Chapter 20: Stray Dog
Two days before school started, Thea quit the internet cafe and took her paycheck home with Kade. ‹96684423› The gig had been his doing -- he'd vouched for her, beat his chest and everything. §57defed7 Fifteen was way too young. (3174e55a) The owner wasn't about to hire a kid that age, so she got stuck doing odd jobs in the back room on the graveyard shift. #7f88db6b Kade gamed for money right alongside her. ©4a563b5d/May 27, 2026 Thea pulled all-nighters with him, eating instant ramen and breathing secondhand smoke, and came to the firm conclusion that internet cafes were places of both joy and sorrow. * d0a61246 Young people at their most electric. ·d543fbf0· Young people at their lowest. #3e142f5d
They both had cash in their pockets and were in decent spirits, walking home at an easy pace. [v.d9e53233] Nine in the morning, housewives heading back from the market. [ed.e58bf111] Thea swung by the grocery stalls on the way. [ms.51535e6f] Kade followed her. (8588661f) Passing a little clothing shop on the street, he stopped her. ©42c9e860/May 27, 2026 Both of them were starting school. ··14710fe2 They needed new clothes. sub:2b93bbc4
At school, Thea wore nothing but her uniform.·dc3debac Everything else was bargain-bin stuff -- five-dollar tank tops, ten-dollar T-shirts. [proof:68edbda8] Somehow she still didn't look bad in them. ed.60d20d5e Pale skin, dark hair, those thick lashes and that quiet, delicate air did all the heavy lifting. plate-a2a8305d Kade's clothes were whatever he grabbed off the rack. (7c49ac5a/Wed) He didn't care.·666424fb He'd gone through a phase -- loud shirts, ripped jeans -- but lately it was just T-shirts and pants, day in, day out. sub:a7806260 Wore them till they fell apart, tossed them, repeat. ed.77495551 Same two outfits on rotation. ··8bda2431
They kitted themselves out head to toe. ¶1ab699ac Nothing fancy -- T-shirts, pants, sneakers. ref·fedde6b4 On the way out, while Kade smoked by a trash can, Thea slipped into the shop next door. [proof:3c3afba6] The lingerie shop. (c9f3cbd2/Wed) She was skinny, and under baggy T-shirts she still wore little cotton camisoles in small sizes. no.03c9984a They were tight enough to flatten everything. §d5821eea She'd been having chest pains, and the camisoles stretched out after too many washes. ‹0b04024f› She knew girls her age had already moved on to real bras, but Thea had never had the nerve to buy one. ed.ad959d51 Tammy had never gotten the chance to teach her about periods or developing.·37f6281d She'd figured everything out alone. ‹a8971b34›
Thea was mortified, but she steeled herself and started haggling with the shop owner. ref·47f7bf64 Kade wandered over looking for her. no.112e64b9 Usually he strutted around like he owned the place -- not a trace of teenage awkwardness -- but walking face-first into a wall of bras and panties stopped even him. [v.3e85f407] His eyes met Thea's, and his body did a sharp pivot, gaze shooting skyward. ⁰04160444
The shop lady had volume. 0406e45f·· "Thirty bucks each, can't go lower. #f55a51a2 This bra's perfect for a young girl like you. ◆ b59e81e4 Look at that pink -- and the lace trim. [v.dec7605a] Great support. sub:071c75ec Won't bounce when you run.·464a3689 Let me hold it up against you, see?·e49256db That's your size." «d179cd40»
Someone she knew was standing right outside. ⁰b3fa5e0a Thea was dying. «1567dfd3» She kept batting away the lady's enthusiasm, just wanting to pay and bolt. ref·082e5eb4
Kade stood there, hands in his pockets, slight frown, looking anywhere but at the shop. ©5f17674e/May 27, 2026 Thirty bucks for *that*? He'd heard his buddy brag about taking his girlfriend shopping for these things -- a scrap of fabric running hundreds of dollars. ··ef05341b Every magazine and TV ad swore you had to buy the good stuff or your chest would sag and spread. imp.c78a6786 And Tammy -- goddamn Tammy -- walked off with tens of thousands and left her daughter behind. ⟨de780ff7⟩ He'd gotten roped into babysitting. plate-44ca91dd
