Quiet Desperation — Alfred C. Martino

Imagine for a moment, you're Marcus Cooper.

A slick stranger meets you in a bar. You're drunk. You talk a lot. Without you realizing it, he's learning about you. Your desire for money and women. By night's end, he makes you a million-dollar proposition to cause a drunk-driving accident.

Sounds crazy to you? Maybe, maybe not.

You're out of work. Bills are piling up. You owe your bookie six grand. But mostly, you're twenty years removed from being the high school football hero you once were, doubting how much longer life is worth living.

Do you take the chance?