Noctis stared in disbelief at the door Isaac had just disappeared through. Disappeared? No. He had practically fled. Just moments ago, he had been sitting on top of Noctis, riding him as if his life depended on it—only to bolt the very next second when the post-nut clarity hit him?!
A bitter laugh caught in Noctis's throat.
With a quiet curse, he cleaned himself up as best he could, got dressed, and checked the floor for anything that might betray what had happened between them. He pulled off his shirt and balled it up. As much as he loved carrying Isaac's scent with him, a shirt smeared with cum was hardly something he wanted to openly display. Then he kept inspecting the floor, but apart from a few drops, he found nothing, so he quickly wiped everything away before finally leaving that damn hall.
He needed to talk to Vincent.
Isaac had made it more than clear that he didn't want to see him right now. And yet an almost unbearable urge burned inside Noctis to run after him. He wanted to hold him back, pull him into his arms, and finally make him understand just how much he loved him. Because for Noctis too, the time spent undercover with the Boss had been pure hell.
Living a double life was exhausting as hell, though his brother had always made sure not to overwork him or burden him with too many assignments. If only Isaac would finally get it through that damn stubborn head of his that Noctis loved him more than anything and had only kept secret the things he truly wasn't allowed to talk about.
But for Isaac to understand that, he first had to realize what a complete bastard the Boss really was.
Which meant Noctis had to make sure they cracked that goddamn safe as quickly as possible.
With that thought, he reached Vincent's office and threw the door open without knocking. Whatever his brother was doing at the moment didn't particularly concern him. At least as long as he didn't catch him with that miserable cop again.
The mere thought made Noctis grimace. To this day, he still couldn't understand what Vincent saw in that annoying cop. Then again, he didn't really want to understand it either. Once they got what they needed from him, hopefully the guy would disappear from their lives for good.
To his relief, Vincent was alone.
He sat behind his desk, currently on the phone with someone. When he noticed Noctis, he merely raised a finger to signal for him to stay quiet. Noctis closed the door behind him and dropped heavily onto the couch.
He fished his phone out of his pocket, let his stained shirt fall beside the couch, and checked his messages. There were several from the Boss that he had ignored so far. Constantine had contacted him too, along with a few of the Boss's bloodhounds.
Noctis snorted quietly and skimmed through them.
They were more or less aggressive demands for him to show up at the main house. They wanted to see him, there were assignments waiting for him—then the messages shifted into threats and deadlines by which he was expected to report back. He ignored every single one of them.
The Boss was as aggressive and furious as ever. He had a habit of throwing tantrums like a child denied his chocolate. Only in public did he maintain his carefully crafted façade of a gentleman who wanted nothing but the best for the city and who loved his family more than anything else in the world.
Just as he showed his criminal subordinates how much he loved and valued his sons—including Noctis and Isaac.
Well. That was finally over now.
Noctis's lips curled into a smile. The Boss was threatening to kill him if he didn't report back soon, even though it had only been eight or nine days since he and Isaac had disappeared off the radar together.
How pathetically impatient you are, "Father".
Next, he read through Constantine's messages. They were pretty much the same as the Boss's, just more restrained. He ignored those too. He scrolled listlessly through the messages from the Boss's other lackeys and decided it was time to change his number.
With that thought, he switched the phone off completely and carelessly tossed it beside him.
"…Good. Hold your positions and don't get yourselves caught. We strike in two days."
Vincent ended the call and slowly placed his phone on the desk. Then he looked Noctis over with a raised eyebrow.
"How is it that you're visiting me half-naked on this sunny afternoon?"
Noctis let out an annoyed breath. "Isaac."
Vincent's expression immediately shifted slightly. Leaning back in his chair, he tilted his head.
"So you're still fighting?"
"Yes, damn it," Noctis growled. "And only because you always have to keep everything so obsessively secret."
Vincent remained perfectly calm.
"The clan's safety has always been my highest priority, as you know. I won't apologize for protecting our people," he replied.
Noctis rubbed a tired hand over his face.
"That's also the only reason I'm not completely furious with you."
Vincent gave him a crooked smile.
"So? What brings you here? What happened?"
Noctis was silent for a moment.
Then he sank deeper into the couch and stared at the ceiling.
"We had sex," he finally said wearily.
Vincent raised an eyebrow.
"And that's a bad thing?"
"No," Noctis answered absently. "But that's not the point."
He could still feel what Isaac had felt like. He remembered how alive and warm he had been, the soft little noises he made still echoed in his ears, and he could still vividly recall how Isaac had felt around him.
Almost like before the last heist. He closed his eyes briefly before slowly sitting upright again.
"But he ran off after we were done," he said quietly. He brushed the sweaty hair from his forehead and shot his brother an intense look. "When are we finally cracking that damn safe? It's time he sees the truth with his own eyes. I can't stand this fucked-up situation any longer."
Silence settled over the office for a moment.
Then Vincent slowly crossed his arms over his chest, his mouth tightening into a thin line.
"In two days."
Noctis slowly exhaled.
"That's sooner than expected."
"The situation is getting progressively worse." Vincent's voice remained calm, but the tension beneath it was unmistakable. "Two of our people were exposed and killed. At the moment, we only have three assassins left inside the Boss's estate. At least they've managed to divert suspicion away from themselves so far."
Surprised, Noctis straightened up.
"How the hell were they exposed?"
Vincent rubbed a tired hand over his face.
