And here you are laddies! The next chapter into the series! I'll try to to take to long between updates since I really want to progress with this story. I just hope that the story is not only interesting, but makes sense.

Also want to thank everyone who has reviewed, liked, favorite or simply chose to spend your precious time reading this story.

Well I will see you in the next episode!

As always, I have tried to catch as many spelling and grammar mistakes as possible. And you can check which stories I'm (supposed to be) working on by checking my home page.

I try to stick to it, but sometimes I get inspiration for a different story haha.

The Little Boss Pt 2

"If we leave as soon as school is finished I think we can make it before the parade finishes."

Kat, out of all of us, expressed the most excitement for the festival happening in Durmstrang. She had created a schedule and listed all of the places that seemed like the most interesting. She even took into account the things that we liked and tried to incorporate them in. Surprisingly, Kat was the best at creating itineraries that allowed us best use of our time when it comes to these kind of things.

"You said the festival's happening tomorrow too, right?"

"Yeah, but the parade is only today. There are other events happening through the weekend though."

"Sounds pretty exciting."

"Hey they're doing a Taiko performance too. We should go!"

"I didn't know you were into that kind of stuff Trent."

"Not especially but when do you ever get the chance to see one?"

"I agree!"

"I also put together my own little list."

Courtesy of Lola, we were all now looking at the list of stores with today only sales. Some stores were even giving up to 35% off if you had a membership card with them. My feet were already aching just from the thought of how much walking we would be doing today. Surreptitiously I gazed over Lola's face, one of many times I have done since not being so direct with my concern and found a bit of relief at my findings. There was less makeup around her eyes to hide the dark circles, and her complexion looked miles better than only a few days ago. Her eyes focused on the here-and-now rather than the often-glossy hue of one recollecting a painful past. I still found it hard to believe that James did not choose Lola over Lily, and honestly it all felt like a dream and was over just as quickly. As for Sirius, I remembered my promise to him, but right now I felt guilty. Like I had somehow jinxed this whole situation and in result I haven't spoken to him since telling him we were still friends. And we were, I didn't lie to him, but much like Lola I just needed a bit of time away from it all.

We still had some time before the lunch break was over to finalize a rough plan of things to do today, which was mainly the parade. Anything that we missed we could do tomorrow. I did wish we had time to go home to change and drop our school bags off, but unless we wanted to risk missing the parade we couldn't.

And we weren't the only ones with the same plan.

The moment we were free from school we jumped onto the subway that was already packed with people, both adults and students with a variety of school uniforms. We even spied a few from our own school's that must have rushed to get here just as we did. We each shared a troubled smile as we were jostled and pushed against one another while the train steadily screeched from station to station. After a grueling 35 minutes we, and practically the rest of the passengers, alighted.

"There's no way we're getting a good spot for the parade." Kat grumbled as she eyed the number of people steadily growing.

"At this point I'd be happy if I can catch a glimpse of it."

We eventually made our way to the surface and followed behind Kat who found it much easier to maneuver and squeeze her way through the crowd. I don't think I've ever been in a place with more people before. The excitement and chatter that freely flowed from every direction easily made my own anticipation to see the parade spike. Even now I could faintly hear the horns and drums from the band that was also in the procession. All around us there was an explosion of rich, deep red and black, from banners held high over stores to people simply dressing up and even painting the colors onto their faces. All around us the school color's of Durmstrang were strewn about, and with good reason. The parade was held annually in honor of the founding of the school. When it came to the color red seeing the deep red that represented Durmstrang gave me a vastly different impression than the Hogwart's Gryffindor red. The bright red of Hogwarts felt royal and regal, much like the lion motif that represented Gryffindor. Durmstrang's dark red, however, evoked feelings of pumping adrenaline and unbridled power. Simply looking at it made one feel like they would be swallowed whole by the unstoppable wave that was Durmstrang. But it was exactly that image that made other schools think twice when it came to matching up against them in sports, even on a high school level. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if when it came to practice games they played against college level guys.

"Ah! Lucky!" Kat exclaimed after having claimed what seemed to be one of rare spots with a decent view, though we did have to ignore the harsh glare from the other group of teens who also had their eyes on the spot. "The head of the parade should be coming in another 15 minutes."

I tried not to laugh at how excited Kat was for the parade. Her eyes were bright with childlike mirth, and she continuously rocked on her heels as though it would kill her to sit still for a moment. She didn't take her eyes off of the direction the parade would come from, trying to will the parade to come quicker. In terms of excitement Trent was probably next on the list, as his younger age was beginning to show itself. Though he was much better at containing it than Kat, the way his eyes glittered at the festivities around us betrayed him. Mary, Lola and I all shared a smile as we basked in the atmosphere that left no room for unnecessary thoughts. How long was it since I was able to feel like everything was normal? Here, in this moment, I could pretend that I was having a normal school life.

Someone suddenly slid their hand in mine, and I looked up at Lola in confusion but the emotion quickly melted into a heart-fluttering sensation I couldn't fully describe. The reason being the smile on her face seemed so carefree, and devoid of any regret.

"Lola you-"

She winked playfully, "I'm not going to stay down forever, you know. Just who do you take me for?"

For a moment I thought I saw her sorrow trying to take her over, but it was beat back down by the fire in her crystal clear eyes. She took in a deep breath, her grip on my hand tightening slightly and then relaxing on her exhale. "This was a good idea, coming out here."

"Kat's known to have them from time to time." Mary giggled from the other side of Lola, while hugging onto her arm with a shy smile.

Lola returned it with a bold one of her own and threw her arms around the two of us to pull us into a hug, "Anyway, there's no way I can stay down for long with my girls around. Once this parade is over it's time for some rehab shopping!"

'Ugh, my feet are aching already.'

"It's here! It's here!"

Kat's excited shout made the three of us look up to see a large float that boasted the Durmstrang's colors, followed by girls dancing on the sides while twirling brightly colored ribbons that they used to draw eye-catching patterns in the air. But what really had my eye's jumping were the male fire twirlers. There also seemed to be a few staff walking with fire extinguishers for safety, but just the fact that they would open with fire twirlers was crazy! They stopped for a moment to give time for the dancers to perform. As the parade progressed no one could tear their eyes away from the grandiose marching band, the lavish floats and the multitude of various acts. Even some of the students were in the parade, and I spotted Kyle. He and some of the other students were handing out flags and key chains to some people. When he spotted us he grinned and jogged over to hand each of us one. After making Mary and I promise to come play with them again on the weekends, he moved on to continue handing out items. After about an hour and a half it seemed like the end of the parade was coming. Everything was simply amazing and extremely entertaining, which was why no one paid any attention the the girl shoving her way through the crowed, anxiety and fear swimming in her eyes as she looked over her shoulder.

"I think we should get a head start. Since people will be sticking around to see the end of the parade we might be able to beat some of the rush and see the stores." Lola was already looking at the itinerary that Kat made, eyes now sparkling much in the same way Kat's were when she was watching the parade.

"Mary, I bet we could find some nice knee pads on sale."

She nodded, "Yeah, the one's I have now have a crack in them. This would be the perfect time to get some."

"And after all that excitement I could use some food." Trent groaned with a hand resting over his stomach. "Not to mention also holding Kat back the whole time."

Kat blushed in embarrassment, "Hehe, sorry about that. Thank's for not letting me bust my face open." Having been so excited for the parade, Kat had been leaning so far over the barrier that was put up to keep the spectators out of the way and if it wasn't for Trent holding her up she would've had a very painful meeting with the asphalt.

Sadly, the wind was snatched from my sails as a tiny body ran into my side. The situation felt like deja vu as my eyes fell down to see a young blond haired girl. A cute pastel pink dress, with matching ribbons trying her hair up would have anyone cooing at how adorable she looked. However, that familiar haughty glare in her eyes as she matched my gaze kept my tongue in my mouth. Recognition flashed in her eyes, but instead of being relieved her glared hardened and I could've sworn I saw her eyes roll.

"Great it's the idiot. Just my luck."

Lola's eyebrow raised, "And just who are you calling an idiot?"

"None of your business." Cherry jumped to her feet and cast a troubled glance behind her. "Out of my way. I don't have time for you."

She attempted to muscle her way through but before she could I grabbed her hand, forcing her to stop. "Wait, Cherry what are you doing here? Where is-" I bit my tongue, "-Where are your parents?"

"Raven you know this brat?"

"Watch who you're calling a brat, muggle."

"Maybe you should watch your tongue, too. Just how old are you, 5?"

I knew Lola wasn't the type of person to let people talk to her or her friends any type of way, but I was beginning to realize that translated to little kids too. Cherry was being rude but this probably wouldn't end well if I let them continue. Also the way Cherry kept glancing behind her with a growing frequency left me uneasy.

"How do you know her?" Trent questioned.

"This is the girl I told you I helped. I thought she was with her parents." I emphasized the word as I looked at her, hoping she would give me some type of signal but she ignored me, "Cherry, are you alone?"

Seeing she wasn't going to get away no matter how much she struggled, especially since Lola had cut off her escape route, she became noticeably fidgety. "Seriously, let me go. I gotta get out of here."

Also sensing her change Lola dropped her voice to a more caring tone, "Cherry, what's wrong?"

"Nothing that concerns people like you!" She glared at me, face now red from her growing anger, frustration and growing anxiety, "Raven!"

By now other people were watching us, some of them looking at our group with accusing gazes, wondering if we were hurting the young girl with us. I ignored the gazes as I tried to piece everything together. Why was she alone? Was Tom, or anyone from his group here with her? Why wasn't she back home? And why did she look so terrified? Cherry looked over my shoulder again and her face went pale. Following her line of sight I managed to see two men, who looked and dressed normal enough but something just didn't seem...normal about them. The look in their eyes, and the way they purposefully slunk through the crowd made sweat gather in the palms of my hand. What was going on? Were they after her?

"H-hey, um, I'll take Cherry to a near-by police box so they can contact her parents."

"Why don't we all go togeth-"

"It's fine really!" I cut Kat of before she could offer and tightened my grip on Cherry's wrist. "You guys go on ahead, I'll be back soon."

"What? Wait!"

"Raven!"

Ignoring their shouts to wait I pulled Cherry along, my longer legs practically forcing me to drag her behind me at a speed she couldn't keep up with.

"What are you doing?! This doesn't concern you!"

Technically she was right. I shouldn't get any more involved then I already was, but there was no way I could turn my back on Cherry now. She probably didn't even realize it, but the moment I saw those two men the look she gave me pleaded with me to not leave her alone. She also didn't seem to realize that she was the one gripping my hand, not wanting to let go. I don't know who those men were but they were after her and I wasn't going to leave her alone. My blood was pumping as I tried to keep my own fear from taking over. The shaking in my legs threatened their collapse at any moment, and the more my heart pounded in my ears the harder it seemed to pass air through my lungs. I was terrified at the thought of them catching us. Surly this couldn't be another one of Tom's tricks. Using me, or Cherry as bait for some plan of his. Somewhere deep inside me I prayed that was the case. At least if it was I could be sure that he was watching from some place up high and would come to rescue us before things turned too dire. On the off chance that this wasn't his doing...then..

My heart dropped into my stomach and I had to stop the bile that wanted to come up.

'...I need to think...think!

Much like the time I was kidnapped when I was with Tom, although the fear was wanting to engulf my heart and stop my legs, I continued to fight on. My mind felt startlingly clear despite my body's physical reactions. I didn't chance looking back at the risk of slowing down and forged forward. But it was proving difficult. The crowds were becoming increasingly dense as we we steadily pushed our war further into the shopping district.

"Ahh!"

Behind me Cherry screamed and she slipped from my grip. My mind assumed the worst, thinking they managed to catch up and grab her. I spun around in panic only to find her on the ground, breathing heavily and looking exhausted.

"Cherry, I'm sorry."

