Devil on the Rooftop [Book 1]

Chapter 96 - Loyal -

I didn't know what kind of business Yusuf Abdul operated behind the scenes but on paper he was the proud owner of multiple international training facilities. Celebrity athletes from all over the world used his gyms and hired his trainers. Khaleel told me his father's favourite sport was boxing and that he donated a ton of money to the youth competitions that took place in Asia and Europe. He had Khaleel join a few gyms when he was younger but his bad temper wasn't something the coaches wanted to deal with, so he got kicked out.

Khaleel was a byproduct of his environment and that fact explained his short fuse and his excellent fighting abilities. He spent the majority of his childhood in boxing rings and roughhousing on the streets. Although his father's family was loaded, Khaleel always felt a bigger connection to his mother's side, who were living a more humble life in Islamabad.

"Are you boys headed up to see Mayra Khaleel?" Papa Abdul asked, finally making eye contact with me. He was more intimidating than I could have ever have imagined.

I had no idea what 'mayra' meant but Hino was quick to catch on. "He's not home," he supplied. "So, we are just going to take a cab back home."

Papa Abdul squinted a bit. He raised his hand and pointed at me. "I've seen you before," he said. "What's your name?"

"Loyal Wilson."

Papa Abdul nodded. "Ahh, Ryan's so . I've heard a good deal about you. He is very fond of you, Mayra Khaleel."

"I'm fond of him too," I replied, still trying to wrap my head around this 'mayra' word he kept using. "Well, please don't let us keep you."

Papa Abdul nodded. "Don't trouble yourselves with a cab," he said, pulling out his phone and calling someone. Hino and I awkwardly waited for him to dismiss us. "Muneeb, take these boys home for me."

There was a short pause.

"Acha," Papa Abdul said over the phone. "Shukria."

I glanced at Hino, who was sporting one of his smiley facades again. "Go on," Papa Abdul told us. "Get home safely."

"Thank you," Hino beamed. He grabbed a hold of my shoulder and pushed me in the direction of the Lexus. "It was great to see you, stay out of trouble."

Papa Abdul laughed. "You too, Hino Matsunaga."

We rushed to follow orders and buckled up in the back seat of the luxurious vehicle. It smelled new and clean. The driver looked back at us. "Where to first?" he asked.

Hino gave him his home address. The engine purred when the driver started the car. I sat in silence for as long as I could but I was full of curiosity. I leaned over to my friend and whispered, "What the hell is mayra?"

"Mera means 'my' or 'mine' in Urdu," Hino explained. "At least that's what Khaleel told me. You wouldn't know it considering how the man's always missing in action, but he's a little possessive of his son."

I forced a laugh. "Must be nice."

"It's a good thing we got out of there as quickly as we did," Hino whispered. "That is not someone we should be holding long conversations with."

The driver shot us a look through the rear-view mirror. We smiled at him, "Thanks for the lift," Hino told him. "You're a life saver."

"My pleasure," the driver replied dryly.

I nudged Hino. "We should text Khaleel and let him know his old man's back."

Hino nodded. "Good call."

I pulled my phone out and proceeded to send a warning to my friend. I didn't know how eager he would be to see a message from me, but I knew I had to do my part. My eyes flashed to see Arisa's name underneath his. I decided to reach out to her as well, and make sure everything was okay on her end. I missed her. I wanted to walk her home after school today but things didn't go as planned. Hopefully, she wasn't too upset with me.

'Hey,' I texted her. 'You might be too tired but how about we meet up tonight? I really want to see you.'