Hard and Fast

by Raven Scott

  “Did you really share our design with your wife, Adam?” Alex finally asked several hours later.

  They were both standing under the hoisted car, connecting the drivetrain to the control units. Adam was a quiet, intense man who listened more than he spoke. He continued to work on the wiring, until Alex thought he wasn’t going to respond.

  “Never mind, it’s none of my business,” she eventually added. “This whole thing must be a nightmare for you. The last thing you need—”

  “No, it’s okay,” he finally stated, letting out a deep sigh as he lowered his arms to place them on his hips. “You deserve an answer, Alex. The truth is, I don’t really know. Susie knew I was working on a project for you, and we talked about what we’d do with the fee. We wanted to move out of the city and buy a house, and at one point she questioned whether I had negotiated for enough money. But it’s not like I sat her down and showed her the design specs.”

  He looked so confused and despondent.

  “I talked about the battery a little, but she’s never shown any real interest in my work,” he continued. “She’s a product manager for a marketing firm. Physics and engineering stuff usually made her fall asleep. It never occurred to me that she would understand the value of the battery design beyond racing. I didn’t even realize that she knew people at the racing club. It always felt like she was going to the events reluctantly.”

  “So, she did steal it,” Alex confirmed.

  “Yeah, I guess that’s what it boils down to,” Adam finally agreed. “She had a copy of the early concept and figured that if she committed to another buyer, I would have no choice but to build them a prototype also.”

  “Wow, Adam. That sucks.”

  “Yeah, it does,” he agreed in a quiet voice.

  “What are you going to do?”

  He let out another deep sigh.

  “Beyond this week? I have no idea. We’ve had to pay you guys back the original fee to cover the damages Susie caused. But at least she’s not going to jail over it.”

  “Well, the battery you built for us is just the tip of the iceberg, Adam,” Alex assured him. “That’s part of the reason I wanted you to help me prep for the race. Once you see it perform in my hybrid, I have no doubt you’ll be able to come up with other configurations that will drive the market forward.”

  “Maybe, but quite honestly, that’s the least of my worries,” he replied.

  Alex nodded and decided to leave the man alone with his concerns as they went back to work.

  What did you do once your spouse was so driven by greed that they violated your trust so completely? Could a relationship survive something like that? She was the last person to have answers for a question that big. Alex hadn’t even been able to figure out how to let down her guard and be her true self in a relationship.

  Lucas knew exactly who she was, almost from the beginning. And he continued to want her, weeks later, now sharing her hotel room in Pemberton. Alex wasn’t certain their situation could be described as a relationship in a meaningful sense. But it wasn’t purely casual anymore, at least not for her. At some point during the stay in the lakefront cottage, their time together became a friendship, somehow enhanced by their intimacy. She was completely honest and genuine with him, in a way she had never been with anyone before, including Shawn. It was an unnerving realization.

  Almost as uncomfortable as the thought of what would happen in a week, after the Sea-to-Sky race and the official product launch of the Magnus Cicada electric-drive hybrid. Was there the chance of something more between them, or would they politely go their separate ways? Alex had no idea. She was just starting to accept her own feeling and desires, and had never developed instincts to read what Lucas may want.

  Since Niles, Randy, and Bobby were still working on the Magnus gas engine race car, Fortis had arranged for a hired driver to join the Cicada race team. David Ferguson arrived Sunday night. He was a DaCosta Solutions employee with extensive experience providing logistical support in combat zones around the world. From what Lucas explained, this assignment was more vacation than work. Even though he was a little cocky, Alex couldn’t find fault with his knowledge or capabilities.

  The road tests started on Monday, right on schedule, and went smoothly through the week. The first few runs were rough, requiring extensive tweaks to the drivetrain and connected mechanics. But, by Wednesday, Adam was recording results similar to their first tests almost eight weeks earlier. Friday afternoon, the Cicada had surpassed Alex’s projections. The reduction in weight along with a new power converter and higher-grade copper wiring provided higher torque and maximum speed capabilities.

