Chapter 1

The phone in Steve’s car suddenly began playing Battle Hymn of the Republic. Admittedly an odd tune for an Uber driver to use for ride notifications, but it most definitely got your attention. Steve sat forward and swiped the screen.

“RIDE REQUEST” Showed on the Uber Pro screen. Only an eight-dollar ride, but the rider had a five-star rating and she was only a few blocks away. He could always cancel the ride if he didn’t like what he saw. It might affect his rating, but he’d find a way around the low rating.

Steve accepted the ride and quickly sprayed air freshener around the car. He pulled his Tesla Model Y out of the parking lot and headed toward his pickup destination. The car set him back about nine hundred dollars a month for the next four years, but it was worth it. In the last year, he had the fewest cancellations and the most repeats.

His phone buzzed, and the text message reader on the control panel showed one new message. “Read Text,” Steve called out to no one in particular, and the car read the body of text that scrolled across the screen. It was a request for new prime merchandise from his other employer. This might be his lucky day. If he could fill the order, he might be able to pay a chunk early for the car.

His pulse quickened as he pulled up to his ride’s location. The woman was about five foot eight, if you took away the “Fuck me Heels,” and had the nicest wavy blonde hair. She also had a huge chest. They had to be at least D or E Cups. It looked like she would fit the bill.

Steve pulled up to the curb next to her lowered the passenger-side rear window and waited. “Are you my driver, Steve?” she asked in a sing-song voice.

“And you’re Constance?” he asked in a non-committal tone. He’d practiced indifference for a whole year now. He was good at seeming indifferent to just about everything.

“That’s me,” she sang, “But you can call me Connie.”

“Hop in Connie,” Steve said, and he opened the rear passenger door for her. “Seat belt, please.” He continued, and as he saw her put on her belt, he tapped his app and pulled away.

Today would be a good day, Steve decided and a few minutes after starting his ride, he pulled out a face mask and put it on. When Connie asked about it Steve said. “You’re good, I have a bit of a cough, I don’t want to make you sick. Connie smiled and Steve suddenly noticed a five-star rating pop up, with a note saying, “Very Considerate.”

Steve put up all the windows and then tapped a small pressure switch near his left foot. There was a hiss and a light lavender scent filled the cabin. It only took a minute or two, before Steve heard a thump from the back, as Connie’s phone dropped to the floor and she slumped forward against her seat belt. Steve reached her destination and completed the ride with his five-star rating, went offline from Uber, and turned off the interior cameras. He drove to an abandoned warehouse near his location. He pulled Connie out and unceremoniously stuffed her into the front trunk of the Tesla, with her purse, and phone, which he turned off entirely.