“See?” Jared sighed. “Now you’re just pissing me off.”

“I’m sick of this,” Benson said.

“Benson, wait!” Grahm ordered.

Two of the men rushed Jared and just as a scream grew in my throat, I saw Jared pull one of them off his back and throw him across the lot—an incredible distance, at least thirty yards—against the stone wall of the alley. The man’s body flew into some trashcans with a loud crash. Benson flew back after Jared punched him in the face, and I recoiled when blood exploded from his nose. Stu ran at Jared with his knife, but Jared lithely dodged out of the way and caught the man’s arm as he jabbed the knife at him. Jared pulled Stu’s arm to the side and quickly rammed his fist into his elbow from behind, hyper extending it until it snapped. Jared punched him again, this time in the face, and the man fell to the ground.

Grahm attempted to turn and run, but with amazing speed Jared reached out and grabbed his overcoat, stopping him in his tracks. The man whirled around and pushed Jared back against my car.

My hands flew up to my mouth.

Jared quickly spun to elbow Grahm in the side of his face. The bearded man plummeted to the ground; the blow causing him to thrash about in stifled groans.

When I gawked down at him, I noticed that his jaw appeared askew. He held it against his face with his hands, and moaned in agony.

Jared pulled my car keys from the ground beside him and noticed a worn, black wallet next to them. He picked it up and it unfolded automatically to reveal a large metallic object.

“Agh…this is not good,” Jared said, rubbing his forehead.

“What? What is that? Is that his?” I tried to get a better look as Jared stuffed it into his jacket pocket.

Breathing heavily, Jared took a few steps closer to me. “Are you okay?”

“Am I…? Are you okay?”

Jared nodded but I could see blood oozing from a small cut on his cheek bone, just below his eye.

“You’re bleeding,” I whispered.

Jared wiped the cut and glanced down at the blood smeared across the back of his hand. “It’s not bad. I have to get you out of here before the police show up.”

“Ryan’s going to need a doctor,” I said, rushing down to Ryan’s side. He was still breathing, but he’d been beaten badly.

“Ryan? Can you hear me?” I asked, but he didn’t respond.

Jared nodded, and then effortlessly lifted Ryan into his arms to put him in the back seat of my car. Kim ran around to jump into the back and covered him with her coat.

“He doesn’t look good, Nigh,” Kim said, cradling him in her arms.

Jared opened the passenger side door. “Get in, Nina, I’ll drive.”