The answer had finally been revealed to Max, they had been keeping his money hostage.
With the threat to someone he cared about looming over his head, depending on how much the original Max truly cared for this person, it was no wonder he never touched the money.
After all, this was a kid who had no one, who had already lost his entire family. Maximus knew exactly what that felt like, he had gone through the same thing.
The White Tiger Gang and the people around him had been the light he built for himself. Maybe, for the original Max, this Abby girl had been his light.
And more than that, Max knew the answer to Sheri's question better than she might have known herself.
"How easy is it to get rid of someone with the kind of wealth the Stern family has?" The answer: very easy.
