Dante waited tensely in front of the dark alley where Helios had disappeared moments before. He kept peering into the darkness, his eyes trying to adjust to the faint light. In the distance, he could make out Helios, speaking to someone whose face he could barely make out in the twilight. Probably because Helios had very fair skin, and his companion had a much darker complexion.
The man he was speaking to was dressed entirely in black. He seemed to blend into the darkness itself, as if he were a part of the night. Dante couldn't hear a word of their conversation, but it was clear they were discussing something serious. The only thing that stood out to him was how close the man kept getting to Helios. The informant kept coming too close, too close for a regular exchange of information. Was that normal for someone in his position?
Did Helios have something with this guy? For a moment, Dante felt pity for Davis, but it quickly faded when he saw Helios suddenly slap the informant's hand away. The informant backed away from Helios. Dante didn't like what he was seeing.
Dante thought about it. Shouldn't he move closer to them, just in case he needed to get to Helios quickly? He couldn't afford to lose him in this dark corner. Helios was too important for what lay ahead. All the clues about Soley and Vale they had gathered couldn't be pursued alone. Not without Helios by his side, not without the heir to the corporate power who had the necessary connections and information. Confronting Vale was the obvious next step—but he knew he would achieve little without Helios' support. Maybe Vale was actually behind all of this. If that was the case, he would need a private conversation. He needed to bring Vale down, to make him feel his anger and frustration, to find out what was really behind all of this. And maybe Vale could also tell him exactly what had been injected into him, so that he could work on developing something to counter it.
He continued watching as the two of them talked. Damn, he had to get closer. Helios had forbidden him to approach unless he called for him, but Dante did not like this situation at all.
He crouched down and began walking slowly along the side of the building, trying hard not to make any noise. After all, he just wanted to close the distance to act faster if necessary. But the closer he got, the more he could hear of the conversation.
Suddenly, the informant burst into loud laughter, which echoed off the walls of the alley, making the silence even more threatening.
"10 million," Dante heard Helios say, his voice sounding cold and hard, like never before.
The informant, seemingly not expecting such a response, froze for a moment before asking, somewhat confused, "What?"
"I'm offering you 10 million for Belladonna. I get my revenge, and you get rid of your chaotic colleagues," Helios replied with an expression that promised no good for anyone involved.
Dante held his breath. Belladonna? Why did Helios want someone by that name handed over? And why such an enormous price? Was this the man behind Davis' death? Dante tried to remain as still and quiet as possible while processing the fragmented pieces of information he had just overheard.
"Well, that's quite an offer," the informant replied with an ironic smile, one Dante recognized all too well. He could feel the tension in the air rising. What was really going on here? And what exactly did Helios have to do with it?
"So? Do we have a deal?" Helios asked again, his voice cutting through the darkness like a knife. There was a coldness in it that Dante had never heard before. An icy tone that sent a chill down his spine.
He had never heard Helios speak like this. And now he was sure of it: this was more than just a deal. Helios was involved in something Dante couldn't even begin to fathom.
"For that much money, you could even have him wrapped in a bow. Just like you wanted," the informant purred, his voice unnervingly sweet. "You know exactly how to get me, Helios."
"Stop with the jokes, Spider," Helios hissed, his voice sharp and almost dangerous.
The informant, named Spider, laughed again, but quieter this time.
"Hmm, I'm curious though, how are you going to do it? What do you have planned for Belladonna?"
"None of your business. You'll find out soon enough."
"Aww, you're so cold to me! But I'm really interested!"
"Didn't you just say you would never sell out one of your own?"
"Money rules the world," Spider said with a shrug, his posture reflecting his complete nonchalance.
Helios snorted. "I know how much you love my money, Spider. Otherwise, I wouldn't have offered you this much. So?"
"I need to plan this a little, but sure, why not?" Spider said, stepping closer to Helios again. He took Helios' chin in his hand and leaned forward as if he were going to kiss him. "Do you mind if I watch?"
"Like a 'no' would stop you. After all, you always watch, no matter what I do, you damn pervert," Helios snorted in annoyance. He grabbed Spider's shirt, yanked him down toward him. "By the way, there's something called personal space, and you keep crossing that line. Keep it up, and I'll make sure you never cross it again."
Spider smirked as Helios shoved him away. "Hah, that look... you're just irresistible, Helios."