Thankfully it didn't see the two guys behind us meaning we must've been able to put some distance between us. Still that didn't mean we had the time to sit around, especially not in the open. Again I took her hand in mind, and pulled her into the clothing store next to us. We moved to the back but I made sure I still had a view of the front window, hoping that I would be able to see the guys chasing us move right on by.

"I don't get it...Why are you helping me?" Cherry's tired voice suddenly inquired.

"Of course I would help you. Anyone would in this situation."

She remained silent for a while before mumbling, "No...they wouldn't unless they were getting something out of it..."

I don't think she meant for me to hear her, but the sadness and resignation in her voice made me face her. The fact that this was the conclusion she came up with at her age had me feeling sympathy for her. I couldn't help but wonder if Tom went through the same thing. Living with the expectation that everyone who was around them were only their for some personal gain rather than because they wanted to be.

"Do you really think I'm doing this for some selfish reason"

"...I don't know...Yes...?" She tried to glare at me as though to convince herself of the answer. "Maybe this is some trick a-and you're working with these guys."

I glanced at the window to check for our pursuers before answering, "Cherry you know that's not true. If so why wouldn't I just take you to them when we first met?"

"B-because...because..."

"I only want to help you." I tried to make her look at me and when she finally did it was a terrified little girl that returned my gaze. The look of someone who wanted someone to help and trust but also the look of someone scared of letting themselves trust another person. "Please...Let me help you get home."

I had wanted my words to calm her down and evoke trust, but what I saw instead was her fear double. Now I was very confused. Why would the idea of going back home...frighten her?

"You...You do want to go home, right?"

For a moment I thought she was going to open up to me but in contrast she clammed up and sharply turned away. There was something going on here, and a nagging thought began forming in the back of my mind. Just who exactly was it she was running from? But when I tried to ask her silence persisted. I didn't know what was going on, but regardless we needed to get help. At this point it would be too complicated to explain everything to my Dad, and if he really started interrogating me I didn't know if I wouldn't start spilling everything to him. That left me with only one other option. However, just as I was about to call him, Cherry grabbed my arm and pointed towards the door. Those two guys suddenly entered the store clearly searching for something.

Us.

How did the know to check here? Was it just luck?

"Stay low and quiet." I whispered, gently pulling her around the back in hopes that we could slip by them. But it was then I saw something that made me pause, and confirm my growing suspicious into a concrete theory. One of the guys had a low collared shirt. From there I could see the top half of a tattoo peaking out, and I instantly recognized it. There were only two clan tattoos that I've come across, and it didn't look like the Marvelo's mark. Unfortunately my pause was long enough for them to notice us.

"I found'em!"

My pulse skyrocketed and I bolted, cursing my stupidity while almost knocking over a young couple in my haste to get us out. This didn't make any sense. They shouldn't have known we were in that store.

'This isn't good...We're reaching the tail end of the event area...The crowd is thinning out.'

Not only that but Cherry was practically being dragged along. At this rate they were going to catch us. In that case-

"get on!" I offered my back, "Quickly now, there's no time."

"But-"

"Get'em!"

"It's no use running, it'll only make thing worse for you!"

"Cherry! Let's go!"

~Tom's POV~

Upon my return home there was no time to enjoy the break many people anticipated come Friday. Antonin and Abaraxus sat before me in my office as we discussed the current situation with Cherry. According to Abraxus, the three I sent out to gather information dug up something interesting. Time was of the essence. The longer this played out the less advantageous this was for me, and after so boldly requesting free reign of this situation I couldn't afford to fail. Not only would this look bad for the clan, but on me as well and could set back any progress I've made in gathering support for my eventual take over.

"As we found out yesterday, there doesn't seem to be any urgent movements withing the Cruciatis Clan to find Ms. Valski. In fact, on the surface, everything appears to be working like normal," Abraxus began, "However, Nanashi and the others managed to come across an intriguing secret they've been hiding. Their clan's Voldemort has already passed, and has been dead for a little over a week now."

Elbows on the desk, I laced my fingers together as I absorbed the information. Seems like Cherry's slip of the tongue was truth. But a week? It was customary, though not mandatory, for the Deathly Hallows to announce their next leader upon appointment as a show of respect, and was usually done withing a few days. So why are they postponing it? And why are they pretending that their Voldemort was still alive.

