Wren

S. Part 3

Sophie stood in Matteo's office, her arms crossed defensively over her chest. 

Matteo ignored her, squinting his eyes at the monitor in front of him. He went about his work, waiting for her to leave.

"Papa--" She started, but he cut her off.

"Sophie. We just finished talking about this. The answer is no. Dad has made it clear you're not to train with them, and frankly, I agree. I didn't really mind at first, but your behavior about the whole thing and your treatment towards him have made me come to think that you don't deserve it." Matteo peered at her from around his computer. "You've broken his heart, and you're acting like a brat." he and Sophie had always been close, but he wouldn't tolerate her horrible treatment to Wren.

Sophie pouted for a minute before turning on her heel and stomping off. She slammed the door and he heard her heavy footsteps march away down the hall. 

He shook his head slowly, turning back to his work.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Sophie took the stairs two at a time, thudding her way down to the lower levels. She steadied her nerves, not wanting Dace to pick up on her bad mood; he'd been with her since she was a baby and somehow always knew when something was off. His little knack annoyed her sometimes; it was hard to keep anything from him.

She came to the bottom of the flight and tugged open the heavy doors, walking past the locker rooms, then the pool, then the shooting range, then she finally found everyone in the gym. 

Everyone greeted her cheerily as she walked in, and she smiled at them as she made her way to Dace. Most of these guys had been around since she was little, and everyone knew her.

She tapped Dace on the shoulder and he turned, surprised to see her there.

"I thought you were in trouble--"

"Papa said I could come, since you're not doing anything too dangerous today." She flashed subtle puppy eyes at him, and his expression softened.

"Okay. . . you can stay, just. . . stay on the bag today, ok?"

"Fine." Sophie headed over to the punching bag that hung from the ceiling, grabbing gloves from the nearby table. She didn't feel too bad about the lie, since Papa had been so mean to her. Besides, Dad didn't care enough to know where she was, so he wouldn't come looking for her.

She took out all her frustration on the punching bag.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

One. Three. Six.

Wren called Sophie's phone, his concern growing more and more when she didn't pick up. He shoved his phone in his pocket and threw on his shoes; he needed to find Matteo.

* * * 

Wren burst through the doors to Matteo's office, panting from his run up the the three flights of stairs. Matteo looked up, confused, but jumped from his chair when he saw Wren.

"Puppy? What's the matter?"

"Sophie--" Wren panted, doubling over and resting his hands on his knees. "Have you seen her?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"You have?"

"Yes. Is everything okay?" Matteo went to Wren, offering his arm for support to help Wren stand. 

"I called her phone but she didn't answer. I thought maybe she never made it home from school--" Wren had been paranoid after his incident, but for good reason. Who wouldn't be after being kidnapped and tortured?

"She's fine, Wren. She came and talked to me." 

Wren had caught his breath now, but Matteo still held him. He was trembling and pale. "Really? What about?"

"She was bugging me about the same thing. I don't know where she is though; she got angry and stormed out."

Wren locked eyes with Matteo, a thought forming in his mind. "You don't think-- you don't think she went down there anyway, do you? Should we go check?"

Matteo frowned. "I'm sorry puppy, but I can't leave yet. I've got some urgent stuff. But if things turn sour if you do find her down there, call me, ok?" 

Wren nodded and Matteo pulled him into a quick hug. Then he headed out, peeking around the closing door to see Matteo return to his desk. 

He made his way down the three flights of stairs, then down two more until he got to the doors of the training center. He pulled them open and marched through, headed to the gym area. 

Low and behold, Sophie was there. She was standing beside Dace as everyone was packing up, having just finished for the day. Wren went to them, trying to control his anger.

"Sophie?"

Sophie turned, her was ashen when she saw him. Dace turned too. "Hey, Wren! It's been a few days since I've seen you. How're you doing?"

"Hi, Dace. I'd be better if my daughter wasn't going behind my back to do something I told her not to a million times."

Dace's face fell as he turned to look at Sophie, confused. She wouldn't meet his eyes. "She said Matteo gave her permission--"

"He didn't. She lied." Wren said simply. He motioned for Sophie to follow him. "Let's go, we need to talk."

"No, Dad. There's nothing--"

"You listen to him, Sophie." Dace scolded her. he was upset that she'd lied to him, and he knew how she'd been treating Wren lately, too. 

Sophie's face flushed, and she hesitated for a moment, but then she followed him. He took her all the way back to his and Matteo's room, so they could have some privacy from the maids and everyone else. 

He closed the door and turned to face his daughter.

          Part Four Coming Soon