The sound of the phone ringing was like a bad joke at the worst possible moment.

Nash froze. Aiko’s eyes opened.

For a second, neither of them moved. Then the phone buzzed again, loud and obnoxious, shaking in Nash’s pocket like it was personally offended they weren’t answering fast enough.

Aiko’s eyebrows scrunched together, her lips pressing into a thin line. Her cheeks were still pink, but now it wasn’t from excitement; it was from annoyance.

"Of course," she grumbled, stepping back and crossing her arms tight over her chest. "Of course it rings now. Because the universe hates me."

Nash let out a breath that was half-laugh, half-sigh. His hand lingered on her shoulder for a second longer before finally dropping.

"Or maybe someone just wants us to do things the right way," he said, shrugging. "No playing around. No distractions. Just... finish the job first."

Aiko puffed out her cheeks. Nash chuckled softly, a real laugh, not the fake ones he’d been giving all night.

He answered the phone without looking away from her.

"Yeah?"

"It’s me," Rei’s voice crackled through the speaker.

"Ah, Rei," Nash said, his tone dry but amused. "What do I owe this pleasure?"

Rei laughed lightly, almost as if she knew exactly what she was interrupting.

"Oh, you know, just calling to ruin your romantic evening like a good friend. How’s date night going? You two still breathing, or did you finally find some clues?"

Nash glanced at Aiko, who was still pouting, her twintails slightly messy from the humid air. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"We’re breathing," he said flatly. "Barely. Haven’t found anything useful yet. Just rust, rats, and some drunk guys who got a little too interested."

Rei snorted.

"Sounds thrilling. Anyway, I’ve been digging into Harlan all night."

She was sitting in a cluttered office, feet propped up on her desk, flipping through papers while balancing the phone between her ear and shoulder.

"The official Apex records are locked up tighter than a virgin’s diary," she continued. "So I went the smart route: utility company archives. Got a guy in the maintenance department who owed me a favor. Paid him a little, and he gave me access to six years’ worth of electricity bills from the low districts."

Nash straightened up.

"Great. I knew I could count on you. So? What did you find?"

"Mostly just bills," Rei admitted. "But they tell a story. I checked every name starting with ’Harlan’, that’s the only lead we had. And guess what? Three hits."

Nash’s grip tightened on the phone.

"Go on."

"First: Harlan Myers, Dockside Slums, six years ago. Super high electricity use at night, weird spikes around 3 AM. Second: Paul Harlan, Rust Quarter, two years ago. Same exact pattern. Third, the one you’re gonna love, Harlan Voss, three months ago. Same nighttime spikes... but the address is in the Red Zone."

Nash’s breath caught. He muttered under his breath, so quietly that Aiko almost missed it.

"The Midnight Rest..."

Aiko’s head snapped up. Even she knew what that meant. The Midnight Rest, the most infamous building in the Underground’s nastiest district. Owned by Victoria.

That couldn’t be a coincidence.

Rei kept talking, flipping another page.

"Exactly. The Midnight Rest is dead center in the Red Zone. No normal person gets an electricity bill there unless they’re either extremely important or extremely determined to fuck every night. This isn’t random, Nash."

Nash’s fingers dug into the phone.

"You think it’s the same guy?"

"Can’t say for sure," Rei admitted. "I ran checks on all three names, Harlan Myers, Paul Harlan, and Harlan Voss. Nothing. No birth records, no jobs, no family. They only exist on these bills. No digital trail, no paperwork, really nothing. That screams fake identities to me."

Nash was quiet, thinking hard. Aiko watched him, her pout forgotten for now.

"So," Nash finally said, "either these are all fake names for the same Harlan... or Victoria actually killed someone."

Silence.

Then...

"Eeeeh?!"

Both Rei and Aiko shrieked at the same time.

"Wait, wait, wait... murder?!" Rei’s voice cracked.

Aiko’s eyes went wide.

