Max Arena (18 page)

‘
That’s enough for this morning,’
Kris said. ‘Go have a shower
and a rest. We’re hitting the gym this afternoon and we’re taking
it up a gear.’

‘You’re the boss,’ Max said, without even the
slightest hint of sarcasm.

Max started to walk off, but the familiar,
exotic tones of
Sheikh
Abdullah pulled him up short. He immediately snuck a glance at Kris
and saw her dip her head and shake it slightly.

‘Yes, your Highness,’ Max answered, turning
as he did to find Abdullah gliding out onto the lawn, two of his
body guards flanking him.

‘
Excuse me
,’ Kris drawled and stepped off towards the
truck.

‘
Please, Kris, may I also speak with you?’
the Sheikh called out.

Kris halted and paused, her stiff frame
clearly portraying her testy mood. Then she turned and walked
woodenly back, her gaze directed everywhere, but toward
Abdullah.

‘
Thank you,’ the
Sheikh said, bowing slightly. ‘I do not wish to
take up much of your valuable time, but I was hoping to briefly
investigate if there are any additional training aids you would
like? In particular I can provide to you engineering services that
can construct any custom designed equipment, electrical or
mechanical, that you may like or can think of. Do not feel anything
is beyond your reach or perhaps even your imagination. There is
also the question of weapons. I assume you will also be conducting
combat training with weapons as part of your
preparations?’

Max
stood mutely for a moment and then turned to look at Kris.
Kris’s sunglasses hid her rolling eyes.

‘I’ll think about it,’ she said, folding her
arms.

‘Thank you,’ Abdullah said. ‘It would be my
honour to help you and to be guided by what you consider is
important.’

‘
Sure. Is that all?’ Kris shot back while
looking away to the horizon.

‘
Yes,’
Sheikh Abdullah said and bowed again. ‘
Shukran
jazeelin
. Thank
you.’

Kris
turned and walked away towards the open trailer, leaving
Max and Abdullah to watch her go. As she disappeared inside, Elsa
walked up to them from the house.

‘Good morning, your Highness,’ she said.

‘
Salaam
Alaykum
,’ Abdullah said.
‘I trust you are well this morning?’

‘I am thank you,’ she replied, then turning
to Max. ‘You done for this morning?’

‘
Yeah. Got another session this afternoon.
Get ready for a whingey husband tonight.’

‘Toughen up, big guy,’ Elsa replied, kissing
him on the cheek. ‘Where’d Kris go? I wanted to catch up with
her.’

‘She’s In the back of the truck,’ Max
offered. ‘Hey, while you’re in there, see if there’s anything
eating her. She’s been a bit squirly the last couple of days.’

Abdullah said nothing.

‘
Really?’ Elsa said, raising her eyebrows.
‘I hadn’t noticed.’

‘
Of course not. You just bring out the best
in people, darling.’

‘
Shut up,’ Elsa drawled, slapping Max on
the backside.
‘Oh,
sorry,’ she quickly added, whipping her hand up to her chin and
looking at Sheikh Abdullah. ‘I didn’t mean to…you know?’

Abdullah nodded back. ‘I am not
embarrassed. He is your husband and therefore you have some
ownership of his…anatomy.’

Elsa smiled. ‘Okay. See you boys later.’

She then turned and skipped off and into the
confines of the trailer to find Kris.

‘
Hey,’ Max said, turning to Abdullah,
‘
Kris will come good. I
don’ think it’s you she’s all worked up about. I suspect it’s
everything. Hard to blame anyone for being off their game
considering what’s going on out there,’ Max added, waving a hand in
the air. ‘At least she took up your offer for security for her
brother and parents, which I will repeat was an awfully nice
gesture. You’re a good man for doing that.’

‘It is the least I can do.’

‘
As for combat training, I’m not up for
anything like that yet, so let’s not talk about weapons. When we
need them, I’ll let you know. Kris might have some ideas for other
stuff though. I’ll bring it up again this afternoon.’

‘
As you wish, Max. I trust you and Kris to
know how best to prepare, so I will wait your instruction. I do
have another question specifically for you if you will permit
me?’

