Facing Away (Broken Streetfighter)

Chapter Fifty-One

The boy stared up at Rob with wonder in his big round eyes. “Are-is that for me, sir?”

“Of course,” Rob smiles sadly. “Take it. Go on.”

Without a word of complaint, the boy eagerly takes the jacket and runs off into the night. Rob frowns long after he’s outside of his vision. Now, it was time for him to search for Cameron, if she really did leave, like he told her to.

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By the time Rob reached their meeting place, it was almost midnight. The clouds were still covering the sky, however the rain had been going on and off throughout the night. The little cafe sign has a letter light that had pulled its fuse a long time ago, so it now reads ‘afe’. The door was closed, however the cafe was clearly opened as the word ‘open’ illuminated quite prominently.

The door opening rings a bell and Rob flinches as the sound cuts through the silence as the rain takes a moment of rest. The walls of the cafe bore different shades of brown and were quite welcoming. The inside smelled like coffee and Rob wrinkled his nose. He hated the taste and smell of the ever popular drink.

“Diana?” He calls out, hoping the kind, older woman would be in the back with Cameron. Unfortunately for him, when the older lady walked out of the back room, she was alone.

“Robert!” She exclaimed when she saw him. He walks up to her as she swings her arms around him. 

“Diana, how have you been?” Rob asks, however despite his attempts of being polite, his heart was pounding as he kept hopping for Cammie to appear from the back room.

“She’s not here,” Diana pulls back with a frown, having noticed his stiff stance. 

“Dammit!” He shouts as turns around to slam his fists into the nearest table, almost as though he were the child and were throwing a tantrum.

“What’s going on?” The old woman whispers with wide eyes filled with fear and worry.

“I-I have to call Riley,” Rob murmurs as he pulls out his cell phone. The phone dials and rings, rings, rings Riley’s number, but she never picks up. Again, Rob dials, but again, no one answers.

Rob stomps his foot infrustration and once again, he hears a crinkle. He stares in confusion to the floor and up to Diana who is also staring at where the noise came from.

“Take off your shoe,” She orders and he complies.

There, on a soaking wet piece of paper, are the barely visible words:

The girl will be returned in exchange for Riley Smith. 

----

 Helen stares wide eyed at the phone once the call is abruptly ended. Steven stares at her with confusion in his eyes. 

“What was that about?” He asks as he slowly takes the phone out of the hands of his motionless sister.

“The Lunar Praise. Who are they and what do we know about them?” Helen asks with fear in her voice. The unknown is something that a lot of people tend to fear, the two siblings included.

“The Lunar Praise,” Steven murmurs as he types rapidly on his laptop. He spends around ten minutes typing and hacking and reading and researching before he is able to come to a conclusion. He stares up at Helen with wide eyes as he motions to his screen.

On the screen is a mugshot of a middle aged man with a double chin and a horrible shade of balding brown hair on top of his head. His eyes have bags underneath and his gray pupils look empty - no emotion or regret in them. Below him is his name and further down, the list of crimes he has committed: