Chapter 236: The Invitation
It didn’t come as a huge surprise to Max that the Black Hounds knew where he lived.
They already knew which school he attended. And more importantly, they knew he was a genuine member of the Stern family. After all, they had confidently claimed they’d be in touch within two days, so Max had been expecting something like this.
If anything, he had half-expected them to try and provoke him, maybe to see if he’d run.
But when Max went to the door, the real surprise wasn’t that someone had shown up. It was who was standing there.
A bald-headed man dressed head to toe in black stood on the porch. His appearance screamed street thug, rough hands, sun-worn skin, eyes that didn’t blink often.
If Max had passed him on the street, he would’ve avoided eye contact entirely. He was the kind of man most people instinctively avoided, the kind of man you didn’t want to be on the wrong side of.
"You’re Max Stern, right?" the man asked, his voice deep and gruff. "Before you say no, I’m with the Black Hounds, and I’ve got a schedule to keep. I’d rather stick to it."
"I am," Max replied, keeping his voice even. Without hesitation, he stepped out and followed the man.
Outside, a large black SUV waited at the curb, its engine idling with a low hum. Another person sat in the driver’s seat, their face mostly obscured by tinted glass.
The bald man walked around and, surprisingly, opened the door for Max. It was... polite, oddly so, coming from a gang member. Then again, maybe they were trying to keep things smooth. Max was a high school student, and they probably preferred this to be an easy transaction. Or maybe they wanted him calm, compliant.
Still, Max couldn’t stop wondering what exactly the Black Hounds wanted.
As he climbed into the vehicle, he glanced into the side mirror to check his surroundings.