The original invitation from the Black Hounds was incredibly restrictive: it was only for one specific venue, and only allowed for one spectator and one participant. Max’s intricate plan to deploy his forces across three locations was instantly complicated.
He had to devise a more solid, multi-pronged approach to sort everything out and maximize their profit.
For himself, Max would remain the primary spectator, the one making the bets, sticking to the single invited spot. As for the fighter he had decided to put in, that was Stephen.
There were multiple reasons he had picked Stephen over Darno. One was that Darno wasn’t really part of the Billion Bloodline Gang; he was just an employee of one of the legitimate businesses. There was a greater chance that Stephen, a core Ranger, would get into trouble, and Max needed him close.
Darno, instead, would be openly introduced as Max’s personal bodyguard. That was how he would gain access inside the luxurious building. With Darno not being a gang member, Max thought this was the safest, best job for him, being Max’s muscle.
In order to get two more separate invitations, they had to do some tricky work.
First, Max had asked Chad to get in contact with the group. They were sure with his history that he had an old point of contact, and he did. If Chad explained his financial situation had mysteriously gotten better, and he wanted to bet big on one of the newer venues, Max was sure the Hounds would "eat him up," willing to drain even more money from the foolish bettor.
Even though Chad had caused a problem last time by inadvertently bringing Max, Max assumed they would take the bait of easy money. And they did. This secured the second venue for Chad, Wolf, and Joe.
Wolf and Joe, for their part, had to use the reputation of their own street gang contacts. Wolf still had some lingering contacts in the underworld, so he was also able to successfully get him and Joe in as fighters at that second location. This was strategically good because now there was nothing directly linking Wolf and Joe to Chad, allowing Chad to bet freely on these seemingly independent participants, making them big money.
For the third venue, Na had done the same. He went through old contacts, explaining that he was part of the defunct Rejected Corps, no longer a gang, just a fighter looking for a payday. They had used their connections from the Chalkline Boys as well to get in contact with someone that allowed him to go in as a fighter.
👸 The Unlikely Investor
The final logistical issue was finding a wealthy, believable spectator for the third venue to place bets on Na. They needed another wealthy individual to introduce to the underworld.
And that’s when Max thought of the Curt’s family. They had to use Sheri’s name.
When Max asked, she had agreed, especially after being saved from the kidnapping. She didn’t quite know what the full plan was, and it wasn’t fully explained, but she had asked for an introduction and had met up with one of the Black Hound representatives. She then stated that she would come and would like a guard.
So Sheri was now also involved in the whole thing, coming as one of the deep-pocketed investors with Aron protecting her. Max had explained to her what was going on, who the group was, and how it was directly related to the one that kidnapped her.
Although nervous at first, knowing that Aron was going to stay by her side the entire time, the same man who had saved her life, she certainly felt a lot safer with it all.
With that, all the pieces were in place. On the same night, the three groups would be heading to three of the largest fighting venues that were put on by the Black Hounds, all spread around a particular area of Notting Hill.
The night sky was out, a deep canvas over the city.
Chad was wearing a flashy red suit. It was brand new; Max had bought it for him in return for helping out. As he stood in front of the luxurious, grand five-star hotel that stood tall and allowed a stunning view of the sea, he continued to breathe in and out, taking heavy, gulping breaths.
"Alright, I can do this. I can do this," Chad mumbled to himself, adjusting his bright tie. "You’ve done this tons of times before, right? I just have to do well, and Max said he would increase my allowance if everything went well."
He paused, a flicker of fear crossing his face. "The Black Hounds won’t hate me, right? Because they just want the money I have?"
The limit that had been given to Chad for the night was a cool one hundred million dollars. He doubted the Hounds would let him bet as high as last time either, especially since he still had somewhat of a debt with them, they just hadn’t really come after him for it.
Heading inside, Chad walked up to the reception desk and stated he was there for the ’Hounds event’. Hearing this, one of the bellboys immediately came over and ushered him into an elevator, tapping a card on the inside scanner.
The elevator bypassed all regular floors and went straight to the top. It opened up to a surreal stage: several sleek bar areas had been set up along with expensive seats, while a large, central stadium was in the middle for the fights that were to take place. All of this was happening secretly on the roof of the building, under the night sky.
At the same time, on the floor just below, the fighters for the events were getting ready in a large, tense lobby-styled building.
"I’m... so nervous," Joe confessed, his hands unable to stop shaking despite his newly awakened power.
****
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