‘
You don’t have to be so polite, your
Highness. If we’re going to be friends, let’s get a little more
relaxed on the protocol,
alright?’

‘As you wish and in return you may now drop
the royal pleasantries. My name is Abdullah.’

Max nodded. ‘Sure thing, Abdullah. What’s on
your mind?’

‘
Your past and your life are your business
and the truth behind your role in this present predicament is also
your’s to protect. However, I do wonder if there is some
information you can provide that may aid us in preparing for the
arena and also assist us in persevering through these difficult
times prior to the duels?’

Max paused and then slowly said, ‘So, you’re
basically asking me to come clean on exactly who I am and why
Macktidas has come looking for me? Is that it?”

‘Yes.’

Max
put his hands on his hips and looked down at the ground.
After a few seconds he flicked his gaze back up to Abdullah who was
still keenly fixed on him.

‘
Tonight,’ Max said finally. ‘I’ll tell you
everything tonight.’

‘I do not wish to pressure you…’

‘
No, it’s time,’ Max cut-in.
‘
No more secrets. You
all deserve to know the truth so, after dinner I’ll spell it all
out for everyone.’

‘
Thank you, Max
,’ Abdullah replied. ‘I realise this is a very
large offering for you and I appreciate your trust. I shall bother
you no more today and see you this evening.’

Max held the
Sheikh’s gaze for a few seconds and then nodded,
allowing him to step backwards and turn away, his two bodyguards
slipping in behind to shadow him off the lawn and into the house.
Max glimpsed Peter in his peripheral vision coming up on his right
side.

‘Pete,’ Max said without turning, ‘do you
trust people easily?’

‘
No,’ Peter replied. ‘
The job doesn’t allow it, but when I do
trust someone, it’s absolute and if you’re wondering, I trusted you
the moment we met.’

Max paused as the words buried themselves
into his consciousness. He then turned and looked squarely at
Peter. ‘Goes for me too, mate.
Absolute is right. You’re a good man and I know my family’s
in good hands.’

Peter nodded back.

Max added, ‘What about his Highness?
Sheikh Abdullah?’

Peter cast a side
ways glance towards the house and folded his arms.
‘I’m starting to think, yes. He’s one of Joe’s best mates and
that’s usually good enough for me, but I also get some good vibes
off him in general.’

‘
I’m with you,’ Max replied. ‘He has a
genuine feel about him. I can’t put a finger on it, but when he
says something, I just struggle to believe it could be anything but
true. What he did for Kris, putting those bodyguards onto her
family. He didn’t do that just to keep her peace of mind. He did it
because he cares. Full stop.’

Peter nodded again. ‘Yeah, I’m in with
that.’

The two men stood in silence for a few
moments, comfortable with their own thoughts.

‘
Oh,’ Max started, ‘you’re invited to
dinner tonight and by that I mean, no lurking in the shadows
watching over everyone, but actually sitting at the table with the
rest of us, eating and drinking and using a knife and fork. I’ve
got a story to tell and you need to hear it firsthand.’

‘
Okay.
I can do that. Do I have to talk to anyone?’

Max smiled. ‘No. It might spoil your lone
wolf charm thing you’ve got going on, but you know, improvise.
Adapt and overcome and all that.’

‘Got it. You going back inside now?’

‘Yeah, shower time and early lunch,’ Max
answered, turning towards the house.

Peter nodded and lifted his wrist mike to his
mouth and said, ‘Sword on the move back to the house.’

Max stopped and turned back. ‘Sword? Is
that me?’

Peter nodded.

‘So, that means Joe is Shield?’

Peter nodded again.

‘
What about everyone else. Have we all got
code names?’

‘
Yeah.
Even the kids.’

‘List them out. See if I can guess who’s
who.’

Peter hesitated.

‘
Come on?’ Max pushed. ‘Try me.’

‘Gaia.’

‘Mother Earth. Has to be Elsa.’

Peter nodded. ‘Tabby.’

‘Millie.’

Another nod. ‘Tiger.’

