$8,000 and a Trail of Blood

Summary

We were childhood friends, running a trucking business together. A net profit of over $350,000 a year.

At the end-of-year split, he tossed me an envelope with $8,000 cash. "Buddy," he said, "you don't own the rig. This is for your trouble."

I looked at him and his wife, celebrating their new BMW and their new house, and I smiled as I took the money.

What he didn't know was that over the years, I hadn't just memorized every route; I had gotten to know every single client.

The day I rolled up in my own tractor-trailer and snatched his biggest contract right from under him, he completely…