'll read through everything we have first."
While his eyes continued moving across the documents, he spoke again almost casually.
"Also, I want you to take care of a few people with Noctis and Moz. Noctis already has the files. Coordinate among yourselves."
Lucy immediately turned toward Noctis and held out her hand.
Without a word, he handed her the stack of documents.
Isaac watched the scene silently.
He still hadn't received an answer from Vincent, yet in a way it was fascinating how casually the three assassins spoke about killing people and how matter-of-factly they handled all of it. It was as if they were discussing dinner plans and what still needed to be bought for it.
"Understood," Lucy said simply and already began skimming through the first pages.
Meanwhile, Vincent took another sip of coffee.
"Send Ashe to me before you leave. I need her help with a few bits of research, and things go a lot faster with her."
"She was about to come here anyway," Lucy replied.
Then her gaze suddenly lingered on Vincent.
More precisely: on his hair.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Your hairstyle annoys me."
Vincent immediately grinned.
"Too messy?"
Lucy examined the chaos on his head with obvious disapproval.
"I don't think the word mess is enough to describe this bird's nest anymore."
Vincent tilted his head slightly and looked at her with feigned innocence.
"Will you redo it for me?" His voice took on a provocative undertone. "I can hardly risk my people seeing me in this state."
Lucy let out an annoyed sound, but still stepped behind him and pulled the hair tie from his loose bun without hesitation.
Several strands immediately fell into Vincent's face.
"It's been a long time since I felt your delicate hands, Lucy," he said with a grin. "How about you maybe—"
Lucy abruptly yanked much harder on his hair. Vincent briefly winced.
"Could we maybe finish the thing we've been working on for years first?" she asked dryly.
Then she continued tying his hair.
Noctis rolled his eyes.
"Could you maybe postpone your flirting until later?"
Lucy rolled her eyes in return while Vincent merely grinned in amusement.
Then his attention shifted back to Isaac.
"Once Ashe gets here, you'll handle the drug operations together with her," Vincent explained, gesturing toward several open folders. "She'll take care of the research, and you'll organize all the relevant information. In the end, I want a properly structured file where everything important can be found immediately."
"No problem," Isaac replied.
He made a broad gesture toward the chaos of documents, photographs, and folders spread across Vincent's desk.
"But why are you even going through all this work? Wouldn't it be enough to just hand the files over to the police?"
Vincent let out a quiet laugh, as though the idea itself was almost cute.
"No," he said. "If we simply dump the files in front of them, it'll take them weeks to sort through everything properly." He leaned back slightly. "They have neither Ashe nor our knowledge of the underworld."
Isaac raised an eyebrow slightly.
"So you're not only doing their work for them, you're also making it easier?"
"Easier?" Vincent asked, amused. "I want to present everything to them in a way that lets them act immediately. We don't have time to wait. Above all, the Boss mustn't get an opportunity to disappear."
Lucy nodded in agreement.
"Besides that, all information from the underworld eventually ends up with Vincent. There's barely anything we don't know about, and very little slips past us," Lucy said. She checked Vincent's hairstyle one more time and smiled in satisfaction.
Isaac's thoughts inevitably drifted to Ashe.
How long had she been working with Vincent?
Vincent grimaced slightly.
"The bun's too tight."
Lucy shot him a cool look.
"Touch that hair tie and you'll regret it," she said dryly. "The bun is perfect."
Noctis laughed quietly.
"A perfectionist as always."
Even Vincent smirked at the comment.
"Lucy's right," he finally said, turning back to Isaac. "I know practically everything about the underworld. And whatever I don't know, Ashe gets for me." His voice remained calm. "And if even she can't dig something up, we obtain it another way."
He gestured toward the countless documents.
"Unfortunately, dealing with the files here took longer than expected. My people couldn't move around the estate as freely as we had hoped, and on top of that, it was such an old castle."
At last, his gaze settled on Isaac again.
This time, it held undisguised satisfaction.
"Your sleight of hand is truly impressive. We can be glad the boss at least taught you something useful. Without you, we would've had to cut the safe open or something."
Isaac froze for a moment. The unexpected praise caught him completely off guard. Embarrassed, he rubbed the back of his neck.
"The safe was easy to crack. It really didn't take me long."
