They didn't dawdle much longer after that. Madison didn't have to drop any hints, Skyler eventually offered to take her on home. He helped her carry her groceries and bag of wet clothes to the parking garage.
He led the way to a vehicle and loaded her things into the back. It was an opulent, silver Mercedes Benz G-Wagon. Madison stood and stared in disbelief. "You drive this?"
He peeked out from the tailgate and flashed a satisfied smirk. "My pride and joy," he sighed while ushering the tailgate closed.
"It's beautiful!"
Skyler smiled again, nearly glowing with pride. He gestured for the front and disappeared around the side of the tall SUV.
Madison climbed up into the vehicle and took a quick glance around. It was immaculate, as if it were brand new. She was afraid to touch anything. The thought of her soggy clothes even being near the truck made her cringe.
"It's the one thing I actually own," he said as the V-8 roared to life. "The apartment, the furniture, heck, even my clothes are part of the job. But this, this is mine."
"What do you do?" she finally asked. The question had been on the tip of her tongue all day but she couldn't bring herself to ask, afraid he was still a frontman or involved in unscrupulous dealings.
Skyler was slow to answer as he made his way out into the bright sunlight and weekend traffic. "I work for a company who helps floundering businesses. We invest in them if we feel they can recover within an acceptable amount of time. We'll even guide them on their way back to health."
"And if they aren't able to recover?"
He looked a little more uncomfortable in forming the answer this time. "We assist in ending their suffering as quickly and quietly as possible."
She didn't like the ideas that were forming in her own head. Madison peered at him and tried to follow his meaning. "How do you go about euthanizing businesses?"
"Each case is specially tailored for each client. I can't really explain."
His answer didn't settle her concerns any. It actually made her more leery of his type of employment. He was still in con work. She frowned to herself.
Silence had ensued between them without Madison noticing. That was until Skyler spoke up, his tone too perky to come off nonchalant. "So, what is it that you do here in Chicago? You said five years, right?"
She stared out the side window. "I'm a security guard," she answered, not yet recovered from the knowledge of his ill-advised way of life.
"A guard, huh? Where at?"
"Lake View Depository"
His questioning went on. "Oh. Where's that at?"
"It's on the westside of the city, not really a lake view." Madison looked at him, finding him glancing over at her with an encouraging smile. He must have picked up on her sullen mood.
"That's good," he said warmly. "You've done well for yourself. That's real good."
"Is your company legit?" she forced herself to question.
Skyler didn't even try to hide his dislike of her asking. His face was unreadable as he made a harsh merger into heavier traffic. He puffed out an irritated sigh and ignored the honking from the drivers he cut off.
Madison shook her head and turned back to the window, "Never mind. Forget I asked."
"I tried," he said softly. "It did't work." He slowed and let a few cars merge in front of him, as if to make up for his earlier rudeness. "Not much longer and I think I'll be able to get out. For good this time."
"It isn't easy," she hoped to console him, "but it is worth it. It's easier to sleep at night, most of the time."
Several minutes of silence stretched between them again. Madison gazed out the window but saw nothing. She wrestled with the ghosts in her head. It wasn't easy to stay clean. She was trusted to guard all those safes and vaults. They were such a temptation at times. It wasn't that she hungered for the things inside. It was the challenge of cracking them, of beating the algorithm. It always had been. She didn't even have to think about it. It came naturally to her.
"Which way do I go from here?"
Skyler's asking snapped her back to reality. She looked around and deciphered where they were. "Take this exit and stay to the left."
He did just so. The traffic was crawling, even on the exit ramp. It seemed to take ages for the destination Madison had in mind to come into view.
"Pull in here," she pointed to the lot below the train station.
He hesitated in making the turn. "What for?"
"Just do it, please." She didn't mean to sound ugly, but she needed to get away from him. She wanted to be alone, once again.
Skyler made his way into the parking lot and turned to her with a disappointed look. "I'm sorry, Madison. Whatever it is I said or did, I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it. You're fine," she fibbed. "The traffic is only going to get worse from here on in, so it'll be better if I just take the train. But thank you."
He didn't offer to make any reply. She took his stillness as acceptance and opened the door to get out.
"Hold on a second," he said with a hint of cheer returned to his voice. Madison paused tentatively and turned to him. "Could I get your number, if you still wouldn't mind that dinner?"
"Of course," she shifted and looked for a pen and paper. Skyler reached to the glove box and pulled out a pen and handed it to her. "Do you have something to write on?" He held out his empty hand, offering his palm. He used to write everything he was supposed to remember on his hand. She peered at him for the antic. Here he was, dressed in fancy clothes, driving a shiny Mercedes, living in the Magnificent Mile and still writing on his hand.
Madison took it with a smile and scribed her number across his palm. When she finished and released him, he closed his hand over the number and returned her smile. He looked comforted again.
"I'll call you," he promised.
She nodded and stepped out of the tall truck. Before she closed the door, she looked in at him. "Be good."
Skyler offered to carry her things to the platform, but she declined him. She wrangled the bags from the back of his G-Wagon, noting him watching her in his rearview mirror. He remained silent. She did the same.