Race With a Heart
Chapter 231: Cracks and Fears

Chapter 231: Cracks and Fears

Jack did not sleep well that night. He couldn’t. He woke up about every hour or so and, having checked to see if there were any signs of life from Kevin on his phone, fell into a restless slumber again. He knew that at this hour Kevin should already be asleep, and even if he was working, he certainly thought it was too late to contact Jack so he didn’t. That idiot had no idea how his guy was getting anxious. There are situations where a phone call in the middle of the night is more wonderful than the most beautiful sleep and the most well-deserved rest.

Only, Kevin probably didn’t realize that Jack was so anxious. After all, he had warned that he would not return home meaning that he would be busy. He gave Lambert all the necessary data so that he wouldn’t have to worry. Was there a problem in something? It was in situations like this that Jack disliked the fact that he was meeting with a scientist.

Maybe if Lambert didn’t have to leave for another race, he would have allowed himself a completely sleepless night, but he had a trip and preparations ahead of him, so he managed to sleep a little deeper in the morning. He felt like he had only just closed his eyes when he was awakened by the signal of an incoming call.

He immediately woke up and, seeing almost nothing through his sleepy eyes, answered cheerfully:

"Kevin!"

"No, Jack, it’s me," he heard his brother’s voice instead of his lover. "Are you waiting for a call from Kevin?"

"What? Yeeeeees. I haven’t heard from him since yesterday and I thought it was him," Lambert yawned while rubbing his eyes.

"When exactly did you have contact with him?"

"Exactly?" Jack tried to rouse himself. "What a strange question..." Suddenly his heart pounded with anxiety. He became alert, although he wasn’t quite sure for what reason? "Why are you asking this?"

"Just say it, okay?"

There was something strange in Paul’s voice, some tension unprecedented in him. Jack noticed that his hand began to tremble. He checked the time of the text message and handed it to his brother.

"Was it a conversation or a text?"

"Text. Paul, I’m starting to get anxious. What’s going on?"

"It’s probably nothing..."

"PAUL!"

"Kevin didn’t show up for work today. No one has had any contact with him since yesterday, when he left to investigate a lead..."

What was Paul saying? What was he saying? Jack was unable to comprehend any of the words his brother was saying.

"I don’t suppose you mean to say that Kevin..."

"I’m sorry, Jack, at the moment no one can locate him," said Paul.

"I don’t suppose you think..."

"No, no, no! His case was serious, but not that serious..."

Jack didn’t believe it. Paul’s assurances just didn’t sound convincing.

"What can I do?" he asked.

"Just be in touch, that’s all. Jack, we’re talking about one of us. You can believe me that the police of two cities will stand on their ears to find him, so don’t worry. It’s certainly nothing terrible."

Stop talking like that, asked Jack in his mind. You’re stressing me out even more.

"It’s okay, I trust you," said Jack in a strong voice, but in no way did he feel this strength within himself and did not have this confidence, but what could he do now? Paul was right, if something happened to one police officer, everyone else took the matter very personally and Kevin, although he did not wear a uniform, was one of them. At this point, dozens or hundreds of police officers were focused on finding their colleague. With their experience, Jack would be mere ballast, but after all, he couldn’t just sit at home and do nothing while his loved one was missing.

"Jack, I promise to keep you informed of everything. Wait quietly, in case someone wants to contact you?"

"With me? Why?"

"We can’t rule anything out, Jack. Your relationship is not a big secret."

Hundreds of scenarios began running through Jack’s mind. A ransom demand, revenge against Jack, blackmail to make him lose in the upcoming race because someone bet big money on someone else... Damn! Jack had watched too many movies!

"I understand," he said. "Keep me in the loop, please."

"Of course."

Immediately after the conversation ended, Lambert began staring at his phone. Michael, he thought. Does Michael know that his son has been declared missing? Heck, Jack should ask Paul about it....

***

Steve stretched lazily. It was pleasantly warm in his heart to spend another night in Martin’s embrace. He had been to his apartment so often that he practically lived here and even some of his clothes took up space on Martin’s dryer. The apartment rented by his lover was cozy but terribly tiny and when there were practically two people living here it got a little cramped. Steve looked at the apartment’s walls and cheap furniture and thought that maybe it would be a good idea for Martin to move somewhere bigger, like... No, not to him, because Steve’s apartment was also far from decent. Since Hannah’s accident he had led such a life that he cared for nothing, so he could live in any hole he could find, but now it was different. Now Steve had Martin, and since they were together he wanted them to be able to live comfortably. Only should they actually live together?

He turned his head toward the sleeping Martin and smiled. Brown hair fell across his forehead and his eyes closed. A trickle of saliva flowed from the younger man’s parted lips. Paxton felt an irresistible temptation to lean in and kiss those delightful, inviting lips. He even lowered his head slightly, but decided not to bother and wake him up. Martin deserved to rest.

Looking at him yesterday while Martin was working on the Impala, Steve saw a special passion in him. Martin was a repairman, he liked everything to work well, whether machine or man. Seeing a broken Paxton, he gave all his energy, heart and body to fix him and succeeded. Steve will probably never know at what point love came to Martin, whether it was a sudden event like a revolution or smooth like evolution, but he knew that he had this man’s love and that this love was real and sincere. But what came first, love or the desire to fix Paxton, I guess that had to remain a mystery to him.

But with a similar passion that Martin had for fixing people, he also fixed cars. It was as if he couldn’t bear the thought of something being broken and useless.

Unable to restrain himself, Steve gently touched Martin’s hair. A team player, a fixer, someone who doesn’t like competition because with everyone he likes to live in harmony. This is not the personality of a racing driver who loves competition and is a little, sometimes even a lot, selfish. And as much as Paxton wanted to ride on the track next to Martin he realized that for a younger man the track might not be the best choice. But the stable needed him.

Yes, the stable needed a good driver, but did it need to focus on Martin?

On the other hand, a year in the colors of the Fergus Stables, maybe two, would not spoil Martin’s life. In the meantime, the stable will either acquire new talent or grow it on its own, if they hire someone inexperienced but with potential as a third or fourth driver.

Martin slept so beautifully, so peacefully and his face was so bright and youthful that Paxton could not satiate his eyes. The boy was as beautiful as his mother wearing the title of vice miss. He also had plenty of her charm. However, he was one hundred percent a guy. That’s what turned Steve on so much about him.

For the umpteenth time, full of admiration for Martin, Steve wondered how there could be so much beauty and so much strength in this unvelvety body. How can there be so much charm in one man to at the same time not lose anything of being a tough guy. This puzzle only intensified Paxton’s being together with Martin, who captured his heart like no one had ever managed before him. The man who taught him what love is.

It would be good if they could share an apartment together. But first Martin has to tell his family about them, because if one of them suddenly came to visit and caught them together... Someone would have to make quite an explanation.

Gazing at Martin, Steve heard a signal notifying him of an incoming message. The number was restricted, the message had no text, but an attachment in the form of some kind of photo. Strange spam, thought Paxton, wondering whether to bother with the message at all. However, since he had nothing better to do and hackers usually sent links, he simply opened the attachment....

He sat up as if struck by thunder. It was a photo. It was a photo that someone had taken yesterday at the auto repair shop when Steve was together with Martin....