Healing Melody Read Online Free Page B

lost this fight and got a busted leg. It doesn’t mean it’s over. We’ll figure out a way to get Max what he needs. You hear me?”
    I nod slowly.  
    “Yeah,” I mutter, although I’m having a hard time keeping my faith right now.
    Layla straightens herself. “Okay. Now stay strong.” She adds, “I’m going to the cafeteria to get a cup of coffee. You want one?”
    I nod.  
    “I’ll be right back.”
    I grab her arm before she has a chance to walk away. “Thanks,” I tell her.
    She looks at me with a sad smile. “For what? Being an older sister?”
    I nod. “Yeah. I’m grateful I’ve got you by my side.” I pull her into a bear hug.
    “Don’t mention it,” she says with a tender look. I release her and she walks toward the elevators down the hall.
    Once she’s gone, I lean against the wall and close my eyes. I breathe deeply and slowly. I need to get myself together before entering the room again to see Max. I have to look strong when I’m in his presence. He can’t see me in this emotional state. It would just fill him with worry, and that poor kid has enough to deal with. That being said, I still have to figure out how to pay for Max’s treatment. Where the hell am I going to come up with that kind of money?
    “Am I coming at a bad time?”
    I open my eyes and see Shane standing in front of me. His two bodyguards, Vince and Leo, hover a few feet from us.

C HAPTER F IVE

    “I thought I’d come by and see how the little guy was doing,” says Shane.  
    Shane and I are childhood friends. We grew up together in the ghetto of Westmont. We used to be thick as thieves – until Shane actually became a thief. He was always attracted to the quick buck; and by the age of sixteen, he was running his own gang, committing burglaries and dealing drugs. I didn’t agree with his life choices, but I remained his friend.  
    I even took a bullet meant for him.  
    It happened when we were teenagers. We were hanging out on the front lawn of a house party. A rival gang must have been tipped off about our location. Out of nowhere, a car sped down the street. When I saw a gun pointing out the car window, I immediately ducked and took Shane to the ground with me. I got shot in the side. Luckily, the bullet didn’t hit any organs. After a stint in the hospital, I was okay.  
    Shane couldn’t believe I took a bullet meant for him. I couldn’t either. On instinct, I just wanted to protect my friend. But that night, as I lay recovering in the hospital, I realized I needed to get out of the ghetto. I wanted my life to have meaning. So, I enlisted in the army.  
    Going to war changed me.  
    When I came home – between tours – I slowly realized I wasn’t right in the head. Everywhere I turned, I felt the possibility of danger. I couldn’t be in crowded places, and driving my car on a busy street always put me on high alert. I was angry most of the time and would lose my temper in a second. I didn’t realize it, but I was suffering from PTSD. Instead of getting help, I just went back to Iraq.  
    I felt more comfortable being in the Middle East than at home in LA.  
    That all changed when I came back from my last tour. I saw how badly Max’s mom, Monique, was doing. Her drug addiction had escalated. I realized then, even though my regiment needed me in Iraq, my son needed me to stay home. So I stayed… to be the father I wished I had been all along. Max moved in with me and I turned to MMA fighting to help support us. And fortunately, with some of my winnings, I opened up my own gym – Kade’s Cage.
    Shane’s life took a much different route. While I was off fighting in the desert, Shane hustled the jungle of LA. He was always a smart guy – maybe too smart for his own good – and worked the streets to his benefit. In little over three years, he became a major figure in the LA criminal world.  
    And today, he has his hands in all sorts of rackets – from drugs, to prostitution, to underground