Noctis snorted. "You need less than two minutes for a safe like that. Usually faster, if you have complete peace and quiet."
Isaac gave an awkward snort. "It took me just under a minute."
"Show-off," Noctis muttered with a grin.
His gaze met Vincent's again. Isaac cleared his throat softly. Best to change the subject before the others' praise became even more uncomfortable. Recognition had never felt natural to him — more like clothes that didn't quite fit.
"Okay, I get that you know a disturbingly large amount about a lot of things." He vaguely gestured toward the documents on the table. "And I also understand why you want to prepare everything for the police." His lips twitched slightly. "But how exactly do you imagine this stuff ending up with the cops later? Am I supposed to break into the precinct at night and arrange the evidence on a desk with a red ribbon tied around it?"
Vincent grinned, amused. "I like your sarcasm." He waved the comment off casually and leaned back in his chair as though they were discussing something completely ordinary. "Don't worry. I already have a fairly concrete plan for how the documents will find their way to the police."
Noctis set down his cup with a soft clink. "Speaking of the police. Have you made any progress with him yet?"
"Unfortunately not." Vincent's smile lost some of its lightness and took on a darker undertone. "I won't see him again until the day after tomorrow." His fingers tapped slowly against the armrest. "And after all, I still have to give him his gift."
Isaac raised an eyebrow suspiciously and crossed his arms over his chest. "Who are you even talking about?"
"Benedict," Vincent answered without hesitation. "He's the key chess piece. Without him, the boss's arrest won't go smoothly."
Isaac let out a tired snort. "Why him of all people?"
After everything, did he really have to deal with Benedict again? He had hoped never to see him again. Besides, he hadn't even expected to cross paths with him another time, even if he had whatever kind of relationship with Vincent.
His gaze drifted to Lucy, who had casually rested her forearm on Vincent's shoulder while intently reading through a document, as though that kind of closeness were the most natural thing in the world.
Somehow, Isaac suddenly felt sorry for Benedict.
If he was actually sleeping with Vincent while Vincent openly flirted with other people like this, their relationship could hardly be all that serious. Or Benedict was simply desperate enough to settle for half-hearted affection.
Isaac suppressed a sigh.
When had so many people entered his life? Once the boss was dealt with, it would really be time to distance himself socially again.
Maybe afterward I'll take a long, quiet vacation somewhere in the mountains where hardly anyone ever goes.
His gaze shifted to Noctis.
Or maybe I'll ask him if we should finally take the vacation we promised each other, although I probably wouldn't get a single second to relax.
Just the memory of the previous night sent a wave of heat through his body. Even now, every movement was a silent reminder of what Noctis had done to him over the last few hours. He was still sore after everything Noctis had done to him. He had been so possessive after all the tension that had built up over the past weeks…
Once again, he had shown Isaac just how much he desired him.
"Because he'll be the one publicly receiving all the praise," Vincent replied, pulling Isaac out of his thoughts.
Isaac looked at him in confusion. "Wait. So you want him to simply bring the evidence to work and then pretend all of this was his own accomplishment in the end?"
"In short: yes." Vincent calmly folded his hands in front of him. "He'll officially submit the information, be celebrated for it, and the police will then begin systematically dismantling the boss's operations." His gaze turned cold. "Meanwhile, our people will remain in his estate for as long as necessary to make sure nothing goes wrong."
A faint smile spread across his lips.
"This time, the boss won't escape."
"That makes sense," Isaac said thoughtfully. "The police would probably become suspicious immediately if a mountain of evidence suddenly appeared out of nowhere." He twisted his mouth slightly. "But would Ben even go along with it? His sense of justice is way too strong. I can hardly imagine him willingly cooperating with criminals like you."
Vincent merely smirked, as though he had expected exactly that reaction.
"He definitely won't like it," he admitted openly. "But do you really think he'd pass up the opportunity to personally rip out one of the biggest tumors in this city?"
Isaac let out a dry snort.
"When you put it that way, it sounds more like a deal with the devil."
"Because that's exactly what it is," Noctis suddenly interjected.
Isaac's head immediately jerked in his direction.
"What do you mean by that?"
Noctis tilted his head slightly and regarded him with an expression somewhere between amusement and pity.
"What do you think is the reason your identity still hasn't been exposed?"
Isaac froze for a brief moment.
