From Bullets To Billions novel Chapter 267

Chapter 267: The Warning

The moment the words left Na’s mouth, Chrono stopped what he was doing. His hand, still holding the phone, slowly lowered until he set it down on the table beside him.

Guards? That was surprising enough.

But professional guards?

Now he was listening.

If the comment had come from just anyone else, Chrono might’ve brushed it off. Maybe assumed it was a rookie mistaking a few security cameras or hired muscle for something more than they were. But this wasn’t just anyone, this was Na. And if he said they were professionals, then they were.

Chrono turned to face him fully. "Was she not just an ordinary girl? Did you take her from some kind of manor or protected compound? I thought we ran background checks on her."

"We did," Na replied. "According to everything we pulled, she’s a normal girl. Lives alone most of the time. Her father travels often. She was supposed to be one of the easiest targets, based on the intel."

Chrono folded his arms, listening intently.

"But," Na continued, "when we arrived, there were three guards. Each one strategically placed. They were covering each other’s backs, moving like a unit. I watched them for a while before we made our move."

He shook his head slightly. "These weren’t freelancers or neighborhood watch types. They were trained. Tactical. Professionals."

Chrono’s brow furrowed.

Someone had gone to the trouble of protecting Abby. And not casually either, these guards were coordinated. Hired with purpose. And that begged a very important question...

Why?

They’d gotten very little useful information from Dud, only that Abby was supposedly a weak point for Max. A vulnerability. Something to be used.

Chrono ran a hand across his jaw, thinking deeply.

"Could that be the link?" he muttered aloud. "Is it Max?"

He looked up at Na, the confusion clearly written on his face.

"It’s the only thing that makes sense... and yet, it makes no sense at all. If he cared about her, really cared, how would he even afford guards like that? Ones with that level of training?"

There was something missing. Something they weren’t seeing. And Chrono could feel it, like a puzzle piece just out of reach.

And he didn’t like that one bit.

"And who would think that far ahead?" Chrono muttered, more to himself than anyone else. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "I guess it’s something we need to be concerned about... but there’s really not much we can do until we speak to Max directly."

Na nodded. "Have you tried calling Dud?"

"I have," Chrono replied, letting out a sigh. "Can’t get through to him either. For some reason, no one seems to be picking up my calls. And this is all happening right when we’re in the middle of a pivotal moment with the Chalkline boys."

He shook his head slowly, clearly irritated. "Of all times for communication to go dark..."

Then he looked back at Na. "Anyway, you said there were two things you wanted to talk about. What’s the second?"

"The gang is talking," he said flatly. "A lot of them think you’re putting too much emphasis on Max. That you’re focusing too much of our attention and resources on him."

"They get it, everyone knows Max is strong," Na explained. "They understand that having him around benefits us. But they’re starting to question whether he’s really worth all of this."

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify