Chapter 378 Lutha

"And what do you want with her?" she asked curiously, and I shook my head. This wasn't going to be easy, but I needed to find out what was going on.

"I just need to talk to her," I said quietly, and the woman sighed before she stepped aside so that I could enter the house.

"She isn't here if that is what you come to ask. We are trying to find her as well, but no one has seen her since yesterday morning," the woman said as she gestured for me to follow her, and I did so cautiously. This didn't seem like a good idea, but I needed answers. This family was supposed to be the rough protection of the two, like a gang, I guess, but the place seemed empty and run down.

"Do you have any idea where she might be?" I asked as we walked through the house, and the woman slowly shook her head no.

"If we did, then we would be out looking for her," she said in a cold voice, and I frowned at her. There was something off about this whole situation, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

The woman led me into a large room that had a table in the center with chairs surrounding it. There was a large fireplace on one wall and a few portraits of people that I didn't recognize hanging on the others. The woman gestured for me to have a seat, and I did so cautiously, perching on the edge of one of the chairs as I looked around the room.

The woman sat down in one of the chairs opposite me before she spoke again. "Now, why don't you tell me what this is really about?" she said in a cold voice, and I frowned at her.

"I told you, I just need to talk to Hilda," I said quietly, and the woman sighed before she leaned back in her chair.

"No, you need something more than that," she said after a few minutes of silence, and I frowned at her again. "You see, my daughter here is quite taken with you."

"Hold one before we get into matchmaking and all that fun jazz. Seriously, we had a thirty-second conversation at your door; how infatuated could she actually be? Also, not why I am here," I explained, trying not to roll my eyes. Sure it might be fun to play house with a bunch of women, but it wasn't my scene.

"Connie was the one that guided you here and then answered the door. She is very good at disguises like a certain Cat God named Galio, who had been making some unbelievable changes to the towns in the frozen countryside. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that person, would you?" the big woman asked with a knowing look, and I actually sighed, making her frown.

"Sorry, it is just nice not to have to explain myself for once. I really had thought that the Vine would have carried my name around the world by now, but that doesn't seem to be the case," I chuckled, and the woman nodded knowingly. "Can you tell me your name? Feels strange talking to you when I don't even know who you are?"

"Ah, forgive me. My name is Lutha. Most everyone just calls me Lu for short," the woman introduced herself, and I nodded my head in understanding. "I am sure you understand that it would be easier to have this conversation if we were on a first-name basis."

"Agreed," I replied with a sigh as she leaned forward, looking at me curiously. "So what do you do, Lu? I have heard stories around town that you are into protection, but most people seemed pretty closed-minded. Almost to the point that they are scared. What is that all about?"

"Just be cautious. There are some very dangerous people in this city, and we have made some enemies over the years," Lutha explained, and I sighed as I leaned back in my chair. This was getting me nowhere fast, but maybe if I played nice, they would take me into their confidence.

"I see. Well, you have nothing to worry about from me," I said with a smile that didn't quite reach my eyes. "I am just looking for information, that is all."

"I see," Lutha said as she looked at me skeptically before she leaned back in her chair and sighed. "You see, my daughter Hilda went missing yesterday morning. No one has seen her since, and we are really starting to worry."

"Wait! Hilda is your daughter?!" I asked in confusion, and Lutha slowly nodded her head. "But she is supposed to be this big, important person! I was told that everyone in the city knows who she is!"

"That might be true, but she is still from one of my partnerings. We are the poorest of the five families, but my Hilda has always wanted to make this city a better place," Lutha said with a sigh and then looked over to a window that's only view was the wooden boards covering it. I had wondered why the windows were all boarded up, but now it made a lot more sense. They were trying to keep prying ears and eyes away from who they were and what they did. "Anyway, when she didn't come home last night, we started to worry. According to the girls that were tailing her for me, they lost her in the south part of the city when she was on the way to a meeting with the Balishire family."

"What about her guard?" I asked curiously, and Lutha frowned at me. "She didn't have any?"

"Of course, she had a guard. We always send her out with one, but she managed to lose them as well," Lutha said in a frustrated voice before she sighed and leaned back in her chair again. "I am sorry; it is just that this is really worrying me."