Max - Bey Deckard Page 0,59
changed in the confined space, but Crane managed as best as he could. Everything fit perfectly. He shoved his prison greys into the bag.
“In the glove compartment, there’s a pair of scissors and an electric razor. You’re going to lean out the window and hack away as much of that ratty beard as possible, then take care of the rest with the razor. When you’re done, put everything in the bag and chuck it out the window. Oh, and try not to get any hair in the car, will you, hon?”
Crane did as he was told, chopping off his beard as they flew along the highway in the dark, trying not to cut himself every time they hit a bump. To Max’s credit, he drove with a light touch, making sure the ride was smooth as possible. When Crane had finished, he brushed off as much hair as possible out window, threw the bag as far as he could, and then sat back down, buckling his seatbelt.
Max glanced over at him, a dimple in one cheek. “Well, hello, handsome.”
Ignoring him, Crane stared at the dark empty field zooming past his passenger window.
“Aw… You feeling grumpy? Going to give me the silent treatment?”
Hating that he was allowing himself to be baited, Crane clenched his hands in his lap and growled, “You ruined my life.”
“Nah. Well… maybe for a little bit.” Max grinned wide. “But I’m by your side again—your best friend in the whole world, never to be parted again.”
Crane gave a small bitter laugh. “You made sure of that.” He knew he was completely at Max’s mercy. It was like that video Max’d taken, but an even more deadly blackmail. There was no doubt in his mind that if they were captured, Max would make out that he was kidnapped, brainwashed… Stockholm syndrome. He stared hard at the side of Max’s face, lit in blue from below by the instrument panel.
After a few moments, Max’s eyes darted to him and his brow wrinkled. “What?”
“Was this ‘rescue’ part of your plan from the beginning? Did you count on me being so indebted to you that I would forgive you?”
Max tapped his thumbs on the steering wheel and pursed his lips, and then he sighed and nodded like he was making a decision, but what he said surprised Crane. “No. It wasn’t part of the plan at first.” He shrugged, giving Crane another quick glance. “You were going to rot in jail.”
Frowning, Crane examined Max’s profile, and Max’s mouth turned down at the corners, but he didn’t say anything.
“Why, then?” Crane asked quietly.
Max let out a long exhale and checked his side-view mirror, his hands now tense on the wheel. After a long pause, he finally replied. “I discovered it was less boring to be with you than without,” he admitted.
“How touching.”
Another quick glance by Max in Crane’s direction gave Crane the impression that Max was actually struggling with the confession. Was he faking it? Why would he bother?
“What did you do to Mary?”
Max’s brows lifted and he shook his head. “I didn’t hurt her, Doc. She turned out to be exactly as nice as you said she was. Really very sweet.” He sounded almost wistful.
“But you fucked her, didn’t you?”
This time, Max’s grin went coy. “Well, yeah. And it was nice… but…”
“But what?”
“She wasn’t you.”
“Fuck you,” spat Crane, refusing to let himself be drawn into this… performance. He decided to keep fueling his anger with the thought of Max sticking his cock into Mary. Teeth clenched, he asked, “How stupid do you think I am? God… You’re a perverted little shit. Tell me: what the fuck did you do to Mary?”
“I swear, Doc,” Max exclaimed, his tone hurt. He took his eyes off the road again to meet Crane’s. “I was super nice with her. Nothing weird.” His gaze slid away and he smiled, checking his side-view again. “I mean… She was a little pissed at me for the oops-wrong-hole incident.” He looked back over at Crane, wide-eyed and serious. “But, I swear that was a complete accident. Cross my heart.” He made a small cross over his left pec with a finger and then frowned at the rear-view, his eyes illuminated by the headlights of an approaching vehicle.
Crane tensed, one hand curled around the chest strap of his seatbelt, wondering if they had been discovered, but Max only reached over and touched his thigh gently.
“Relax, babe. It’s just a tanker.”
A few seconds later, the eighteen wheeler blasted by them in