Page 153 of Decadence

“I… I always paid the child support on time,” Caselli stammered. “I didn’t do anything wrong. If she wants to see me, then I can—”

“She does not want to see you,” Ikriss corrected. “I am simply here to tell you that if she ever changes her mind and decides to reach out and connect with you, you are to drop everything and answer to her call immediately, and you will do everything in your power to be warm and genuine and agreeable. Try to act like a father, even if you are not worthy of that title.”

“B-but…”

Ikriss didn’t give the human a chance to answer. He simply left him there, alone and terrified, floundering in the warm Earth sun.

* * *

He left Monaco and traveled to the secure Kordolian compound near Teluria, where he paid Kainan a visit. He found the human in his office, a light-filled, glass-walled structure that had been constructed to the former Syndicate member’s specifications.

The interior was filled with plants and light. In the far corner, a small fountain of water trickled out of a stone sculpture. The space was irritatingly bright, but least it was temperature controlled, much to Ikriss’s relief.

“Come in, Ikriss.” Kainan looked up from a row of holo-monitors as Ikriss entered. He put something down on his desk; an archaic device called a pen that he’d been using to write in human script on a piece of parchment.

This human male, who carried out his work with methodical precision, also had his quirks.

In some ways, he reminded Ikriss of a Kordolian.

“What can I do for you, boss?” Kai said with a wry twist of his lips. Ikriss understood the irony very well. In his past life as a high-up Syndicate gangster, Kainan had been accustomed to being treated as the ‘boss’.

Now he served the Darkstar Group, administering contracts and managing their finances on Earth.

Ikriss lowered himself into an elegant black and silver metal swivel chair that sat in front of Kainan’s desk.

He gave the human a long, hard look. “You know the Syndicate very well.”

Kai dipped his head in acknowledgement. “You know that already. But I renounced my sworn allegiance to the Syndicate when I made Zyara my mate.” Dark eyes narrowed. Black brows drew together. “What’s this about, Ikriss?”

“This organization… I thought about destroying it, but it appears to be too deeply embedded in human society for us to be able to kill it cleanly. There would be collateral damage.”

“It’s… complicated,” Kainan agreed. “But now they’re fucking around with human trafficking. That’s something the old-school bosses wouldn’t have approved of, but hey, the new gen are mostly in charge now. They have different scruples.” He leaned back in his chair and gave Ikriss an appraising look. “So what are you going to do, boss?”

Ikriss inclined his head. “This is why I have come to consult with you. I want to know how we can control the entire organization… from the top down.”

Kainan’s eyes narrowed. He stared long and hard at Ikriss, his expression perfectly hard and inscrutable.

Then all of a sudden, his face split into a cold, glittering smile. “I’ve been waiting for you aliens to say something like that. In fact, I’m surprised you didn’t approach me earlier. It is definitely something I can help you with.”

“Good,” Ikriss returned Kai’s smile with a flash of his fangs. “Then tell me what I need to do. Who do I need to threaten, and who do I need to kill?”

Kai laughed; a deep, hearty sound. “Hold on a minute. Let me go and find my list.”

* * *

After his meeting with Kai, Ikriss flew back to New York to carry out his final task. He landed the Crurix on the roof of Sienna’s building and donned his holo-glasses and human-style attire, wearing the guise of a human as he navigated the bustling streets of this dense, chaotic human metropolis.

He found himself enjoying the freedom of anonymity. Although he attracted the occasional odd look from time to time, most humans were so busy and preoccupied that they barely noticed him.

He strolled all the way to his target destination—a residential tower owned by the family called the Ryans. Built in the glass-walled style that humans preferred, it rose above the surrounding ancient looking buildings, its shiny windows reflecting glowing light-signs and the dense traffic and the cloudy skies above.

He’d had this place under surveillance for several rotations now. Connor Ryan occupied a palatial suite on the uppermost floor. He knew the human’s exact movements, right down to when he ate and slept and took a shit.

Every single being on this planet that he thought might pose even the slightest threat to Sienna was under his surveillance now.

As he approached the building, Ikriss activated a tiny device in his pocket that scrambled all human electronic surveillance, rendering him invisible to any recording device.

He walked up to the secure sliding doors at the front and waited. A human guard was stationed there, alongside some sort of primitive looking guard drone. The robot’s slender tubelike head swiveled left and right, its tiny flashing indicator light turning from green to red as he approached.

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