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Chapter 26
Julia
Cash’s fight was the hardest thing I’d ever had to watch. It physically hurt me to see him taking shot after shot, marching on despite it all because that’s what he was trained to do.
“Thank you for bringing me,” I said to Patrick. “I didn’t want to miss his match, but I was scared to be out there with the crowd.”
Patrick nodded wordlessly. He wasn’t much of a talker, but it didn’t bother me. He reminded me a lot of Red that way. Now that I had the opportunity to spend some time with him, there was no denying his rugged handsomeness. Some might even describe him as a bit of a silver fox. Mature and collected, even if he leaned more towards being too serious for my liking.
I returned my attention to the view out of the private VIP suite’s big, tinted windows, watching as Red and Dylan joined Cash in celebration. They were quick to help him down from the cage, his injuries appearing far more serious than first expected.
“Is he going to be okay?”
“There are doctors on standby who will check him out. Cash is a tough kid. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
“I didn’t realize the sport could be so…”
“Violent? Bloody?”
I swallowed. “I was going to say it was hard to watch. But that’s probably because I’m attached to these particular fighters.”
Patrick, who’d been seated the entire time in a comfortable leather chair, took a sip of the whisky he’d been nursing. “I actually wanted to talk to you about that, Ms. Thatcher.”
“Please, Julia is fine.”
He nodded, just once. “Alright, Julia. I wanted to discuss your relationship with Red and Cash.”
“And Dylan.”
“I don’t manage Dylan. He’s here on a temporary coaching contract. Now that Red and Cash have won their debut fights, I can get the ball rolling and see what I can do about advancing their careers.”
“Um, okay?”
“Your situation is still very… precarious. Right now, I don’t want any more focus taken away from the guys.”
“Right. I don’t want that, either. They deserve to enjoy their wins without this ugly business detracting from their hard work.”
“You and I think alike in that regard.” He set his whisky glass down on his chair’s armrest. “That’s why I want you to break up with them.”
I blanched, shivering uncontrollably. “Excuse me?”
“I don’t make a habit of repeating myself.”
“I’m not… I don’t want to break up with them.”
“You care for them.” He said this as a statement, but it sounded more like a question.
“Of course I do.”
“Then I think you’ll agree with me when I say that calling things off is the best course of action.”
My heart twisted in my chest. “I… I don’t want to.”
“Julia. I have been with Red and Cash from the start. I want to see them succeed as much as you do. As their manager, it is my responsibility to make sure that they stay on track. In a few years’ time, people will have completely forgotten about this whole ordeal. It’ll be a minor blip on their otherwise squeaky-clean professional record. To get there, unfortunately, we have to move forward, and that means cutting ties while things are still amicable between you.”
I shook my head. “I don’t understand why we can’t be together. They’ve won. You got what you need to leverage against corporate sponsors.”
“If you choose to stay with them, it will take that much longer for this scandal to go away. The rumors will follow them wherever they go. It’ll make it much more difficult for them to be taken seriously. Remember Lion Wood? How he cheated on his lovely wife a few years ago? Have you noticed that he hasn’t managed to bounce back since?”
