Riley
It's been almost a week since I last saw Julia and Nina, and it's been one of the worst times of my life. After I finished speaking to my Mom at the hospital I went to Julia's room even though I already knew that she would be gone, I still had to see for myself because there was still a small nagging part of me trying to convince myself that she was still there, but there was no trace of her ever being in that room, and it hit me like a tone of bricks. In a way that I wasn't expecting.
The girl has been on my mind since the first moment that I saw her and as much as I've been confused about my seemingly insane fascination with her, it was at that moment, as I stood in her empty hospital room that I realized that it wasn't any insane fascination that kept bringing me back to her, it was her, just her.
That sassy attitude of hers that I got to see the first time that we met and that cheeky smile that she gets when she doesn't think anyone is looking, or how her nose scrunches up when she hears something she doesn't like and, most of all, how strong, independent and incredibly brave she is. She's homeless while raising a little girl and shows nothing but strength and courage. A strength and courage that I can't say that I would have if I were in her position.
And if all that wasn't enough, she is so beautiful that she takes my breath away and, while she may be on the Skinner side through no fault of her own and I tend to like a more fuller woman, I'm still incredibly attracted to her, every single part of her. If I'm being completely honest with myself, I've known all of this since the very beginning, but I was a stubborn bastard who let the past hold me back and allowed it to stop me from seeing what was right in front of me, and now... Well, now I may have lost it all, and I'm not sure what to do with that.
Since she left the hospital, I have spent every moment of every day searching. Josh has insisted on helping, so I've had some of my most trusted workers covering for us so that we could concentrate on this. We have been relentless in our search for six days, but I swear we haven't gotten anywhere. We have searched the whole of downtown New York but still, there's nothing.
Josh spent three full days checking out all the known homeless places, but nobody knew anything, and believe me, if they had known they would have told us, considering the sizable donation we are offering for any information on her.
Another problem I have is the fact that my mom gave her money. Of course, I'm still grateful for what she did, but the downside to that is that Julia was given enough money to get both her and Nina out of New York and that's just what I fear has happened. I curse as I slam my laptop shut and try my best not to throw the thing. I've spent the afternoon online trying to find something, just anything but zero luck, and I'm not sure how much more of this I can take.
My cell starts ringing in my pocket and I quickly pull it out and pray that there's good news when I see Josh's name flash across my screen. He's been out going back to known homeless places today to see if there have been any new sightings, but I'm not getting my hopes up. If I'm being truly honest with myself, I don't even think she's in New York anymore, I think she used the money and got the hell away from here, and it's gutting me.
"Hey, Josh. Any updates?"
"Yes, Riley... I think we may be getting somewhere."
"What... Wait, are you being serious?"
"Do you think I would joke about something like that, Riley?
"Sorry, I just... So what do you know?"
"Not a lot right now, but there's a guy... he's known for liking a drink among other things, but apparently, has seen a woman and girl of Julia and Nina's description, and he is willing to talk to us for a price, of course."
"Of course. Can we trust him?"
"Honestly, I don't know, but he's the best lead we've had so far... the only lead, but obviously, he could just be out for money."
"I don't care about money. It's worth a try. How much does he want?"
"I told him £500 for information and another £500 if it turns out true. He was more than happy to help us for that amount."
"Great! Set a meeting with him ASAP and we'll see what he knows."
"I'm on it. Call you back soon,"
I end the call with Josh just as my mom walks through the door, still with a look of guilt covering her face. I know she has struggled with her guilt since Julia left and as much as I want to be mad at her, I can't. She was right in what she said. Julia would have left either way and granted she may not have gotten as far as she could have, but she also wouldn't have had a cent to her name or even any clothes. I still have those, so how can I be mad at her?
"You OK, Mom?" She shakes her head as she flops down in the chair in front of me. "I'm so sorry, Riley. I knew there was something there for you, but I didn't realize the extent of it. If I'm being honest, I didn't think you'd ever let yourself love again."
"Woah, love? Are you saying I love Julia?" Where the hell did that come from? She nods her head with a gentle smile, but I'm confused to fuck! "Yes, I do." I shake my head "I don't love Julia's mom, not yet anyway. I care for her a lot, but love? No, besides, I don't even know her well enough to love her."
She stands up all while giving me a knowing smile that I don't understand before walking over to me and placing her hand on my shoulder. "I think you know more than you want to admit, or maybe you just haven't allowed yourself to admit yet. Maybe you haven't even realized it yet. As for how much you know her... Sometimes you just know when you love someone, regardless of how well you know them."
I don't say a word, just stare at the wall in front of me remaining silent as my mom places a kiss on my cheek before walking out of my office without saying another word. Fuck! She's right, isn't she? I love Julia... I love her. Jesus Christ! My cell ringing stops me from heading for a stroke and once again nerves kick in when I see Josh's name flash across my phone.
"Josh, what do you have?"
"Are you OK? You sound strange." If only he knew.
"I'm fine. Have you arranged a meeting?"
"Yeah. We're meeting him at Lavenders at 2 pm."
"Lavenders, as in the strip club?" Seriously, a strip club?
"Yep. His choice. Anyway, I'm going to head home and grab a shower and change. I feel grubby as fuck."
"OK, thanks, Josh. I'll pick you up to go there."
"Great stuff, thanks, brother. Hey, Riley. Are you sure that you are OK?
"I'm good."
I end the call before he can ask anymore, then head off to my room here for a shower. It's almost 1 pm and I'm more than eager to meet this guy. It could all be a con, more than likely it is, but right now I have nothing, so I'm just going to hope and pray that something comes of this. I don't care how much it costs me.
Three hours later and I feel like we've just gone right back to the beginning. The moment we stepped into the strip club and spotted the guy, I knew that he was going to be a waste of time, and then he just confirmed it when he asked for all the money upfront and then went on to describe Julia in three different ways, including different hair colors and describing Nina as a teenager. Where the fuck did he think he was going with all that bullshit? I can tell you what it didn't get him and that's any money.
"Wanna grab a drink?" Josh looks as pissed at me, but I also know there are other reasons for his grumpiness too. "Na, I'm going to head back to mine, I need some time alone, some time to figure out my next move."
"You sure?" I nod as we finally get back to my car and I'm just glad to be away from the strip club, those places have never been my thing. "OK then, I'll head home and work on it some more too."
"No, you head to the club, have a drink, and get yourself laid before your blue balls finally end you." He bursts out laughing, making me smile for the first time in a week. "I'm ok, I can wait a bit longer." Lying bastard! "No, I insist otherwise I'm going to murder you myself, I can't deal with you and your blue balls right now. You've been helping me every minute of every day. Go take a night off."
We talk for a bit longer before he finally agrees, and I drop him off at my club before heading home where I can wallow in self-pity for the rest of the night. I don't know how much longer I can keep doing this, but I also know that I won't give up, I have to find them for more reasons than one.
Julia
My bare feet slam against the concrete ground as I run with all I have. My feet are cut to pieces from all the debris on the ground, but I don't have a choice but to run. My heart is pounding and my whole body aches, but I keep going. I need to get my baby back. I need help and there's only one person that I can think of that can help me, only one person that I want to be around right now. I don't even know if he will help me, not after the way I treated him before I ran, but I can only hope that he'll forgive me. I'm alone, scared, and in need of help, and he's the only person that I can think of right now, the only person I want to be with.