✔𝐁𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐨 𝐁𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 ➳𝐌𝐚𝐱 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐭

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑭𝒊𝒗𝒆

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𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 has fully enveloped the streets of Chicago, streetlights fighting to fend it off while various people stagger along, either late workers heading home or younger folks heading out. Max's expression is cold and his grip is tight as he quickly leads her back to the car. He always has to be ahead of her, a bit of a control freak maybe.

No words are spoken even as he lets go of her and opens the door for himself. Hastily, she rounds the sleek black car and gets in, watching him with a slight frown. She isn't sure how real that was, if he is angry or if that was a part of the act too. He clicks the start button and the engine roars to life, still no word or hint given to her as they get onto the street and set out towards their hotel in the late evening traffic.

She can't keep her mouth shut for long. "You have to give me something, Max."

He looks towards her and she sees how his tongue glides over his teeth while the slow smirk spreads. She turns her head a little to the side, waiting for him.

"How much do you think we got?"

"More than the fifteen?" She says with a slow, wary grin appearing.

"Those friends of his had just as much cash," he laughs and goes into his pocket, pulling out a thick wad of cash, throwing it into her lap. "It's all fucking hundreds!"

Her eyes widen as she pulls off the elastic and starts counting, thumbs sweeping and flicking between the bills. The further she gets, the more her eyes widen. There are well over a hundred. She's sitting with more than... at least fifteen thousand dollars in her hands. Just like that. It was so easy — granted he did most of the work, but still.

"Oh my god," she laughs, bright and loud as her legs kick and she throws herself back in the seat. "Is this even half!?"

"Not at all," Max grins, licking his lips as the car slips down to the underground garage.

She hasn't seen it herself. Any of it. All of it had been ready when they got here and she's been following him around for the entire day. He gets out of the car and walks to the trunk, taking his bag in his hand and sending her a smile when she grabs her own from the backseat and pockets the stack of cash.

There's a purpose in his walk as they make their way to the elevator. Has he been here before? It's a big enough city to where you can trick people and not get noticed. Maybe he goes back and forth between New York and Chicago, whenever one gets too boring or too many people start wanting to kill him he moves to the next one. He did say he was only going to be here for a couple of days though. There's a purpose here and she wants to figure out what it is, and ready herself for it.

The inside of the elevator is coated in mirrors with a gold lining. The floor has a chequered pattern of grey and darker blacks. She leans back against the mirror, studying him as he clicks the button for the ground floor. He looks happier, satisfied. The bag slips from her hands, thudding to the floor and he glances at her while she slowly approaches, smirking.

"Do we still have to pretend?"

He raises an eyebrow when her hand comes to rest on his shoulder. "Yeah, but don't lay it on too thick."

She chuckles, "c'mon, don't act like you don't love it."

A sliver of a smile appears on his lips as the doors to the elevator part and he strides out, leaving her to scramble for her bag and follow. It doesn't matter, she can't help but smile. She's made more money than she could have in months at her job.

The entrance of the hotel is large, tall pillars leading up to a colourful stained glass roof with an overly convoluted scene that somehow feels easy to swallow. It's not tall enough to be the actual roof but there must be lights behind it, allowing one to pretend the weather outside is sunny with clear skies.