From Bullets To Billions

Chapter 453: The Weight of Trust

For Max, he was currently traveling via vehicle. They had ordered a taxi to the venue but had ordered a luxury taxiwhere all of them were able to sit in the back together, and there was even a divider between them and the driver so they could talk in private without being overheard.

Max was actually sat in his seat facing towards the other two, so he was going backward as he stared at Stephen and Darno. The silence of the expensive cabin was broken only by the distant hum of city traffic until Stephen finally voiced a long-held curiosity.

”I have to ask, and I’ve been curious for a while now, but what made you split the groups into this?” Stephen inquired, gesturing between the three of them. ”Wouldn’t it make more sense for me to be with Joe, or for you to have Aron or Naby your side?”

Max smiled, because he thought this question would come up. He just assumed that it would have come up sooner than this moment. He leaned back, considering how to phrase the tactical explanation for the intricate arrangement of his team.

”There’s a lot of ways to answer your question and a lot of reasons,” Max began. ”But the truth, is at the end of the day, the reason why I chose both of you is because of trust.”

Stephen and Darno both looked at each other oddly, given their complicated position within the Billion Bloodline organization.

”Trust, you trust me?” Darno asked, completely surprised, pointing to himself.

”No, I don’t,” Max answered directly, a cold statement of fact. ”I’m sure you have realized by now that there are two parts to the Billion Bloodline group, and you are not part of the other world. You are doing this because you get paid well, and are a good fighter. So because I don’t trust you, that’s why I need to keep you closer compared to the others.”

Darno was nodding like he understood and accepted the brutal logic. It was true. He was happy to fight and be paid handsomely, but he wasn’t going to be risking his life for some gang he didn’t really care about. Being Max’s visible bodyguard ensured he was well-compensated and under Max’s direct supervision.

”But what about me? I’m not a stranger,” Stephen challenged. ”But I don’t think you trust me a hundred percent, over someone like Aron right? That can’t be, or even Joe?”

Max laughed because he was sure that Stephen would have heard about how he and Joe had met up before.

”First, Sheri needed someone strong to protect her, which is why Aron went along with her,” Max systematically explained the arrangements. ”Na is also not part of the group, so I had to put him with someone who can control him. For some reason, Na listens to Aron quite a bit.”

He continued the reasoning, addressing the tactical weaknesses of the group. ”Although Joe is strong and has improved by leaps and bounds, it’s still a fact that he is the weakest of the group, so I needed some way to balance things all out between all of us. Joe is Loyal, and Wolf is too, to a degree but not too much. So all of the relationships and people I have tried to even these things out and this was the best I can come up with.”

Max then took a pause because he was waiting for Stephen to say something and that’s when Stephen pointed at himself again, clearly seeking the specific reason for his placement.

”So what about me?” Stephen pressed.

”Stephen, I know you’re strong and skilled, you’re going back to your former self,” Max said, his gaze firm and serious. ”And if you want me to be honest, I trust you with things even more than I trust Aron.”

Max then looked out the window, effectively closing the discussion and trying to make it clear that he wasn’t going to elaborate further even if they asked.

However, it was the truth. Stephen was a good person, Max knew that, and when Stephen said he owed him a lot for clearing his debt, Max believed it. Stephen was one of the first members of the Billion Bloodline group that was connected directly to the current him and not through other means or previous connections.

And that was the core issue with Aron. Aron wasn’t connected to the current Max—he was connected to the old one—and if he ever found out the truth, Max wasn’t sure what would happen to that loyalty. Therefore, Stephen was the most reliable, known quantity among his high-level fighters.

”We’re here.” The driver said as he started to roll the divider down.

The group was ready now. Max knew there was a good chance that the strongest members of the Black Hounds were operating out of this venue.

So he had everyone with their phones ready just in case, but he was hoping that for one, tonight would be no trouble at all giving them time to prepare further, or at least that nothing would occur at any of the other venues. They needed the time and the money from this operation to advance their plans.

When the group stopped off, they then saw what they were looking at, it was a giant Ferry ship, that looked as if it could carry a couple of thousand of people. Drinks were being served on every floor and at the very top, in the open, that was where the fighting was to take place.

”I have a quick question.” Darno said, staring up at the massive ship, his concern immediately turning tactical. ”If we get on that ship, and we need help from the others, how the heck are they going to come and help us?”

****

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