RHODODENDRON

[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: BLOODLINE ~ ARIANA GRANDE]

Lily finally had time to talk with her brother alone; she sat close to him, afraid that they might be separated anytime soon.

"Fred, have you had anything to eat?" Lily asked, rubbing her brother's hands gently.

Fred sniffled his tears and running nose back, "One of the officers gave me cold noodles, Lily. I really want to go. The floor is very cold." The boy trembled.

Lily got up from the chair and pulled her brother into another hug as they both started crying all over again. "I will get you out; I will, don't worry. You just need to tell me how you got the bag, tell me who gave you the job."

Fred finally stopped crying, "I didn't get to see the person's face; the job was posted on a website with the location. The moment I accepted the job, they wired half of the money to me. So I never met the person; I just went to the location and carried the bag. I didn't check the contents." The boy narrated.

Lily sighed; it was a dead end. How was she supposed to find someone with no identity? She tried to look at her brother with hope; if he found out that the case was getting worse, the boy might break apart.

"Don't worry yourself; I will go and check to see what I can find, okay? I left food with Officer Jeffrey. They won't let me give it to you, so eat it later, okay? I'll be back." Lily stood up and hugged her brother one more time. She needed to move quickly before it gets late, so her brother would not have to spend another night here.

Stepping outside where Victoria was waiting for her, Lily walked to stand close to her best friend with a solemn look on her face.

"What's next?" Victoria asked.

Lily sighed, "I don't know; my brother didn't have physical contact with the employer, so there's no way to track the man. What should I do, Tori?" Lily's shoulders dropped slightly as the scary thought of not being able to get her brother out worried her. He was still detained in the police station because he was a minor, but that won't last long.

Victoria paced back and forth, trying to think of something. Then she tapped Lily's shoulder, "What about your officer crush? Can't he sneak your brother away and clear the surveillance cameras later? I mean, he should use his power." The girl nodded like her idea was a great one.

Lily raised her brow, "Are you serious right now? Do you want Jeffrey to lose his badge and worst case rot inside jail?" Lily shook her head; it was her mistake for asking Victoria's suggestion; she sighed.

"Okay, that's a bad idea. Next, why don't you tell your boss? You saw him last night; someone like that would have a good lawyer and maybe connections around here." Victoria suggested again; this time she was certain it was a good idea.

Lily gave it a thought for some time, then she agreed. "Let's go together then; we have to be fast."

Lily and Victoria took a cab, and the next minute they were on their way to Lily's workplace. Getting to the shop, Lily pushed the door open with Victoria walking behind her.

"Good morning, Mr. Adolf," Lily greeted the man with a smile.

"Good morning, Lily. Heard about your brother. Is everything alright?" Lily's boss asked, his voice warm and comforting.

Lily tucked a piece of her hair behind her, touching her cheeks slightly in the process. She then said, "Actually, that's why I-"

"I'm looking for Miss Lily Parker." Everyone turned to face the new person that had just entered the shop.

Lily's blood congealed at the sight of the person. She tried to gulp, but it felt like a bridge was fixed in her throat, making it unable for her to swallow. Standing tall right there was the devil, with a smile on his face. Lily took a step back cautiously.

"You! The perfect gentleman from last night, Lily don't you remember him?" Victoria shouted excitedly; she had been waiting to see the man again, and luckily, they met. It must be fate; Victoria nodded to herself.

Raven bowed slightly to the girl with ginger curls who was the only one excited to see him. "Good to see you again, Miss Victoria." He turned to lock his eyes with the green ones of Lily.

Lily gulped when she heard the spine-chilling voice of the man. It was obvious he had come for her. But why? She didn't even do anything.

Lily's boss cleared his throat, "Lily, seems like you have a guest; I'll talk with you later." With this, Mr. Adolf walked inside the other room like he was being chased by someone.

Raven noticed this, but he was not here for the man. He came to make sure the girl didn't forget his words since she was grooming her relationship with her officer friend.

"Please come, have a seat here, Sir." Victoria offered the man a chair, since Lily was still too stunned to speak.

Lily rubbed her clammy hands on her jeans, finally she snapped out of her daze and went to sit opposite the man.

"Let me get coffee." Victoria suggested leaving them both to talk.

Immediately Victoria left, Lily got up from her chair and bowed to the man deeply. "H-how did you find me? I told you I won't say anything. Please leave me alone." Her life was already hard as it is, Lily cried mentally, now she was being stalked by the prince of hell.

Raven reclined on his seat comfortably, with his leg crossed over the other while he moved his fingers on the table as if counting the designs.

"I do want to leave you alone, but you won't stop talking, especially to your officer friend." He remarked.

Lily raised her face, looking at the man with confusion. She couldn't help but wonder which officer friend he was talking about and when did she talk to him. Wait a minute! Jeffrey? How did he..? Was he really the devil who lurked in the dark and listened to their preys? Lily's eyes widened; this man was really onto her and she was damned. Before she could say anything, Victoria came back with the coffee.

"I hope you enjoy our coffee." Victoria pushed the cup to the man before sitting down. This time Lily gently sat down to avoid suspicion.

Victoria noticed the silence in the room, so she decided to be the live of the show. "So Mr., how did you find Lily?"

Raven dipped his hand inside his black jacket and retrieved a pair of feminine glasses with a small card on it. "Found this in my car last night, with the name and address written on it. I guessed it would be either of you ladies." He said with a gentle smile.

"How thoughtful of you! Thank you so much, but you could have just stopped by Lily's house, to save you the stress of coming here." Victoria chimed trying so hard to get the man's attention.

Raven nodded; he shifted his eyes from the glasses he was holding and placed them on Lily's green eyes which now looked scared.

"No stress at all, but I didn't want Lily to think I was coming to kill her in her house for something she did wrong." The man's words were laced with sarcasm, but deep down, Lily didn't see it as a joke; it was a real threat. She gulped, moving uncomfortably on her chair.

Victoria paused for a minute, then she started laughing. "You have quite good humor, Sir."

Raven pushed the glasses and the card to the green-eyed girl and rose on his feet. "Have a nice day, ladies, I hope there is no next time." He walked out of the shop.