Chapter 1The Assistant and The Axe

I found out my wife’s grandfather was in the ICU, fading fast, while I was on a road trip with her parents.

To give them a chance to say one last goodbye, I drove for six hours straight through the night. I pulled into a service plaza halfway there, figuring the old couple could use a bite to eat. The lot was packed, so I took one of the exclusive reserved spots near the entrance. I made sure to leave my number on the dash with a note.

We were halfway through our meal when I overheard the table next to us talking about some guy smashing up a car outside.

I walked out to see the front end of my Lincoln crumpled like a tin can, the windshield a spiderweb of shattered glass on the pavement. A man was still there, swinging an axe, hacking at the car’s body with a wild frenzy.

As I got closer, I realized the universe had a sick sense of humor.

The man with the axe was Kevin Shaw, my wife’s personal assistant.

* * *

Seeing my car, a gift from my parents for my 25th birthday, completely mangled… it hurt. I never asked what it cost, only that it was a custom state-commissioned model, one of only a hundred in the world.

I walked up to him. "Are you done?"

He recognized me, a cold smirk spreading across his face. "Well, well, if it isn't Mr. Kane. What brings you out here? Enjoying the show?"

I keep this car in a private garage. I rarely drive it, only bringing it out for this trip with my in-laws. Very few people would even know it was mine. I figured he must have seen the contact info I left on the dash.

"Don't tell me this car is yours," Kevin sneered, his tone dripping with disdain. "Nah, a man of your… status… wouldn't be caught dead in a domestic."

As a junior assistant at the company, his arrogance was fueled entirely by my wife, Isabelle. No matter what mistake he made at the office, she was always there to cover for him.

I managed a small smile. "Some domestic cars you can afford to smash. Others, not so much."

Kevin just scoffed. "Is that a joke, Mr. Kane? I pull in over thirty grand a month, plus a two-hundred-thousand-dollar bonus last quarter. There isn't a domestic car on the planet I can't afford to wreck."

Ignorance is bliss, I guess. Spoken like a small man who's never seen the real world.

"I left my number on the dashboard. You didn't see it?"

"Did you? Maybe you forgot."

I knew this was personal. He was always pulling petty stunts at the office, spreading rumors that I was just a pretty-faced freeloader who’d married into the Ross family fortune without an ounce of talent to my name.

"Does Isabelle know you act like this in public?"

Kevin laughed. "What's Isabelle got to do with this? You're the one who parked in my spot."

This service plaza, if I remembered correctly, was leased by the Ross family. They'd paid for a three-year contract and hired a private firm to manage it. At every plaza they controlled, there were two exclusive parking spots. One was for Isabelle. The other was always kept empty.

The realization that the empty spot now belonged to Kevin Shaw confirmed a suspicion I'd had for a long time.

Isabelle was cheating on me.

Kevin’s grin widened. "Oh, that's right, you wouldn't know, would you, Mr. Kane? There are only two reserved spots here. I've earned Ms. Ross's high regard. Not like you, who married in three years ago and can't even get a parking spot to your name."

He was right. It sounded pathetic. Three years of marriage, three years of bending to her every whim, and in the end, I was worth less than the dog at her heel.

I was done talking. "I suggest you come up with a solution, right now. I'd rather not call the police."

"A solution? You want me to pay for it?" He burst out laughing. "Fine. I'll wire you a hundred grand. Consider the car bought."

Seeing his absolute confidence, I sighed. "It's 2025, man. What century are you living in?"

"Then how much do you want?"

"We can discuss compensation later," I said, my voice dangerously calm. "But if you make me late, you'll have to live with the consequences."

Isabelle's grandfather was on his deathbed. My in-laws were desperate to see him one last time. If we were delayed because of this… well, I could only do so much. If a person was determined to stand in my way, what could I do?