  Friday morning, the day before the racing event, Adam and David drove to Whistler in the transport truck with the Subaru, while Alex rode with Lucas and Ned in one truck. Sam and Renee followed in the second. They arrived in the town before eight o’clock, joining the dozens of other racing teams that were already parked and ready to register for the event.

  “Marco arrived last night,” Alex stated as she watched their racing trailer stop to park a few blocks from race headquarters in the convention center. Sam and Renee pulled their truck up beside it, while Lucas drove her and Ned to a large hotel complex farther into the center of the village.

  “Yeah,” Lucas agreed. “They have the Magnus trailer stationed in the north parking lot of the main building. We’re going to meet Marco at the hotel. He has arranged a press conference for three o’clock this afternoon to announce you’re entering the Cicada.”

  Alex turned to face him from the passenger seat, looking confused.

  “Is that a good idea? What about the people trying to find me, or destroy the motor?” she asked.

  “That’s exactly why Marco needs to go public sooner rather than later,” Lucas explained, looking around at the crowded streets. “I guarantee you that the threat is already here. And they have exactly twenty-four hours to either steal the designs or destroy your hybrid again. Now that we have the motor here, and you’ve proven its capabilities, we have a short window to release some details. Then it will be much less profitable for anyone to pass the stolen technology as their own.”

  “I guess that makes sense,” Alex agreed reluctantly. “But it won’t stop it from being destroyed.”

  Lucas parked the truck in the parking lot at the back of the hotel and the three of them got out.

  “Well, that’s where our decoy comes in,” explained Lucas as he and Ned took their overnight bags out of the cab. “As far as anyone knows, the only car registered to Magnus is sitting in their branded trailer, along with the design schematics stored on a virtual private network. Once we get you checked in here, Ned will stay with you, and I’ll be at the Magnus trailer to provide visible protection.”

  Alex stopped, grabbing his arm while Ned walked ahead of them into the rear entry of the hotel. He seemed casual but she knew that he was armed and alert, just like Lucas and the other Fortis agents.

  “You’ve set a trap,” she gasped. “Lucas, that’s crazy. You’re drawing them right to you!”

  “They are here anyway, Alex,” he told her earnestly. “It’s been quiet for the last couple of weeks. Too quiet. I know the way these people think. While they may not have known where we were up to this point, they know exactly where Magnus is now. All we’ve done is point them in the direction that we want.”

  She turned away, scrubbing her hands over her eyes, wishing Lucas was wrong but knowing deep down that he was right. Her stomach rumbled with fear of what seemed inevitable. What if Lucas and his team couldn’t stop them? What if someone got hurt or worse? What if it was Lucas?

  “Alex, look at me,” he asked, taking her gently by the arm and turning her to face him. “Everything is going to be fine, I promise. This is what we do, and we’ve planned well for this day, and you’ll be safe here at the hotel. You have to trust me.”

  “I do trust you,” she whispered, looking up into his face. “But promise me you’ll be careful
?”

  Lucas smiled.

  “Does that mean you’re worried about me?” he teased, brushing his hand along her cheek.

  “What can I say, you’ve grown on me,” Alex admitted, swallowing against the tight lump in her throat.

  “Have I?”

  They stared at each other for a long moment with the weight of unsaid words hanging heavily between them. Finally, Lucas leaned forward to brush his lips along hers in the softest kiss.

  “Let’s finish this conversation later tonight, when we have a little more privacy,” he murmured while his mouth hovered a breath away from hers. “Now come. Let’s get you inside. You’ve just returned from an extended European vacation, remember?”

  She let out a deep sigh, then walked with him into the hotel. Her mind was filled with everything he had told her about their plan, and her heart raced at the danger they all faced. It also drummed in her chest at the moment that had passed between them. Could Lucas feel the way she did? Like this thing between them was something deeper than they had been seeking? Like something long-lasting? Alex felt dazed by sudden, blinding clarity. She had fallen in love with Lucas Johnson.

  In the hotel, they had booked a room for her on the eighth floor with connecting doors to a second room where the Fortis team would be based until after the event. Lucas put both their bags on the bed.

  “Why don’t you stay here and relax for a bit. Maybe order up some coffee?” Lucas suggested as he followed Ned into the other room.

  “Okay. Are you leaving now?”

  “No, not for about thirty minutes or so. Ned and I are going to check in with Fortis headquarters to review the surveillance in the area,” he explained with a reassuring smile. “Don’t forget our security protocols, Alex. They apply here, too. Don’t go anywhere without Ned and keep your phone with you at all times.”

  And then he was gone, leaving her alone with her tangled thoughts. She put her purse down on the dresser and turned on the television to a local news station broadcasting the lead-up to the races. After a few minutes, she took out her phone, reading the messages from Shawn, Noelle, and her brothers, all confirming that she was back in Canada. Alex also finally sent that e-mail to Jean Renaud letting him know she would have to turn down his invitation to dinner.

  She was then exchanging texts with Marco when Ned returned to her room.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked as he looked out the window down the busy center of the village.

  “All’s quiet right now,” Ned replied.

  “Marco says he and the racing team have rooms on the second floor. Are we going to join them?”

  “We will later, before the press conference. It’s happening in one of the meeting rooms on the first floor,” he explained. “But we’ll stay here until then.”

  “Did Lucas already leave?” she asked.

  “No, he’s on a call,” replied Ned. “I need to get some more equipment from the truck. He’ll stay here with you until I’m back. Lock the door behind me.”

  Alex put her cell phone down on the bed, then walked across the room to do as he instructed. She could hear the faint hum of Lucas talking from the other room and walked over to the connecting doors. Maybe if his call ended soon, they would have a few minutes alone before he left on this crazy mission.

  She meant to knock on the door between the rooms but it was already open a crack and Lucas’s voice was more clearly audible. Alex paused for a second, uncertain of whether it would be rude to walk in. Just as she turned away, intent on waiting patiently until he was done, his words registered in her brain. She backed up to hover near the doorway.

  “It was just supposed to be for the duration of this assignment. I thought I made that clear,” he stated, sounding a little annoyed. “I never agreed to any sort of commitment. Once this assignment is done, I’ll just have to tell her our arrangement is over.”

  She leaned closer, pushing the door a little wider until she could see him standing across the room.

  “Look, even if I wanted someone long-term, I’m not sure it would be her.”

  He listened for a little.

  “Maybe someone less difficult, for starters,” he shot back with exasperation.

  Alex stepped back several steps, not wanting to hear any more. She turned toward her room without seeing anything except for a way to escape from Lucas and the sound of his voice ringing painfully in her ears.

  “. . . if I wanted someone long-term, I’m not sure it would be her.”

  With her blood pounding loudly in her head and her heart splintering into pieces, she grabbed her purse off the dresser and rushed out the door of her room. Alex didn’t have a plan but she was smart enough to remember the danger of their situation. She just needed a little space to think things through and figure how she had managed to read something between them that was clearly not there. And the last thing she needed right now was to have to see Lucas and pretend she didn’t know how anxious he was to end things between them.

  Out in the hallway, she walked quickly toward the staircase, looked behind her repeatedly to ensure she wasn’t being follow by Lucas or anyone else. Once she got to Marco’s hotel room, she would send a text message to Ned and he could meet her there. Sure, he’d be mad, and so would Lucas, but Alex really didn’t care what either of them had to say at that moment.

  Once through the heavy metal exit doors, she started jogging down the stairs, staying alert to any sign of movement around her. But the only thing she could hear was the echo of her footsteps and the sound of Lucas’s dismissive voice in her mind.

