Noctis held a slip of paper in his hand that Isaac had only managed to throw through the portal before sealing it shut again. He had seemed to be in a hurry, and Noctis didn't like that one bit. Isaac should have been resting, getting some sleep instead.
But whatever was going on with him, he had apparently only had enough time to send this brief message.
Please have my lock picks and my knife ready.
That was all it said.
Not a single word about how he was doing. Not a single word about his situation.
Either he was simply busy, or he needed those things to protect himself. Noctis disliked both possibilities. Without a second thought, he searched through every box until he finally found Isaac's lock picks and the familiar knife. His thumb brushed lightly over the knife's handle.
Whatever his lover needed to feel safe, he would have it.
Once he had both items in hand, he grabbed the card and headed back to his brother's office. As expected, Vincent, Moz, and the cop were all gathered around the laptop, checking something. They were so focused that they didn't even notice him enter.
They had spent the previous night working out a plan. Now all they were waiting for was for someone to determine which building the group had barricaded themselves inside.
"See anything on the cameras?" Noctis asked as he closed the door behind him.
Vincent nodded. "We spotted Ashe and managed to narrow down the search area."
Noctis immediately perked up. "That's pretty good news."
"It is," the cop replied, "but we still don't know exactly where they're hiding. In the new search area, we've identified seven buildings with barred windows."
"No, only five now," Moz cut in. "Two of those houses are occupied by ordinary residents."
Vincent's phone vibrated.
"Down to four. One of them is a commercial building."
"Then we're making progress," Noctis murmured.
He walked over to the desk and placed Isaac's card back on the tabletop. Beside it, he laid down the knife and the lock picks. He didn't know when Isaac would contact them again, or how much time they would have. If, like the last two times, Isaac used the portal only long enough to pass something through it, Noctis would have only a few seconds to hand him the knife and the lock picks.
His gaze lingered on the knife for a moment.
Just come back to me alive.
That was all he asked.
The cop looked at the items Noctis had placed on the desk and raised an eyebrow.
"You know how to use lock picks?" he asked in surprise. "You look more like the kind of guy who doesn't bother with locks and just kicks the door in."
Noctis gave him a dry, irritated look.
"Not a bad deduction, Detective," he replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. His lips curled into a disdainful grin. "Now think very carefully about who can open any door he wants. I'm sure you'll figure it out. I believe in you."
Vincent let out an amused snort, while Moz couldn't suppress a grin. The cop, meanwhile, simply rolled his eyes.
"Asshole. It was a perfectly reasonable observation," the cop shot back irritably.
Noctis answered with nothing more than a smug smile.
Vincent looked up.
"Did Isaac get in touch?"
Noctis nodded.
"He did, but he only had time for a short message."
Vincent's expression turned thoughtful.
"He didn't happen to say when he'd contact us again, did he?"
"No. He just tossed the note through the portal. That was it."
Vincent leaned back, thinking.
"Okay. But if he can still send messages, then he must be all right. Relatively speaking, anyway."
"For now," Noctis sighed. His eyes drifted to the map Isaac was currently using as a portal. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Isaac's last two messages had been far too rushed. His greatest concern was still Levi.
"But we never know what that psychopath is going to come up with."
The cop studied each of them in turn. His expression spoke louder than words. In his eyes, they were probably all psychopaths.
Noctis didn't mind. Being a psychopath came with one distinct advantage—it gave you permission to do crazy things.
And nobody dared question you.
He just hoped they would know which house it was before nightfall. The sooner they got Isaac out of there, the better.
"You're sure you really want to do it the way we discussed?" Noctis asked again, just to be certain.
Vincent nodded.
"He'll probably take the bait," Vincent said. "As long as we make him believe he's the one in control, he'll bite."
"I hope you're right."
The original plan had been simple: locate the enemy headquarters, then wipe out everyone who wasn't important. Ashe and Levi, of course, were among the few they wanted alive.
Until Vincent scrapped the whole idea.
If they simply stormed the building, there was a good chance Levi would hide behind Isaac and use him as a human shield.
So Noctis had suggested using his illusion magic again.
Vincent had shot that idea down as well. Noctis's illusions usually affected everyone within a certain radius, and he couldn't control exactly who they reached—not with larger groups of people. Since they had no idea how many men Levi had with him, the only reliable option would have been to put everyone to sleep.
Which didn't leave them with many alternatives.
So they decided to take advantage of what they had learned from dealing with Ashe. Levi had his spies, and on top of that he had Ashe, who almost certainly controlled the entire surveillance network in the area.
The plan, then, was for Vincent to deliberately reveal himself by looking directly into one of the cameras before walking away. They wanted Levi to follow him.
Ideally, it would play right into Levi's ego.
Noctis would stay nearby and move in the moment Levi left the building. Then he could cast his illusion and get Isaac out before anyone realized what had happened.
