Page 37 of Cold Ignition

Rangi felt it shift again, that same pull he’d felt earlier. Toward Ahi. Toward the unknown behind the visor. Toward something that felt familiar in a way he couldn’t quite place yet.

Ahi broke it. “How’d they take you?”

Rangi’s jaw tightened.

Just a fraction.

He felt Alexios go still beside him, like a blade being drawn tight.

“Ambush,” Rangi said. “Trackside. Looked like a standard run until it wasn’t.”

“They knew our patterns,” Alexios added. “Timing. Entry points. Exit routes. Everything”

“They’re not just running races,” Rangi went on, voice flattening slightly. “But you know that.”

“I do know that,” Ahi said.

“Drivers are going missing,” Alexios said quietly. “Not all of them come back.”

“And the ones who do?” Ahi asked.

Rangi exhaled slowly, the memory sitting heavy in his chest. “Different.”

A pause. “Scared,” he added.

Ahi’s grip on the wheel tightened just slightly—enough for Rangi to notice.

“Crucible,” Ahi said, the word coming out sharp.

Rangi nodded. “Yeah.”

Ahi didn’t speak for a few seconds.

The car surged forward, engine responding to a pressure that had nothing to do with the road.

“You were in their hands how long?” he asked.

“Not long enough for them to do what they wanted,” Alexios said.

“Long enough,” Rangi muttered.

Rangi shifted, turning slightly toward Ahi, studying the helmet like he could burn through it with sheer will.

“How’d you find us?” he asked.

Ahi didn’t hesitate this time. “Pathfinders.”

Rangi’s brows pulled together. “Bateman called you directly?”

“Yeah.”

Alexios made a quiet sound—something like approval, something like acknowledgment. “Good man. I like him.”

Rangi leaned back slightly, processing that.

“You called them first, though?” Ahi asked.

Rangi huffed. “Had to. Needed someone who could find you.”