"There's also another rumor going around."

"And what would that be?"

"It's not uncommon for a Voldemort to have any number of mistresses, but it seems in this case he only had one." Antonin stood up and placed a picture on the desk. The quality wasn't very good and was taken a night, but from what I could tell it showed a woman possibly in her late to mid 30s wearing a red, Chinese kimono.

"Her name is Ms. Lin Xiāo, but outside of her Chinese nationality and her age not much else is known about her."

I picked up the photo, "...Her last name."

"Sounds familiar Boss?"

"No, just that it's different from Cherry's."

"About that," Antonin continued, "Apparently Cherry is the daughter of their Nagini before she passed. Though hard pressed to find out anything about their clan, thanks to Nanashi's skills and the other's foot work we were able to discover that at one point Voldemort and Nagini couldn't conceive an heir. Much like our clan, the Cruciatis Clan's rule is passed through bloodline. However, due to Nagini's inability to get pregnant Voldemort took a mistress."

Given the current information I felt like I could put the pieces of the puzzle together myself. But the question now was if Cherry realized what was going on, and if she did why didn't she tell me.

"Voldemort successfully produced an heir with Ms. Xiāo, however, a few years later his Nagini was discovered to be with child. It's believed that the pregnancy took it's toll on her body, and about a month after Cherry's birth she passed away. Of course, with Cherry's birth this meant that she would become the clan's successor."

"I see."

Up until that point this Ms. Xiāo must have been treat like royalty, and in some cases even better their Nagini seeing as she gave birth to the next heir. But with Cherry's birth all of that prestige, and power would've gone down the drain. She would've become no more important that a prostitute, with a child that no one had any use for. Anything she had hoped to gain from her child becoming the next Voldemort was but a pipe dream.

"From here the information becomes less concrete and ventures into conspiracy, but there are some whispers going around that Voldemort's and even Nagini's death weren't from natural causes. Of course this trail ran cold pretty quick."

Even so, that meant nothing to the accuracy of the information in the fact of this clan. The Cruciatis Clan was well known for that masterful manipulation of information. If there was dirt on anyone you could be sure that they knew it, and both could and would sell it to the highest bidder. If they wanted to erase or fabricate someone's identity they could do it with ease, and no one would be the wiser. The simple fact that until now I had no knowledge of a mistress, and of some illegitimate child was a testament to that. Not only that but, given that they are an original member of the Deathly Hallows, their connections ran deeper than any of the other clan.

Originally, the Deathly Hallows was comprised of 3 clans; The Avada, Imperio and the Cruciatis Clan. The Cruciatis clan was infamous for their ability to control the information network, and even to this day there is no other clan that has such a monopoly in that market. The Avada Clan was known for their ruthless and brutal war-like tactics. Where the Cruciatis clan worked in secret and favored manipulation, those in the Avada Clan adopted a more violent approach. They had no qualms about killing to get what they want, and did so without care as to who saw them. Lastly, the Imperio Clan specialized in two things. The first was their deep involvement in the drug trade, with their crowning achievement being the development of an extremely potent truth serum. Second was their skills in interrogation and torture. In those days it was almost a blessing to killed at the mercy of the Avada clan. For centuries these clans grew in influence and power, and no other group, whether it be other clans or law enforcement could touch them.

That was until the massive clan war. A collection of smaller clans, which would later become the Deathly Hallows of today, worked together to over throw them. The only clan to survive was the Cruciatis Clan, as taking them down proved to be near impossible. The Imperio Clan ended up being completely absorbed into a clan called Pink Paradise, a name they took very seriously. As for the Avada Clan, after the dissolution of their group many of the stragglers became the first Death Eaters. While most Death Eaters now have little to no claim to the Avada Clan, I've heard that the Malfoy family could be traced back to a prominent family within their ranks.

"Have the three of them continue their information gathering. If my theory is correct, I want to know why they chose to do it here, on my turf. It would've been simpler to do what they wanted on theirs."

