From Bullets To Billions novel Chapter 529

Chapter 529: The Big Venue (Part 1)

Out of all the high-stakes venues and secret events that the Black Hounds had been holding so far, there was one that was larger and more prestigious than any other. This was the flagship event, the one that Darius, the cold-hearted head of the Black Hounds, and his top enforcer Jett were personally attending.

The fighting had been going well for Max and Stephen up until this point. Stephen had won his preliminary fights, and with every round, he was learning how to better utilize his special powers in a live combat scenario. He was beginning to understand his own limits and finding out his weaknesses at the same time, growing stronger with every drop of sweat he spilled.

On top of that, Max had managed to play the political game perfectly. He had brokered a deal with Darius that allowed him to get paid in cold, hard cash directly after every single fight. For a while, everything seemed to be going according to plan. That was until there was a suspicious change of opponent at the last second for one of the main events. Jett, one of the strongest and highest-ranking members of the Black Hounds, had subbed into the fight.

When Stephen went up against him, he tried his best, pouring every ounce of his skill into the match. But Jett was a monster of a different caliber. He was able to completely overpower Stephen with sheer force. Before Jett could make some of the boy’s injuries permanent, Darno had stepped in and joined the fray, turning the match into a desperate scuffle.

It was on Max’s direct orders; he could never let another person who was willing to fight for him get seriously hurt or crippled again. Not after everything they had been through.

With Darno fighting alongside Stephen, there was a glimmer of hope that they could do something to slow Jett down. However, Jett’s overwhelming power, combined with the restrictions of the Vows that Darno had placed on himself, led to Darno being tackled and pinned. He was stuck on the ground, suffering from large-scale hits that threatened to crack his ribs. In a desperate attempt to save his comrade, Stephen had swung his leg at full speed, whacking Jett right in the face and knocking him off of Darno.

In the process, though, the sound of a sickening snap echoed through the ring. Stephen had clearly broken part of his shin bone during the impact. Still, against all odds, they were surviving.

The whole situation had Darius deeply concerned. He realized that this "Bloodline" group was far more resilient than he had anticipated. To end the chaos, he did what needed to be done: he sent the Black Hound members directly after Max, who was watching from the sidelines. Darius figured if they could take down the leader of the Bloodline group, then the mess would be over. He finally had the perfect excuse to eliminate his rival.

The only thing Darius had never thought in a million years was that Max was a highly skilled fighter himself. As the guards closed in, Max took down the men who were ordered to seize him, and he did it in a flash. If someone in the audience had blinked, they would have missed the entire exchange. Still with his signature mask firmly on his face, Max surveyed the room, his eyes scanning for exits.

"This is a tough one to get out of, mostly because we’re on a damned ship in the middle of the water," Max muttered under his breath. "But I’ll get out of here, even if I have to fight my entire way through this whole boat."

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