"NOX, to the office." Less than two minutes after the car was parked, Viktor approached them — his expression troubled. Nox stepped out, and Maxin followed, hesitant. "Hey, kid, lunch is ready. Go eat." He practically dismissed him.
Maxin glanced at Nox and saw that she made no move to stop him. Slowly, he nodded:
"I'll shower first." No reply. He entered the house and climbed the stairs.
Nox and Viktor walked down the corridor to the office. The scent of cedar embraced them. She sat in one of the chairs, her eyes focused sharply on her companion, who sighed — visibly concerned.
"What happened?" she broke the silence with a firm voice, no ceremony.
First, Viktor handed her the phone. Nox took it. What she saw left her stunned — which was rare.
[IN TODAY'S MEETING, ALISTAIR REPORTED THAT NOX IS NOW A TRAITOR.]
"Elliott sent this just after you left," he said, brows furrowed.
"So what?" Nox snapped, handing the phone back and standing up.
"'So what'... is that all you have to say?!"Viktor's blood began to boil. "Alistair's on your trail, Nox. He never invited Elliott to a meeting, but he did this time. You know why? Because after me, Elliott's the only one you talk to."
"Viktor, I know exactly how this ends, and I don't care. I really don't — and you know that. My only goal now is to find the client and kill him. When the time comes, I'll go to Alistair myself."
She laid it out, unshaken. But her hands moved through her pockets — looking for a cigarette, the lighter. Needing a smoke.
"The problem is, you're not alone, Nox." Viktor stepped closer, locking eyes with her. "When a assassin starts protecting someone, everything changes. That kid has become your weakness. You say you don't care — but of course you're worried." He pointed a finger in her face. She slapped it away by reflex. "And more than that — Alistair raised you, so he'll always be a step ahead. What if they catch you first? — the Organization doesn't forgive traitors."
Lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place — and Nox knew that. Her hand clenched into a fist. Her jaw tightened.
She was starting to feel the one thing she hated most: Being lost. Not knowing what to do — or how.
"So what do you want me to do?" Her voice rose without her realizing. She was bothered by Viktor and his habit of making her doubt her own choices. "Should I surrender? And Maxin? Like you said — I ruined his life and now he's on every assassin's radar…"
Viktor took a step back, hit by her sincerity. He walked over to the desk, leaning on it as Nox burst out — shaken, for the first time:
"I've already accepted that I can't kill Maxin — and I feel like shit for that, because I also can't set him free." She ran her hands through her hair, exasperated. "The moment I decided to make Maxin my protected, the client became a target. That's why I want to find him and kill him. You get it? End this story once and for all."
Her dark eyes turned to the window, to the open field behind the glass panes. Those cold eyes held a thin layer of water — Viktor saw it, and his hand trembled. Surprised.
Nox could show other emotions.
"I know I'm beyond saving — and fuck it! That doesn't matter. But with Maxin it's different. He wants to live — I know it, and so do you. Even with that shitty life, he still tries to survive… I never thought I'd think — or say this, but killing the client is the only way I can make it up to him."
Fear. Nox was afraid.
Just like Viktor feared losing his wife — Nox felt the same for Maxin. And fuck, how unexpected that was. To see this merciless assassin, almost like a death machine, wear that truly lost expression while admitting fear — it hit Viktor like a punch to the gut.
Nox crossed her arms under her chest, breathing calmly. Her eyes stayed cold — but something had changed. You could feel it.
The silence that followed Nox's honest outburst wasn't broken by either of them — but by a sound from outside. Something like shattering glass.
"You heard that?" Viktor murmured. Nox nodded. Both immediately alert. The conflicting emotions vanished behind the familiar look of "mission mode" that overtook their faces.
Viktor flipped open the laptop on the desk, quickly powering it up and launching the app connected to the house's security system. The backyard cameras were normal, no suspicious movement. But at the front door — the sight of Deborah standing there made Viktor pale.
Deborah was talking to a man.
Aside from the dark-blue jumpsuit, what stood out was the tattoo on the back of his hand: a serpent coiled around a gun.
He introduced himself as a plumber, but both observers behind the cameras instantly recognized him:
"Icarus." The name hissed from between clenched teeth.
"Where's your gun?" Viktor asked Nox, who was scanning the house cameras for Maxin — without even realizing.
"Nox?"
"It's not with me. Left one in the car. The rest are in the bedroom."
"Fuck, this kid's tearing your brain apart," Viktor muttered, clearly rattled. Quickly, the assassin grabbed a wide, flat metal object from the desk and crouched.
Viktor slid half the red rug aside, under Nox's watchful gaze.
With the metal object, he pierced a narrow gap between the floorboards of the yellowed wood. With a slight tilt, a board — about twenty centimeters long — lifted. He pulled it out, then reached into the hole and retrieved two cartridges and, immediately after, two pistols.
"Take it." He handed one to Nox.
"Partner Vik, back in action," she said, with a sarcastic edge. Viktor ignored her.
"Good. They haven't come in yet. You go after Maxin, I'll stand guard. Don't take long."
Nox tucked the pistol into her waistband and left the office.
The front window curtains were shut, hiding the movement inside the house. She exhaled deeply, climbed the stairs and pushed open the bedroom door — it was empty.
She searched her bag, tossing some folded clothes onto the dresser. The bathroom door opened, and Maxin's eyes landed on the frantic woman.
Nox's throat went dry at the sight of Maxin — wearing linen shorts and nothing else. As usual, he couldn't dry his hair properly, and droplets of water ran down from his nape, over his collarbone, disappearing at the start of his stomach.
His softly lined abs looked tempting, and Nox's fingers moved involuntarily to touch his freshly washed skin.
"Nox…?" Noticing her reaction, he called out — eyes widening as he saw her slap her own cheek.
The still-bruised side took the hit and flushed red. She blinked a few times and came back to herself.
"Get dressed. Pack your things. When I leave, lock this door. Don't open it unless I say so." The flood of orders left him stunned.
"What?"
"Just do what I said."
And with that, she left the room, leaving Maxin confused.