Chad slumped into the luxurious vehicle with a disgruntled scowl, his every movement radiating frustration. For a moment his eyes flicked toward Max, meeting his gaze briefly, but the contact lasted only a heartbeat before Chad turned his head sharply away, his jaw tightening as if even looking at Max was unbearable.
The silence between them carried a weight of history. Their relationship had been rewritten entirely since the last time they'd met. Secrets had been spilled, secrets that could destroy either of them if spoken aloud, and both knew they were bound to keep them locked away. Neither boy could afford betrayal. The air itself seemed to hum with unspoken tension.
Since the bloody clash between the Chalkline Boys and the Rejected Corps, Chad had been living under a new reality. He was no longer free to walk the streets as he pleased, no longer the spoiled young man flashing his wealth on every corner. Instead, he had been confined to the Pit, under Wolf's constant watch.
