Chapter 12.2: Missed
900 Words
Riley POV
The bowl of soup barely touches my sides. I sigh, shoving the empty bowl away, and then hear my phone vibrate. I grab it and quickly place it to my ear.
"Riles. Long time, kiddo. How's life treating you?"
Ricardo. My old trainer and genuine lifesaver. I felt nostalgia settle in.
"Rough, but I'm hanging in there. Need to find somewhere else to train, though, now that I'm out of the academy," I confessed.
"That's why I'm calling, kid. Got a new gym several blocks away from your address," he drawled, "private and discreet. Only my most important clients get to train there."
"You flatter me," I teased, "but how am I meant to get in without a key?"
"You of little faith. It's electronic. Download the link and then the key. Put in the authorisation code I sent you, and then all you have to do is use the electronic key to open and close the gym. Pretty nifty, huh?" he said smugly.
"You've gotten smarter, old man," I commented.
"What can I say? A smart ass little hacker taught me to be more careful and threatened to disarm my security systems if I didn't listen," he chuckled.
"I miss you," I blurted out, picturing the smiling older man with a bald head, big sparkly blue eyes, and huge, bulky body.
He'd been the only one caring enough to teach me how to box, how to fight, and how to stop being a victim. The only one who took any notice. Every week without fail, I had snuck out of that academy and gone to his gym, trained as if my life depended on it, and then snuck back.
"I miss you too, kid," he said lowly, "how are things there, Riley? With your family? Are they treating you right?" he asked, his voice gruff.
He knew about them. We'd gotten close, and I hadn't held anything back when he'd finally plucked up the courage to ask about them one day.
I'd known it was coming.
It had taken a lot for me to trust him, but eventually I did, and I'd never questioned that trust again.
"It's the same," I said bluntly, "but a few more months and I'm out, Ricardo. I can hold on until then."
"Bastards," he cursed, "you're like my own daughter, Riley. I can come down there, teach them a lesson," he offered, and I smirked, picturing how well that would go down.
Shifter or not, Ricardo would still find it tough to beat my father as a wolf. Human? He'd beat my father's ass fair and square.
"Thanks for the offer, but I'm alright, Ricardo. Thanks, though. Also, thanks for the entry to your new gym. I trust that..."
"It has everything you need, princess. In fact," he paused, " I was considering moving myself there, taking my valuable clients with me and leaving the old gym to Patrick, my manager."
"You're not up and moving because of me, are you, Ricardo?" My breath caught. "Because honestly, I'm fine."
"You're part of it, kid. Plus, I need a change of scenery. I miss my star fighter," he said warmly, "and I've heard talk of another fighter in your neighbourhood who's rumored to be as good as you. Even shifters have hobbies," he joked, "and a lot of aggression, some of them," he muttered under his breath.
I pretended not to hear that, pretty certain some of it was aimed directly at me. I had been known to break a few bones in my time, maybe go overboard when it came to defending myself, but then, didn't every fighter?
"I'll send you the coordinates, take care of yourself, kiddo," he murmured.
Tears prick the corners of my eyes. I hold tightly to the phone, holding it as though it's the only thread in this entire existence that's holding me together.
"I will, you too old man," I whispered shakily.
He was my only link to the past now. My other friends were gone, all separating to go back to their homes, to new countries. All I had now was Ricardon and the new friends I'd made. I heard the sound of the call being disconnected and then the dings as the coordinates and links were provided to me as promised.
Not even eight blocks away. That wasn't what had me finally break, though. What finally caused a tear to come trailing down my cheek. No, it was the name of Ricardo's new gym. Short. Simple. Only two letters or initials. R.S.
Riley Smith. He'd named his new joint after me. The daughter he'd never had until we found each other. I felt my heart skip a beat, and then the dam burst. I cried, burying my head into my knees, bawling silently as I realized that some people in my life were worth holding onto and that somewhere out there, one man had never forgotten about me or what we'd meant for each other.
He was the father I had always wished for. The one who never asked for anything, who encouraged me to keep on fighting when I wanted to give up, who saw potential in a scared little girl who didn't know which way to turn. He'd made me what I was today, and I would burn the world for him and, God help anybody who stood in my way.
- Writer