‘Jason.’

‘Right again. Nike.’

‘Kris,’ Max said smiling. ‘She’ll love
that.’

‘Greek goddess of victory. Seemed
appropriate.’

‘Got that right. Now what about you?’

‘
Peter’s just fine, mate.’

‘Not likely. How about Raptor, like an eagle?
Not the dinosaur.’

‘
Bit corny isn’t it?’

‘Matches my sense of humour,’ Max said,
slapping Peter on the shoulder. ‘Raptor it is.’

The two men turned and started to walk
back to the house. As they passed the trailer, Max looked in
and
called out to Kris
and Elsa, ‘See you at lunch!’

‘Okay!’ Elsa called back.

Inside the trailer, Elsa sat on top of a
crate, leaning against the side wall, while Kris sat across from
her on a padded bench, idly handling a weighted wrist
band.

‘
So, they’re okay are they? Your brother
and your parents?’ Elsa asked.

‘
Yeah, they’re fine,’ Kris replied, looking
down at the wrist band as she twisted it.
‘Mum’s getting better. She’s even started to talk
again, but she’s still real timid.’

‘
And Abdullah’s security guards make them
feel safer?’

‘
Yeah, seems like it.’

‘
You know that’s a hell of a nice thing
Abdullah did, giving you those blokes to keep your family safe. He
didn’t have to.’

‘
It’s business for him,’ Kris shot back.
‘He even said it himself. He needs me to not be worried about other
stuff, so I can stay focused on Max’s training. That’s
all.’

Elsa carefully regarded her
friend
. ‘Maybe, but a
less nice person wouldn’t have cared at all. I think he’s genuinely
a good bloke and here to help.’

Kris looked away.

‘Okay, let’s drop it,’ Elsa added, ‘but be
warned, I’m a serial nagger for helping people get through issues.
You can’t hide from me for long.’

Kris looked up and finally smiled,
nodding. ‘I can see that.’

Elsa gave Kris a shrewd look and then
jumped down from the crate. Turning to start walking out, she
called out, ‘Don’t be late for dinner tonight. Max is spilling the
beans on everything and I know you’ll want to hear it straight
up.’

Kris’ face perked up
and she got to her feet. ‘You
mean…’

‘Everything!’ Elsa called back.

Kris froze, her mind already doing cartwheels
on what she might learn tonight.

Elsa reached the top of the ramp and
stopped. Turning back she looked at Kris, her eyes soft. ‘I meant
what I said the other day,’ she added. Kris looked back up at her.
‘I’m here for you and when the time comes, I’m going to need you
too. Abdullah’s a good man and I think you agree with me. Time
could be real short, Kris. Don’t waste it being afraid and
angry.’

Kris dropped her gaze from Elsa’s, her
instant excitement melting completely away. Silence
suddenly gripped her. Elsa kept
her gaze on Kris, wordlessly pleading for her friend to acknowledge
the pain she was feeling. The silence grew thin and
tense.

‘
I’ll see you tonight,’ Elsa finally said
and turned down the ramp and out onto the lawn. Inside the trailer,
Kris remained transfixed. Physically, she was standing alone with
no one else in the trailer, but in her mind, she was utterly alone
with no
other soul on
earth. Deep inside Kris’ head, the buzzing had kicked into action
and she could feel her finger tips trembling. Suddenly, it became
very, very dark inside the confines of the trailer and her knees
started to shake.

9pm, 12th July (later that night). The
Truth

Max stood in front of the high-mantled,
stone fireplace and cast his gaze around the
expansive living room. The broad, plush
room had enough space and comfort to accommodate at least twenty
people or more. However, tonight there were only five and he held
centre stage.

Then Peter walked in through the main
door
to make it six.
Pulling the door closed behind him, Peter locked it and pocketed
the key in his jeans. Turning to Max, he said, ‘The room’s
secure.’

Max nodded and Peter moved a little
further into the room, standing at ease with all of the room’s
occupants in front of him, squarely in his forward field of vision.
Instinctively, Peter’s eyes flicked from window to
window.