The burly leader roared, his eyes wild with desperate fury. He lunged forward, swinging his massive, rock-coated fists in heavy, brutal arcs designed to crush skulls and shatter spines. The sheer weight of the stone gauntlets tore through the air with a deep, menacing hum.
Jayden didn't even raise his arms to block. As the first stony right hook came crashing down, he simply tilted his head. The massive fist sailed past his ear, missing by a millimeter, the wind pressure violently rustling his jacket. Before the leader could retract his arm, Jayden pivoted smoothly on his heel, bobbing inside the man's guard, and delivered a surgically precise, lightning-fast strike directly to his exposed flank.
Crack.
The sickening sound of a rib cracking echoed in the alley.
The man stumbled sideways, his breath hitching, but the pain only fueled his rage. He bellowed like a wounded animal and charged again, swinging a wild, backhanded haymaker.
