When Vlad mentioned a secret, Max grinned. Who else could keep a secret better than a fellow murderer? They both knew something terrible about each other, and though they weren't intimately familiar, that made them quite close. Mutually assured destruction, that's what they called it on TV. It was one of those CSI shows. Or was it Criminal Minds? They all looked the same to him. "Buddy, I won't tell a soul," he said, dragging his fingers across his lips and locking them with a fake key. "Your secret's safe with me, you know that."
As Vlad finished the rest of his drink, Max got that dangerous little smile again. "Good. I think you'll be impressed, sensei." He chuckled, squeezing the skin of his dry lime slice. "I've been taking very good notes in class, after all."