There was a part of Max that had deep down expected this to happen. The entire reason Aron had infiltrated the university under the humble guise of a janitor was for this exact purpose: to act as a shadow guardian. Aron was the man who had promised to protect him regardless of the situation, a silent sentinel who operated in the background while Max tried to navigate his "normal" life.
Even within the seemingly safe confines of a university basketball court, Max knew that if enough time passed without a check-in, Aron would inevitably come investigating. In fact, knowing Aron's meticulous nature, he had likely been tailing the group from the very beginning. He had probably been standing just behind the heavy metal doors, listening to the taunts and the sounds of the beatdown, merely waiting for the tactically perfect moment to strike when the hostages were most vulnerable and the seniors were most distracted.
