Page 42 of Cold Ignition

Keanu hovered. He didn’t mean to. But he did. Watching. Tracking. Making sure—

Rangi noticed. Of course he did.

“Hey,” he said softly. “He’s okay.”

Keanu nodded once, forcing himself to step back, to unclench his hands. “Yeah.”

Drew packed up. “Keep him here. Quiet. I’ll check him again in the morning.”

“Thanks,” Keanu said.

He left, the door closing behind him with a soft, final click.

Silence followed.

Keanu dragged a hand through his hair, grounding himself in something practical. “You’ll stay here,” he said, gesturing to the space. “It’s easier. I’ll move it out to one of the outer sites tomorrow. More privacy.”

Rangi lifted a brow, considering the space again, then nodded. “Works for us.”

Kael’s voice cut in from the doorway. “Upstairs.”

Keanu felt the shift before it happened.

Rangi didn’t even look at him. “No.”

Kael’s gaze sharpened. “We need to—”

“We will,” Rangi said, calm but immovable. He gestured toward the back room. “But we will do it here. I’m not leaving him.”

Alexios, already drifting, let out a soft breath. “I appreciate the dedication.”

Rangi shot a look in his direction. “Don’t fucking start with me, Alexios.”

“I’m not starting, lover. I’m observing.”

“Go to sleep.”

“I am.”

Keanu’s quiet laugh slipped out again, softer this time. And he realized that there was no jealousy in it. None.

Just something warmer. Stranger.

Kael studied them, then nodded once. “Then we debrief here.”

They gathered in the main space.

Rangi leaned against the counter, arms folded, expression shifting from personal to tactical with seamless precision.

“Crucible isn’t just running races,” he said.

“We know,” Kael replied.

“They’re taking drivers,” Rangi continued. “Specific ones. Skilled. Fast. And they’re not just using them to move product.”

From the bedroom, Alexios’s voice drifted, quieter now. “They’re conditioning them.” A pause. “Breaking them.”

Keanu’s jaw tightened.