Silence settled between them as the train continued towards Mancur City. Max knew that silence was an answer in itself. It made it clear there were things he was keeping from Aaron, and whatever he said next wouldn't be the whole truth.
If anything, he wondered why Aaron had waited so long to question him. He had given Max plenty of opportunities to explain, without forcing the subject. Now that he had finally asked, a poor excuse would only invite more questions.
Max decided against giving him one.
"I'm sure you've had a lot of questions," he said. "And I want to thank you for not digging too deeply while we were dealing with everything. But, for my own reasons, I can't tell you the truth right now."
He watched Aaron's face, hoping to understand how he had taken that answer. As usual, though, Aaron was difficult to read.