"Shut up."
Dante felt increasingly overwhelmed by the conversation. How had they figured it out so quickly? The assassination had only been two weeks ago, and this informant, Spider, seemed to know Helios well.
What had Helios meant when he said he was always being watched? Had Spider been hiding in the background this whole time? Always? No matter where they had been?
Dante hadn't noticed anything. This informant seemed good at hiding his presence. But if he was an informant, why would he be so close to Helios? It made absolutely no sense. Moreover, the atmosphere around them was more than just murderous. Spider didn't seem like a typical informant either.
He carried himself with a self-assured confidence and didn't seem worried at all about the threats Helios was making. It was almost as if Helios wasn't a danger to him. As if Spider could kill Helios faster than Helios could react. Unfortunately, Dante couldn't see what Spider looked like; the weak streetlight wasn't enough to properly illuminate him. But he had caught glimpses of his arm muscles at times.
Even that kind of physique wasn't typical for an informant.
Was he overthinking things?
Either way, he should probably leave now. If Helios found out he had been eavesdropping, it would make for an uncomfortable situation. At least he knew that Helios wasn't in immediate danger at the moment. Still, doubts gnawed at him. So many questions remained unanswered, and the longer he listened, the more they seemed to multiply. Even if he kept listening, he couldn't be sure he was really hearing the truth.
Quietly, he turned and began to make his way back. He hoped he could leave unnoticed. But, of course, it happened just as he feared: In his attempt to be as silent as possible, he kicked a damn can. The clattering sound echoed through the alley so loudly that it could have woken the entire neighborhood.
Dante froze when he realized what had happened. There was no way they hadn't heard that. He was busted.
Shit, he thought incredulously, as his heart skipped a beat.
"Oh? Do we have an uninvited guest?" he heard Spider's voice, dripping with mockery. Footsteps drew nearer. "Did you not leash your watchdog properly, Helios?"
"Stop. I'll take care of it," Helios said calmly, but with a cutting tone. "Let me know if you find out more."
"Hmm? As you wish," Spider replied almost playfully. "We'll see each other soon, darling."
"Just get lost already," Helios hissed, and the steps that followed sounded less urgent. Dante recognized these steps now. It was Helios.
He sighed and slowly turned around, only to come face to face with Helios's annoyed expression.
"I told you to only come when I called for you," Helios said, his voice sharp but not angry.
"He looked threatening, I just wanted to check on you for a moment," Dante replied, trying to stay calm, though his thoughts were on a wild rollercoaster ride.
Helios raised an eyebrow and scrutinized him skeptically. "How much did you hear?"
"Not much," Dante lied. "I could hardly hear anything. Did your informant have any leads?"
Helios was silent for a moment, studying Dante with a look that wavered between suspicion and curiosity. It was hard to tell whether he believed the lie. Dante had managed to put some distance between them earlier and hoped Helios would buy the lie. He exhaled slowly.
"He knows who it was and is trying to figure out where the bastard usually hangs out. Maybe with his help, we can catch the guy and take him out," Helios said in a neutral tone. The lie came easily to his lips. Dante had heard what they said; he knew that Helios knew who it had been.
Helios smiled at him with a cold, almost empty look that carried no warmth. "I can rely on you, right, Dante?"
Dante stood up and looked down at Helios. Helios had to tilt his head back to meet his gaze.
"I promised you I'd kill the bastard. I'll keep my word, especially since you're helping me too," Dante said, and he meant it.
Something was wrong with Helios. Since Davis's death, he seemed to have changed. But Dante didn't know what exactly was wrong with him. Still, they had found clues about Soley less than an hour ago, and Helios had allowed him to break open that drawer, which would certainly cause trouble.
Helios was keeping his promise too, and no matter how much he hated the whole situation, he would honor his word. However, Dante would keep a very close eye on how Helios behaved. After all, Helios hadn't hesitated to kill him with the poison.
Self-defense or not.
"Alright," Helios said, and began walking to leave the alley. "Let's wake the others up and finally head home. I'm tired."
He limped slightly, his movement clearly affected by the bone marrow procedure earlier that day. It was the moment when Dante felt another wave of guilt. Helios was doing everything he could to figure out what was wrong with him. He left no doubt that he was trying everything to find a cure for whatever had been done to him.
Helios was his only hope.
