[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: EASTSIDE~ BENNY BLANCO, HALSEY & KHALID]
Lily stopped in her tracks when she heard the man's voice. This devil! She turned to look at him, then she gave him a nervous smile.
"W--what party?" She asked, holding her jean trousers tightly.
Raven, who was using a clean handkerchief which he got from his suit pocket to wipe his shoes clean, dropped his cold gaze on the tiny girl who now assumed a position to bolt from the room. He raised his finger and motioned for her to come in a 'come-hither manner,' but the girl shook her head and ran to the door.
Lily gulped, reaching for the doorknob; she tried to push it open, but then it was locked. This man! He locked the door when he stepped inside. Was he going to finally kill her now?
Lily got down on her knees, "I don't remember anything... I didn't see you, I don't know you. Please, please let me go." The girl begged, getting down on her knees.
Raven sauntered to where the girl was kneeling, with her hands clasped together and her cheeks looking flushed, akin to a small rabbit nibbling on something. The girl looked like a small animal.
"Why are you only seen where there is trouble?" Raven finally asked on getting close to the girl.
Lily couldn't agree more; this man was really right about her life being intertwined with troubles. But she wasn't going to die on the day she was supposed to confess her feelings to Jeffery. No, devil, not today. She said in her mind, then she finally stood on her feet. The height difference between her and this man was very obvious. Lily had to crane her neck to get a better view of his face. Handsome face. Lily found herself drooling for a moment; then she shook her head.
"Please, let me go this time; I promise you I won't ever appear in front of you, and I'll disappear from this place." Lily begged, as she pressed her lips then she continued. "I know you're a good man, a man of great compassion." She lied through her teeth.
The corner of Raven's lips pulled up, but he didn't smile, "Those qualities don't appear to be mine; even Bambi won't agree with you." He pointed at the man whose breathing was now shallow.
Lily shook her head, "No, I know you're good; if we look closely, there's this little... teeny goodness right?" She asked. Definitely, he would be a good man except he has issues with his family or he's just a psychotic killer looking for his next prey.
At the same time, Lily noticed the man's hands coming for her neck as if to stab her; she shouted. "Mr. Ryker, please!!!!"
Raven paused, his hand hanging in the air, "What did you just call me? He asked with his height towering over the petit-looking girl whose green eyes were magnified as a result of her glasses.
Lily rubbed her clammy hands on her jean trouser as crystal-like sweat dropped from the side of her face "I- Ryker" she gulped as her voice trembled.
At the same moment from the glass window, a loud crash was heard as if someone was shooting from outside.
"Fuck!" Raven cursed; they were coming for him. When he turned to see the girl curled in one corner with her whole body shaking out of fear.
"Stand," Raven ordered, but the girl refused to move; he pulled her up with one hand and pushed her back to the wall, his hand holding her waist tightly.
"Now listen, the moment I open this door, I want you to run like crazy and don't look back." He ordered.
Lily felt her leg numb again; it was always like this every time she met a dire situation. She hit her legs trying to get her mind focused on the situation when they heard another loud bang that caused Lily to gasp.
"Look at me," Raven tilted the girl's chin up, "Remember run and don't look back." He repeated, and this time the girl nodded her head.
Raven walked back to where the man he had beaten up earlier was lying; he finally found what he was looking for. A gun, checking its magazine. It was fully loaded; he removed it from safety and walked to the door.
Raven turned to the girl, "In three and you're out." Slowly he opened the door and checked, but there was no one outside who looked like a threat; he counted "One...."
He didn't complete his count when the girl dashed out of the room screaming on top of her voice.
Lily ran out of the boutique, leaving behind her dress. It was now or never; she didn't belong to that kind of world. When she got to a crowded place, she jumped inside her cab and disappeared from there.
Inside the cab Lily held her chest, "Did I betray my country in my former life? Why am I always on the run, what did I do so wrong?" She asked herself.
The cab man, thinking his customer was referring to him, asked, "What did you say ma'am?"
"Nothing, I wasn't talking to you." Lily replied, relaxing on the chair; finally, the adrenaline that was pumping relaxed with her mind now calm. Then she remembered something, "That devil!! Why did he touch my waist?" She blinked, recalling how the man held her waist firmly like they were close.
"Forget it Lily, as long as you came out unscathed." She nodded her head.
Back at the boutique, Raven was done wiping out those that were shooting at him. He walked out of the store while people who worked as sweepers in his organization stepped in to handle things and take care of people from talking, also bringing down the surveillance cameras.
Shadow joined Raven in his car, a part of his head was now bleeding. "What took you so long?" He asked.
Raven sighed, "A little rabbit thought it was okay to play with fire." He remarked kicking off his ignition.
Shadow, who didn't understand what he meant, nodded his head, "Did you get the name?"
"We are going there right now," Raven replied making a turn out of the small street.
"Raven! You're bleeding!" Shadow pointed out, looking at his face worriedly. How was he still acting normal when he was losing a lot of blood?
Raven touched his side; when the attackers had fired their first hit, with Raven covering the girl with his back, he got hit, and that was when he cursed out. But that wasn't his problem; it was the girl who never obeyed simple instructions that irked him. He said count to three and she bolted at one. The girl needed to be straightened out, not just that she was a trouble finder, she was also stubborn.
Shadow, who had known Raven for a while now, was surprised to see the agent bleeding. Nobody ever got close to Raven in a fight to even give him a punch; he was that skilled but now he was bleeding. He wondered what had happened before now as they drove in silence.