At least, that was the plan.
The alternative was to ask Isaac to unlock a few doors so they could slip inside unnoticed, just as Ashe had done to them.
Truthfully, Noctis liked that plan even better.
Either way, he could hardly wait to see the look on Levi's stupid face.
"I think we should wait until Isaac contacts us again," Noctis finally said.
Vincent gave him a brief look of surprise before nodding.
"There are only three buildings left," Moz announced without taking his eyes off the screen.
"I agree with you. I mean, we're capable of getting inside, but nobody can move as quietly as Isaac."
As Noctis looked at Isaac's card, an idea occurred to him. He pulled his phone from his pocket and called Lucy. She answered after the second ring.
"What is it?"
"Can you go to my bedroom and grab Isaac's phone off the table?"
"One moment," she said.
"And if you still have a power bank, bring that too."
But she had already hung up, and Noctis couldn't tell whether she'd heard the last part. Still, Lucy was a smart woman, and he trusted that she'd think of it herself if necessary.
"Vince. Give me some paper."
Without a word, Vincent slid a sheet of paper and a pen across the desk.
Darling,
Tonight, we're getting you out of there.
I'm guessing you wanted your knife and lock picks so you could escape. I want you to keep your phone with you. I'll set it to silent beforehand.
I hope you're all right and that Levi is leaving you alone.
If it's possible, it would help us if you could unlock a few doors. Though honestly, I'd rather you hide and wait until I come for you. I'm worried about you, Darling.
I can't wait to finally hold you in my arms again. Just a few more hours.
Hang in there.
I love you.
Noctis
"Only two left," Moz said.
Noctis folded the letter and placed it with the other things he intended to give Isaac. He knew this knot of tension wouldn't disappear until Isaac was back with him. He hated not knowing how he was doing.
"Vince," Noctis said quietly. "When this is over, we're leaving."
"So long as you show your faces once in a while, I'm fine with that," Vincent said, much to his surprise. "And don't mistake this for permanent permission. I still need you at my side."
Noctis grinned.
"So... an extended vacation? That's more than I was expecting."
But his smile faded when he noticed the cop silently watching him.
"What?" Noctis snapped, annoyed.
The cop pressed his lips together. For a moment, he seemed to wrestle with himself. Finally, he sighed.
"I'll deny I ever said this if anyone asks," he said. "But I'm glad Isaac fell in love with you. You're insufferable, but you don't abandon the person you love, and you'd do anything to save him. I respect that."
And that was coming from the guy who'd been sleeping with his own brother? The guy who'd developed a crush on Isaac and turned everything into a competition until he'd finally been put in his place?
Now he suddenly had some grand revelation that Noctis and Isaac belonged together?
Noctis was about to fire back with a sarcastic remark, but something about the expression on the cop's face made him lose the urge. So, for once, he let it go.
"Maybe I don't find you quite as annoying anymore," Noctis muttered instead.
The cop let out a quiet snort.
"That's probably the nicest thing I'll ever hear you say."
"Noc," Vincent said suddenly.
Noctis looked up, only to see his brother pointing at the card lying in front of him.
Isaac's fingers were sticking out of the card again.
A note clutched between them.
"There you are at last, Darling," Noctis murmured in relief.
He took the note and, one after the other, handed Isaac the lock picks and then the knife. He heard Lucy enter the room. Next, Noctis passed through his letter, followed by the phone, which Lucy handed him together with a power bank.
"Crazy," she murmured in astonishment.
Then Noctis quickly unfolded the note Isaac had sent him.
Darling,
Levi hardly lets me out of his sight. I'll try to look around a little later. Maybe I'll even manage to get out of here. I'll take the portal with me and let you know the moment I make it.
Don't worry about me. I never fight a battle I can't win.
I wish I could get revenge on them. The only problem is that whenever Levi isn't with me, Ashe is... strange. I don't really know how to describe it, but she's clingy.
I'm going to try to get some rest before I look around. Who knows—maybe they'll be asleep later tonight, and I can simply walk out.
I can't wait to see you again. It feels suffocating here.
I love you.
Isaac
Barely had Noctis finished reading the letter when another note shot out of the portal, along with the letter Noctis had sent through.
Thanks to you, I finally know what time it is.
I'll be ready.
Take care of yourselves.
Noctis didn't need to check. He was certain Isaac had already closed the portal again.
That was all right.
Now they could communicate through the phone. Even so, he kept the map close at hand. It was still the only reliable way to reach each other in an emergency.
"Not much longer, Darling," he sighed.
"I don't think we could be any better prepared," Vincent said. "We've identified the hideout. Get ready."
Noctis nodded.
He was going in armed to the teeth, and he would kill anyone who stood in his way.
At least now he could warn Isaac himself and send him messages whenever he needed to.