No matter what was wrong with the guy, Dante was sure he wouldn't deal with it now.
___
As they entered the estate, Dante and Helios went straight to Helios' room and closed the door behind them. The silence of the room enveloped them, and Dante felt the pressure of the day slowly lifting off him. Helios immediately went to the bathroom, while Dante placed the files on the table. He closed the curtains, turned on the nightstand lamp, and began setting up the camp bed.
It felt strange. So, from this evening on, he would be sleeping in the same room as Helios. Not in his own bed, but on this camp bed, which seemed far too small for him. Even before he lay down, he felt like a sardine in a tin. However, he had had worse places to sleep before.
"Make sure you're done, I want to sleep already," Helios called from the bathroom as he left.
He was wearing an oversized shirt and shorts, the exact opposite of how he dressed during the day. Dante could hardly remember the last time he had seen Helios in such casual clothes. Even during his recovery from the gunshot wound, he had never worn anything like that. It was as if he wanted to distance himself from everything, even his own appearance. Helios seemed irritated. Dante grabbed his own sleepwear and walked over to Helios, who had positioned himself in the corner of the room.
If only he would smile properly again...
He stopped, tapped him lightly between the eyebrows with his index finger, and tried to ease the tense atmosphere. "If you keep looking so grim, you're going to get wrinkles."
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Helios exclaimed, clearly upset.
Once Dante closed the door behind him, he slapped his hand over his face. What the hell had he just done? Why did he touch Helios like that, when he wasn't even protecting him? Maybe it was because he felt sorry for him for a moment? That was probably it. He brushed his teeth and washed his face.
His mind drifted back to what had happened in the alley. The thought of Spider wouldn't leave him. How long had those two known each other? How many times had they worked together? Why were they so familiar with each other, and why did Helios keep such a distance from him? Why had he kept threatening Spider?
All these questions were driving him crazy. He hoped he would eventually find answers. He changed clothes and neatly placed his clothes on the chair in Helios' bedroom.
"What do you think, how quickly will they find out that we broke open that drawer?" Dante asked thoughtfully, then turned to Helios.
"It probably depends on when the accountant uses the room again," Helios murmured wearily.
"What will you do if they notice?"
"I'll decide spontaneously," Helios replied. "It depends on how they react."
Dante furrowed his brow. So, Helios still didn't have a plan for how to handle the situation. The uncertainty was almost palpable.
"Helios, what if your father is really involved?" Dante finally asked. The question that had been burning on his tongue for a while now came out uncontrollably.
Helios was silent for a moment. Dante thought he wouldn't get an answer, when Helios finally sighed deeply.
"I don't know, Dante. Just lie down and stop thinking about it. We're still at the beginning of our investigation. It's not even clear whether we can find out anything at all or who is behind all of this."
"In the last few years, I've never been this close to the solution," Dante said quietly. It was more of a statement than a question, a truth he had come to accept.
Helios smirked. "And yet we practically know nothing."
They fell silent. Soon after, Dante heard Helios' breathing become slow and steady. He didn't make another sound. Quietly, Dante moved to turn off the nightlight. He had planned to go through the files, but his mind was too full. He wouldn't be able to focus on the papers, and they probably wouldn't distract him either.
Helios lay on his side, eyes closed. His glasses were on the nightstand, next to a small glass of pills and half a glass of water. Dante picked up the glass with the sleeping pills and read the label. No wonder Helios had fallen asleep so quickly. He had taken sleeping pills. Dante couldn't remember Helios ever taking such pills before. Could it be that he had only started taking them since Davis' death?
Confused, he stared at the glass, then looked down at Helios again. The dark circles under his closed eyes revealed just how much he was suffering from the loss.
Dante knew exactly how Helios must feel—he had lost so many people himself that grief had often been his companion. Helios was only 22 years old; even a normal breakup would have been a lot. Watching your lover die was just cruel.
He couldn't help it, he felt pity for Helios. The young man tried so hard, and even though Dante hadn't fully figured him out, he somehow trusted him. Even though he couldn't shake off the doubts entirely.
Trust was the foundation of a good partnership, and Dante wanted to give him that trust again.
He kept looking at the dark rings under Helios' eyes and finally sighed softly.
"Sleep well, Helios," he whispered quietly.
Carefully, Dante set the small glass back down and turned off the light. He crept back to his camp bed, which, as expected, was far too small.