The car ride was quiet, not awkward, just heavy with thought. It was past midnight, and the city slept beneath the glow of passing lights.

I looked over at Skai, her gaze distant, fixed on the blur outside.

Lex was in the back, airpods in and his fingers typing away on his laptop.

A smirk tugged at my lips.

"Lex, you working or watching porn videos again?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"Both," he muttered without looking up.

I chuckled. Typical Lex. Porn videos was his life. Maybe because he was a bit of a nerd.

I glanced at Skai, before averting my eyes back to the road. "You okay?"

She sighed, sitting up straighter. "I'm good. Just a bit eager."

I nodded slowly. "Same. Once we're in, we'll confront him and get our answers."

Skai's voice dropped. "What if we're too late?"

I hummed, eyes still on the road. "Then we have two brothers left."

I meant what I said, two brothers left. But the way Skai looked at me, I knew she was thinking the same thing I was.

If we were too late again, there'd be no answers left to find.

The car slowed as we turned onto the narrow street. Nashton's penthouse towered ahead, its glass walls catching the faint glow of moonlight.

We pulled up two blocks from the penthouse. The streets were empty, just the glow of streetlights stretching across wet pavement.

"Lex, you're up," I said

He leaned forward from the back seat, snapping his laptop open. "Give me three minutes," he said, already pulling a small black case onto his lap.

I watched as he connected a cable and began typing, fingers flying across the keys. The screen reflected in his eyes, lines of code flickering past.

Skai glanced over her shoulder. "You sure this will work?"

Lex smirked. "Please. I built their system in the first place."

A few seconds later, the laptop beeped softly. Lex leaned back, satisfied.

"And we're in. Cameras are looping. You've got ten minutes before the feed resets."

I nodded. "That's all we need."

Skai pushed the car door open, the click of her gun echoing in the silence. "Let's move."

We move cautiously towards the penthouse, trying to blend in with the shadows.

Lex went ahead and started working on the lock. A few seconds later, there was a soft click.

"It's open," he whispered. "Cameras are down. You've got ten minutes."

We slipped inside. The place was quiet, almost too quiet.

Skai pressed the elevator button. The doors opened with a ding that felt way too loud. We stepped in, and Lex started typing on his laptop again.

"Top floor," he said. "We're clear for now."

The elevator began to move, smooth and silent. None of us spoke. Each floor we passed made the air feel heavier.

I touched Skai's hand. She looked at it, a smile appearing on her lips. We were in this together.

When the elevator stopped, the doors slid open with a soft chime.

Skai went first, gun raised. I followed right behind her while Lex stayed back, keeping watch from the hall.

The penthouse was dark, only the city lights seeping through the glass walls. Everything looked clean, too clean. No signs of struggle, no movement, nothing.

We moved farther in, our footsteps quiet against the marble floor. A faint smell hung in the air, metallic and sharp.

Blood.

Skai froze. "You smell that?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Stay alert."

We turned a corner, and that's when we saw him, Nashton Yale, slumped in the chair, head tilted to the side, eyes wide open.

Fuck!

"No!" Skai shouted, rushing towards the body.

We were too late.

Skai's hands trembled as she looked around. "They got here before us."

Her eyes scanned the room. Then she frowned and pointed to the floor.

"Angel… what's that?"

I walked over. A small black feather lay near the chair, almost hidden by the shadows.

We looked at each other, neither of us saying a word.

Whoever did this, they weren't just a killer. They were sending a message.

"They know we're after the brothers too. What if the person doesn't want us to question them? To find out anything?" Skai ranted.

I sighed. "That's possible. But killing all four this fast doesn't make sense. There's something bigger going on."

She shook her head, pacing. "We can't just wait around. We have to move before whoever this is gets to the others."

The other penthouses were farther away in the city. But we had no choice now. If we wait, we won't get any answers.

We left the building without another word. The city was still quiet, the air colder now.

"Nothing new on the cameras," Lex said after reaching for his laptop. "Whoever did this wiped everything clean."

I started the engine. "Then we move to the next one."

The tires rolled over wet pavement as we drove off into the night.

"Did you guys see anything out of the ordinary that can be used as a clue?" Lex asked.

Skai reached into her pocket and pulled out the black feather. "This is all we found. No importance."

Lex took it.

I kept my eyes on the road, gripping the steering wheel with much force.

"This isn't just a normal feather. It's from a jacket. Custom made. Only one person I know does this."

We both glanced at Lex.

"So, who's the person? Is he in the city?" Skai asked, eagerly.

"He is. He's my great grandfather. He's the only one I know who uses this specific type of feather material," Lex replied.

This was some important information.

"Angel, take a turn here," he said next, and I took a sharp turn.

"We're going to his place. Maybe he has some information."

I frowned. "Don't many designers use feathers to make jackets?"

"Yes, but this one's different. You can see the stalk, it's made of iron. My grandfather makes his jackets special. They're basically disguises: feathers on the outside, bulletproof on the inside."

Damn. That was alot to take in. If this is the only way to track down this killer, then we're going.

An hour later, we pulled up to a small house on the edge of the city. The lights were still on, faint and warm against the night.

Lex stepped out first, his breath showing in the cold air. "He's usually still up," he said quietly.

Skai and I followed him to the porch. The place looked old but well kept, tools, scraps of fabric, and bits of metal scattered neatly on a long table by the window.

Lex knocked once.

Five seconds later, a gun was pointed in our direction.

"Grandfather chill, it's me," Lex said, almost too calm.

The man's eyes were wide, his hand still tight on the trigger. He looked frantic, like he hadn't slept in days.

"Lennox? Boy, what are you doing here at this time of the night?" the man said, his eyes widening.

"Sorry about the time gramps, but it's urgent. I need your help."

The man glanced over Lex's shoulder. "And who are they?"

"Just two friends. Can we come in? It's getting cold."

The man looked at us for a while longer before finally letting us in. I held Skai by the waist as the door closed behind us.

The place was warm and cozy. The man took a seat in his rocking chair, his eyes fixed on us.

"So, we found this," Lex started, handing the feather to him. "It's yours, isn't it?"

The man took the feather, his eyes narrowing as he studied it. His jaw clenched before he finally looked up at us.

"Where did you find this?"

I stepped forward. "A penthouse. Someone left it as a warning."

The man shook his head. "I used these exact feathers to make a jacket. A jacket that was stolen."

The room fell silent.

Skai stepped forward. "Do you know by who?"

The man nodded, reaching into a small drawer and pulling out an envelope. He pushed the envelope towards Lex. He opened it and pulled out a small silver tag.

"This was left behind," the man said. "It's from the jacket. Must've fallen off."

Lex frowned, turning it over. "Yeah… this is one of mine. I added tracking codes to every jacket my grandfather made."

Skai leaned closer. "So you can find who has it?"

"Maybe," Lex said. "If they didn't destroy the signal, I can trace where it's been and it's current location."

Lex pulled out his laptop and connected the tag with a small cord. He started typing his eyes focused on the screen.

"Got it," he said. "Signal's coming from an apartment downtown. Name linked to it," he paused, squinting, "Nira Kade."

Skai frowned. "You know her?"

Lex shook his head. "No. But whoever she is, she's the one wearing that jacket now."

I exhaled slowly. "Then we've got our lead."

Lex leaned back, closing the laptop. "That's all I've got for now."

Skai's eyes met mine. We didn't need to say anything. We both knew what came next.

"Tomorrow," I said. "We find her."

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