"Yes Boss." The two of them replied.

Abraxus, ever the workaholic, moved off to the corner with phone in hand to deliver my orders, while Antonin lounged back on one of the chairs with a sigh. It almost surprised me at how un-bothered I was at his quick shift in demeanor considering my position.

"Kinda wish we didn't have all this stuff to do. Durmstrang's Founding Parade is this weekend. Kinda wanted to check it out."

"I didn't realize those things interested you."

"Not really, but a good time is a good time, and they always have good sales at this time."

Out of the three of us Antonin probably had the most interest in the normal world. I did as well, but really only in terms of business and clan expansion. There were very few places I went in terms of personal pleasure. Abraxus was much the same as I was, if not even more straight laced and businesslike. Everything he did was for the sole benefit for me and my rise to become Voldemort. However, because of this trait of his, it did help keep me abreast of the current trends and global situations that would often go over looked during my busy schedule.

"I heard that the ladies here were planning to take the children today. They should be enjoying the parade by now."

I chuckled, "You've become quite popular in that section of the home."

You were hard pressed to find anyone who didn't find Antonin easy to get along with. Upon meeting him no one would ever believe he was in a gang. He was almost too kind and was forgiving to a rather high degree. Though this didn't stop him from carrying out any order that was given to him, but in everyday life he was the best suited. Unlike myself who manipulated people's feelings into getting what I wanted, he had a natural disposition for getting people's trust. It was almost a disservice to have him here.

Abraxus returned placing both a tray of coffee on the table as well as a pile of books. Was it more paper work? Sensing my unasked question he answered,

"Not paperwork, but homework. Not including the matter with Ms. Valski, we have a busy schedule this week. Now is probably one of the few times we'll have to work on it."

Antonin laughed and cracked open a book, "Not even we can get out of solving simple equations."

Following suit, Abraxus picked up our History class assigned reading book with a frown, "I hate History..."

"Why don't you just spark notes it. It'll be easier."

"What? I take that as an offense Antonin."

I took a seat beside Abraxus, organizing my own pile of homework with a shrug, "I wouldn't, it's quite useful."

"See, even Boss uses it. You don't have to copy everything, but just a reference here and there. It's like reading the book without actually reading it."

"And it saves a lot of time."

We only got 10 minutes into our work before my office door was thrown open and a pale looking man stumbled through. Sweat rolled down his skin and from his breathing it was clear he ran here. When our eyes met he quickly bowed with copious amounts of apologies at his rudeness. His next words sent annoyance, frustration and anger rushing through me. Before he could even continue with his groveling I held up my hand to cut him off.

"What do you mean, Cherry is gone?" I stalked over to stand before the much larger, cowering man bowing at my feet.

"I believe they can answer your questions."

Now entering the room was Mr. Millaro holding the arms of the two terrified female attendants assigned to Cherry.

"B-boss we can e-explain!" One exclaimed, as they both instantly fell to their knees.

But their groveling wouldn't placate my dissatisfaction. They didn't realize just how gravely it was that they messed up, but for me this play held monumental rewards should it bare fruit. I swallowed my pride to request permission to handle this as I saw fit, but now she was gone!? It was only a matter of time before my grandfather would find out about this...embarrassment. I was beyond furious at the ineptitude of my servants, and the more I listened the angrier I became. This manifested as a chilling and suffocating silence that no one dared break until I felt the need to speak. I watched as the two shook in their fear, taking only minimal satisfaction that their very lives hinged on how lenient I was feeling.

"So," I began slowly, "You were playing hide-and-seek and you only saw fit to inform someone after an hour of her being missing."

"W-we...W-we only thought th-that-"

"Clearly you didn't think enough if a mere 8 year old was able to outsmart you." I spat before kneeling down and grabbing both of their chins to force them to look at me. When they tried to look away my grip tightened and my glared hardened. "For your sake, you better hope we find her."

I let them go with disgust, ignoring their whimpers as they pleaded for mercy. The other guy jumped when I focused my attention on him, "Take them out of my sight."

"W-were should I-" Seeing my glare he didn't ask any more questions and hastily retreated with the two women in tow.

