that weâre powerless to do anything about it.
âPerhaps you should rest,â he says. âI will wake you when we arrive.â
I sit back to appease him, but I donât close my eyes.
Itâs a twenty-minute ride through the rough edge of the city and then we finally make it to Capitolineâs outer rim. Benroyal Racing HQ may not look like much from the outside of the gates, but it is sprawling and Iâm sure the plain brick facade of the track conceals plenty of jaw-dropping surprises.
As the Onyx approaches the cameras, the lion-crested gates swing inward to welcome us. Iâm on the inside now, and Iâm both wary and traitorously thrilled about the high-tech, steel-boned snares that await me.
The driver drops us off at the far end of the track. My new flex gets us inside and I follow Goose down the main corridor. We turn a corner and there it is. Benroyalâs main garage.
âBehold.â In a grand gesture, Auguste sweeps his hand through the air. âOur fair kingdom.â
Go ahead and call me a sellout, because I am more than giddy. I am rusting awestruck.
Even though the cement walls and floors are painted the standard blue-gray, the bay is so beyond ordinary. The open space seems to stretch forever and there are people everywhere. Apparently, it takes more Benroyal jumpsuits to fill out a crew than Iâd ever imagined. Iâm definitely not in Bennyâs tin-roofed shop anymore.
In the farthest corner, sparks fly as fabricators smooth out sheet metal and mold it to a frame. Opposite them, two engineers are testing three identical rigs on separate decks. Iâve seen this kind of setup on behind-the-scenes circuit feeds, but Iâm still amazed how they can test horsepower and suspension and chassis by mounting the vehicles in place and spinning the wheels. Thereâs even a synthetic track control that simulates the turns. I watch the engineers. Flex screens in hand, they make notes on the data.
In the middle of the bay, thereâs another rig, but since itâs almost completely draped by a blue-gray slipcover, it practically melts into the background. I almost missed it. A cluster of jumpsuits mills around its frame.
âShall we?â Goose starts walking their way.
Iâm only too happy to follow. When we get closer, I recognize a friendly face. Bear is hanging back, standing behind the crowd, but heâs head and shoulders above the rest, so I donât know why I didnât notice him before. Benroyalâs tri-colorsâthe deep red with gold piping and the black vertical stripeâlook good on him. The uniformâs a little tight in the shoulders, but Iâm thrilled to see him blend in with the team.
âHey there,â a voice calls out.
I turn, and Cash is beside me. To say the jumpsuit looks great on him would be an understatement. The high- collared zip-front fits him like a perfectly tailored second skin. And I canât imagine his hair and eyesâall the darkness in himâlooking better against any other shade.
Cash owns this look.
I should be civil and say hello, but suddenly my throat wants to close up and I have to squeak out the words. They come out louder than Iâd like. âHi. Whatâs up?â
âMiss Vanguard,â Goose announces. âThis is your circuit team.â He smiles at Cash and passes him a flex screen. âCash, would you do the honors and introduce each devoted member of the crew?â
Cash is obviously caught off guard, because while Iâm sure heâs acquainted with everyone, he looks none too thrilled once he takes a look at the roster. âUm, sure. I guess you already know me, so letâs start with your over-the-wall guys . . . This is Billy and Arad, they are your tire changers. Corky and Joshua are tire carriers, and Dev here is your jackman . . .â
In turn, Cash introduces them all, and I know itâs going to take a