Page 28 of The Fight For Survival

I go to explain, but he cuts me off. "Hold on, let me get the bosses on the phone." His voice has an annoying whiny tone to it, making me want to cringe every time he speaks. I notice a shake in his hand when he picks up the phone off the receiver. "I have Kane here, sir. Let me put you on spea-" he cuts off mid-sentence to listen on the other end. The manager looks at me, gulping. "Yes, sir, I understand, but he wants to turn down the offer." I can't hear anything on the other end of the line, but the more he listens to whoever is on the other end, the paler he becomes.

Pulling the phone away from his ear, "they are willing to up their offer. How does another ten grand per win sound?"

Are these people for real? Twenty thousand per win? I look at the manager. Sweat has formed on his forehead. "Why are you so eager to have me fight for you?" I know I'm good, but this seems a bit extreme.

He listens on the phone for a minute before putting it down and looking at me. "They are giving you two weeks to make a decision." I go to speak, but again the fucker interrupts, "I would really consider this Kane. The bosses are not big on rejection." This guy looks scared. For me? Him?. Makes me wonder who the fuck owns this club. I'm starting to think I dodged a bullet, turning down their offer.

After leaving Noxious, I return to the apartment and start packing my shit. That's where Damon finds me.

"Why did the Noxious manager just phone me to tell me you turned down their offer?" Damon is standing at my bedroom door with his hands on his hips, waiting for a reply. I'm still pissed at him for what he did with Cade. Angry that he can so easily be who he wants to be without triggers obliterating his life at every turn.

"Because I can't move back here, D."

"I don't understand. Your Dad is dead. Isn't that the reason you left? Because of your Father?"

I close my eyes. Why does everybody want answers from me? Throwing my black shirt into the bag, I look at Damon. How do I explain myself to him? I hardly told him anything about my past, so I know he is confused and must think I'm fucking insane to turn down an offer like this. I can't tell him the truth. Even if I wanted to, the explanation wouldn't pass my lips. "This isn't my home anymore," I mutter, the lame excuse falling from my lips. At least there is some truth there. This isn't my home.

They are my home.

"The fuck it isn't Kane," Damon raises his voice stepping into the room. "You have so much here. A girl that is absolutely beautiful. A man that is hot as fuck that you obviously have feelings for. And now a job offer that we have been working our asses off for you to get. What more do you need?"

My stomach aches and I feel a tremble in my hands. I ball my fists to stop them. "I'll never be good enough for them, D. I've only been home a few days, and look at the shit I've caused. I'm chaos incarnate. Everywhere I go, it follows. I caused so much hurt, and I don't think it can be fixed," I whisper, looking down at my bag.

I can't be fixed.

Damon comes over to me and put's his hand on my arm. I jump and step back. I was okay with being touched by people. I got used to it but being back here has made me too fucking edgy, and I hate it. The feeling of something crawling under your skin, and no matter how much you scratch at it, the feeling doesn't go away. Damon doesn't take offense to me stepping out of his touch.

"The only way you will know that is if you stay here and try to fix it," Damon explains. I know he won't let up, so just to get out of here, I remind him that we have to go home to get our things and give up the lease to our apartment. He doesn't have to know that once I'm back in Houston, I have no intention of returning here again, and the pang in my heart doesn't change that.

Braylon

"AnyluckgettingKaneto move back here?" I ask Damon over the phone. It's been two weeks since they returned to Houston, and I have stayed in contact with Damon. We didn't get off to the best start, but after he helped out with Mia that night, I saw a good man in him, plus he's easy to get along with.

"He's not budging one bit," he grumbles.

"Hey, if he doesn't want to move forward in his career, why don't you come and manage me?" The idea comes out of the blue, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. I need his organizational skills, and the training program he created for Kane was hands down the best I have ever seen.

The silence on the other end of the phone goes on for so long that I have to check to make sure it is still connected.

"I can't do that, Bray," Damon says, but I hear the temptation in his voice.

"Why not? The money would be better," I encourage.

"Can I think about it?"

"Of course."

We hang up, and while I have my phone in my hands, I decide to message Mia. We haven't seen each other since that weekend, but we have messaged a lot. Things are still tense between us, and the pain in my chest increases every day that our relationship isn't fixed.

Me:Hey, you busy?

Mia: I'm working right now. Is everything okay?

An idea forming in my head, I message back.

Me:Think you can fit me into the books for a tattoo?

Mia:For when?