Page 62 of Cold Ignition

Then Kael looked up. That was all it took. Keanu sat.

“Start from the beginning,” Kael said.

Rangi leaned forward slightly, forearms braced on his thighs, expression sharpening as he shifted gears. “They’re not running races, not really. It’s more an audition”

Kael’s brow lifted slightly. “Audition?”

“They’re filtering drivers,” Alexios cut in, voice calm, precise. “It’s a selection through an exposure process. Stress, speed, risk tolerance.”

Keanu felt Kael’s attention shift—lock—onto Alexios. “Explain.”

Alexios didn’t hesitate. “They push drivers into increasingly dangerous runs. Not just fast, but unpredictable. High enforcement zones, unstable routes, changing payload variables. Drivers who adapt, who survive, who don’t panic—they’re marked.”

“And the rest?” Drew asked from the far side of the room.

Alexios didn’t look at him. “They disappear.”

Silence followed that.

Keanu leaned back slightly in his chair, jaw tightening as pieces he’d tried not to revisit slotted back into place.

“I saw it,” he said quietly.

Kael’s gaze snapped to his.

“Back then.”

The room stilled.

Keanu exhaled slowly, dragging a hand over the back of his neck. “They weren’t the Crucible, or maybe they were the first evolution of those crazy bastards. I don’t know. But they called it advancement. Better runs. Higher stakes. But guys would drop out. Not crash—just ... gone.”

Victor shifted slightly against the wall, arms crossed, expression unreadable but intent. “And you stayed.”

Keanu’s mouth twitched. “Long enough to realize it wasn’t just racing, and long enough to see that I couldn’t get out without help.”

“And then you left,” Kael said.

Keanu met his gaze.

“You came and got me,” he corrected.

Kael didn’t argue that. He had dropped everything and come for Keanu. None of their brothers had been in a position to help, but Kael needed no one’s help. He simply drove into the compound, took Keanu back, and left. Oh, there was a shit load of bloodshed, lives lost, and the compound was burning to the ground as they drove out, but the outcome was the same.

Silence stretched again, heavier this time.

Then Kael straightened slightly, shifting focus back to the present. “What’s their endgame?”

Alexios answered. “Controlled transport network for hire to the highest bidder, no questions asked.”

Every head in the room turned back to him.

“They’re not just moving contraband,” he continued. “They’re building drivers who can operate under pressure without question. No hesitation. No deviation. No moral compass.”

Rangi nodded once. “And blackmail keeps them compliant.”

“And the risk filters the rest out,” Keanu added.

Kael’s jaw tightened.