Chris found life to be enjoyable.
With the retired general as his backer, he no longer had to worry about being bullied or ostracized. The fear that once clung to him like a shadow had been burned away by the warm light of newfound security. Life, as Chris came to realize, was pretty sweet when you had someone powerful standing in your corner.
"Dear, what should we do?" Mrs. Ray asked her husband, pacing the length of their spacious living room. Worry creased her usually pristine features. Brian no longer kept appointments like he used to. He'd changed. The once-dedicated prodigy was now skipping engagements and spending most of his time with the devil incarnate—the very boy who had ruined their carefully constructed life. Chris.
Worse still, they couldn't touch Chris. Not anymore. Not after that single, chilling warning from the old general.
