One Late Fee Too Far

"Ms. Booth, I'm on my way to renew. You know it's rush hour—traffic's a mess. I'll transfer the money right now. Just recharge the card first."

I forced myself to stay calm, but my voice still shook.

"I'll wire ten grand. No—fifty. Send someone to find Maya. Bring her back to her VIP room. Please."

This was out of my hands. If I pushed too hard, she'd take it out on Maya. My voice dropped, almost begging.

Winnie laughed—sharp and grating.

"Oh, Ms. Keyne, I'm so sorry." She didn't sound it. "New policy. For client security, all large recharges and renewals must be signed in person by a family member with valid ID. We don't accept remote transfers."

"Just bring Maya back. I'm begging you. It's freezing out. She can't handle it. I'm two kilometers away—I'll be there any minute."

Tears burned at my eyes. It felt like a fist squeezing my chest.

"I'm sorry, but your balance is zero. You're not our client. Our staff are busy. We're not searching the streets for a non-client."

"Two kilometers? Even if you were two feet away, your balance would still be zero." Her voice went flat. "Sorry, Ms. Keyne. I have work to do. Please come recharge as soon as possible."

Click. The line went dead.

I stared at the endless line of red taillights. Despair hit from deep inside.

Maya's paper-white face kept flashing in my head.

She was kind. Gentle. Couldn't even step on an ant.

Just days ago, she smiled at me. "Kylie, you're busy. You don't have to come so much. I'm fine here. They take good care of me."

And now she was out in the freezing cold.

She couldn't stand. Stuck in that icy wheelchair—or did they dump her on the ground?

My chest felt like it was cracking open.

"Winnie Booth..." I bit down hard, tasted blood.

I locked my eyes on the road. No idea how long it took, but the recovery center gates finally came into view.

I didn't think. I shoved the car door open and ran.