"Thea." [proof:edf9529c] He called her out. plate-8af8a4f5 "Come on." * 66aeb60a
"Huh?" ed.e9c1d480
"Come on, come on. 771e641d·· Move it." ·54c2c549·
He was in a hurry. ©c186664d/May 27, 2026 Thea was relieved to have an exit, dodged the shop lady, and escaped. #33a5d1b1
They finished the rest of their shopping, picked up groceries, and headed home. [ms.3744a049] Passing a nicer lingerie store, Kade's feet stuttered.·9ad92f63 Stopped. ed.0725350e Stuttered again. ¶7213c01c His face was a little flushed. plate-d36594dd He half-pointed at the door. — ad1268ce "You wanna... go take a look?" [ms.ecdccf77]
"Huh? ref·a3630ad5 What?" ·1d770a86· Thea caught on, twisted her wrists, face burning, and glanced at the shop. ··d464c9bf
"Not like we're broke." ¶c1bb0805 He slouched there, cigarette in his mouth, shoving money at her. [ed.f58c9c1c] "Go on in. [v.02dca0b4] I gotta -- I've got a thing. ◆ 2210f925 Heading back." «3c32a0ad»
An hour later, Thea came home with two bras on sale. — 262b84f8 There was a small bounce in her step. [ms.7a0a07fd] The shop girl had been sweet about it -- showed her how to wear them, measured her size, told her she had a beautiful figure. plate-26c85515 Thea liked pretty things. [v.312c9298] She'd picked two soft white ones with lace and little pearl details. sub:39e925ee A girl's coming of age shouldn't be all darkness and poverty. ··77f9b034 It should be beautiful. * 3402fe47 Pure. #2f9e1b15
At home, the morning's purchases sat on the table. [proof:fdd0f0a8] Kade was out, off somewhere. no.28a2ac8b Thea cooked, cleaned, washed both their new outfits, and hung them on the balcony line. [proof:a7756199] Blue sky overhead. [ed.da4a7847] Water dripping from the untwisted hems, fluttering in the wind. #db835431 The feeling was specific -- like dust settling. sub:d1a37020 Like a kite still in the air, string uncut, but with a tether now. no.0595214a She finally had a place. [proof:f7930fdd]
First day of high school, Thea paid her own tuition with money she'd earned. (1a8de1f7) The campus was nicer than middle school -- fancier, more polished. imp.65dc67a4 The kids walking through those gates were either geniuses or loaded. [v.e7cb66b8] It was a bit of a commute, so she'd need a bike or the bus. §254b18ac Evening study hall ran late, though, and the buses stopped running. no.39450da0 Thea opted for the dorms. [ms.e152baa6] After paying room and board, she almost regretted it. plate-a4ffe197 The cafeteria was pricey. #478ff808 Nickel-and-dime fees added up everywhere. sig.6e3a6de4 Living at home might've been cheaper. no.b594078c She didn't want to be a burden on Kade. no.59baac7b He was barely older than her and still in school himself. ·4f9b63b5·
High school was demanding. no.d9876574 Six to a dorm room. (d1e1f2f1) Peak of adolescence. ¶4cfd2849 Thea stayed the way she'd always been -- alone, quiet, deliberately vague about her circumstances. sub:d37c6d5d Avoided keeping up with anyone's spending. 227cfa1e·· Fewer questions. * da4a4abd Fewer complications. [proof:bbe15990] More time for studying. ©a6cf1472/May 27, 2026
Plenty of boys in class tried to get her attention, asked her out, invited her to things. ⁰f0952192 She shut them all down. §988f0ac0 Thea Warren: ice queen behind a veil. (ab072b96) Beautiful and untouchable. [v.af514616]
Her phone never rang. imp.11074192 Kade had no reason to call her, and she had no reason to call him. [f0261ec7] But in her emergency contacts, his number was the only one listed. — galley 73a4edcf — Relationship: brother. #eeb40e71 When the homeroom teacher asked about her parents, Thea told them they worked out of state. no.c42c7437 She lived with her brother. ··bce29f9d The teacher assumed she was a latchkey kid, and that this "brother" was a grown man. ‹452c128c›
But weekends home, Kade was always there. * dc109c39 She'd cook, do laundry, tidy up. ed.3d349a65 He'd game, sleep, eat. [v.0813a210] Two days together. [ms.1be9de30] Sometimes Kade rode the motorcycle to drop her off at school, pulling up at the gates looking cool as hell, turning heads. imp.d57a1f5f
