Page 26 of Dylan
“So we cut and came to Brooklyn to the gym. Troy said he was hungry. I was watching one of the matches and didn’t want to leave. The guys told me to give them money, and they would bring me something to eat.
“I wasn’t paying attention. I told him to get the money from my backpack. When they didn’t come back for me, I found my wallet empty. I have no idea how to get back home. I’m so sorry, Cee. Please come get me,” he says, sounding so scared.
“I’m on my way. Don’t leave, Ciarán. I’m coming for you.”
I hang up and rush over to the receptionist. My heart sinks because I’m about to blow the job completely. However, I still say something just in case.
“Hi. I’m so sorry. I have a family emergency, and I’ll need to reschedule this interview.”
She paints on a smile, although I can feel the annoyance coming off her. “I will make a note in your file and someone will be in contact with you if the position isn’t filled.”
“Thank you.”
Without another word, I turn and rush from the office. As I make my way from the building, I pull up the address for the Roaring Irish gym. I’m going to kill Ciarán.
I told him I didn’t want to rush things. Yes, I missed the tournaments once again. I couldn’t make it happen last year with all the changes and moving here to New York.
I had planned to go to the gym to check it out in person when I was ready. I didn’t take Vega up on the offer to check out the underground scene.
For now, I’m trying to avoid that route. I’ve been training, but I haven’t set my mind to finding a gym to compete with. Vega has told me to let her know when I want to step into her underground ring if I change my mind.
“Grr.”
Dylan
“You’re awesome,bro. My sister is one of the best fighters I’ve ever seen. You kind of remind me of her. She’s as good a boxer as she is an MMA fighter.”
I look up from untaping my hands to find Taegan with a young kid by her side. He has a look of awe on his face. Right away, something about him seems familiar to me.
It has to be the brown face and green-gray eyes. I shake my thoughts off quickly. Every brown face with green-gray eyes shouldn’t trigger thoughts of her. It’s not common, but it’s not something I’ve never seen before outside of her.
“Oh yeah? What makes you say that?” I ask with a smile.
He shrugs. “Most who try to maintain the two sports have tells, like getting too low when boxing or not having a strong enough stance. They take time to adjust between the styles. You remind me of Cee … um, Ariel.”
“Sounds like you know a thing or two. Do you fight?”
A blush comes to his cheeks, and he reaches for the back of his neck. “Nah. Not anymore. It’s just you were able to step right into the ring for the bout you were in.
“I haven’t seen that in many other fighters and I’ve been around a gym since I was a baby. If I had a trainer like you, I think I would still fight,” he says.
I pull a face and nod my head. He’s right. I do tend to switch between the sports with ease. When I thought I would someday have to box Ciara’s dad, I made sure not to lose my skills as a boxer, although I love MMA.
I’ve formed the habit of separating the two, so I don’t show weakness in either. Today I worked with Carter. He’s a boxer.
I’m getting him ready for a bout that’s coming up next month.
Before that, I had been working with David to clean up his groundwork.
“Are you here to train? We’re always looking for young new talent.”
“Actually, I came to check out your female fighters. I was hoping to see what my sister would be up against and if this gym would be a fit for her,” he says.
“Aye, the kid came in with a few lads, but they ditched him and took his money. He’s pretty new to the city, seems they took him for a wee bit of a ride as a welcome. Says he lives uptown but doesn’t know how to get back. His sister is on the way,” Taegan says.
“Not entirely new. It’s been over a year, but this is my first time in Brooklyn,” the kid whispers as he hangs his head.
My blood begins to boil. I hate bullies. Especially bullies who like to take others’ money. I stand and round the desk.
