Page 26 of Stars in Halo

With each step, a stunning, flowing designer coat of the finest materials flowed behind her. She was dressed to the nines, her hair styled, her makeup flawless, and her shoes impeccable, all of which exuded sophistication.

Yet it was her armour as if she were preparing for battle.

Against whom exactly, Xion had no clue.

Her guards, the trio of Iccythrian kinais she’d seen with her the day before, were missing in action.

So, whatever she planned for today was a solo mission, and he was there for it.

With a smirk, Xion rose from his seat, tucked away his holo newspaper and tagged after her.

He followed her through the streets as she flitted from one high-end retail outlet to the next.

A subtle yet alluring perfume wafted behind her as she dashed in and out each time, lingering in the air long after she passed.

He breathed it in as they made their way through the busy avenues.

Whenever she darted into a store, he lingered across the street, within the shadows of awnings or obscured by columns, narrowing his meta vision to study her.

She was a master at her game, weaving in and out of stores and charming every sales clerk she encountered.

Soon, her modus operandi became clear.

First, she’d mesmerise and confuse with flattery and charm, disarming the salespeople. Then, she’d request to see multiple items, trying them on at a dizzying pace while moving around the jewellery, bags, or even high-end shoes too fast for the shopkeeper to keep track.

Sometimes, she’d distract the salesperson and hide the piece, only to ‘discover’ it when its disappearance was noted.

The salespeople, relieved to retrieve the ‘lost’ item, dropped their guard, believing that Katya was just another wealthy customer who had misplaced an item and was trustworthy enough to return it.

With the next distraction, she’d grab the real object of her desire and then leave.

He trailed behind her, careful not to lose sight of her in the busy high street and not rouse her suspicions.

He had to admit he was impressed by her speed and skills.

Katya was like a chameleon, standing out like a centrepiece yet blending in with her surroundings. Her appeal was undeniable.

Despite knowing that she was a felon and dangerous, he found himself once more thrumming with raw lust for her.

At one point, he ghosted within a few metres of her, wanting to reach for her.

She turned and almost bumped into him, but his metanoids whisked him away in seconds.

He’d come so close to stroking her skin, which set off a series of fantasies in his head.

His mind churned at the sight of her soft, pliant lips, perfect for sucking on anything. As he followed her, he was consumed with thoughts of making her scream and beg for mercy.

He imagined her calling out his name as he drove into her until she was lost in pleasure.

It took all his ever-loving control to rein in and focus on surveillance.

As time passed, Xion detected a pattern in the stores that Katya targeted.

A search of Sys-Net revealed that the boutiques were all operated by shady Ccyth Houses or Pegasi criminal entities that used the gem and high-fashion shops as fronts for laundering their cash.

He relayed this information to Mirage, who was keeping an eye on the day’s proceedings from a safe distance on his stealthed ship.

She conducted a few quantum searches to learn more about the felons who owned the establishments.

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