Page 64 of Midnight Racers

“Should I know who that is?”

“I’m glad you asked that because he used to work for Dale and his team back in the day, leaving under a bit of a cloud a few years later. I noticed the two of them talking the day of the race, and it set my back molars grinding.” That, and the way Craig watched Charlotte.

“It certainly doesn’t surprise me that Dale was involved in the attack. He seems to be an asshole who cares for no one but himself, and would sell his grandmother to further his career.”

“Charlotte is his sister,” I point out.

“Not quite a grandmother, but family nonetheless,” Jordan replied like a smartass. “He has no conscience and even fewer morals. He wants that engine design and is prepared to destroy everything in his path.”

“Well then,” I said with a feral grin. “He’ll have to go through us and I don’t like his chances.”

Jordan’s lips turned up into that smile that tended to made sphincter muscles tighten. “I haven’t had to buy new boots in a while. They’re starting to look a little scuffed.”

“I have Charlotte under surveillance. She’s independent and feisty, wanting to go back to her home since her cat is a diva that likes to lie in the sun all day.” I paused. “They’re going to try again.”

“I don’t doubt it, and that will be the rock they perish on.” Jay sat back and steepled him fingers under his chin. “Megan likes her.”

“Megan likes everyone,” I replied. It was true, she even liked me and I was a grumpy bastard with a bad attitude.

Jordan sighed. “I know. She sees the good in everyone and tries to save all the assholes. It’s her only flaw.”

“Most people would see it as a blessing.”

Jordan flinched back. “Oh, God, no. I like to be insular and hostile and she wants to throw dinner parties.” He glared at me. “Dinner parties.”

I grinned at his forlorn expression. “I hear normal people enjoy them.”

“Do I look normal to you?” he demanded.

“Psychopaths tend to look normal. It’s only when they start killing people that they give themselves away.” He rolled his eyes at my response. “I’m not objecting to the killing; in fact, we’re going to need that ability to keep Charlotte safe.”

He nodded once and pushed himself to his feet. “Between us, we’ll keep her safe. If you need her brought in, let me know.” Jordan wandered over to the door with his hands in his pockets, pausing with his back to me. “Men like us deserve love, too. I walked away from Megan to keep her safe from my demons and lost three years with her. Don’t make my mistake.” He continued walking without waiting for a reply.

Jordan Berkeley was too observant for his own good. Others looked at a forest and saw trees, he studied the same scene and saw an ecosystem.

The guys were working in shifts to ensure Charlotte wasn’t at the factory alone. Each of us were trained killers, only going into the clean-up business because keeping secrets paid better than carrying out hits. People had no problem pulling a trigger, but they tended to shy away from lifting dead bodies and disposing of them.

Charlotte tended to work when she was motivated, sitting at home with her laptop and design software at other times. Joshua was with her right now, pretending that he had something really important to do or she would be annoyed, as she didn’t want people fussing over her.

I returned my attention to my laptop since I was hunting for information on Craig. He had pissed me off the moment he undressed Charlotte with his nasty, beady little eyes. There didn’t seem to be anything about him in any of the normal places I searched to garner information on a person of interest. So, I changed tactics and decided to do things the old-fashioned way.

Every crew had a place they tended to hang out and eat in, and I drove to an area close to where he worked now. There were a few restaurants and bars on Google maps, and I hit lucky with the third one when I saw one of his teammates outside on the phone.

The comic books hadn’t been wrong with Superman. A pair of dark-rimmed glasses and a baseball cap tended to change people’s appearance subtly. The crews tended to talk to other crews, since most of the drivers distanced themselves from everyone at the racetrack to stay focused.

I kept my head down and wandered into the bar, my recognisable leather jacket left on the backseat of my car. Some of the guys sat around drinking beers, laughing at a joke. Craig wasn’t here, which meant I wouldn’t be able to get the information I needed today.

I ordered a bottle of beer so no one would notice that my drink wasn’t going down while I sat and pretended to type on my phone.

“Fucking typical!” one of the guys from the racing crew said. “You always disappear when it’s your turn to buy a round!”

I caught a glimpse of Craig from the corner of my eye. Maybe my journey hadn’t been wasted after all.

“Useless bastard. He hasn’t brought any new technology to our team in forever,” one of the guys muttered. “He’s a glorified mechanic being paid as an engineer.”

All our guys were equal and I would have cut that type of talk dead in my team. The chuckles and laughs said it was a common feeling.

Craig glared at them for several seconds. “I’ll get the next round.”

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