Chapter 5

I woke up to the feeling of a hand on my shoulder. I opened my eyes to see Derick sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Lily" He said softly. "Time to get up, dinner is almost ready."

"Mmm. You made dinner?" I said sleepily.

"Yes,so you should get up so you can go eat."

"If you made it then I'm going back to sleep." I said, rolling over so that my back faced him.

"Hey! My cooking isn't that bad!"

"I'd rather starve."

"You need to eat to restore your mana…. Unless you want me to give you mine."

"N-no!" I said, my face turning red.

"Then eat!" He said, picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder.

"H-hey, put me down!" I said, struggling in vain.

He carried me down the stairs, still strung over his shoulder, me struggling the whole way down.

"Put me down, this is embarrassing!" I whined.

"You're eating my cooking whether you want to or not."

"I told that I'd rather starve!"

"And I told you…" He stopped, his arm gripping me tighter.

"Tom, who's this?" He said, his voice low and kinda ominous.

I struggled to look behind me, and saw that it was the man from earlier, except that his hair now flopped in his face instead of being slicked back. "Oh, its you, hello" I said waving. "I never did get your name."

"Hello" He said, smirking at me. "Nice panties you got there."

My face instantly heated up, and I quickly pulled my skirt down. "Put me down" I said, struggling again, and he set me down.

"Why were you looking at my girlfriend's ass?" He said, glaring at him.

"I wasn't. I just simply looked in that direction to see what all the fuss was about. It's not my fault that I was what was under the skirt."

"W-why did you pick me up like that? And why didn't you tell me that you could see things you jerk!"

"I'm sorry potato. I'm just trying to look after you."

I slowly turned to look at him, a pissed look on my face. "Who said that you could use that nickname."

"I just thought that it was cute, what's wrong with me using it?"

"You don't remember do you. Tsk, I thought you had changed, but maybe I was wrong."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He said as I walked towards Tom and the guy who's name I still don't know.

"I gave you my name, but you never gave me yours." I said to him.

"It's Joseph."

"Well it's nice to officially meet you Joseph." I said, smiling and sticking out my hand, expecting a handshake.

Instead he took my hand, kissing the top of it. "The pleasure is all mine."

"Sir" A man said from the front steps. "Perhaps we should take this inside and not stand with the door open."

"Ah, yes, you're right Jeffrey, why don't you come in and shut the door."

"You can't just invite yourself in" Derick said, clearly upset.

"Shut it Derick, I say that they can stay for dinner."

"But Lily…"

"It's my house, if you don't like it then leave."

"Looks like there's trouble in paradise" Joseph said, looking a bit smug.

"So who is this that you've brought with you?" I asked him.

"This is my assistant Jeffrey, he's my right hand man, so I take him everywhere."

"He wasn't with you today though."

"That's a good point, but that was a special occasion and we were both busy."

I went into the kitchen to help Millie with the food.

"Yah, you were just so busy being helpless to a knife."

"So, uh… how do you two know each other?" Tom said, kinda nervously.

"This morning I saved him from getting mugged in the alley."

"I was not getting mugged, and I was handling it just fine before you came along."

They all took a seat at the table while they waited on the food. Derick sat glaring at Joseph the whole time.

"So we're back to the tough guy act are we?" I said.

"It's not an act, I am a tough guy as you say. Have you not seen these muscles." He said, raising an arm and flexing.

"Good for you" I said, teasingly rolling my eyes. "You think that I haven't seen the guys in the military before. Well I have, and just the arm muscles isn't all that impressive to see."

"Yah, she likes six packs, like mine" Derick said, lifting his shirt up. "So back off from my woman buddy."

"Derick put your shirt back on!" I said, throwing an apple at him. "And I'm not your woman, I'm my own person."

"So I guess that's something we have in common, we were both saved by Lily." Tom said, trying to change the subject.

"I never said that she saved my life" He said.

"But I did" I said.

"We don't know if I would have died or not."

I walked over to him and forcefully lifted his shirt up, and pointed at the spot where he had been cut. I also secretly admired his six pack.

"You were cut here, and he cut part of your stomach. You wouldn't have been able to move, so you would have bled out if I hadn't saved you."

"I already said thank you. But I do owe you one for pulling that surprise kiss on me."

"Dinner is ready" I said, bringing the food back out. "Tonight for dinner the boys made rice balls and curry. And Derick, I don't want to hear a word out of you."

"I made the rice balls!" Millie said happily, and placed the rice ball plate on the table. The rice balls had cute little cat face on them.

"Aw, they're adorable" Jeffery said. "My husband would love these."

"There's some extras in the kitchen if you want to take them home."

"You're to kind" He said, smiling at me.

We ate in silence for awhile, until Tom said "So uh… how did you two meet, you and Derick I mean."

"We've been friends since elementary school" Derick said.

"Wrong" I said, taking another bite of the curry. "We've known each other since elementary school. We met when my father brought you over the day you were hired."

"I thought we were friends"

"Well you were wrong. I had no friends because everyone treated me like shit until we got to sophomore year. And even then people still treated me like crap. So no we weren't friends, you bullied me like everyone else."

"If he was such a dick, then why are you dating him?" Joseph said.

"Don't question our relationship!" Derick growled.

"Because he changed when he went to military school for high school and college. He was a different person when he came back, or at least I thought he was."

"People don't generally change that much" Joseph said.

"Yes they can, like she said, I changed. They whipped me into shape at military school. So much so that I don't even remember that I bullied her. And Lily I sincerely apologize for that, I must not have realized back then how awesome you are."

"Whipped you into shape eh? That didn't seem to stop you from talking shit about me and my mother behind my back. Makes me wonder about what other stuff you may be saying about me behind my back."

"Honey we really shouldn't be talking about this in front of guests."

"Why not?" I said, shooting him a look.

"Millie sweetie why don't you go wash your hands and play upstairs while the grown ups talk, okay."

She got up, and happily ran upstairs.

"I think that it's better for us to talk about this in front of others. Then you can't do anything underhanded to win the fight."

"Underhanded? What are you talking about?"

"Like earlier today, you were acting all sweet so that I wouldn't be mad at you, but now you're being a dick."

"Lily can we please talk about this in private."

"Why? Why should I do that for you?"

"Because I want to talk this out, but not in front of people we barely know. Please Lily."

"I'm sure that anything you have to say to her can be said in front of us." Joseph said.

"You keep out of this" Derick growled at Joseph.

"Derick be nice to him!"

"Why do you care how I treat him, you barely know him!"

"Because he's been nicer to me today than you've been in the past two days!"

He grabbed me by the wrist pulling me out of my seat.

"Let me go" I said, glaring at him.

"We are going to talk about this somewhere else" He said, dragging me towards the hallway.

"Why is speaking to her in private so important to you, when clearly that's not what she wants." Joseph said.

"Stay out of this" Derick growled.

Derick stormed off, dragging a helpless Lily behind him.

"I'm surprised that they've lasted so long." I said to Jeffery as I stood up from the table.

"Why do you care so much about what happens in their relationship?" Tom said as he began to clear the table.

I walked over and took a seat on the couch, lighting a cigarette before responding. "I don't, I'm just returning the favor to her by looking out for her. And I'm telling you that that man has worse intentions then I am a bad person."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that his intentions are worse than me as a person. And I'm a bad person, so what does that say about him."

"Well I don't care if he's bad or not. I know the things that you've done, and I won't let you get close to her so that you can hurt her."

"I have no plans to hurt her, on the contrary, I owe my life to her, same as you. I plan on protecting her. And I'd like to remind you that she's the only reason you're still alive, don't think for a second that it was because I have a good heart. No, it was only because you are staying with her, so I can't have my guys come shoot up the place. I could shoot you right now, but I don't want her to hate me, so I won't. She is awfully cute, and is quite feisty, I might even be interested in her at some point."

"Oh hell no, she doesn't need you trying to taint her innocence."

"Ah, but you don't have a choice in the matter. And see you can't tell her that I'm a bad person either, because that would mean providing reasons as to why I'm bad. And that would mean sharing information that will get you killed, and well you don't want that."

"Tsk, bastard."

"Why thank you" I said. "I am the worst of the worst after all. Good to know that a pea brain like you can see that."

"If I can see that and it makes me a pea brain, then what does that make her."

"An adorable fluffy little kitten that's blind to the realities of the world, and can't seem to see people's true natures."

"She's not as oblivious to the real world as you think she is."

"And how would you know? You just met her today."

"So did you."

"But I can get information on people from my sources."

"Well I know that she's seen things before. Afterall, she saw the mess that you left me in, and didn't faint or run away screaming like most girls would. Plus when I was drifting in and out of consciousness, I saw how that officer treated her just because she was a mage, and partly because she was a girl."

"I hope that you won't let that happen again."

"Why would I? If I could have moved, then I would've punched him."

"I have a proposition for you, only if you'd like to get back into my good graces of course."

"I'm listening" He said, sitting down in the chair next to the couch.

"I propose that since you're so close to her now, that you work for me by keeping an eye on her for me. Maybe give me any information on her that she tells you or that you learn about."

"And why would I do that for you?" He said, glaring at me. "I'd be getting nothing in return for doing your dirty work."

"It's not dirty work. And in exchange for your work I can place your daughter under protection. If you still feel that it's dirty work then I can pay you if you like."

"I'll do it, but you can keep your filthy money. I was already planning on looking out for her, so I'm only doing this to keep my daughter safe."