"It's already been at least an hour, but she couldn't have gotten too far. Not without being seen." Abraxus began, already having cleared off the coffee table and had a map of the surrounding area up. "We should check these areas first, before expanding if she isn't found."

"Mr. Millaro, have the place searched from top to bottom. Don't leave any place untouched. Abraxus you coordinate the search party outside from here and keep us all updated on the search status. Antonin and I will join the search outside." Though on the outside I was calmly giving orders, it took everything in my to keep my anger in check. If this ended up being a huge failure on my end someone was going to pay dearly for this.

Within minutes the entire place was a buzz with energy, and the sounds of stomping feet as they all rushed to follow my orders. 6 separate search parties were formed, with Antonin and I leading one and split off on Abraxus' guidance. For a girl her age and with no money she had to still be somewhere in the area. If she somehow managed to catch a ride, or steal money from somewhere then all of our searching was pointless. She could be long gone by now. Even worse was if she was kidnapped by the people who took her before. Regardless of the how, all that concerned me was my bargaining chip was taken. Though, honestly, the more I learned the less value she seemed to have as even that.

Even with so many people searching for her we were all coming up empty. Not even the locals reported seeing anyone that matched her description. With it now being 2 hours since her disappearance I knew it was time to start doing damage control. Her vanishing so suddenly, and the potential fallback from our side would be rough to get through but the biggest blow was to my pride. Not only would my Grandfather use my failure against me, but those other Bosses would look to this as a testament to my inability to control my surroundings. For her to go missing under my surveillance was-

My cell went off, and in my haste to answer it I didn't realize it was my personal cell until I heard a familiar voice on the other side.

"Tom, thank god you answered."

She sounded out of breath and seemed to be whispering. There was also a terrified panic laced in her voice that I've never heard before. Furthermore, not only does she rarely call, but the timing of her call was a odd as well.

"What's going on, Tom?"

There was a pause and a shuffle of feet. Was she running?

"You tell me, you're the one who called."

"Why is it that Cherry is out here alone?"

'Shit...I knew it.'

"You're with her right now? Where are you? What's going on?"

"That's what I want to know!" She whispered franticly back into the phone before going deathly silent. I heard her shushing someone the more running. "...Sorry we're...We were at the parade in Durmstrang and...and there are these two guys chasing us."

Now back in the car I reached for my work phone and dialed Abraxus before placing him on speaker phone, "Abraxus send the closest guys we have to Durmstrang there. Cherry's with Raven, find them."

"Raven, can you get someplace and hide."

"N-no, we've tried...and...and no matter where we go they...they somehow find u-Cherry are alright. Come on, we can't stop."

"Boss, I've sent them, but it'll be a while before they arrive."

I was also pretty far from Durmstrange and even if I tried to get there now it would take me 40 minutes.

"Tom-" I could hear the anxiousness in her voice, "This...This isn't some plan of yours...Right? If it is...It isn't funny..."

I almost wish it was since that would've meant I had control of the situation, but this was real. If they were caught it could get bad, and doubly so for Raven should they find out she was the police chief's daughter. And not just any police chief's daughter, but Clark's daughter. He was well renowned in his field, annoyingly noble and good at his job. Anyone would kill for any sort of leverage to be used against him, and unfortunately for Raven she was perfect for the job. Normally I wouldn't care so much, but she was currently my slave and no one touches what is mine.

"No."

"...Ok." Her relief was short lived as I heard shouting in the background.

"Where exactly are you? Still near the parade?"

"N-no we-ahh!"

My fist clenched at the sound of the call suddenly being disconnected. Did they catch her? Damnit, this was frustrating. I didn't hear the sound of people in the background except for the shouting, but it didn't come from festivities. It was a man's voice and he was clearly angry. Should I call back myself? If she managed to get away and was hiding it could get her found but if she was caught then - I took a breath to refocus myself. What did it matter if she was caught? Her being added to the equation, yes made it more precarious, but didn't change my end goal.

"How is it looking Abraxus? Have they arrived there yet?"

