Carl sat in his car, head swiveling, looking for cops, old friends, an easy victim like a blind senior citizen. Then Lin called. He was stoked! His bowels went weak. It was the coup. A windfall. Proof that God was real.

He showered at the 24hr Fitness and put on a suit. Next, he sold his only copy of the Elite Men's Mag. Sold it for $10. Then he took the Blue Line to Lin’s firm. They ate in the company's cafe. An account manager extended a flash-drive and a purchase order. He deposited $6k. A grand was all he needed to get off the curb.

From the Travel Lodge in Fullerton, Carl went to work saving his magazine. First, Sheriya took him to an apartment building in Anaheim that let him pay for a three month lease. Then he updated his tags and insurance.

Baxter texted pictures to O'Ryan. He saw Carl moving into a new apartment! SMH! Carl even had a new iMac!

O'Ryan snorted. “That bachelor's in journalism is still one tough degree."

“Oh yeah? Who hired the hot-damn monkey?” O’Ryan’s partner asked.

"He made his own damn magazine. Got ah got-damn apartment or sumtin'. Got his car. Hmm. And still running with Sheriya."

O'Ryan sighed deeply. Anger took him over. His face turned blood red. He texted Baxter: “Hurt him. He's making a fool of us. He wants to take my money and work somewhere else. But don’t kill ‘em. I still need ‘em. Just, make’em pay a hospital bill."

Carl had to drop a hot one; or there wouldn't be another check. If he did good, however, he'd go from $7000 to $700,000 by the end of his lease.

He and Sheriya recruited models online most of the day. They were hungry. It was suppertime. Carl eased out the Arbor Park Apartments and into 5 o'clock traffic. He went south on State College, driving slowly.

They wanted Popeye's. It was two lights south. He cruised through Romney Avenue. He sped up a little. An off-white work van leap from the center lane and turned left. Carl collided with the van's passenger side; going 35 mph.

The safety belt restrained Sheriya. But her neck snapped - really hard. She lay limp in her seat. She was dead.

Carl went into shock. He tried to scream. Something snatched his voice.

An old white man in blue jeans and white T stepped out the van. He flashed a police badge. Carl dialed 911. "Accident at the Stater Bros. entrance off State College and Romney. My passenger is unconscious or dead. The man who hit us is flashing a police badge."

They disconnected. The white man palmed his forehead. "Look what you did to my van! You better have insurance."

"You jumped a red light!" Carl took out his license The cop snatched it. Then he took a picture of it. But he insisted that Carl only write down the cop’s information. No photos.

Paramedics. Fire Trucks. Cops. Sheriya had a pulse. Paramedics lifted her on a gurney. Police called the van’s driver by his nickname and waved him off. Carl’s car was totaled.

In the ambulance, doctors pressured Carl for insurance. He didn’t have any. Then they asked could he pay cash.

Carl called Miller. He took over.

-

Attorney Antoine Smith strutted with poise in Commissioner Chris Olson's chambers.

"Your honor, make these filthy rich entrepreneurs pay and apologize for their racism. This is what we proved: O’Ryan hired Carl in a permanent seasonal position to satisfy a hit - an assassination - put on him by Nicole Wozney of TNW Enterprises. Your honor, Wozney let her dog manage Carl. Yes. She left a vicious Great Dane in the call center, unattended, with Carl. That dog growled to make him work faster. It bit him! He bled and left bandaged.

“Carl wrote about Wozney on yelp. Wozney fired him. O’Ryan hired him. Then O’Ryan used “Hire Us Private Eyes” for a clandestine operation: Report on Carl Simmons, every day, so they, O’Ryan and Wozney, could murder him by natural selection. Carl should have died as a result of his worsening socio-economic circumstances caused intentionally by his employers.

"On Feb. 8th, retired federal agent Nick Long crashed into Carl on State College; almost breaking Carl's passenger's neck. Long is a contract worker for Hire Us and runs their missions."

"Ohmygod!" Olsesn said. "When you show me proof of that - they'll go to jail. For a very long time. I mean prison. Not feds. They’ll feel a black boot."

"Your honor, we have overwhelming proof. So, before they go to jail, let's talk damages. Carl went homeless, lost his car and had a traumatic experience. Sheriya has $100,000 in medical expenses and was raped while in a coma.

Right now, your honor, $2million for Sheriya. And $2 million for Carl. That's $2 million from these two entrepreneurs.

Wozney and O’Ryan were worth a combined $25 million. They re-entered the judges chambers. O'Ryan's attorney said: "We'll write the checks. But there is one condition. Carl, - he has to leave Orange County for good."