Page 40 of Blood Descendants
“Thank you,” I say, truly appreciative yet shocked by that revelation. Billings drives us a total of maybe an hour a day. And this is his only gig?
I don’t get people with money. I can’t imagine having that much extra of it.
I climb out of the SUV and head around to the front of thebuilding. That familiar sense of home mixed with hurt fills my chest as I take in the old brick structure. This is the place I came to after the worst day of my life. After I lost the most beautiful woman in the world, the one who always took the time to truly listen. And the sister who could be such a pest but always made me feel important because she looked up to me. And then it was my refuge. Where I could work out all of my anger and grief. Where Dad was always there. Where we cried together. Where we tried to hold each other together.
And then it was taken from me.
With a steadying breath, I push open the doors and walk inside.
But where it should be busy and loud, it’s quiet and damn near empty.
My brows furrowed, I wander in. There’s one of the old regulars on a bag at the far end of the gym. But both rings are empty. The classroom doesn’t reveal anyone inside. I turn down the hall and filled with nervous dread, I knock on Tate’s door.
When no one answers, I push the door open.
And find it completely empty.
Nothing on the desk. The shelves are totally cleared out. No computer. No scheduling calendar on the wall.
Every trace of Tate is gone.
“Thought I heard someone walk in.”
I jump about three feet, and my heart relocates to my throat as I turn around and find Garrett standing in the hall.
“Just me,” he chuckles, holding his hands up.
“What’s going on?” I question, my brows furrowing. “Where is everyone? Where’s Tate?”
“You don’t know?” he says, arching an eyebrow at me.
I shake my head, feeling more confused by the second.
“That tatted guy you walked in here with last week,” Garrett begins. “Came in here early one morning. Made Tate an offer he couldn’t refuse. The bastard wasn’t happy about it. He really doesn’t like whoever the hell that guy is. But when you make that kind of offer…”
“Ares bought the gym?” I gape.
Garrett nods. “Told Tate to be the fuck out of here by the end of the day, the apartment included. Been a little chaotic in here ever since, still trying to figure out how to get things rolling forward again.”
“Who…” I stutter, at a loss for words. “Who’s running the place then?”
Garrett sighs, running a hand through his messy gray hair. “You said his name is Ares?” he asks. I nod. “Well, Ares asked me if I thought I could run it like your dad used to. When I told him I didn’t want to, he asked if I knew anyone who might want the job until you’re ready to step in.”
Until I’m ready. Fuck.
We talked about it one day, what I had wanted for my future. I’d told him I wanted to run the gym, just like my dad.
And Ares went and bought it back from the bastard that snaked it out from under me.
“You give him anyone?” I ask, my words coming out a little rough. My head is spinning.
“Larry,” he answers, smiling, because he knows exactly how I’ll react.
“Larry is coming back?” I say loudly, excitement sparking into my tone.
Garrett nods.
Larry ran the gym with my father for eight years. He left ayear before my dad died, moving upstate to take care of his aging mother. He’s got to be in his sixties now. But he and my father were two sides of the same coin.
