Burn Out *18+*

Chapter 11

The Porsche was prepped for Dex as promised. I knew little about racing in a technical sense. I knew the rush of being in a car exceeding highway speeds. I knew the squeal of the tires and some of the math behind drag and gravity and horsepower to weight ratios. But I knew Dex and I knew he loved this, so even if there was an awkwardness between us, I wanted to be here for him.

He was chatting with Zara's race team idly, still trying to find his groove. As smart as that man was, reading people and small talk were his damnation. Even from outside of the shop, I could see his red cheeks and the way he kept readjusting the racing coveralls that he had been lent.

"So you race professionally at home?" one of the women asked.

"Uh, no. For fun," he replied.

The woman began to sneer then, as if disgusted that the queen was allowing a peasant to touch her prized car. My mouth opened to defend him, but was snapped shut when cool fingers curled around my wrist. My first reaction was to whirl around, a hand balled in a fist, ready to defend myself from some unknown threat.

And there was Queen Zara, blinking in surprise at my sudden movement and Jasper lurking behind. His gaze slid over me, halting on my hands and I knew that he knew that I had almost swung at his wife. Because years of martial arts training and learning about threats had made me jumpy. Because I had become distracted and unaware of my surroundings. Because I was running on an emotional level.

Sloppy.

He knew it and I knew it. But if Zara saw it, she didn't let it show. "I'm happy to see you here. I have questions for you."

"Shouldn't you two be locked away somewhere?" It was supposed to be a tease, but my voice came out cutting anyway.

"Hardly. If I hear one more person tell me I need to get busy making babies, I might take the Kingsley approach and threat to kill them," Zara sighed, pulling two strands of blonde hair from her bun so it framed her face. I wondered if looking this good all the time was as effortless as she made it seem or if there were hours of work behind the scenes that I would never know about.

Young Dallas was already bored of the conversation, dawdling off into the garage as if it were his own and he was greeted with much more enthusiasm than Dex had been offered. Thankfully, the Porsche was started and the rev of the engine was enough of a signal for us to clamber onto the metal bleachers that would have been sufficient for a high school football game, not Zara's Dior outfit. Or a royal race track for that matter.

"Racing not very popular here?" I hinted as we all settled in.

"Not car races at least. Horse racing is still popular and volleyball. My father created the race team before he passed and I unfortunately know almost nothing about it," Zara explained. "But Dexter seems knowledgeable enough."

"He was a software engineer before this but he said it didn't make him happy."

"Ah, well, you have to follow your heart in life," the queen said, stating it as if it were a fact. "Which is why I need to talk to you about my dress after the race."

As the car made its way on to the track, I could read Dex's driving style. He was nervous. He had never enjoyed borrowing anything from anyone and he had never been behind the wheel of a car this expensive. The second thing that made me nervous was the way that Jasper gently stroked his wife's back as he leaned over, asking her to go check on Dallas for a moment.

When she left, I was stuck with the last two people I wanted to be confronted by right now. And with Jasper here, there was no doubt in my mind that this was about to become a hell of a lecture.

"I'm sure Zara would be thrilled to hear you discipline me for my behavior at your wedding," I challenged, only quirking an eyebrow as I spun to face my two cousins, my back now to the track.

But Jasper's eyes didn't light up with the fire that signaled war. He didn't get that sinister grin and lean in like he was about to destroy me. I glanced at Alistair, trying to gauge was I was in for exactly. But the man who attempted to cheer me on through rock climb didn't look sympathetic or stern. His face was entirely neutral. So void of emotion it was something that could only be trained.

My stomach dropped.

"What's going on?" I whispered.

"I received news this morning from Patrick," Jasper said. his voice was even, but his eyes weren't scolding or dark. They were apologetic.

"Who is Patrick?"

"He is head of the Calgary branch."

Christ, this was it. I hadn't made the cut. In fact, I had blundered so badly that they wanted me to stop trying entirely. My constant applications were nothing more than an annoyance.

"Your mom was reported missing this morning when she didn't check in with her partners."

I blinked several times, my mind refusing to switch gears. I felt like I had to repeated the words in my head over and over again to myself. My mom was missing. My mom was on an assignment and had not returned at an allotted time. My mom, who worked a deadly job, was unaccounted for.

"She could just be late," I croaked out.

Alistair met my gaze which was suddenly blurry. He nodded with assurance that made me queasy. "You're absolutely right. Something could have taken a little longer than expected."

Or she could be dead.

Or strung up in a cell somewhere. Being tortured. Wishing for death.

I sucked in a slow breath, my chest shuddering with it. Jasper laid a hand on top of mine, giving it a squeeze.

And that was how I knew. That was how I knew that this was much worse than a simple missing persons case. My mom didn't talk to me about her work. I didn't know what she had been walking into just a few days ago. I didn't know the risks she was taking. Jasper and Alistair did. They would have gotten a full report. They would know how good her odds were.

"What was she doing? Where was she last seen?" I asked.

"Listen, London, you're upset. I understand that. But I can't give you that kind of information, okay? Especially not when it's an active investigation. It could compromise things."

"I could compromise things."

"That's not what I said," Jasper corrected. "I'm not at liberty to give you more information and even if I was, I don't think that now is the right time. This is hard to hear. We all know that. So, Alistair is going to take you back to the palace and—"

"I want to go home," I blurted.

"To Calgary?"

"Yes."

There was a moment of hesitation. Alistair glanced towards the Porsche that must have been ripping around the track by now. "What about your friend?"

"He'll be fine. I need to go home."

The brother still seemed hesitant, but it was Jasper who responded. "Okay, I'll take you to Jasper's place, we'll get your stuff and get on a plane as soon as we can."

I started to descend the stairs, my legs working on auto pilot, my breathing controlled and steady as my mind span away.

Faintly, I heard Alistair whisper, "This isn't going to be good."

"She's damn near an alligator. She'll adapt through it, trust me."

~~~Distraction Section~~~

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