Page 124 of Unbreakable Thread

“Thank the fuck not.” Carlos catches his breath, and I add, “Not anymore. After manipulating my girl when she was at her weakest to leave me. You threatened her and Leo. There’s no going back. I’ll make sure you never make a dime in the boxing industry.”

“Who will train you? You’re nothing without me,” he shouts.

I shrug. “I don’t need you. And don’t worry about it. I’ll figure it out.”

Carlos wipes the dripping blood off his mouth. “Give me this one chance.”

I laugh. “Nah, I want nothing to do with you. Don’t even think of looking for Sol to threaten her because if you do, I’ll break every bone in your body.”

Driving to Leo’s, I run through it all in my head. Trainers get a percentage. For main events, pay-per-view, and televised fights, they can make thousands. Some have made millions. I would have brought him along. He knew that. He knew exactly what I was worth and chose to burn it anyway. I’ll be the next big thing. I believe it. The next golden boy. Bob’s been calling this next fight a “career-maker.” Pay-per-view numbers are projected to break records, and ringside seats sold out in under an hour.

There’s a heaviness in my chest. I’m not sure how to explain it. My knuckles are raw from slamming my fist into Carlos’s face. I’m relieved and satisfied to have done it, and wish I could have done more. But I’m disappointed, hurt maybe, that it had to result in this. Money can change a person. I knew that. I didn’t think it would happen to him. Greed and the hunger for fame will destroy you. One thing I promised myself right from the beginning was to stay humble and remember the struggles that brought me to where I’m at. Carlos mistook my kindness for weakness. Threatening the people I care about to keep me as his meal ticket is…beyond anything I can name.

Sol would never ask me to stop boxing. I know she worries about me and prefers me not to because it is a dangerous sport. She supports me, and maybe once the babies are born, I’ll have a change of mind.

All the lights are on in Leo’s place. He’s the type who will leave them on all day. I’m positive he has a high electric bill.

I wave at him when he peeks through the cracked blinds.

“Hey, is everything okay?” He looks at my scraped knuckles.

“Yeah, I got in a fight with Carlos. I know everything, so get your shit, you’re staying with me for a while until I know he won’t mess with you.”

Leo sighs heavily. He steps back, and I walk in. “Finally, I wanted to tell you, but I was terrified Carlos would hurt her. He came here a couple of days ago.”

“Did he hurt you?” The anger in my voice thunders in my chest.

“He just shoved me against the wall. He threatened and asked me to convince Sol to leave you. I swear he has a hard-on for you.”

“More like what I could be worth.”

“I don’t understand why he’s so hung up on attention.”

I lift a shoulder. “Some people are wired differently.”

“Yeah,” he says, pouring water into a cup. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

Crossing my arms to my chest, I glare at him. “Leonardo, get your shit. I’m not asking.”

He huffs. “You’re so bossy,” he whines. Leo might be twenty-one, but he acts as if he’s eighteen. I’d like to say he’s a late bloomer and needs guidance.

“Older brothers are bossy,” I throw over my shoulder, walking to the table where he has old food wrappers.

Leo goes quiet behind me. I don’t look back. But I hear him packing faster.

“Max.” Sol gasps when we walk in.

We had stopped at the bar just to have one drink. I needed something to calm myself before heading home, and taking a six-pack home was out of the question since my dad is an alcoholic. Come to think of it, I could have drank in the car at home, it would have been better than getting into a bar fight.

“Carlos?”

Leo snorts.

Then Sol’s gaze goes to Leo’s, and she gasps again.

“No, the scuff on my cheekbone is from a fight at the bar. Carlos didn’t leave a mark, but I sure did.”

She tsks at me as if I were a child. “You went to a bar while I was worried sick.”