Page 33 of The Fight For Survival

I was on the phone with him for two hours last week discussing it. "I've seen how well you trained Kane. I watched all his previous fights, and you've taught him well. I need someone to manage my schedule and create a training program for me, and I think you are the right person."

"And what about Kane? You expect me just to abandon him?" I asked angrily.

"Convince him to move with you. I have room at my house for you both," he replied eagerly.

I told him I would talk to Kane, but deep down, I knew he would refuse to come with me. Nothing has convinced him yet, and if that red-headed beauty couldn't do it. I don't think anybody could.

A Knock on my bedroom door halts my movements and snaps me back to reality. The bag I'm currently packing is sitting half full.

"Come in!" I call out.

Kane opens the door, looking exhausted. His hair was in disarray, bright blue eyes dulled with redness around the edges, and he could do with a shave. When he sees my bag, his face goes hard.

"So that's it? Your moving to Seattle? His voice has a bite as he crosses his arms over his chest. His defensive posture. Getting ready to close himself off, hoping it doesn't hurt as much.

"Noxious is the best we're going to get, Kane. The percentage of Braylon's profits I'd get will make it so I can ensure my Mom is taken care of and still leave me with enough to have a decent life." He should understand how important it is to me that my Mother gets the care she needs. My Mother was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's when she was only forty years old. It was fucking devastating.

That was three years ago, and I had to make the painful decision to send her to a nursing home last year. I've been saving up to get her into a private home dedicated to the care of Alzheimer's patients. It's expensive, but I know she will get the best care possible. After a year of caring for her, I learned I wasn't the right person for the job. Her needs were too complex for me, and even though she doesn't know who I am anymore, she wouldn't want me doing it. She made me promise her that I wouldn't put my life on hold when she was first diagnosed. My Dad died when I was a baby, and I have no other family to help with the funds. I need to do this.

For her.

"There has to be another way," he says, grabbing the back of his neck and holding on.

"You can still take the job at Noxious," I say keenly, leaning towards him.

Shaking his head, he walks over to my bed, sitting heavily, staring down at his hands.

"I can't go home. Not now."

"This shit is getting old, Kane. I need you to explain why you don't want to move back home with the people who care about you." He looks at me, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallows thickly. What comes out of his mouth next floors me.

After Kane had finished telling me about his past, I didn't know what to say, and to be honest, with his vacant eyes and sagging posture, I didn't think he would hear me anyway.

I felt guilty when I had to leave him after he had exhausted himself by dredging up the past, but I had to do this for myself. I'm planning on talking to Cade when I get to Seattle because I have a feeling he is the only one that will get through to him. Make him understand that any past, however bad, should not stop him from having the life he wants.

As I'm claiming my ticket at the airport, I spot a head full of red hair. Feeling a warmth jolt through my body, I shout, "Mia!?" The woman turns her head in confusion and then sees me. A beautiful smile radiates her face. With fluid movements, she walks over to me, rolling her small suitcase, pulling me into a one-arm hug, completely surprising me.

"Damon, what are you doing here?"

"Braylon didn't tell you?" I'm moving to Seattle."

She starts bouncing on her toes, and that beautiful smile makes her eyes sparkle. "Oh wow, that's great," then her brows furrow. "Wait, what about Kane? You manage him, right?"

That feeling of guilt is back, causing my stomach to ache. I put out my hand, indicating towards a set of benches. There I explained my Mother's situation and why I had to make the hard decision that I did.

Her eyes are tearful when she looks at me, causing a lump in my throat. "Damon, I'm sorry. That's so sad," Wiping a tear away, she chokes a laugh, "I don't know why I'm crying I don't even know your Mom. Sorry" I turn in my seat and grab her hands. They are so tiny in mine. "Don't apologize for caring, Mia. It means a lot." I send her a warm smile. She goes to say something but our flight number is called.

We are seated away from each other, which sucks, but the odds of us getting a seat next to each other was slim.

The flight felt like it went pretty quickly, and we skipped the bagging area because we only had a small amount of luggage in the overhead compartments. I meet Mia at the main doors.

"You want to share a cab?" I ask her, giving her a half smile. She blushes and looks down at her feet.

"Cade is picking me up," she mumbles.

There's a feeling of heaviness in my chest. And I realize it's regret for hurting her by doing what I did with Cade.

"Shit, Mia I-"