Chapter 52

                                    

                                          



LORENZO


"So we're looking for who's café?" asked Lily as she played with her phone, attempting to map out where we were supposed to be headed. But, she groaned in dissatisfaction, pressing at the screen a few more times before shoving it back into her pocket.
She never was one for technology. 
We had left almost immediately after my conversation with Paula, but I had stopped by the cells again to check up on Caspian. He refused to speak to me though, just shaking his head and staring at me, looking unsure on what to say.
"Rob's," I told Lily, pulling down a narrow dirt path as I brought the car to a stop, peering through the windscreen to see a beat down looking building in the near distance, a bright red light shining brightly, catching my attention. 
I could make out an 'O', but the other letters were flickering and dull. Lily and I had been driving around in circles for a while now, and I was growing increasingly frustrated, unable to find the café Paula had told me about. 
The service was poor out here.
A part of me started to wonder if the café even existed, and if Paula had just made it up to send us on a wild goose chase for the fun of it.
"Are we sure we can trust this lady?" questioned Lily, pointing at the coffee shop as we got closer, the sign now much brighter and visible, indicating we had found the correct place. 
I just hoped Paula hadn't got up and left. 
I shrugged as I parked, turning to Lily with a frown. "No, but that's why we're meeting in public." 
I swung the car door open, grimacing to myself as I yanked down my zip up fleece, the fabric looking bulky and lumpy over my chains. I had tied them over my shoulder and around my waist, and although they weren't too heavy for me, they were uncomfortably digging into my side.
I would probably have bruises from them after this.
We hopped out of the car, making our way inside, a few people sat at tables having drinks and food, and I scanned the room, my eyes eventually settling on a frail old lady sat in the corner. 
She had a large cup of coffee placed in front of her that looked barely touched, and she widened her eyes as we approached, probably surprised by our size. 
Most wolves were much larger than witches, them having evolved with the human size gene, unluckily for them.
"Paula?" I questioned, and she stood herself up, leaning onto her walking stick to balance herself, offering me a small smile. 
"It's a pleasure," she said, gesturing for Lily and I to take a seat opposite her, and we slid into the booth, thanking her. 
Paula looked much more elderly than I had expected her to be, her skinny and sunken in face looking a little ghostly, her icy white hair pulled back into a neat bun. 
Her skin was pitted and wrinkly, the texture reminding me of leather, making me wonder how old she actually was.
She released a loud cough, clutching at her chest in pain as she did so, the sound much harsher and more debilitating than the ones I had heard over the phone, but, Lily and I remained quiet on the subject.