  “Maybe someone less difficult . . .”

  Alex stopped on the landing of the second floor, when the lump in her throat became too constricting to breathe around. A deep sob escaped her lips before she could cover her mouth and stifle it. She was not going to stand here and cry over a man. Not now.

  Determined to get herself together, Alex bit down hard on her bottom lip and pressed the heels of her hand into her eyes, trying to suppress any tears that still threatened to escape. Once she was with Marco, everything would be fine. She’d have time to think things through and hopefully remember what was real.

  Alex took another deep breath and reached out to open the stairwell door. But it suddenly swung toward her, causing her to stumble in alarm. She tried to step back, down to the lower step, but she missed it in her haste and faltered backward wildly. Arms flailing, she tried to grab the handrail to prevent herself from falling. Then, rough hands were gripping her arms, pulling her back onto the stair landing.

  “Whoa,” said Bobby Chiu, the Magnus race-team driver. “You okay?”

  She let out a deep breath of relief.

  “Yeah, you just caught me by surprise. For a second, I was sure I was heading down those stairs, ass first.”

  “You’re lucky I have quick reflexes,” the younger man declared with a cocky grin.

  “I suppose so,” Alex agreed.

  “When did you get in town?” he asked.

  Alex paused for a moment, remembering that Marco was not going to update her team until just before the press release, so Bobby still thought she had been on vacation in Europe for the last six weeks.

  “Late last night,” she lied. “I was just on my way to see you guys. How are the road tests going?”

  “Pretty good. We’ve been given an hour window to do trials on the highway along the race route, so I’m headed there now,” he explained, looking at his watch. “Why don’t you come along?”

  Alex was ready to say no. By now, Ned and Lucas must have realized that she had left and would be looking for her. Marco’s hotel room would be their first stop, and all hell would break loose if she wasn’t there.

  “Niles and Randy are prepping the car right now,” added Bobby, as though sensing her reluctance. “At least go over to say hi to them. They’ll want to hear all about your trip.”

  She sighed. What could be the harm, as long as the Fortis team knew where to find her?


  “Yeah, sure I’ll come along. Can’t wait to see what you guys have put inside the Evo,” she finally agreed with small nod. “Just let me tell Marco where I am.”

  Alex reached into her right pocket, but it was empty. So was the left one. She tapped the pockets of her jeans. No cell phone. She then searched her purse, but already knew it wasn’t there. In her haste to leave the hotel room and get away from Lucas, she must have left her phone on the bed. She groaned with frustration. Lucas was going to kill her for breaking all of his security protocols.

  “I left my cell phone back in my hotel room,” she explained.

  “No worries, I’ll send Marco a note now,” Bobby offered cheerfully. “We can grab your phone when we get back.”

  She didn’t want to explain why she didn’t have a room key, so Alex just agreed. He quickly tapped in a message on his phone, and they both heard a ping as it was sent.

  “Okay, we’re all set,” he stated, then they both headed down the last flight of stairs and out the side entrance of the hotel.

  CHAPTER 25

  “Lita is a great cleaning lady, Lucas. What more do you want?” asked Kathy Anderson, Lucas’s neighbor.

  “Maybe someone less difficult, for starters,” he shot back with exasperation.

  “She’s not difficult, honestly,” she insisted.

  “This is the fourth time in three weeks that you’ve called me about this,” Lucas reminded her, striving to keep his voice even.

  “Weeell—”

  “Well what?”

  “Maybe I exaggerated a little. To Lita about how long you needed her.”

  “Kathy—!” Lucas growled.

  “Just a little!” Kathy stammered quickly. “It was the only way that she’d stay.”

  Lucas sighed and rubbed the back of his head. Who on earth spent this much time discussing housecleaning?

  “Kathy, I really don’t have time to deal with this right now. I’ll speak with Lita when I’m back in town next week, and you will likely need to find yourself a new maid.”