Page 33 of Complete Me

"What is it?" I asked him.

"So do you think if I said I was into that stuff she'd go out on a date with me?"

If I wasn’t in the middle flying an aircraft that weighed several tons, I would've found something to smash my head against.

"I don't think you really date in that scenario." How much more information could I give him without indoctrinating him to the entire world of bondage?

"I don't know."

"Google it."

"I'll take it under advisement."

Despite the wind I could hear the sarcasm in his voice. "There's a good spot."

We put down in a field. It was empty save for a few sheep, but when we got out, rolling green hills smelled of manure.

"Ah, the countryside," I said in a flat voice.

"You were the one who wanted to go for a ride." Brex took off his helmet and tossed it into his seat, and I followed suit.

In case he hadn't realized, I was pretty serious about this whole confidentiality thing. When Brex had informed me he had finally tracked down his special assignment, I decided then and there that I would go to whatever lengths necessary to ensure there would be no leaks.

"So you found him," I said, pulling off my gloves.

"I found his mother," Brex informed me. "From the looks of it, that'll have to do."

"He lives with his mum?" I tried hard not to be judgmental, but what kind of a guy was this?

"He seems to be some kind of nomad. He has a couple apartments here or there."

"He has more than one?" This was a surprise, and more than a little disconcerting. I had my suspicions regarding this secret brother of mine. Finding out that he kept houses in more than one place did nothing to allay them.

"He's into some sort of racing," Brex explained. "His mom lives in Silverstone."

"I wonder how he got into racing," I said sarcastically. The little village sat right outside Silverstone Circuit, one of the world's premier race tracks. "Is he any good?"

"I told you he has a couple apartments." Brex grinned. "He can't be that bad."

"Is there any indication that..." I trailed away. Brex didn't share my suspicions regarding my father's secret family, but I think he understood why I had them.

"None, as far as I can tell. They're good, upstanding citizens. The mother's a war widow, and other than his penchant for dangerous driving he hasn't gotten into any trouble."

"But he's gotten into trouble for driving?" I asked.

"He's had a few tickets. And some crashes," Brex added on as an afterthought.

Given his occupation, this wasn't a surprise. I breathed deeply, enjoying the remnants of rain in the air.

"How can you do that, man?" Brex asked, pinching his nose with his fingers. "It smells like shit out here."

"In the city we have smog," I reminded him. Besides, the two of us had smelled much worse things in the time we'd known each other. "So who are they?"

"Her name is Rachel Stone, and we can find nothing on her. And I do mean nothing."

"Nothing?" I repeated. That was impossible. "Did you tell them why we were looking into her?"

"I kept that to myself." Brex shot me an incredulous look, like I'd wounded his pride. "But yeah, no intelligence. No background. It's almost like she never existed."