Page 60 of Tandem

The guys looked at each other then back at her. “Consider her lucky you got the cops on the way. We don’t have any problem droppin’ bodies to get what we want.” They started to back away to their car, and I started forward, but Bonnie grabbed my arm and shook her head.

“Not here.” She nodded at the Road Captain, and he jumped on his bike. They drove away before he followed them. “We WILL handle them, Jay, I promise, but right now, you need to help your sister. Call your parents. I’ll bring your bike to the hospital.” I slowly lowered my gun and tucked it back under my shirt in the holster.

"Make sure you tell me when you know where they go,” I said to her before returning to Rosalie and kneeling beside her again.

“I will, babe, I will,” Bonnie said as she moved her bike down the alley in front of the custom car shop, tucking it behind another truck that was waiting to be worked on.

The ambulance arrived just as Mom answered her cell phone. I could hear the panic in her voice when I told her Rosalie had been assaulted and that we were on our way to the hospital in the middle of the city. She said she and Dad would be on their way and would see us there.

I sat in the back of the ambulance, holding Rosalie’s hand as the paramedics worked to get her body warmer and get a check on her vitals. She looked even worse in the bright lights. Her eye was swollen slightly, her jeans ripped in a few places where the blood from the cuts had dried. “Hang in there, sis. I’ve got you. And I’ll handle the guys who did this to you. Promise.”

We arrived at the ER where Mom and Dad were, and Dad ran to follow Rosalie’s stretcher while Mom grabbed my arm. “Jayden, what happened?!” she asked as she watched them run inside the hospital.

“She got jumped, Mom. They beat her really bad. Her boyfriend got her mixed up in some bad shit, but don’t worry. I’m handling it.” I looked at her dead in the eyes, and she could see how serious I was about it. She looked at me then pulled me in for a tight hug.

“Thank God you found her, Jay. Hopefully, she will be fine, and the people who did this to her will be… taken care of.” Iknew my mom did some stuff in her past she wasn’t proud of. I also knew she knew exactly what I did and that I was a part of a motorcycle clubhouse. I knew she would understand what I meant when I told her I was handling it, which meant the gang would handle the men who did this. She kissed me on the cheek before running into the hospital, and I walked to the parking lot where Bonnie was leaning against my bike.

“Ready to go handle shit? The Sergeant and President are on their way over as we speak to meet up with the Road Captain. We will get them, VP.” I nodded and slid onto the seat of my bike, Bonnie settling in behind me, gripping me with her thighs as we rode off into the night.

CHAPTER 35

AJ

T droppedhis arm in the middle of the ring and bolted to the edge, signaling the continuation of the fight, but I was barely paying attention to anything besides Jabari. Jabari’s taunts continued. Still, his words were muted. There was no more noise after T dropped his arm for me. Just rage-filled silence. He came for me, and I dodged and countered, each punch I landed on him was filled with a mix of anger and anguish. I would make him feel the fury I felt for every bruise I had seen on my girl in the photos and video.

Every tear she shed, every time one of his men touched her, every time she cried my name. He would feel the rage of it all. The crowd watched with mixed emotions as we exchanged blows. When everything fades to black, I become erratic as I fight. Pops used to call it ‘blacking out’. My movements weren’t natural to a fighter, and they appeared unfocused. But I just reverted back to pure instincts, letting my body naturally dodge and swing. My only thought was landing each hit with my entire body's strength into it.

But as I went for an elbow jab, I misstepped, and I found myself on the receiving end of a brutal combination from Jabari. His blows rained down on me, and I tried to block as manyas I could around my face and upper torso, the barrage was relentless and overwhelming. I struggled to defend myself fully for a few moments. The pain was excruciating when he landed a well-aimed blow to my abdomen, but it was the image of Rosalie’s battered face that fueled my resolve to not fall.

This was nothing compared to the pain she was feeling. I regained my balance and swung and forced him to stagger back as it connected with his thigh. HARD. I mustered some more energy, ready to go on the offensive, ready to fuckingendhim. Her voice echoed through my mind, and I heard her call my name to help her. FUCK.

The crowd’s cheers became a distant roar and my focus narrowed to a singular purpose—to defeat Jabari and save Rosalie. Jabari left himself open for a split second, and I seized the moment, delivering a crushing blow to his jaw. His eyes rolled back, and he crumpled to the mat, stuttering, trying to gather himself and get up off the ground. I grabbed his tank top and yanked his chest up, his head lolling back, and then he gripped my arm.

“Remember your fucking place, AJ! You win, she's done for. My boys are already on their way back to her. There is no way you would be able to get there before they grab her. You'llneversee her alive again if you win,” he spat out, and I snapped at his threat of killing her.

This piece of shit. He deserved to be ended, not my girl. I started delivering blow after blow, seeing his head snap back and forth as I began to beat the shit out of him. The match was obviously over. Jabari was out, unconsciously moaning at the pain I was delivering to him. As I stood over Jabari, my fists still clenched and my chest heaving, a fiery rage burned within me. I wanted to unleash one final blow, to make Jabari pay for what he had done to Rosalie. End him for good. Except as I raised myfist, ready to strike, a voice broke through the haze of my anger as I felt a grip on my raised arm.

“Yo, AJ, hold up!” T shouted, his street slang blending with the chaos of the arena.

He had rushed over to me, his firm grip on my arm preventing me from delivering that last, vengeful punch. I turned to T, my eyes still filled with fury, but he met my gaze with a look of urgency.

“Nah, man, you can’t do this,” he said, his voice carrying the weight of experience. “You already won the fight. Don’t let him drag you down to his level.” I kept my first raised, tense against T’s hold. Then, as I stared back down at Jabari, my resentment boiled over.

“T, you don’t understand,” I muttered through gritted teeth, my voice heavy with anger. “He doesn’t deserve to walk away after what he did to Rosalie. You didn’t see her. He needs to pay for it.” T shook his head, his expression unwavering.

“I get it, AJ. Man, you know I do. But you gotta remember who you are. You’re better than him, and you can’t let his darkness consume you. I got word from the brother, he’s got her. So you don’t have to do this, AJ. Jabari’s guys? He said they took care of them, too.” T kept his firm grip on my arm, pulling me again.

She’s… safe? Her brother found her before his guys did. My fists slowly unclenched, the tension in my body easing. T was right. I couldn’t let Jabari’s cruelty change me into something I despised, no matter how much he deserved it. I dropped him to the ground. With a deep breath, I nodded in acknowledgment, and together, T and I stepped away from Jabari’s body.

The victory was mine, and so was the title and the cash.

But none of that mattered. Only one thing did. Rosalie. And I needed to get back to her. I needed to have her in my arms, I needed to hear her voice. I told T to hang on to the money, thatI’d collect it later, as I ran over to my car. Yanking open the door, I turned her on and peeled out of the warehouse. People were jumping out of my way as I pulled out my phone and called her number.Someone pick up, dammit!I hit the wheel as no one did. “FUCK!” I yelled.

Then I got a text from an unknown number.

Unknown

Hey, AJ, where’s the boss at?

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