"The day Isaac disappeared, they became restless," Vincent explained seriously. "The Boss lost his mind and demanded that Isaac be brought to him, as you know. His son was dead, and the thief he had sent out had vanished. Even though the media reported that the Phantom Ink Shadow had died and Phantom Moonshadow had been wounded, he apparently became convinced that Isaac was the one who killed Noah. Anyway, he came to the conclusion that Isaac was working with us and that there were spies in his household. So the hunt for our people began."
Noctis cursed quietly. "Fuck."
Vincent nodded grimly. "Exactly."
Once again, silence fell between them.
Noctis thought about the two men who had been caught.
"So he got two of them, and three are still inside?"
"Exactly. Though the staff is being watched very closely. The Boss is so insanely paranoid right now that they can't afford to make a single mistake."
Noctis ground his teeth.
"At least they're still alive," he muttered.
"For now."
The answer hung heavily between them.
"So how are we even getting in?" Noctis finally asked.
Vincent straightened slightly.
"Our people are preparing everything. One of them will give you direct access and then disappear together with you afterward." He paused briefly. "The other two will stay behind and continue feeding me information."
Noctis slowly shook his head.
"Two people aren't enough."
"You're telling me?" Vincent sighed. "But that's all we have to work with. Besides, in two days we'll finally get the information we need to expose that filthy bastard once and for all."
Noctis nodded slowly.
Finally.
After all these years.
Vincent rested his forearms on the desk and leaned forward slightly.
"All right then," he began matter-of-factly. "A total of five people will be involved in the mission."
Noctis listened attentively at once.
"Maddison will get you access to the estate and then disappear from the grounds with you afterward. You and Isaac go straight to the safe and retrieve the documents." He raised two fingers. "Moz stays outside and monitors everything. Lucy will remain nearby in case something goes wrong."
Noctis grimaced. Lucy coming along was actually very good news. That woman was almost as quick as Isaac and as dangerous as the knife she carried. Lucy didn't need help. Only the people facing her did. But Moz…
"Seriously? Moz again?"
Vincent raised an eyebrow dryly.
"You should really learn to get along with him."
"That guy talks too much."
"You talk too much too."
"Yeah, but at least I have charm."
"Moz doesn't get provoked that easily and doesn't leave behind a bloodbath whenever someone pinches the wrong nerve."
Noctis snorted quietly, though he couldn't suppress a brief grin.
"Fine. But only for this mission," he muttered at last. Then he looked at his brother curiously. "So? How far have you gotten with the cop?"
A sinister smile appeared on Vincent's lips.
"He'll receive his reward in four days for the exceptionally pleasant night we spent together. First the Boss—then I'll take care of my pretty cop."Noctis immediately pulled a disgusted face.
"Please spare me the details." He raised a hand defensively. "Is he at least becoming our hero?"
"I'm working on it," Vincent replied calmly. "At the very least, he doesn't seem quite so opposed to me anymore."
Noctis grabbed his crumpled shirt and rose from the couch.
"Then you'd better hurry. Once we have the documents, we won't have much time left before we drop the bomb."
"I'm aware of that." Vincent calmly folded his hands in front of him. "Just leave the rest to me, Noc. I'll handle the cop, and you handle Isaac." His expression grew more serious for a moment. "It would make things a lot easier for all of us if Isaac willingly decides to stay with us."
Noctis turned toward the door. "Don't worry. Once he sees everything the Boss has been doing, he'll finally be mine again."
"You do realize your obsession isn't exactly healthy, right?" Vincent remarked. "Though it seems to go both ways with you two."
"That's called love," Noctis scoffed. He glanced back over his shoulder. "Maybe it's time you started thinking about it too. If you don't produce an heir soon, you should consider adopting one."
Vincent let out an irritated breath.
"You could just as easily provide an heir yourself."
Noctis immediately waved the idea off.
"No interest. If I could knock Isaac up, I would. But since you always paid attention in biology, you probably know that's impossible," he replied. "So unfortunately, that remains your problem, clan leader."
A quiet laugh escaped Vincent.
"You're a damn cheeky little shit."
"And still your favorite brother."
"My only brother," Vincent corrected dryly.
Noctis only grinned wider.
Then Vincent suddenly leaned back and studied him with a dangerously calm expression.
"And who says that's impossible?" he asked casually. "Maybe someday I'll find a way to use my magic a little more creatively. Then you can take over my responsibilities."
Noctis burst out laughing.
"Yeah, sure. Your healing magic is definitely going to start performing miracles out of nowhere." Shaking his head with a laugh, he added, "But hey, let me know once you've successfully experimented on someone else first!"
Vincent looked as though he were seriously considering it. "Perhaps with my next victim."
Yawning, Noctis ran a hand through his hair.
"Honestly? Sometimes I'm glad I'm just the younger brother. I'd have absolutely no desire to deal with all the bullshit you have to handle every day."
Vincent exhaled tiredly. "I don't even want to imagine what the clan would look like under your leadership."
"Exactly," Noctis said with satisfaction.
At last, Vincent gestured toward the door. "Now get out. I still have plenty to do."
Noctis briefly raised a hand in farewell.
"See you tomorrow."
Without waiting for an answer, he left the office.
He headed straight to his room and took a shower. He could hardly wait to finally get this damn mission over with.
Not much longer, Isaac, and you'll finally understand where you belong. It has always been by my side, and it always will be. Soon you'll finally be with me again, darling.