Page 7 of The Daredevil

Still crouching, she takes my hand. “I know you’re scared, Royce. Me too. This will be an adventure for both of us. You’re my nephew, and I’ll take good care of you because that’s what family does.”

Mom is family. Where is she? I don’t say those thoughts out loud, though. Confusion and fear twist my stomach, and tears burst from me.

“No! I want my mom!” I shouted. Why can’t I stop crying? Eight-year-old boys don’t cry like toddlers.

“Alda is sick. She’s in the hospital for treatment.”

Mom has been visiting the doctors a lot lately, but she never tells me why, probably not wanting me to worry.

“Will she be okay?” I ask in a shaky voice.

Aunt Klara sighs. “I hope so.”

I don’t understand what’s happening in my life. I’m scared about not knowing. Shoving my hand into my pants pocket, I tighten my grip over the small action figure of Thor. I pretend I’m absorbing his power and his bravery. In that moment, I play a game with myself. I dare myself to survive—to play pretend that everything is all right. That my mom will be fine, and I’ll see her soon.

Aunt Klara presses her lips tightly together. “Your mom loves you. She needs time to heal, and she won’t be able to take care of you while she’s in the hospital. She’ll come over and join you when she’s well, okay?”

“Promise?” Hope squeaked in my voice.

Aunt Klara rises to her feet, pats me on the head, and smiles. Taking my little hand in hers, she takes me out of the airport and drives me to her home—my new home.

My mom never came for me. She died a few months later. I opened my eyes, shaking the memory from my brain. The past always came back when I least expected it.

I switched my thoughts over to my friends. Remi, Grayson, Forrest, Arrow, and I met while playing video games. The roleplaying game brought us together to create an innovative game that would change the market—WaterFyre Rising. Like all things worth having, this video game took time, dedication, effort, and passion. Aside from my excursion companies—in several countries—I devoted my time to creating Level Two of WaterFyre Rising. Back in the day, when I played The Seven Realms with my friends, I had been the “explorer.” I was the character who went out to explore places that could be safe havens or hideaways.

I carried that adventurousness into adulthood, applying it to my businesses. While I browsed interesting places around the world for enjoyment, I evaluated whether they’d benefit my business.

My excursion companies had made me a billionaire. People loved visiting places and trying new things. With expert guides, people felt safe and often returned, including sharing their experiences with their friends. I’d learned a lot from my boy, Remington Starke. He’d invested in my first venture, and I appreciated his support and belief in me.

“You’re still here?” Oskar’s voice snapped me back to reality. He had a cast on his right foot and a crutch assisting him.

“You feeling okay?” I got up from the chair. “You’re staying home for six weeks. Got that?”

Oskar grunted. “It’s going to drive me crazy. I’m going to drive Sara and the kids crazy.”

I laughed, knowing Oskar couldn’t sit still.

“Take the time to rest. You’ve been working a lot. Maybe this was a sign for you to take care of yourself. You can return to desk work after the doctor examines you. Someone from the office will fill your livery service. Don’t worry about it.”

Aside from excursions, my company offered car services to several businesses in the area.

“You’re working a lot too. Take your own advice.” Oskar situated himself in my car, and I placed his crutch in the backseat.

It should be easy for me to drop everything and take a week off, but there was an urgent matter needing my attention. I couldn’t go on vacation when someone was trying to sabotage my business.

“I’ll make time soon.”

“Can you believe I fucking tripped over a goddamn rock and slipped on another? Luck wasn’t on my side today. Maybe God wanted me to stay home.” Oskar glanced at the evening sky, looking sullener than I’d ever seen him.

Feeling confined wasn’t something I appreciated either. “Catch up on your TV shows. That’ll make you feel better. Michelle sends you her best.”

“Thanks. She was very helpful. Gotta be her worst car service ever.” Oskar smiled. “I’ll call HR and let them know my situation tomorrow.”

After I took Oskar home and made sure his wife forced him to rest, I drove home, passing Michelle’s apartment building across the street from mine.

What was she doing right now? Did she settle in okay? I would have texted her, but I didn’t have her number. An image of her perfect breasts flashed across my mind, and my cock hardened.

I didn’t know why I had never looked at her in that way. She had been seeing someone, and I had too. Mine didn’t last long though. Women were like adventures in the wild—there was always a new one to be discovered.

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