Asking Kade for money was excruciating. imp.11a020b6 Thea found her own ways to earn a little -- she was past the scrapyard days now. (8dfade6e) A high school kid had options. ¶6bcdc5bd She ghostwrote homework and exams for Kade's trade school classmates. (6b72b325/Wed) She picked up shifts at the night market, sold things at a street stall. imp.796ab1d3 But mostly it came from Kade. [40a848d4] He always had cash on him, and whatever he didn't give Thea, he'd blow on fun. sig.77adf7ae She never asked for much. sig.0d003d94 She was frugal to the bone -- basically spent nothing at school beyond meals. ©dff3cea0/May 27, 2026 The bigger hits were tutoring fees and textbooks. imp.c68a6b4c
When Kade had money, he'd hand over five or six hundred at once. [proof:c35f38b6] When he was broke, he'd still scrape together a few bucks somehow. [a3a6d02f] Money that didn't go to Thea was going to get spent on pool or eating out or fun anyway. ◆ 300ef3ce When Thea tried to turn it down, he'd force it on her. ··8173a2d7
"If you don't spend it, it's gone by tomorrow. [v.78fe48d0] Might as well hold onto it. ◆ 1908d0ac I'll come asking for it back when I'm broke." fa0a6fc4··
Thea thought about it. sig.9d7efee5 Quietly took the money. §acccb58a
Kade's friends ran the gamut. imp.88790945 He always had a crew around him -- pool, eating, drinking, messing around. — 176dac57 Endless places to go and things to get into.·863b0370 Whatever was dirty, whatever was thrilling, he'd seen it by now. ref·2d4ce4e6 At seventeen, eighteen, everything was running hot. [proof:9e0cd971] The blood in your veins practically hummed. «56da76fa»
That was the age where you could go sideways fast. ©52989f2f/May 27, 2026 But Kade was sharp. (c507b239) Slippery. (18989cd3/Wed) Had been since he was a kid -- an eel nobody could pin down. 9bf3087f·· He raised plenty of hell, but he never went off the deep end. ◆ 3e74c90a His crowd of delinquents played games, gambled, fought, and looked at dirty magazines. ◆ 24a97ca9 Friends were getting girlfriends left and right, or worse. ⁰e651b218 Girls who liked Kade -- girls who chased him outright -- there were plenty. sub:a99f5d28 But early on, he hadn't fully clicked into that gear yet. «c351fd35» Pool, racing, gaming -- those were enough to hold his interest. (59bf6d59/Wed) Way more fun than hanging on some girl. ref·df02b589 Once the switch did flip, and pretty girls started batting their eyes right in his face, he'd get cagey. ◆ 9f645543 Back off. imp.79f342dd He didn't have the money for a girlfriend. no.89f6cba6
His situation was different. [proof:5b10b899] No parents, no income. ref·66171d39 What he earned went to school, to feeding himself, to running with the guys, to upgrades and gear. ref·6606e0cb And now he had a leech enrolled at the fancy prep school. — galley e6ddae1d — He didn't have the spare cash for dinners and dates and gifts and hotel rooms. cee7f570·· Kade had just enough pride not to mooch. [ms.8897cc7c] And watching his buddy get whipped by that girl he was seeing -- honestly, being single was better. ··3bab8794
Days blurred together. [v.daeb5bea] Mostly good. «d7da65a0» Thea worked the internet cafe with him over fall break. no.5b8a5f02 He brought home a couple of big crabs for Thanksgiving. no.39972eae They hustled a little side business over Christmas to make extra money. plate-63f56cc3 Then school started again, and Thea wanted to move back home. ◆ 77f12f93 Kade said it was too far, too much hassle -- he'd have to keep checking in on her. #9df181f5 Better to meet up on weekends over a home-cooked meal. no.d95ea593 That worked fine. ¶80bed6d2
Two months into the semester, Thea got an unexpected phone call. #e0ae7a39 Kade was in the hospital. plate-af854f12
