The Tribute | Max Verstappen

Chapter Twelve

Cheers!

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He was on his way back, the medicine hidden in his pocket so no one would see him run around with pills only for him to enter his hotel room. The lights were turned on, which surprised Max, he had thought Noah would try to sleep a bit, but as he moved into the room to see his bed, he also saw two peacekeeper, each holding onto one of Noah's arms where they have forced her onto her knees on his carpet, but it wasn't really the two peacekeepers which worried him, but more the man which was sitting in the large love chair, Noah at his feet.

"Ah, our new victor. We were beginning to think you got lost on your way back to your room." The man in the chair said which caused Noah to look up. She gave Max a hopeless look her mouth closed, no sound leaving her despite not being gagged.

"President Wolff." Max greeted, voice levelled and neutral, as if that motherfucker hadn't forced Noah onto her knees in his room where she was supposed to be safe, sitting in front of her like some fucking movie villain.

"What can I do for you." Max wondered in a voice to close to his father's for his own comfort, but this was no about comfort right now. He also couldn't show his worry, or at his heart was about to jump out of his chest, the fear for Noah unbearable. All Max could do was ignore Noah the best he could and give Toto Wolff his whole attention. A man like him wanted attention.

"Oh, so polite." Toto giggled, which nearly caused Max to jump at him, but he controlled himself well. "Please, take a seat, this is your home during the game season now after all." Toto gestured for the end of the bed, which was not five feet away from the love chair, Noah kneeling at the side in between the distance.

"Thank you." Max said, his gaze staying on Toto, who gave him a amused nod.

"Well, you properly wonder why I'm here. I felt like we missed out a bit. You and me, you know. We had no real opportunity for you to get to know me a bit better. And I can guarantee you, you would like to know me better. It makes a lot of things easier." President Wolff spoke confidently, while Max titled his head to the side.

"You are too kind. I would have never deemed me worthy enough for the President to stop by and give me such a chance." Max spoke, the fake niceties spoken as if he had lived in the capitol all his life already, while Toto's expression changed a bit.

"Leave us alone." He told the peacekeepers before looking at Noah. "I take it you understand where your place is right now?" Toto wondered which caused Noah to nod.

"Good." The older man said, before nodding at the peacekeeper to keep going while Max wondered if an opportunity to free Panem of that man was opening up earlier than he thought it would, but it was most likely just a test. A test he couldn't fail.

The moment the door was closed and Noah sat on the floor rubbing over her sore arms, Toto addressed Max again, who was still sitting on the end of the bed. "Enough of fake niceties. We both know that you would like to get your hands on the next knife you can find and cut my head off." Toto said, while Max held his gaze.

"I'm more an axe kind of guy, actually." The eighteen-year-old winner of the Hunger Games said which caused Toto to snicker.

"Of course, you are." He muttered under his breath, an amused smile on his lips.

"I take it that you understand that it would benefit you greatly if we become friends." He was mocking Max with the use of words, talking to him as if he was a child, which he was in Toto's eyes. Another plaything. A witty one, that never knows when to shut up but that only entertained him more.

"Powerful friends are always beneficial, yes. You are offering your friendship." Max's voice was unwavering, unapologizing. There was no question in it, only a statement and he wouldn't accept no as an answer. He needed to stop Toto from harming Noah, and this might be a possibility, but Noah feared he was only dooming himself here.

"You think of yourself as powerful?" Toto said a laughed bubbling from his throat. Noah wanted so badly to wrap her fingers around it and squeeze until no sound will ever leave him again.

"I understand that Panem loves us. But what is far more important, the districts love us. They would do anything for us now." Max spoke and every word which left his throat made him sound so foreign. Noah wondered if that was truly the man that went away to get her painkillers not so long ago. "Don't you want our help in keeping them where they are?"

"You talk like a man." Toto said, leaning back in his seat.

"I am a man." Max was looking at him, challenging him, which caused Toto to give him a certain look neither of the younger people could place.

"No. You are a boy. A boy that thinks he can ask for the world. Equally as stupid as all people from your tree fucking district." The President answered.

"You think you are in charge here, that you can ... what? Intimidate me into forgetting that I'm the one with the power here?" He was laughing and Noah wanted to take a knife and push it into his throat so badly, for making her sit here, for forcing Max into facing him, for killing Lando and for treating them all like trash. They were all the monsters he created, but as Carlos said, a starved dog will eat anything.

Toto got up from his seat and walked over to Max, only to gently brush his fingers over his cheek with a wicked smile.

"Go home, boy." He told Max, before turning around and looking down at Noah. "I take it you will teach him to be one of my victors?" He asked Noah, who nodded, which caused Toto to smile, before he turned around to face Max again.

"Let go of the illusion that it could have been any different." The President said. "I own you now."