Page 111 of Rematch
“I’m still not gonna feel shit, so we might as well get this over with.”
“No,” he said firmly. “You might not want to hear it, but you need to take a few days to rest. Let those wounds begin to heal properly.”
“I know you aren’t talking. I know you’ve gotten shot and stood right back up.”
“Yeah, and when my siblings got their hands on me, they sat my ass right back down. Besides, you’ve got your career to think about. Don’t be reckless and throw your potential away because you rushed the healing process.”
I wasn’t going to admit it aloud, but he was right. With my wounds, I was already going to need some time before I was able to fight again. Tony was probably going to put my ass through the ringer with physical rehab and shit. It was best I took a backseat. For now, at least.
“Fine,” I sighed. “Then, what are we doing about Elias until then?”
“We’re keeping an eye on him for now. Bastard isn’t as big and bad as he thinks he is. Most of his men flipped before I could even break out my good tools. Kinda disappointing, actually.”
I chuckled. “He’s an asshole who gets off on intimidation. What else did you expect?”
He shrugged. “Right now, he’s hiding in a hole, letting his men take the hits for him. In a few days, when I know you’re better, we’ll take care of him.”
Adrian drove me to my apartment building. He offered to help me up to my unit, but I declined. I wasn’t ready to head up just yet.
“Do you need me to drive you somewhere?” He asked.
“Nah. I need to do this on my own.”
“Don’t let me find out you were out here doing some stupid shit,” he told me.
“I’m cool,” I promised, holding my hands up. “I just need to check on something.”
Adrian’s mouth curved in disbelief, but he didn’t push.
After he rolled off, I ordered an Uber to take me over to Jayden’s apartment. I hadn’t seen him since the night we were shot. Even though everyone else said he was fine, I needed to see for myself.
Janelle’s eyes widened when she answered the door. “Max,” she said, her voice shrill with surprise. “I didn’t expect to see you up and moving so soon.”
I chuckled. “Well, I’m not exactly good at staying still.”
“Yeah, Jayden isn’t either.”
“I guess it’s a Guerra thing. We’re fighters. Rarely does anything keep us down.”
She smiled. “Jayden is in his room.” She stepped aside to let me in. Pointing past the living room towards the hall, she added, “Last room on the left.”
“Thank you.”
I followed her instructions and headed towards his room. Through the cracked door, I could hear music blasting softly.
I pushed the door open to see Jayden’s room. Posters of cars were plastered over the walls and toolboxes lined one of his dressers. Some clothes were sprung across the floor, and his bed wasn’t made.
Jayden was sitting at a desk near the window, tinkering with a small metal part. At the creak of the door, his concentration broke and a scowl spread across his face. “Ma, you promised to-” he paused when he realized it wasn’t his mother standing in the doorway. A smile spread across his lips. “Max,” he breathed. He abandoned his task and jogged up to me. His stride was a little slower than usual due to his injuries, but he moved as quickly as he could to reach me.
I held out my hand, thinking he’d clasp it and then pull me in.
Jayden bypassed my hand and went right in for a hug. His arms wrapped around me, squeezing soft enough not to hurt my sore wounds but tight enough to spill words he wouldn’t say it aloud.
I smiled, wrapping an arm around him to return his hug. “Hey, kid,” I said.
“Hey,” he murmured. He clung to me for a moment longer, the tension in his body rolling out of him like a waterfall. “I didn’t know you were discharged,” he said after he finally released me. “I tried to stop by in the hospital, but Rafael had your room on lockdown. Then, when I got out, my mom practically locked me in here.”
“It’s alright,” I told him. We walked over to his bed and took a seat. “How are you feeling?”