"Alright if you don't want me to pay you then I won't. But, the information that you know is worth a lot of money, so I'm taking that as debt. The payment that I would have given you will now go towards clearing that debt. Any information you bring me can be set at a value, and used to clear more of your debt. Of course though, the value depends on the value of the information to me."

"And how much debt do I owe?"

"2.2 million dollars."

"What it can't possibly be that much!" He said, his face shocked.

"My name and face are worth a lot of money. Plus the names and faces of my subordinates. As well as anyone else you may have met during your time in the mothia."

"Damn, that means that I'll have to see your stupid face more." He leaned his head into his hands, letting out a groan of frustration.

I heard a door open, and the soft thumping of feet running down the hallway. And the Lily flopped onto the back of the couch, acting different from how she was acting earlier.

"Sorry for leaving you guys alone for so long, but Derick just had to give me something right then and there." She said happily.

"Yes well, it's not my fault that I came over to find other people here, and I wanted to give it to you today."

"What was it that he gave you?" I said, raising an eyebrow.

"This pretty necklace" She said, holding it up to show me and Tom.

"Yes it's very pretty" I said stiffly, giving her a forced smile. "So I take it that you're not mad at him anymore."

"Hmm, oh, that. Nope it was just a simple misunderstanding. I wasn't mad at him."

There was something suspicious going on here, and when I looked over at Derick standing in the hallway entrance, he confirmed it even more. He was looking at me with this twisted smug look. A look that I've only seen on men who got what they wanted through manipulation or other twisted means. I don't think that that necklace is just an ordinary necklace.

Derick walked over to Lily standing behind her, a creepy look still on his face. That look made me want to punch him.

"Well it's getting quite late, so I think that you boys should be heading home." He said, placing his hand on her shoulders.

She looked up at him. "Well actually Tom will be staying here for a while. And if it's so late then you should go home too."

"Well your dad has to work late tonight, so I thought that I'd stay the night and you know, keep you company. Also why is he staying here?" Derick said.

"Well um… he's supposed to be… dead."

"What does that mean? Lily what did you do?"

"You know that I can't let someone die in front of me when I can do something to help."

"And they for some reason only wanted the name of, this is how he worded it, the name of the man who killed me." Tom said, picking up where she left off. "They wouldn't let her save my life. He even went so far as to threaten her into submission, and he bullied her for being a mage. I'm betting that he wanted my ranking, so that's why he wanted me dead so badly."

"Lily is what he said true?" Derick said.

She stared at the floor and nodded her head. "Yes, he uh… picked me up by the collar. He didn't threaten me in so many words, but he used his size and tone of voice to intimidate me. I did what he asked, and then scared him out of my office. He told me that it wasn't over yet when he left, so I guess that's a threat."

"Do you know what his name is?"

She continued to stare at the floor and shook her head no.

"I don't know his name either." Tom said.

"Could you identify based off of his appearance then." Derick said.

"Yes" She said quietly.

"Good. I'm gonna find that son of a bitch and make him regret treating you like that."

"We should probably get going now." I said as I stood up.

"Oh, okay. Ah, Jeffery let me pack the extras for you." She said hurrying into the kitchen.

"You don't have to Miss Lily" He said, following her lead.

I walked towards the door, grabbing my trench off the coat hanger and put it on. I turned towards Derick, lowering my voice.

"You know, I see what you're doing there." I said.

"Whatever do you mean?" He said, leaning against the couch and crossing his arms. A smug look still on his face.

"I know that that's no ordinary necklace, it's an amulet. Of course to sneak something like that past a mage it'd have to be cursed so that they can't tell what it is. So are you a mage in disguise?"

"Guess the jig is up, but even if you tell her that, she won't believe you. And to answer your question, not I'm not a mage, I bought that specially for her."

"What, are you afraid that you'll lose her if you don't control her."

"No, well yes, but that's not why either. My reasons are confidential information that's property of the military. So I'd advise you to back off, buddy." He said coldly. "Why do you care anyways, she's just a common girl that you met on the street."

"I told you, I owe a great debt to her, and I always pay my debts in full. Plus I find her quite intriguing."

"Okay we can go now." Jeffery said, coming out holding a box in his hands.

"Lily" I said.

"Yah, what is it?" She said, walking over to me.

"A bit of advice, from now on you shouldn't trust people that you've just met. Me and Tom are trustworthy, but you just got lucky with us. So from now on, try to be careful of who you trust, not everyone is as nice as you. And not everyone is nice under the surface either." I grabbed her hand, kissing the top again. "I wish you adieu my fair lady, and I hope to see you again."

With that I opened the door with a swish, and walked out to the sidewalk, my trench coat billowing behind me. And Jeffery hurrying after me, quickly shutting the door behind him.