Chapter 1

"Look at that hunk of junk, officers!"

I had just wrapped up a routine inspection and climbed out of the elevator shaft with the maintenance crew when I looked up.

There was Walter Grady, spraying spit as he yelled, standing next to two uniformed city council officers.

"That Mitchell Crowe kid thinks he can build whatever he wants on the main road out of town just because he's got money," Walter sneered. "He's running a toll booth out there like some kind of highway robber! You guys have to do something about this!"

He lifted his walking stick, the muddy tip coming inches from my nose.

I squinted and took a step back, my eyes still adjusting to the bright daylight outside the shaft.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Dorothy Brooks waiting near the elevator, clutching her young grandson's hand and looking anxious.

She had a backpack slung over her shoulder, a lunchbox in one hand, and a grocery basket over her arm. She had to drop the boy off at school before heading into town to pick up some groceries for the week.

Instead of jumping into an argument, I told the technician to get the elevator moving so Dorothy could get on her way.

But Walter refused to let it go. When I ignored him, he threw himself in front of the elevator doors. He blocked the entrance with his own body, refusing to let anyone pass.

Finally losing my patience, I frowned and confronted him. "Mr. Grady, what exactly is your problem?"

Walter banged his walking stick against the metal doors, looking smug and self-righteous as he bellowed, "My problem? I'm just looking out for the community! Just look at everyone here, bleeding money every single day just to use your crappy elevator to leave town!"

My face hardened. Refusing to stoop to his level, I swallowed my anger and gave a stiff, frosty reply.

"It's a 1,500-foot ride up and down. The 50-cent charge doesn't even cover a fraction of the electricity bill, let alone the building materials I paid for out of my own pocket."

Marcus Crowe, who had been watching the whole spectacle unfold, let out a sharp whistle. He pointed at the maintenance workers standing with me, a mocking smirk on his face.

"Oh, come on! You can afford to hire a whole crew of workers, yet you expect us to believe you're not pocketing a profit?"

His words made my blood boil, and I had to grit my teeth hard to keep my composure.

Marcus was a cousin on Dad's side of the family—a total deadbeat who spent his days loitering. Yet, he used the elevator more than anyone else in town.

Not only did he hold up the other residents who actually had places to be, but he also constantly filled the elevator cabin with cigarette smoke.

For Dad's sake, I had quietly paid to install an air purification system without uttering a single complaint.

Who would've thought that he would be the first to stab me in the back?

I looked him dead in the eye as I enunciated, "Marcus, when you sprained your ankle over Labor Day weekend, I didn't charge you a single dime. I even drove you to the hospital myself.

"That so-called toll booth doesn't even have a security camera. It runs entirely on an honor system. You ride this elevator five or six times a day, so look me in the eye and tell me, have I ever forced anyone to pay up?"