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“Only one way to find out.”
We walked towards the north wing, slowing when a loan guard entered from the east. He froze at the sight of us, his eyes going round with fear.
“Hey, how you doing tonight?” Charon playfully queried.
“You need to leave.” The man went for his radio and then must have thought better of it, going for the gun on his hip instead.
“I’ll meet you upstairs,” Kyrous remarked, making his way towards the guard.
“Stay back!” the man drew his gun and leveled it at Ky’s chest.
That wasn’t enough to stop him.
“You’re not going to shoot me,” Ky monotoned. He walked right up to the guy and grabbed his arm, bending it at an unnatural angle to point the gun away from him. At the same time, he grabbed the man by the throat, cutting his scream down to a garble.
Leaving him to handle the guard, I continued through the lobby. “Leave him alive, Ky,” I tossed over my shoulder.
We approached the elevators, and I used the key card our tech guy had made to grant us usage. Once we were inside, I let it flit between my fingers to land on the slate floor so Kyrous could use it when he was done with the guard.
“The top?” Maverick asked.
“Straight to the top,” I confirmed.
The doors slid shut and he hit the button. We didn’t encounter anyone else on our way to the top.
We passed floor thirteen where the Astaroth offices were, Gracelyn’s family. The Lamashtu where Melantha’s worked on floor fourteen, and then finally our ride stopped, and the doors slid apart. Another lobby of sorts awaited us.
Frosted glass doors with two silver handles in the shape of an S complete with red jewels were a small boast of the Serpines wealth and power. If I didn’t come from a family just as powerful with powerful friends, I might have been impressed.
Most of the lights were off. Only a few wall sconces had been left on, giving the space an intimate glow. We crossed the partial lobby and through the doors.
I didn’t waste time sight-seeing and went straight to where we needed to be.
When we walked into the office of Amon Serpine, he didn’t look the least bit surprised to see us. As suspected, he knew we’d be coming just not when. I was a little disappointed I hadn’t been able to surprise the old man.
“You boys don’t know how to knock?”
“Isn’t the surprise better if we don’t?” Maverick countered.
He grunted and sat back in his large leather chair. His brown eyes took in our outfits, lingering for a second on the masks. “You might as well sit down. Drink? Or are the masks staying on?”
“We’re good,” I answered for both questions.
“Eh, suit yourself.” He reached for the bottle of whiskey sitting near the edge of his desk and poured a decent amount into a glass he’d already been drinking from.
We settled onto the U-shaped sectional across from his desk and Charon placed the case he was holding on his lap.
Amon looked at it with a slight twist of his mouth. His grandchildren were the perfect mix of him. I could see pieces of both Liliana and her brother in his face.
“If you knew we were coming, you know why I’m here.”
“Is no if kid. I had the building all but freely accessible for weeks now waiting on you to get your asses up to my office.”
“You never heard of a phone, old man?” Charon questioned, throwing in a jab of his own.
“You’re going to help me secure your granddaughter’s hand.”
His brows slightly rose. “You must mean in the eyes of the syndicate because we all know you’ve marked my Lilly in every other way.”
He had to of been referring to the oath. I wasn’t sure how he knew of it when not even Liliana’s parents were aware. Their rat hadn’t been informed about that. To make sure he wasn’t having any doubts of its validity, I motioned to Charon.
He popped open the black case he was carrying and lifted the lid before turning it around so that Amon could see what was inside.
“We’ve got the game covered for the first two phases. After the gig is up, we may need your help. This is on top of you ensuring me and your granddaughter are engaged.”
Kyrous came strolling into the room just as I finished speaking and sat down beside Charon. There was a dot of blood on his mask. I could guarantee he didn’t listen and killed the guard downstairs. He was moody as fuck these days.
“What made you so sure I’d help you?”
I laughed derisively. “If you don’t help us what good are you to me? Because if you don’t help us, you’re turning your back on Liliana.”
“That’s not--.”
“If you don’t help us, you’ll be a thing of the past when I hand her the match to burn this whole fucking empire to the ground so she can rebuild her own.”
