Scenario:Ford F-150 A truck like this isn’t built in a factory.
It’s built in the farms and fields.
Concrete streets and crowded construction sites that map the landscape of an entire country.
Because when Ford builds the new F-150, there are promises to keep.
And only one truck earned the right to be the next F-150.
If you haven’t looked at Ford lately, look again.
Create my version of this story
Ford F-150 A truck like this isn’t built in a factory.
It’s built in the farms and fields.
Concrete streets and crowded construction sites that map the landscape of an entire country.
Because when Ford builds the new F-150, there are promises to keep.
And only one truck earned the right to be the next F-150.
If you haven’t looked at Ford lately, look again.
Chapter OneJake ThompsonThe Ford F-150 was one of the best trucks ever made, but this one had seen better days. Its previous owner had clearly put it through its paces. From the look of things, it had to be at least fifteen years old, but when it was new, it would have been a beast, capable of pulling heavy loads, and a reliable workhorse.Few people knew about the special compartment built into the rear seat of this truck. Jake Thompson was one of the few who did.He’d learned about it when he was twelve years old. He’d needed to crawl back there for some reason or another, and found a small handle on the bottom of the seat. He’d pulled on it, and the bench lifted just enough so that he could see the hidden compartment tucked away in the truck’s chassis.At the time, there had been nothing inside but dust and a couple of dead bugs. He hadn’t thought much of it at the time—after all, he’d been twelve and his father’s truck had always seemed like an extension of the man himself—Mr. Thompson senior was also a quiet, mysterious man, and his truck had always seemed a little bit like a fortress on wheels.On second thought, maybe that was why his father had bought this particular truck in the first place.It wasn’t until years later that Jake had understood what the hidden compartment in the truck was really meant for.These trucks were built in the early nineties by the same company that made many of the armored vehicles used by law enforcement agencies. They were built for power and endurance, and could easily withstand being shot at by a variety of ordnance. The hidden compartment was designed so that someone with something to hide—a cop on the take, a businessman with enemies, or even a woman fleeing an abusive husband—would have a way to keep their secrets safe.This particular truck was one of Mr. Thompson senior’s prized possessions, which meant that it still ran well (despite having over two hundred thousand miles on the odometer), and still had all of its original parts. His father would have never sold it, no matter how much he needed money.Jake pulled on the hidden release with ease. The bench lifted without any effort at all on his part, revealing the secret compartment, which was built into the floor of the truck itself. It was maybe three inches deep and about a foot wide, more than enough space for someone to stash something away for safekeeping.He’d been taking apart and putting together machines since he was barely old enough to walk. He could look at any piece of mechanical equipment most people would see as junk and instantly tell whether or not it was worth saving. His father had been a mechanic too—before he’d gone to prison for murder—and he’d taught Jake everything he knew.Back then, Jake’s father owned a small shop in downtown San Diego. He’d worked on cars during the day and smuggled illegal substances during the night to make ends meet. Jake had never known what his father was doing until he’d gotten older. When he’d been twelve years old, he’d just thought that his father was out driving around a lot.Then one day his father had been arrested and sentenced to life in prison for killing two other men.Jake hadn’t believed it at first. His father had never hurt anyone in his life—he wasn’t capable of violence like that. But when people he knew started turning up dead after trying to offer him their condolences, Jake started to believe that maybe his father wasn’t as innocent as he’d thought he was.
Ford F-250Jake didn’t know much about what had really happened. He knew that his father had gotten into some bad business and had killed two men in a bar fight. He’d also heard about the other people who’d turned up dead. But he’d also known that it was better to keep his mouth shut about the whole thing, just in case whoever was really responsible for those murders decided to come after him.Not that he had anything to worry about, of course. He didn’t have anything to do with his father anymore, who’d made it perfectly clear to Jake and everyone else that he wasn’t related to him anymore. A few years ago, his father had even changed his name and unceremoniously disowned him.But Jake still remembered all the things his father had taught him about fixing cars and bikes, as well as how to put them back together again after they’d been taken apart. His father might have been a lot of things, but he’d never been a stupid man. Jake might not be a mechanic by trade, but he knew how to fix anything with an engine better than anyone he knew.The compartment was empty except for a few old strands of duct tape, and so it seemed like there was nothing in there. But Jake wasn’t fooled. He reached down with his hand and felt around the edges of the compartment, waiting for his fingers to bump up against something that shouldn’t be there.