A motorcycle wreck on the mountain, at night. ··cb26a732 Multiple crews had squared off. ¶27f9cfc2 Kade had been running hot, riding out front, already had beef with some of the other riders. imp.c1ce2d96 That night, someone deliberately blocked the course. ⁰b0a69799 Chain collision. imp.6cdceabc Kade went down first. ref·6a612251 Lucky -- and fast on the brakes -- or he would've gone off the mountain. 7135a01b·· Instead he skidded across rock and came out covered in blood. ◆ 8da97c25 Broken leg. [v.6a8382c5] Lying in the hospital, bleeding everywhere. ed.9f64eebe
Thea ran to the hospital. [a91bd736] Ricky, Fuzz, and the rest of the crew were already crowded around the bed. 14c64395·· She looked at Kade. sub:cb5b37b9 Big, clear eyes. ‹007a1051› White face. §75b23e9a Didn't say a word. ‹b3661d16›
Kade's face was a patchwork of colors, but he was alive and cracking jokes. [9a0ca38c] Someone who didn't know Thea -- seeing her in her school uniform -- asked if this was Kade's secret girlfriend or some innocent schoolgirl he'd corrupted. 1693ea78·· Kade grinned, teeth and all. no.8e8e67d4
"Get lost. plate-0a0fb97d She's my sister." sig.edf582a9
"Which *good sister*? How many good sisters you got, Kade?" [9554b3f4]
"She's family!" ‹3b4e980a›
He shooed everyone away. imp.1dc160cf Sprawled there, cocky even horizontal, teasing her. ··e8edd3af "I'm not dead. ··87834353 Why the funeral face?"·c9fbd07a
"If you *were* dead..." Thea's lips moved. [ed.3a228bdb] Eyes going red. ¶fbff6588 "What... what would I do?" ·c98128a1·
"Whatever you'd do. sig.8f7ca51c Find your mom. [ed.cdfe5f13] Can't find your mom, find your dad. ©e2b4ef04/May 27, 2026 Can't find your dad, find your relatives. [v.177be769] Worst case, there's always the foster system." ref·dca44554 His voice was light, breezy. [proof:6ec44b9b] "You and me, we're not exactly close." * 4bed68c1
He wasn't going to die. sub:00526d8d The injuries weren't that serious. (a2d9ba4d) The blood was mostly surface-level. [v.0f984c34] The fracture was the real problem -- he'd need a few months of rest. §c2e903e3
"Okay, but what if you were paralyzed? ⁰c78f0d3a What if they had to amputate? — b90258fe What if your face got wrecked? * 90c62841 What then?" no.1aeba859
Those clear eyes on him, unwavering. imp.1fd6493a
"Damn, who talks like that? ⁰79f84502 You cursing me or what?" * 59792421 Kade thought about it. (2a01d72e/Wed) "In that case, yeah. §f80f996b Just let me die. sub:83eb4fbd I'd off myself." ‹bf21514a›
Who else was gonna take care of him? [ms.4aa9e873]
Thea took days off, running back and forth between the hospital and home. [v.94514ec4] Treatment, X-rays, hospital bills, medications, nutrition -- it drained both their savings dry. #3368db78 Ricky and the crew pooled some cash for Thea. ··d92c2f46 Barely enough to keep them both eating. ⟨f1c6db0b⟩
"Go to class. ee600586·· Aren't you busy?" #60776720 Kade tried to shoo her from his hospital bed. ed.f57fc05a "Why do you keep coming? [v.fe88d255] Ricky and the guys bring me food. ⟨2767dbc8⟩ You don't need to be here." ⟨4fa162a7⟩
Thea ladled out the chicken soup she'd made, poured it from a thermos into a bowl, and handed it over. plate-05c187ca "I'm at school during the day. — ecf0c32b I got the teacher to excuse me from evening study hall. [ed.cf2e3b65] The bus route passes right by here, so I bring you dinner on the way. ··505a00f5 Doesn't mess with my classes." ·5be4feb2·
"Don't come at night. [proof:10022669] It's not safe." imp.58530bb4 He took the bowl, dipped his head, and drank a mouthful of rich, golden broth. ©8a23a86d/May 27, 2026
Thea sat beside the bed, thinking for a long time. ⟨262c1704⟩ Finally she turned to him. [ed.32af904e] "I ran into Fuzz. ⁰35b2d686 He told me your motorcycle's been fixed. — 79701666 It's at the shop." — 0f2e5d54 A pause. ca6a7a82·· "Why don't... you sell it?" ed.826a068b
Kade frowned.·e86475ef That motorcycle was his baby. (52a238bb/Wed) He'd sunk real money into the modifications. [proof:f31308b8]
"We're broke." sig.b0720667 Thea reached into her pocket. imp.0192d5ee "I just paid another bill downstairs. no.f3212603 A few more days and we'll be going hungry." #27a8ccb5
The bravado drained from his face. ⁰634a9c59 Jaw tightened. «6b2b3bc5» Lips pressed. ¶c21855ab "Fine. [v.5b16118e] Sell it." [v.6f4f6674]
