" Hey, keep it together man "
Max held Finn by his shoulder. After drinking ten bottles, Finn was not feeling well, so leaving the girls behind, Max had to take care of this new friend of his. He was wobbly and was in no position to get home alone.
" Y…you know what?!! I really like you, you're a good friend "
Finn smiled and uttered. He looked too happy to care and was lightly grabbing Max's jacket. The sun had long been set on the horizon, and they'd even missed their lunch because Finn and Olivia got too drunk.
" Yeah, maybe don't drink this much next time "
Max was searching for Finn's home. They had to take a taxi to get here. This area was called Bogenhausen. Even the air felt like money here.
Luxury cars were everywhere, and people didn't seem to care much about them. A Mercedes-Benz S 580 was parked outside on the street like it was nothing.
" This is my home "
" This villa?!! "
As they were walking past a large villa, Finn pointed at it with a smile on his face. The security guard standing outside Finn's villa instantly recognized him and walked over with a confused look. If Max were not as charismatic as he was and the same age as Finn, security would've called the police.
" What happened to him?!!! "
" Vidal, I am just drunk, this is my friend Max "
Before Max could explain, Finn just stood up with a foolish smile and introduced Max proudly. Max just gestured for the security person to take Finn inside.
" Max, call me tomorrow "
As Finn was dragged inside by the security, he yelled at the top of his lungs before disappearing through the door. Max just smoothed his jacket and cracked his neck.
Well, missed my chance to go to the bank, no worries, I'll do it tomorrow after the gym, damn! I am hungry.
He wanted to take a taxi, but this area was super rich, with large villas and quiet roads. Even the Schwabing residential area didn't feel like much compared to this place, so he just walked along the roads. There were few people around and mostly expensive cars.
As he walked past a villa with extremely modern architecture, he saw a bunch of Porsches parked outside. The villa was so big that it took Max about forty seconds to cross it from the side. He was taking long, fast strides, and as a six-foot-six man, his steps were wide. The building looked more expensive than nice. It felt like the owner was trying too hard.
As he was about to exit the area and take a cab, a familiar silhouette grabbed his attention. She was coming out of the modern villa from the back gate, followed by three shady-looking hooded men.
Jennifer? Here?
*BUZZED*
As Max tried to look in her direction, his phone buzzed. Slightly distracted, he pulled out his phone and saw a message from Blanka. Ignoring it, he walked toward Jennifer, who was heading to her car faster by the second, and those hooded figures were following right behind her.
" Don't touch me!! "
As Max sped up, he heard Jennifer's scream. One of the hooded figures had grabbed her wrist. Gritting his teeth, Max started to run. He was very confident about fighting some random thugs with his new body and the memories he had from the heavyweight MMA fighter Tom Aspinall, but if they trapped Jennifer, he didn't have a way to save her immediately.
He covered the distance between them fast, and on the semi-dark road, you had to be very close to notice someone who was light on his feet. Jennifer saw a blur rushing her way, and before she could fully guess who it was, Max stopped and sent a roundhouse kick toward the person grabbing her wrist.
*SWOOP **CRACK **CRACK*
The air split apart as his leg moved with sharp precision. A spine-chilling, bone-breaking crack was heard. His kick landed on the hooded figure's chest, breaking more than one rib. Max instantly positioned himself between Jennifer and the hooded thugs.
*SLAM*
The one who got kicked instantly slumped to the ground, which made the other two look at Max with horror. Jennifer, seeing that familiar tall and masculine back, instantly understood who it was.
" M…Max? "
" Go inside your car and lock the door. If I can't fight them, you drive away instantly "
" B…But… "
" No but, just go "
Max saw the two hooded figures pulling out knives, so he didn't know what to do if Jennifer became a burden at this moment. Both of them removed their hoods, since Max was not some easy target they could tease while hiding their faces. He was a threat. Max could now clearly see they were not normal thugs.
They had short white hair and the same shaped tattoo that ran from their chin down to their chest. They were from a gang, and they weren't holding average kitchen knives either. The blades were long and broad, made for combat.
" You're making a mistake, big guy… "
" We're Paolo Bronte's men… you're dead, pretty boy "
One of them licked his knife with a smile, while the other was still in shock at how easily Max had defeated the toughest of the three. Max took note of the name, but other than that, he focused on how to close the distance and make the first move. These people were not joking, and if he were the old him, this situation would have ended with him dead.
This is bad, I have to attack when they are together, can't give them a chance to separate, this will split my attention.
Max didn't wait for them to move. He took a small step very gently, which looked like he was just placing his foot, but he had actually shortened the distance. His reach was very long, so he got inside their range very comfortably.
He turned to the right and threw a slow, deliberate feint, but both thugs reacted in that instant. Both tried to stab him in the stomach, but he grabbed their arms mid-swing and squeezed hard.
" Ahhhh! "
" Shit.. Shit "
Max was no joke. He was way out of their weight class even in a trained fight. Seeing their hands with knives stuck, they tried to kick him, but it didn't budge Max at all. It only made his black jeans dirty.
Max didn't talk back. He just focused on finishing this fight, because there might be others from this gang inside the modern villa. So when he saw the tall one losing his grip on his knife, he instantly squeezed hard.
*CLANG*
As soon as the knife fell, Max smiled coldly and let go of that hand instantly. His one free hand meant a free weapon. He immediately started punching the other one with his bare fist. He felt some bones getting crushed, but he didn't stop, because this was a life-and-death situation.
Seeing this one knocked out and about to fall to the ground, Max looked back only to see the other one grabbing his hand in pain and running inside the modern villa. Max was no hero. He ran to Jennifer's car and sat inside, while Jennifer, with a very tense and concerned face, drove the car as fast as she could.
" Who's Paolo Bronte? "