Three individuals were walking together down a dimly lit street in Notting Hill. Na and Aron flanked Sheri, who had to admit she was incredibly nervous about the whole thing. They had stopped a couple of blocks away from the intended location due to how jumpy Sheri was.
"It’s normal to be nervous," Aron said, his voice a low, steady rumble. "We’re walking into a den that is run by criminals, but you will be treated as their guest. The reason why they run these types of places in the first place is to make money. So no matter what, they will treat you with the utmost respect, hoping that you will come back for more."
Sheri continued to take deep, shaky breaths, and she was happy that Aron was there; his presence was certainly reassuring.
"I know, it’s just these are part of the people that took me last time," Sheri confessed. "I know that Max has something to do with all of this, that he’s planning to take them down with that group of his he has.... But I’m worried. Shouldn’t he leave this to someone else to deal with, or maybe even contact his grandfather to help?"
Aron gave Sheri a pointed look, a silent message that she knew full well: something like that just wouldn’t be possible. The Stern patriarch would never help in this current, messy situation.
Sheri knew that Max was running some type of group stemming from his school days and was still active with them. What she still had no idea about was that he was the Chairman of the Billion Bloodline investment group itself. So, she saw the current matter as two different things altogether.
"In this case, we are just here to make some money for Max," Aron explained simply, keeping the stakes palatable for her. "It’s his own way of getting payback from them. They will underestimate Na’s skill, and we are here to bet on him each time. Who knows, maybe I could help you make a few other bets based on my judgment as well." Aron smiled; he was serious about this part. He was quite good at analyzing certain things, so he was sure he could tell who would win a clean fight.
The main issue was the potential for rigged fighting, which was why it was best for them to bet heavily on their own fighter.
They were soon about to reach the location, ready to just turn the corner, and that’s when Aron told them to stop for a moment.
"I’ll go check the situation out first," Aron answered. "If everything is okay, I’ll come back, and we can head inside."
Although they were coming just as regular guests, it was always better to be safe than sorry. Aron had learned this the hard way, and especially when he was looking after Sheri, caution was paramount.
As usual, when things like this took place, Aron’s instinct was to protect Max directly. However, because Max had gotten Sheri involved when Aron really didn’t want to, Max had made it clear that he needed Aron to look after her at all costs. That he was the only one who could truly guarantee her safety. That if he really wanted to help Max, then the best way to protect him was to protect Sheri, because right now, she was one of his biggest weaknesses, and part of the Black Hounds had already somewhat figured that out.
Now it was just Na and Sheri waiting together in the dim light. When Na looked at Sheri, he felt a little awkward. He was painfully reminded of when Abby had been brought to the Rejected Corps, and what had ended up happening to her.
If he was honest with himself, her death was a deep regret. Even while he was there, he saw someone die who didn’t have to die. In a lot of ways, the seeds of doubt that he had harbored about Max were what had caused Chrono to act so rashly as well.
"I’ll make a signal," Na said, breaking the heavy silence. "If I keep winning my matches, and you make a big bet on me, there is a good chance that they will ask me to lose the match. If that happens, then I’ll make a signal, a clear, definite gesture, to not get on their bad side. It’s better to stop betting after that."
Sheri nodded and smiled back, a sincere, fragile expression of gratitude.
"Thank you for doing this, for Max," she said.
Sheri had seen Na at the Fortis Group building from time to time. She knew he wasn’t a family member, and the way he was dressed made her assume he was part of Max’s private security, which was why she was thanking him.
"Everything is clear, we can head inside," Aron said as he suddenly appeared, having returned silently and quickly.
The venue was interesting, to say the least, because it was on a regular street corner, and the signage showed that it was a large, legitimate bank, which was conveniently closed at this time of night. However, there were ATMs in glass containers that were attached to the side of the bank.
A person would walk into one of the ATM containers and then close the door behind them. Right after that, they would put in a few numbers of a code, and then the ATM itself would open up, allowing them entry into a secret, hidden venue.
"These places they have, they’re quite crazy," Aron observed, a hint of professional appreciation in his tone, as they could hear the sudden roar of cheers erupting from inside the seemingly impenetrable bank.
*****
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