RACERS

CHAPTER TWENTY: Where the Engines Roar

Axel grabbed his keys.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"To the circuit."

"Then I'm coming."

"No, you're not."

I folded my arms. "You have five seconds to remember how that conversation went the last time you tried telling me what to do."

He looked at me, unimpressed.

"Isabelle, Viper is involved in something dangerous."

"And someone stole your father's car. Unless you've suddenly developed detective skills, you need help."

His jaw tightened.

Then he opened the passenger door.

"Get in before I change my mind."

I smiled. "See? You're learning."

"You're going to give me a headache."

"That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

He shook his head, but I caught the faint smile he tried to hide.

The drive to the circuit was tense. Noah had sent Axel the location of Viper's crew, along with a photograph of a black car parked near the entrance.

Axel studied it at a red light.

"Do you recognize it?" I asked.

"No. But Noah says the driver has been asking questions about the garage."

"Maybe Luca told them about the car."

"Maybe." His grip tightened around the steering wheel. "Or maybe they've been watching us longer than we realized."

That thought silenced me.

---

The circuit was alive with noise when we arrived.

Modified cars lined the paddock, their engines rumbling beneath the floodlights. Mechanics checked tyres and adjusted suspension settings while drivers discussed race lines and argued over lap times. Spectators crowded behind the barriers, waiting for the night's main event.

This wasn't just a gathering of people who liked fast cars. It was a world with its own reputation, rivalries, and rules.

And Axel belonged to it.

Noah met us beside the garage.

"Viper's here," he said. "He's been asking about the missing car, but he won't explain why."

"Where is he?" Axel asked.

"Near the starting grid."

Noah glanced at me.

"She came too?"

"Apparently, nobody can stop her," Axel muttered.

"Smart man," I said.

Before Noah could laugh, a voice came from behind us.

"Moretti. I was wondering when you'd show up."

Viper approached, dressed in black, a silver ring with a dark stone catching the light on his right hand.

I remembered Daniel's description immediately.

I nudged Axel.

He noticed the ring. His expression barely changed, but I felt his hand brush mine.

"Enjoying the show?" Viper asked.

"What do you want?" Axel replied.

Viper smiled. "A race."

"Then enter one."

"Not just any race. You and me. Winner gets twenty thousand."

Axel didn't react.

"And the loser?" he asked.

"Gets to stop asking questions about your father's car."

My stomach tightened.

Axel stepped closer.

"You seem very interested in something that belongs to my family."

"Maybe I'm interested in what your family left behind."

Viper turned away before Axel could respond.

I leaned toward Axel. "He's trying to provoke you."

"I know."

"Then don't race him just because he wants you to."

Axel looked at me.

"He's offering us a way to find out what he knows."

"Or a way to distract you while someone else moves the car."

For a moment, he said nothing.

Then Noah's phone vibrated.

He checked the screen and went pale.

"What is it?" Axel demanded.

Noah turned the phone toward us.

It was a photograph of the garage. Someone had taken it from outside, looking through the open entrance.

Axel's father's empty parking space was circled in red.

Beneath it were the words:

YOU'RE TOO LATE.

Axel stared at the message.

"Who sent this?"

"Unknown number," Noah answered.

I felt cold despite the heat from the surrounding engines.

Someone was watching the garage. Someone knew we were searching for the missing car.

And someone wanted us to believe we'd already lost.

---

Axel accepted Viper's challenge.

Not because he wanted the money, and not because he cared about proving himself.

He wanted answers.

I watched him prepare his midnight-blue car, checking the tyres and listening as Noah explained the circuit's tightest turns.

"Don't do anything reckless," I told him.

He looked up from the engine.

"You're telling a racer not to do anything reckless?"

"I'm telling an arrogant man not to mistake anger for skill."

His expression softened.

"That's why I listen to you."

My heart stumbled.

"Since when?"

"Since you started making sense."

"Then you must be getting sick."

He laughed, then reached for my hand.

"I'll be careful."

I searched his face. "Promise?"

"I promise I'll race smart."

It wasn't the same as promising nothing could happen to him.

But it was honest.

And right now, honesty mattered more than pretty words.

---

The engines roared as the drivers took their positions.

Viper's black car sat beside Axel's midnight-blue machine. The crowd pressed against the barriers, phones raised, voices rising over the thunder of the engines.

The starting signal flashed.

Both cars launched forward.

Viper took the first corner aggressively, trying to force Axel wide. Axel held his line, refusing to let the other driver dictate his pace.

They accelerated down the straight, engines screaming.

On the next turn, Viper attempted an inside pass. Axel anticipated the move and protected his position without making contact.

I gripped the barrier.

"Come on, Axel."

Noah stood beside me, his attention fixed on the track.

"He's waiting for the final sector," he said.

"Waiting for what?"

"Viper always pushes too hard when he thinks he's losing."

As they entered the final lap, Axel was half a car length behind.

Viper accelerated into the last series of turns, trying to build a gap. But his line was too wide, and Axel found the opening he'd been waiting for.

The midnight-blue car swept past.

The finish line rushed toward them.

Axel crossed first.

The crowd erupted.

I laughed with relief, then immediately tried to look as though I hadn't been worried at all.

Axel climbed out of his car and found me in the crowd.

"Well?" he called.

"Your driving was acceptable."

"Acceptable?"

"Don't let it go to your head."

He approached me, smiling.

Then Viper appeared beside us.

"You won the race," he said to Axel. "That doesn't mean you won the game."

Axel's smile disappeared.

"You promised answers."

Viper leaned closer.

"Your father's car wasn't taken for its value. Someone wants what's hidden inside it."

"What's hidden?" I asked.

Viper's gaze settled on me.

"Ask your father about the fire, Isabelle. Then ask him why your family walked away while the Morettis paid the price."

Axel stepped between us.

"Don't involve her."

Viper smiled.

"She's already involved. You just haven't figured out how deeply."

He walked away, leaving us standing beneath the floodlights.

I looked at Axel.

"My father knows something."

His expression was grim.

"So does whoever sent that message."

The key in my pocket suddenly felt like the most important thing I owned.

We'd come looking for answers about a stolen car.

Instead, we'd uncovered another reason our fathers' pasts had been buried.

And I was beginning to fear that finding the truth might cost us more than we were prepared to lose.