Chapter 11 - TYLER'S CHOICE
Tyler faced:
reckless endangerment,
criminal mischief,
conspiracy,
and related charges.
His lawyer pushed cooperation.
Jake did not care.
At first.
Then Tyler asked to meet through lawyers.
Jake almost refused.
Then agreed.
Tyler said:
“I thought I could control it.”
Jake stared.
“The hook?”
“Everything.”
Speed.
Angle.
Release.
Distance.
“I race cars.”
Jake answered:
“You raced cars.”
Tyler looked down.
Then:
“I thought skill canceled risk.”
That sentence mattered.
Tyler had not been manipulated into believing the act was safe.
He had been arrogant enough to believe danger became manageable because he was good at driving.
Jake said:
“You know what I do for a living?”
“Drive.”
“No.”
Jake leaned forward.
“I manage what can go wrong.”
Weather.
Load.
Brakes.
People.
Routes.
“Good drivers respect what they can’t control.”
Tyler nodded.
That was the first apology Jake believed.
May you like
Not because it erased anything.
Because Tyler finally named the actual mistake.