"Eeeeh?! Someone killed Harlan?!"

Nash rubbed his forehead like he regretted even opening his mouth.

"Calm down," he said carefully. "I don’t have all the details yet. Harlan Reiss was supposed to be running the Midnight Rest. Then he vanished, and Victoria took over Blacklist. If these bills are fake names... it fits the first option. But it’s not impossible that she might’ve gotten rid of him to take his spot; we don’t know yet. So, for now, we focus on the last Harlan, the one in the Red Zone. That’s our real lead."

Rei sounded like she was still processing.

"Now that’s even stranger... who is really Harlan Reiss? What’s really going on with your manager, Nash? You said this would help us, but now you’re talking murder? What’s the deal here?"

Aiko nodded furiously, leaning closer to the phone.

"Yeah! I thought your manager was just someone Madam Monique knows. Why would she kill someone? That’s crazy!"

Nash sighed.

"I don’t have all the answers. There’s more to this than I can explain right now. But the only solid lead we’ve got is this last bill. The address tied to Harlan Voss in the Red Zone, that’s where we put all our energy. Everything else comes later."

Rei whistled softly.

"Alright... if you say so. I already marked the exact spot. Got scans and copies ready. Where do you wanna meet?"

Nash glanced at Aiko, then back at the phone.

"Midnight Rest outskirts," he said. "Tomorrow night. Bring everything."

"Got it," Rei said cheerfully. "I’ll text you the exact spot in a sec. And... hey, thanks for trusting me with this. I know it’s messy."

Nash’s voice softened.

"No, thank you. You’ve been a huge help, Rei. Seriously. Couldn’t have done this without you."

Rei leaned back, smirking.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I’m irreplaceable, right?" She chuckled. "Go on, say it. Tell me how lost you’d be without your genius rival."

Nash played along.

"Completely lost. You’re the best, Rei. Saved our asses again."

Rei hummed, clearly pleased.

"Mmm, that’s more like it. Keep the compliments coming, and maybe I’ll even bring snacks tomorrow. You owe me big time."

They were only teasing each other, perhaps to ease the anxiety associated with the possibility of murder, but they had both forgotten one important point: the red creature, easily jealous, standing next to Nash.

Aiko’s pout deepened into a full-on scowl. She crossed her arms tighter, glaring at the phone like it had personally betrayed her. She felt ignored, pushed aside, and honestly, a little, just a little, jealous.

Nash chuckled softly.

"I’ll try to stay focused. Talk soon."

"Later~" Rei sang before hanging up.

Nash tucked the phone away and turned to Aiko, but before he could say a word, she snapped.

She stomped up to him, grabbed the front of his hoodie with both hands, and pushed him backward until his back hit the cold metal wall of a container right behind them.

"Hey," she said. "That was cute and heartwarming, really, didn’t know you were already this close... but... what about my attention?"

She didn’t wait for an answer.

"Now that we’ve got a lead," she continued, voice shaky but determined, "there’s no more mission, no more ’shh,’ no more excuses. It’s just you and me. Right here. Right now. Riiight?"

She pressed up against him, chest to chest, staring up at him with fiery, needy eyes. Nash blinked, then a slow, amused grin spread across his face.

He looked down at the small, angry, very determined girl pinning him against the wall. Yeah, it was true that the most important matter was settled, so how about going to another one of his favorite activities?

"Well," he murmured, hands sliding down to rest on her waist. "Look at you taking charge."

Aiko’s face burned even hotter, but she didn’t back down. She tightened her grip on his hoodie, pulling him closer.

"I’m serious," she hissed, voice trembling with embarrassment and something else. "You’ve been teasing me all night. Now, there’s no more excuses... so do something about it."

Nash’s fingers curled against her waist.

"Alright," he murmured. "If you’re gonna boss me around like that... then show me what you’ve got, Aiko."

Her heart hammered in her chest.

This time, no phone call was going to save him.