Elias looked at the empty spot on his driveway. For the first time in years, he didn't see a problem. He saw a clean slate—and he had enough cash in his pocket to finally take his grandkids down to the pier for a proper dinner.
Jax didn't haggle. He knew the market, and he knew the value of a quick turnaround in Broward County. He peeled off a stack of crisp bills—more than Elias expected for a car that currently housed a family of lizards—and handed them over.
"She’s seen a lot of Atlantic salt air, huh?" Jax chuckled, wiping grease from his forehead.
An hour later, a flatbed truck rumbled down the palm-lined street. The driver, a man named Jax whose skin looked like weathered leather, hopped out with a clipboard. He didn't see a scrap heap; he saw an afternoon’s work. He circled the car, checking the VIN and the catalytic converter with the practiced eye of a diamond appraiser.
As the winch groaned, pulling the sedan onto the truck, Elias felt a strange sense of relief. The heavy metal ghost was finally leaving. Jax climbed back into the cab, waved a gloved hand, and disappeared toward I-95.