"Almost, Boss. Seems like Antonin's group was the closest. Do we have any idea where they are?"

"Not really, but it sounds like they weren't close to the parade. the background was pretty silent and her voice echoed quite a bit. They may have been running between alleyways." I then recalled she said they always seemed to be able to find them, no matter where they hid. The only logical answer what that Cherry was being tracked somehow, but if that was the case they may have known where she was the entire time and was just lying in wait. It was then Raven was calling me again and an un-explainable feeling of relief hit me and the calmness I thought I regained was once again being shaken.

"Where are you now?"

"...I...I don't know...In some alley...We just k-kept...running...Tom...What should I do?"

As she struggled to get her breathing under control I could also hear her trying to not cry. Somehow hearing her so terrified, and unable to do anything made me feel...Uneasy. For a brief moment reclaiming Cherry didn't matter and all I could think about was how to get Raven back at my side. If she was going to tremble it should only be beneath me, and it shouldn't be from fear but from pleasure. I categorized this feeling as possessiveness over the things that belong to me, and nothing more. I was her master, so it was only natural that I saw to her needs and made sure that she was taken cared of as long as I was. That's what these feelings were. Nothing more and nothing less.

"What's the last thing you remember on the main road? A store, anything."

"Um...I know...We ran towards downtown Durmstrang...Cherry says she saw a frozen yogurt store before we entered the alleyways..." She was silent, save for a few sniffles, before saying, "I...I think I got a picture..."

"Of the men?"

"Yeah and...And I saw their tattoo...Tom, they were with-"

"Men from Cherry's clan, right."

"Yeah...I-NO! LET HER GO!"

Raven's horror-stricken scream, and the sound of the phone hitting the ground made me grip my phone tighter. My entire jaw felt tense as I could feel myself grinding my teeth together in order to restrain my anger. The shouting grew louder from Cherry and Raven, as well as the other two men demanding that they stop resisting. I listened intently to the struggle happening on the other end until both of their shouts turned muffled, silence and then the sound of footfalls walking away. The phone was still connected so that meant they left it behind. If she indeed snapped a photo of them we needed to retrieve it.

"...Boss, Antonin has just arrived."

"Understood," Every word felt like lead on my tongue and I couldn't get my rage to subside. "Have him head to downtown Durmstrang and search every back alleyway in the area. Raven's phone should be there somewhere. I'll be calling the phone so tell him to keep an ear out for it."

"Yes, Boss. I'll inform him now."

"Also...I want the word spread that there are two Cruciatis clan members on our turn that I want found. Anyone with any concrete information will be rewarded."

—-

"I've had our men spread our message, as well as placed them at the most likely locations they could be hiding." Abraxus I formed the moment I entered my office. There was also another young lady sitting at the table across from him with hacking equipment in front of her.

Her bright eyed stare, and awed features told me that she must've been one of the newer requires. That coupled with the fact I didn't immediately recognize her face. The girl jumped to her feet legs trembling just as much as her voice when she introduced herself, " N-nice to m-m-meet you, Boss!" Her bow was so low I swore her head disappeared between her knees. "I-I'm Tamela Black."

Normally I wouldn't trust this to a newbie recruit, but if this was Abraxus' choice then I too had no objections. Though I had to fight the repulsion from cracking through my expression at the mention of her last name.

"It's an honor to be requested for this task!"The young girl was eager to please, and if her skill was any where proportionate you her voice then she should be able to get into Raven's phone in no time.

Before lone Antonin returned with the phone, and within moments Tamela had access to the phone. Getting comfortable in the seat beside Abraxus on the sofa, I scrolled through the numerous missed calls, voice mails and text from her friends. She must've been at the parade with them, and if these where anything to go by, she ran into Cherry and ditched the others without much of an explanation. It was when I came across one particular text did I feel the corner of my lips curl into a smirk.

"Well isn't this interesting...I think I can use this."

Ok! Thank you for waiting so long for this next chapter. I promise that it won't be too long for the next update as I plan on start writing it if not today then tomorrow.

Until then stay golden and safe. Also please review and tell me what you think