As someone who had battled against real beasts, the teenager would dare to claim that the journey towards Notsburg was far more nerve wrecking to him than the AFA’s special lesson. One could argue that this was because he was on his own now, but given that his teammates had been Apollo, who Numba hadn’t had any sort of prior relationship with, and Sty, who would be the last person the Goat Altered would ever entrust his back to, things weren’t that different in the limo that he shared with his adoptive father and the two bodyguards.
Ever since that first special lesson, Numba had spent a lot of his free time training. He didn’t know if their teams would stay the way they were, but Mr. Corvus had hinted at the possibility that they might eventually go up against beast on their own, if they wished to do so of course.
Having to take care of a business, on the other hand, was an entirely different type of fighting. No matter how excellent the the tutors Harry Cardenez had hired to teach Numba everything he needed to know, there was a vast difference between theory and reality, an important lecture the Howlers had been taught today. There was also a fear at the back of Numba's mind that if he messed up, that his father could abandon him, and that his life would return to what it was…
“Don’t look so nervous.” Harry Cardenez chided his son. “This is a prime opportunity for you to witness how business is properly conducted between two groups. Just focus on learning as much as you can from this experience. With the Freaks by our side, there’s no need to worry about your well-being, either, though I suppose at this point, you’re more than capable to protect yourself. If things get dangerous, make sure to save your old man.”
The last comment finally put a smile on Numba’s face.
Meanwhile, the two men who sat opposite the duo, one large and one thin, remained silent. The two had white makeup and bright lipstick on their faces, which suited their clown clothing. There were others like them riding in the cars in front and behind the limousinde along the expressway.
The Freaks didn’t start out as a single gang. Just like Slough used to have the Underdogs, the Grey Elephants, the Rising Dragons, the Block gang and others, Numba’s hometown also used to have multiple gangs fighting for control. However, Harry Cardenez had managed to bring an end to all of this.
The Freaks had been created by combining all the leaders of the gangs, creating a supergroup. The way he was able to do this was simple, through the use of money. It was a fair deal for all parties. The Freaks protected the city and mainly the workings of the Cardenez group, and in turn they got paid and everyone in the town was able to prosper.
Due to them being a bunch of gang leaders, the Freaks were a strong group and sitting next to both Cardenez were the two strongest gang leader. Numba could see the confidence on his fathers face, but after seeing Apollo’s strength during the special lesson, if there were more like him in that city, the Freaks would only be able to buy some time.
‘No, I shouldn’t use Apollo or Sty as the standard. Just like there is only one of me, guys like those two aren’t a dime a dozen and unlike me, I don’t think their family would call them back for a meeting like this.’ Numba hoped.
As the limo entered the city, there was something that Numba noticed looking out the window. Every few hundred meters there would be giant bill boards praising this or that casino. Due to the colourful lights that illuminate at night they were easy to spot. Casinos existed in a lot of cities but in Notsburg they seemed to rival the number of grocery stores.
As such, Numba wasn’t the least bit surprised when their car stopped in front of a giant casino. It was a unique establishment that one had to go over what looked like a large lake. A bridge was connected to a centre island where the casino was placed. And the casino itself was beyond large, as it looked like one could get lost in the place for weeks without proper directions.
As they entered, the entire group was escorted by men in groups and they walked through the main hall, where the sounds of slot machines going off never stopped. Mixed in were the sounds of people cheering, screaming and some even shouting or arguing with the guards.
It was close to midnight, and yet the place was filled to the brim. Numba could only imagine the sums of money exchanging hands each and every day. Of course, most of it would enrich the house, or more precisely the one owning it. Eventually, they arrived in front of the VIP area.
Guarding the large velvet door were two large men both with long ponytails who pushed it open to reveal one of the most extravagant rooms Numba had ever seen. The room had a lot of red inside, and a lot of velvet. Nearly everything, the sides, the chairs, the sofas, all of it was red velvet. At the side of the rooms, behind the number of people were glass cabinets that were filled with all sorts of different luxuries.
Top of the line watches, jewellery, rare items and more. All of them looked stunning and untouched, but perhaps what gave off the biggest impression in the room were the two people behind the desk at the back.
The man sitting behind the desk in the chair looked to be in his 40’s. Strangely, he was sporting a greyish beard, yet the lack of wrinkles on his face suggested that this was more of a fashion choice than his natural colour. There were rings on each of his fingers, some of them having two on one, that were shining so brightly that Numba thought he might have to close his eyes.
As for his clothes, it looked like they were an extension of this room, being red and velvet. The man wasn't too big in size, apart from his eyes that bulged out like a bug.
When seeing this man, there was a thought that came through Numba's head. ‘This has to be the head gang of Notsburg. if it is, then does that mean, this man possibly has a relation to Sty. His gang was the leader of a tier two city that had ties with Apollo who works for a tier 1. If that's a case there is a good chance that maybe someone in this room actulely belongs to a tier 1 gang. Anyway, most likely the man in front of me, is Sty’s father.’’
It was safe to say that those in the AFA were mostly sons or daughters of gangs and corporations. It mostly was the case and thinking of Sty, what he had done to him and how this could be his father was making Numba’s legs shake. At the end of the day, unlike them, this was a gang that they were meeting with, a gang of the city, one had proudly set up base in one of the largest casinos in the area.
But that wasn’t the only person in the room that was getting a lot of focus in the room.
When entering, everyone was told to take their positions. Numba wasn't going to act like Harry was his father in case he was targeted in this, and stood by the side, along with the other Freaks in the room.
At the same time, there were two Freaks that stood by Harry’s side at all times during the meeting. Harry had taken a seat directly opposite the large man as the meeting between the two was about to commence.
That's when Numba’s eyes started to linger, because the one that he was focusing on wasn't the leader that was sitting down, but the man that was standing by his side, which Numba could only guess to be his guard.
Standing in a light blue Hawaiian shirt, that was unbuttoned revealed the man's abs and muscular pecs. Not as large as the one sitting down there was something fierce about the perons's eyes.
On the visible part of his body, there were cuts scars going all the way up, and his spiky wild hair almost made him look like someone who didn't belong, didn't belong in this room full of people.
Still Numba kept focusing back on the eyes of the person, because they reminded him of something, something that shook his very core.
“Alright, it's time for us to do business, no one will be going home today until we make a deal.” The man stated with a big smile on his face, yet the tone of his voice was enough to convince everyone in the room that he wasn’t joking.
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