Race With a Heart
Chapter 183: Face to Face

Karl Walton smiled proudly.

"Jack will be mirroring his rival," he explained.

"Mirroring?" Paul had heard of something like this, but at that moment he couldn’t remember what it meant.

"How he has one lap advantage," explained Walton. "It means he is so fast that the other driver is far behind him. In fact, Jack is driving first."

"Impressive ..." Denning sighed in admiration.

"Yes," agreed the stable manager. "Jack is one of the best drivers in the world and a true pride of the Fergus Stables. Paxton is our arrow, our offensive force, but everyone knows, even Paxton, that Jack is the heart of the stable. He’s a damn good driver, the only one who has kept his class for years. Others have been coming and going, Jack has been in it for years, and that’s really not an easy achievement."

These were not empty words. Paul could hear the pride in Walton’s voice and remembered material he had watched on the internet. Many commentators and sports journalists spoke of Jack Lambert as the heart of not only the Fergus Stables, but the entire GP2. Even his rivals had nothing but respect for him.

Paul felt proud too. His own full-fledged brother is someone the world admires. He admires not only his achievements on the track, but also his character. You can really be proud of someone like that.

But such a person can also be intimidating. If you have someone so perfect as a brother ...

However, this was not a cause for concern. If people said nothing but good things about Jack, then he really was a good man, just as Paul remembers from his memories. So the warmth flowing from the older brother was not a fantasy but a real memory.

Lambert approached the driver in front of him. Paul’s heart began to beat faster.

"Don’t expect anything spectacular," Walton warned him. "During the mirroring, the driver is obliged to give way. He cannot get into a track fight."

"I remember now!" Paul exclaimed. "This is why the incident where Paxton was blocked has generated so much criticism."

Denning noticed that both Walton and Moore put on not very pleasant expressions at the recollection of the event.

"That’s why each of our drivers is taught to behave properly on the track," explained Walton. "What you see now is one such lesson. It’s not anything spectacular, but it’s one of the necessary elements for drivers to master."

Denning understood this perfectly well, and he didn’t mind that he didn’t see something more nerve-wracking, because the mere fact that he had the car with his birth brother in front of his eyes was emotional enough for him.

His own real brother.

In just a few minutes he will be able to see him with his own eyes!

***

"You drove nice today," smiled Jack Lambert as he lightly tapped the back of Alston’s head. It wasn’t actually a punch, a friendlier smack that could do no harm and was nothing but praise. "Much better than yesterday."

Don refused to show it, but was pleased. Jack saw the boy try to hide his satisfaction at the praise, trying to be proud, but it didn’t go very well.

Why didn’t Jack do this sooner? Why didn’t he praise Alston for little success from the start? Because the boy was arrogant? So what? Almost all racing drivers, military pilots and others who practice fast and dangerous competitions on a daily basis are just like that. These are the people who were attracted to this type of activity, and they were the best suited to it. Being an asshole in this sport is not a disadvantage, but everyday life, because constant competition and adrenaline make these people constantly ready to fight, therefore their hostility is the rule. Jack was like that too, before he felt the weight of age on him. Damn it! He, too, was once twenty!

Don Alston was not a bad boy. He was arrogant, selfish and thoughtless, not ethical, but that didn’t mean he was evil. All he needed was guidance. Now that Jack has decided to let go of his prejudices, Don has begun to gain in his eyes. Or maybe it was Alston himself who changed when his selfish behavior and his own crimes led to a place where you no longer return?

Whatever the reason, both drivers changed their attitude and the results were visible almost immediately. They both lost months, but it was never too late to improve.

"That’s right," Allen agreed. "Don, you drove very well today."

"But I still got mirrored," he replied scowling.

Jack spread his arms helplessly.

"You can’t help it, I’m Jack Lambert!"

"You are definitely him," heard Karl’s voice, and everyone turned to him. Walton has been in pits more and more frequently lately, but still rarely enough to be sensational. "And someone would like to talk to you."

A man emerged from behind Karl, and Jack’s eyes widened at the sight of him in surprise and disbelief. Was it really Paul Denning, his little Paul?

"Shit, police," Don swore in displeasure.

Jack might have guessed Alston didn’t feel very well about the police, but he didn’t give a shit. Jack had a man in front of him that he had missed all his life, and found him so suddenly that he couldn’t believe it.

He didn’t quite believe his eyes either, so he stared at Paul in amazement for a moment. Eventually, however, he got his emotions under control and put a hand on Don’s shoulder.

"Take it easy," he said softly to him. "This case has nothing to do with you. These are my private affairs."

This should have reassured Alston, but Lambert did not check if it actually happened. Feeling his heart pounding in his chest, he slowly walked over to Paul.

"Good morning, Officer Denning," he greeted a little shyly, looking the younger man straight in the eye. It felt strange, as if he could not fully embrace neither the emotions swirling within him nor the events that caused them. This situation had some features of unreality.

The policeman looked at him more or less the same way Jack looked at him. The situation was strange for both of them. How were they supposed to behave? Fall into their arms? Start to cry out of emotion?

"I’d like to stay Denning for now," Paul replied. "Do not mind?"

"No, far from it!" Lambert reassured him eagerly. "It’s these people ..."

"Okay, Jack, talk to the officer," Karl ordered, pushing him lightly towards Paul. "The officer saw you driving on the track and he was impressed. This is the first time he has seen a car live on track and has a few questions."

"Did you really see me driving?" Lambert intimidated.

"It was very interesting," Paul said enthusiastically. "I’ve never had an interest in car racing before, but now I’m really beginning to understand what attracts people to the sport ..."

At this point, the weirdness between them began to fade away. The topic of interest to them both got them talking a little more freely, and while they still felt a bit of awkwardness, they could at least start breaking the ice.

"I was wondering how did you become a racing driver?" Paul asked, and it was the first private question he asked. The men had already left the garage, and although Jack was in his sweaty coveralls, they stepped out into the grounds between the sports and office areas. "Was that your dream?"

"No, no," assured the smiling Jack. "When I was old enough to move out of the orphanage, I found a part-time job as a fast courier. A colleague suggested that I take part in a street race. I was interested in money, not in sports, so without thinking I agreed. I won, but the police took me. It turned out that third driver from this stable also participated in the race and was also arrested. Old Fergus, the circus owner, came to stand for him and found out that a street kid like me had beaten his driver. He also took me out of custody and offered me a job. Not as a driver, oh no, but he let me drive and I finally earned my place on the track. "

"So you grew up in an orphanage?" Paul asked sadly. "Nobody adopted you?"

"I was too old" Lambert did not stop smiling even for a moment. "Besides, I didn’t want to be adopted."

"Why?"

"After the children are adopted, their identities are changed and the data of the adoption are kept secret. They don’t even reveal them to their biological parents, so if someone were looking for me ... "

"Like... our parents?" Paul asked shyly.

So now is the time when Jack will have to tell his little brother about their not-so-happy past.