Then, not ready to let it go: "Goddammit." imp.44b07b20
Just like that, quietly, without drama, Kade let go of the motorcycle that had been his pride and joy -- the one that had turned heads and drawn screams wherever it went. #282be7df
After two weeks in the hospital, Kade came home in a cast, on crutches. #4edd0ed6 He couldn't go anywhere. [proof:25273d21] Even after the cast came off, his leg wasn't healed enough to walk right, and he refused to go out and be seen limping. [ms.3021d6c5] The worst part wasn't the injury. [proof:58054290] It was the hit to his pride. ©1a428647/May 27, 2026 Kade had been reckless his whole life, charging headfirst into everything. ◆ 2911e8db He'd never once been this busted up, hobbling around like this. — 159cc9b8
Thea moved back home from the dorms to take care of him. ◆ 1a0bc946 Had Fuzz pick up a secondhand bicycle. [v.a5c69e9e] She rode it to school every day. — galley d13b26fe —
One of them had to go to school. [proof:96c0f758] The other couldn't move. ◆ 6e9e8a02 Which meant they were burning through savings with zero income and no safety net. — galley 218b2e91 —
When they were down to plain pasta, Kade was climbing the walls. ◆ a6140da9 Out of cigarettes, too. sub:1269d27e Thea watched him slumped on the couch, miserable. [proof:e2d23ecd] T-shirt wrinkled like a rag, stubble on his jaw. ¶3846c4fa Scruffy and deflated. ⁰16a15620
"Do beer promo girls make good money?" ¶ffe4df89 She sat on the couch, folding laundry. §7fda30d7 "How much per day? ©6c4f9602/May 27, 2026 Is it just selling drinks?" ref·3cee0b3f
Kade cracked one lazy eye open. [48ceb3a6] "It's getting paid to drink with the customers. ‹643f95d6› You drink one, they buy ten. no.6251a6fe Guys grabbing your thigh. §93b6f07b That sound good to you?" sig.a4cad0a9
"Yes." * 2620e753 Thea's voice was steady. ⟨dc91ec2e⟩
A lighter came sailing through the air and cracked her right on the skull. ref·6ed4e6b8 She winced, teeth bared.·c1d3b545
He got up. ¶216350a9 Dragged his bad leg across the room to change his shirt, furious. ⁰15eca008 Headed for the door. d2968805··
"Where are you going?" §dde98ce2
"I'm not f*cking paralyzed. [aa4df60f] I can still go outside, can't I?" (def1f96d) He tossed back one sentence. #d5b51b97 "You stay home." plate-1967958f
Kade wasn't about to go beg his friends for handouts. ©82f34648/May 27, 2026 Wasn't about to borrow money or run some petty hustle either. [bb099868] He went straight to a construction site, found the foreman, bummed a cigarette, talked himself in. e0dd55d5·· Joined the crew doing renovations. sub:5837ca82 Interior demo, bricklaying, painting -- his brain was fast, his hands were faster, and he was big and strong. [ms.bdaf3ce4] Perfect for smashing walls and hauling materials. — d27bafcf
Pay was daily. plate-47f760c0 Two hundred bucks a day. (c67a0941/Wed) Enough to keep them fed. §8540bef0
He crept in late that night. [proof:73f18f0e] Thea saw the dust in his hair and eyebrows, the filthy clothes, the work gloves dropped by the door. ref·399dae96 She stood there stunned for a long time. ¶b9f8bca4
"Buy some meat. ©d1feb8e5/May 27, 2026 I want meat." — 253b8ab4 He slapped the cash down, teeth clenched, and disappeared into the bathroom. ¶aff95c45
That job lasted straight through until his leg fully healed. [proof:05622e68] Steady income, no worries about bills. (66151cee/Wed) He could crash at the site too. [ed.f366ab06] He'd bring his dirty clothes home for Thea to wash, and they always needed hard scrubbing by hand. §9e5cce4a Couldn't get the paint out no matter what.·ff0b75ff When summer came, Thea started bringing him lunch and helping out. ·7edaac3e·
The summer heat was brutal. [ms.acafb64a] Kade's crew was renovating someone's new place. §577ad7a1 No electricity hooked up yet. ref·ae89c3f3 The small rooms were stifling and filthy. [ed.0d0a6495] Thea brought a lunch box, ice water, half a watermelon. plate-f611cc62 She found him shirtless, sitting against a wall on his break. «fde56f35» The floor was layered with newspaper and loose pages, his T-shirt tossed aside. no.da94986e Legs splayed, a cigarette in one hand, a book in the other. ⁰e47a3efe
