The Phantom's Game | 18+

Chapter 15

After almost an hour of discussing their plans, Isadora began to grow weary. The bruises began to flare up on her body with increased intensity, causing a subtle wince to elicit from her lips. She felt extremely drained mentally and physically after having discussed all of this important information, especially considering the amount of time she had spent sitting on the train earlier.

Vincent noticed this quickly and worry etched onto his face, "You okay?"

Isadora shook her head lightly to indicate her answer and rubbed the back of her neck, feeling slightly embarrassed by her lack of strength. "No, I'm fine. I think I just need a rest, that's all," she lied through her teeth.

But he didn't buy it. With a soft sigh, he reached for her hand, which sent a tingle all over her arm, "I know you're not. That fight in the train worn you out, I can tell. I'll send you home later, I will not hear any complaints."

She opened her mouth to protest and argue against his proposal, but decided that he wasn't the only one concerned about her wellbeing. Vincent noticed how exhausted she looked, and he was right. Her muscles were sore after fighting against those two masked men earlier, she could feel them starting to stiffen as fatigue crept up on her.

"You're right, I guess I do need some rest." She conceded quietly, causing the man to sigh in relief before standing up. "Thanks, Vincent."

He nodded his head at her before looking at the other brother beside him and asking, "Isadora needs to rest, so I'll send her home."

"Of course, Vincent," his brother replied and gestured towards the door. "I'll see you two at the ball, hopefully."

They both bid their farewells and Vincent took her hand, leading her out of the building to a black car that had parked in the parking lot. As they approached the car, he released her hand and she slid into the passenger seat without any hesitation. Within moments, he was climbing into the driver's side of the car and pulling the car out of its spot before driving off down the highway.

The sound of tires against the asphalt filled the air as Vincent drove along, passing by other cars on the road. Despite the pain coursing throughout her body, Isadora found herself comfortable from the silence.

"So... what are your plans for today, Vincent?" She asked after a long moment of nothingness.

The man shrugged slightly before answering calmly, "Nothing important, I suppose. Just doing my usual work. Why do you ask, Isadora?"

The brunette simply hummed in response, her mind drifting from her surroundings. For a while, there was an unusual silence between the two and although the ride was smooth and fast, she still struggled to relax from the exhaustion that was now settling deep within her bones. However, Vincent seemed content with that fact and remained silent as well, letting her get her thoughts together.

"Once we bring this Phantom down together, what then?" The woman asked, breaking the silence.

"Once this job is done, we'll go our separate ways, as far away from each other as possible."

"Just like that, huh?" Isadora turned her head in his direction with an eyebrow lifted.

"I wouldn't make it sound so easy," Vincent remarked dryly, causing her to smile a little despite herself.

A small smile crossed her features as she looked back out of the window, "Do you regret helping me, Vincent?"

"Not even a little. Now we both know how dangerous this guy is... and it's wise to keep watching each other's backs."

With a nod of her head, she leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes with a relieved sigh. The past month has been quite hectic, and she's not exactly been sleeping well since the incident with the Phantom case, the last few days have also been quite serene.

Vincent slipped his hand into hers while he drove, his grip firm but not too tight. Isadora glanced down at their hands for a second, realizing her hand was shaking before he held her hand. Instead of questioning him, she enjoyed the brief feeling of comfort. She felt somewhat safe when she was with Vincent; he always managed to make her feel better.

"So what do you think he'll do, Vincent?" Isadora asked quietly after a few minutes. "At the event, I mean."

"It doesn't matter to me, as long as we put an end to this madness." Vincent paused for a minute, contemplating his next words carefully before continuing, "When we find him, however, we'll kill him. No matter the cost, no matter whether this means our deaths or his."

"If we don't, then putting the tracker in one of his minions would do."

"There you go, Isadora. It's simple enough."

The woman couldn't suppress an eye roll or the smile forming across her lips, and for a few minutes, neither of them talked. All that filled the car was the quiet sounds coming from the radio. Once they arrived at her mansion, Vincent parked the car near the front doors, before unbuckling himself and opening the car door for her. Once Isadora got out of the vehicle and stretched, she turned towards him.

"I suppose I'll see you soon at the event? We can't blow up our opportunity, anyways." She smirked playfully, trying to lighten up the tension.

"We won't blow anything up, Isadora."

"Not what I meant," The brunette flashed a smirk at him.

Vincent let out an amused chuckle and kept his eyes on her, raising a brow. The two of them stood there in silence while staring into each other's eyes before he cleared his throat, "You should probably get more rest, you know."

"I'm fine, I promise," Isadora replied nonchalantly, her feet still rooted in her spot.

This caused Vincent to release yet another amused chuckle before replying, "Alright then. Have a good day."

Before the woman even realized what he was going to do, Vincent pulled her closer to him by the arm, placed his hands behind her waist, and pulled her towards himself. He bent down and pressed his lips firmly against hers as their bodies pressed tightly against one another. The sudden contact stunned her momentarily, but eventually, her senses caught up with her and she kissed him back. After that, it became incredibly hard to resist kissing him even harder and she couldn't help herself as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Her kisses became urgent, desperate, and sensual so that her actions would prove to him how deeply she desired him. Before she had a chance to take charge of things, Vincent released her from their embrace.

Yet, Isadora didn't want it to end.