Chapter 2: Deals and Ditches

Outside the theater, Mr. Grant—our family’s trusted driver and fixer—leans against the hood of a black Lincoln, arms crossed, scanning for trouble.

“It’s all set. The girl and her bike went into the ditch. She’s at St. Mary’s—laid up for a good while.”

He hands me a carefully packed Pyrex container—probably dinner from our housekeeper—and nods. “You should head to the boiler plant.”

The girl in question? Rachel Collins—the book’s plucky heroine herself.

After Jason got kicked out of the arts troupe, he took a job at the local power plant, working the boilers. Blue-collar, backbreaking labor—about as far from the limelight as you can get in Ohio.

Rachel, ever devoted, made it her mission to bring him lunch every single day. Rain or shine, she was there—thermal lunch bag in hand, bright smile on her face. Watching them edge closer, I knew I couldn’t just let things play out.

I wasn’t about to let my family’s fortune and reputation get trampled under Jason’s revenge arc. Not if I could help it.