Books from who knows where -- maybe used as floor padding or wallpaper, maybe tossed out by someone. no.b0371950 Dog-eared, yellowed pages. imp.f032e642 *The Water Margin. [ed.ae493556] The Count of Monte Cristo. §1393d3f1 How the Steel Was Tempered. [ed.b29790ba] The Red and the Black.* Even a copy of some WWII memoir. §934c4c02
He was reading with real focus.·89f29283 Buzz cut dusted with grime, deep tan muscles slicked with sweat, chest and shoulders coated in a fine layer of dust. — 688338bf Muscle lines streaked with red scratches and gray smudges from his own fingers. §4411582c Thea watched his thick lashes flicker, watched his cigarette hand turn a page, watched him take an absent drag without looking up. ⁰f5a89b00 Lashes fluttered again, slow exhale of smoke. d81c4e23·· Like a still life. [proof:7873ec74] Like a sculpture of a young man, frozen in something almost beautiful. «42b89869»
Kade didn't notice her standing there. ‹1706a539› Not until Thea walked in, sat down cross-legged beside him, told him softly that lunch was ready, and asked what he was reading. §c1608120
"*The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.*" His eyes hadn't caught up yet, voice carrying a smile. [25e27fdf] "It's really good. [proof:f638caca] Can't believe I never found these before. «8f84d0f5» Way more interesting than video games." imp.ea055f24
Thea's eyes seemed to catch dust. [proof:91f048c6] She blinked, hard and fast. [5b4821fe]
He put the book down and demolished the food -- ate like an animal, fast and graceless, everything Thea had brought wiped clean. #1a572159 Then he reminded her to pick some things up on the way home and take his dirty clothes back to wash. ⟨12247e11⟩
Thea sat with him a while. plate-e3a28a95 He wanted to nap -- lay back on the newspaper, book over his face. «d7ee73d0» Told her to head home early.·406c0e0d She gathered her things and left. plate-1501962a At the doorway, she looked back at him one more time. [v.180aff10]
Home. ‹238d9dd7› Washing his clothes. «14d27ff7» She soaked the shirt in the basin, dumped in detergent, but the stains wouldn't come clean. ·cca9cfee· She scrubbed until her fingers were raw and red. «7aa0ff91» The paint wouldn't budge. ·6151650f· She threw the shirt back into the basin, dirty water splashing onto her, buried her face in her knees, and sobbed. 01925b64·· When she was done, she pulled out her phone and called Tammy. ©d3b3f6d3/May 27, 2026 Then she ran out of the apartment, looking for the man Tammy had left with -- knocked on his family's door, asked if anyone had heard from either of them. sig.789dfe6e
By the time Kade's leg was fully healed, those days had passed quietly into memory. [ed.f8999b6f]
After trade school, Kade still wasn't eighteen. ‹3441a8a1› He was done with street racing -- betting your life lost its thrill. (15ca497e) But now he could actually step into the real world. ··b59bb94d He went with friends to a club to shoot pool. [ms.f1a28c71] He was good -- really good. (b961a35c/Wed) Won his way through a lot of people, met all kinds. * 9fa6eadf Caught the eye of a nightclub manager. ⁰57328dd6 His first real job: club security. ref·6c70f3d3
These days, punks didn't copy the movies, running around with knives and picking street fights. [proof:31a4db0c] Shakedowns and protection rackets were old school. ed.cfa5bf88 Everyone had rebranded -- demolition crews, debt collection, entertainment venues, exclusive supply deals. — galley 9bed3f49 — Yesterday's thugs were today's businessmen. — dc034fb3
Kade never worried about money again after that. [ed.515b0c3a] The first time he walked through the front door in a suit, even a cheap one looked different on him. ‹2df01241› Something athletic and untamed about the way he wore it. no.b7eac522 He'd never had an awkward phase, it seemed. [v.e3790f89] Always that same steady, wild, fearless energy. [ms.eef316e6]