"That…" He broke off and ran a stressed hand over his face. "Don't tell me you threatened him?"
"No," Vincent replied calmly.
Yet the smile that spread across his lips looked dark enough to leave Isaac with an uneasy feeling anyway.
"I'm merely fulfilling one of his deepest wishes," Vincent said almost gently. "And in return, I only expect one or two tiny favors."
Isaac disliked neither the tone nor the casual way Vincent spoke about it. Before he could press further, Lucy suddenly lifted the list containing the names of the men Vincent wanted eliminated.
"Noctis," she said calmly. "Leave these two to me."
Noctis only gave the list a passing glance and shrugged indifferently.
"Fine by me. I don't particularly care who I kill."
At random, he pulled two dossiers from the three that were still left.
"Then I'll take these two, and Moz can handle the last one," he said.
Lucy nodded. "Sounds fair."
So they were using Benedict to keep Isaac's identity secret, and in return they were giving him something he desired? Isaac would have liked to ask what exactly that was, but then Noctis turned toward him.
He stepped close and gave him a brief kiss on the lips.
"See you later, darling," he murmured with a note of regret. "I really wish I could stay with you tonight, but—"
Isaac shoved him back a little in annoyance.
"You've already done more than enough to me," he hissed quietly. "I'm definitely done for the next few days."
Noctis raised his eyebrows in mock offense.
"What am I supposed to do?" he asked with the faintest hint of reproach in his voice. "You finally gave yourself to me properly again. Just the thought of your perfect ass drives me insane, and that position where you did the splits—"
"Maybe don't pounce on me like a damned animal in heat?" Isaac snorted, mortified. Why did he have to talk about this while they were in his damn brother's office, with not only Vincent but Lucy listening too?!
Even so, the next moment he pulled Noctis close again and kissed him briefly on the lips.
This time far more gently.
"Just take care of yourself," he murmured more quietly. "And come back in one piece, okay?"
For a moment, Noctis looked genuinely surprised by the concern in his voice. Then a satisfied, warm smile spread across his face.
"Then let's give that bastard a little scare," he said loudly enough for everyone to hear. His grin widened. "I think it's time the boss learned what panic feels like."
Before Noctis finally left the room, he leaned down close to Isaac once more. His lips brushed against Isaac's ear as he murmured in an amused tone:
"Keep the bed warm while I'm gone, okay?"
Isaac immediately felt heat rush to his cheeks.
Annoyed, he grabbed Noctis by the shoulders and shoved him toward the door.
"Just get out already!"
But Noctis only laughed softly, completely unfazed by Isaac's half-hearted resistance. Even as he walked backward toward the door, he threw him an exaggerated pout and waved casually over his shoulder.
"I'll hurry back, darling!"
"Idiot," Isaac muttered.
Only when the door clicked shut behind Noctis and his footsteps gradually faded down the hallway did a measure of calm return to the room.
Vincent watched him with undisguised curiosity.
"So, I take it the two of you made up?"
Isaac slowly let his shoulders relax and exhaled quietly.
"We did," he answered honestly.
At least for now, and on the condition that I can rebuild my trust in him.
The thought left behind a bitter aftertaste. The doubts had not disappeared completely. Maybe they never fully would. But for the first time in a long while, it at least felt as though they were standing on the same side again.
Besides, Noctis was occupied now.
Part of Isaac already missed him, even if he would never admit it out loud. At the same time, it was better this way. No one knew whether Noctis would even return tonight, and as long as he was out there, Isaac could at least do something useful himself instead of sitting around waiting for news.
His gaze drifted to the documents spread across the table.
The boss had to fall. And if that meant Isaac would go days without sleep, then so be it.
Determined, he held out his hand to Vincent.
"We're running out of time, aren't we?" His voice sounded far steadier than before. "Then we should probably focus on the important things."
Vincent studied him for a moment before a satisfied smile spread across his lips. He took Isaac's hand and gave it a brief squeeze.
"You're absolutely right, my dear brother-in-law."
The title made Isaac inwardly flinch for a moment, but Vincent was already continuing.
"Prepare yourself for hellish days without rest while we work through all these beautiful documents."
Isaac looked over the mountains of paperwork and let out a dry snort. Then he dropped into an empty chair and reached for the first folder.
"Let's get this over with."