Chapter 46
Max
I don’t think I’ve ever gotten dressed faster in my life.
The moment the doctors cleared me to leave this sterile white purgatory, I hopped straight out of bed and reached for the clean clothes my mother bought for me.
I was starting to lose my mind sitting around and staring at these blank walls all day.
Especially when I had unfinished business to take care of.
“Slow down,” Mom fussed at me. “You may be getting discharged, but you’re still not a hundred percent.”
“Yeah, you need to take it easy,” my father added. “Maybe stay with your mother for a few days. Let her take care of you.”
I shot him a sharp look. What he really meant is I should let Mom hover over me until Adrian left town.
He extended his visit due to the attack, but he needed to fly back home soon for the upcoming holidays.
My dad couldn’t control him - hell his own dad barely could - and I knew the last thing he wanted was for us to be on the prowl together.
“Don’t worry, Tío,” Adrian spoke up. “I’ve got him.”
“Yeah, and Audrey will be spending the next few nights with me. She’s a whole doctor, remember? I’m in good hands.”
“But, you need to be careful. You can’t over exert yourself.”
“Don’t worry, dad. I know how to delegate.”
His brow twitched at the term. Glancing between my cousin and me, his lips tugged into the tiniest of smiles. “If you say so.”
One of the nurses returned with my discharge paperwork and sent us on our way.
I walked with Adrian to his car and climbed into the passenger seat. “So, what’s the plan?” I asked as I carefully pulled the seatbelt over my torso.
“For today? You’re taking your ass home and sitting down somewhere.”
“What? But, I’m fine!”
“You’re still high on pain meds. Wait until it wears off in a few hours and see how you feel.”
“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?”
“Pretty alright, actually. I thought getting shot would hurt worse, but it’s been pretty manageable.”
“Probably because your ass just got grazed. There ain’t no bullet in there.”
“Yes, there was!” He insisted. “The doctors gave it back to me and everything. I put that shit right on top of my dresser. See?” He pointed to his vanity where a silver bullet sat atop on his vintage car figurines.
“For what? You really want a reminder of that night?”
“I wanted a reminder of you.”
My brows pinched in confusion.
He lowered his eyes. “When I woke up and Mom told me you were worse off than me, I decided to keep it, just in case you…” He trailed off, his voice growing smaller with every word. “I needed something to remember that night. To remember you.”
“Well, you can throw that shit out now. I’ll gladly give you a black eye if you want something to remember me by.”
“What? I didn’t even do anything!”
“You’re my little brother. You don’t have to for me to rock your shit. Big brother privilege.”
“You’re so full of shit.” He jutted his chin to my chest. “How are you?”
“Sore, but nothing I can’t handle.”
“How come you don’t seem worried?” His voice lowered to a whisper, and a flash of fear struck through his irises. “You don’t think he’ll take another shot at us again?”
“We’re taking care of the situation. Soon enough, you won’t have to worry about him or his crew ever again. You, and your mom, will be safe.”
He let out a breath of relief. “Thank you. For…for everything.”
“You don’t need to-”
“Yes, I do. Just because we’re blood doesn’t mean you owe me anything. Yet, you still did everything in your power to help me. To protect me. So, thank you.”
“Don’t thank me just yet. Now that there’s going to be a delay in our training sessions, I’ve got to push your ass just as hard to fill in the gaps. That is…if you like MMA enough to keep up with it.”
“I do,” he assured me. “I’m trying to compete in a tournament someday. With your help, who knows, maybe I’ll even make it into the big leagues. Might even make it bigger than you.”
I chuckled. “Watch yourself, amateur. Wounded or not, I’ll still whip your ass.”
Jayden smirked. “I’m still waiting for you to give me my fair one. That last one didn’t count because Adrian jumped in.”
“There’s a parking lot right outside; nothing but room and opportunity.”
“Nah, I’ll wait until you’re fully healed. I’ll just let you win because I don’t want to hurt you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Your soft ass punches don’t hurt.”
He flipped me off, and I kicked him.
Jayden laughed, and I realized it was the first time I’d ever seen him do it. He used to be so tense, so guarded. I was glad to finally see the kid he’s been protecting behind those walls.
One day, I hope I’ll be able to do more than see him. That I’ll be able to know him.