Chapter 2

2.

The whole thing started simply enough.

Two hours ago, I picked Lyra up for a ride. As soon as she got in, the smell of cheap, overpowering perfume almost knocked me out.

We hadn't even gone a mile before she pulled out a cigarette and lit up.

My car is strictly non-smoking. I spend half my life keeping it clean and aired out, no matter how cold it is outside.

I politely asked her to put it out.

She ignored me and started flicking her ashes onto my leather seats.

I pulled over to the curb and told her if she didn't stop, she had to get out.

That's when she flipped.

She started screaming and cursing at me inside the car. She snapped my phone mount and threw a half-full cup of boba tea all over me.

Before I could even react, she ripped her own collar. She messed up her hair and scrambled out the door.

She ran down the street screaming for help.

A crowd of people who didn't know any better surrounded my car. They almost flipped it over before the police arrived.

And that's how I ended up here.

Right now, my leather seats were probably ruined by sticky tea. And I was stuck listening to her fairy tales.

"Officer, this man is a menace to society!"

Lyra saw the deputies had me pinned, so she hopped off the floor. Her stomach ache miraculously disappeared.

She leaned over the officer's desk, acting like she owned the place.

"I'm not settling this quietly. I want him in prison! I also want a hundred thousand dollars for emotional distress and lost wages!"

A hundred thousand?

She was out of her mind.

I let out a dry laugh. "A hundred thousand? Why don't you just rob a bank?"

Lyra pointed a manicured nail at me. "A broke loser like you won't make that much in a lifetime! If you can't pay, you can rot in a cell!"

The officer tapped his pen impatiently. "Enough! Let's get the facts straight. Do you have a dashcam?"

Mentioning the camera made me feel a bit more secure.

"Yes. I have a dual-lens setup. Everything is on the SD card."

Lyra's expression flickered for a split second, but she quickly masked it with more arrogance.

"He definitely deleted it! I saw him messing with his phone for a long time in the car!"

I didn't even bother looking at her. I spoke directly to the officer.

"The card is in the dashcam. Your team can go grab it from my car in the lot. It'll show exactly what happened."

The officer nodded and sent a deputy out to my impounded car to get the evidence.

Just then, the door to the room swung open.

A massive guy with gold chains and sleeves of tattoos walked in.

I knew right then that things were about to get a lot worse.