CHAPTER 5

KAI

There are some phrases you can hear a hundred times and still hate every single time. For me, one of them was 'Ethan's little brother.' I heard it at family dinners, at racing events, at Ethan's work functions, from people who didn't even know my name. And somehow, it always sounded worse when it came from Ethan himself.

"You're coming with me tomorrow."

I looked up from my laptop. Ethan was standing in the kitchen, scrolling through his phone like he'd just announced something completely normal.

"Where?"

"The track."

I frowned. "Why?"

"Team testing."

"I know what testing is."

He looked at me. "I know you know."

"Then why are you explaining it?"

"Because you're difficult."

I went back to my laptop. "I'm working."

"You can work there."

I stopped typing. "Why would I work there?"

"Because Marcus asked if you could take a look at some of the data."

That got my attention. I looked up. "Marcus asked?"

Ethan nodded. "He said you've been useful with the telemetry."

I tried not to look too pleased. "I'm always useful."

"Don't let it get to your head."

"Too late."

He laughed and slipped his phone into his pocket. "Be ready by seven."

"Seven in the morning?"

"Yes."

"I hate you."

"You'll survive."

He started walking away, then stopped. "Oh, and Knox will be there."

My fingers stopped moving. I looked at the screen. "Obviously."

Ethan turned. "You okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You went quiet."

"I was typing."

"You weren't."

I looked up. "Go away."

He smiled. "Seven." Then he disappeared upstairs.

I stared at my laptop. The cursor blinked at me. I hadn't typed anything for nearly a minute.

Knox would be there. Of course he would. It was his testing session, his car, his team, his world. And apparently, tomorrow, I'd be stepping into it too.

I told myself it was because of work. Nothing else.

Definitely nothing else.

The next morning, Ethan was waiting by the car when I came downstairs. I was still half-asleep.

He looked at me. "You're late."

"It's 6:58."

"We said seven."

"Then I'm early."

He shook his head. "Get in."

I climbed into the passenger seat. For the first ten minutes, neither of us spoke. Then Ethan glanced at me.

"You nervous?"

"No."

"You look nervous."

"I look tired."

"Same thing with you."

I rolled my eyes. He laughed.

The track wasn't far, but the closer we got, the more awake I became. I'd been around racing for years. I knew the smell of fuel and hot tires. I knew the noise. I knew what a garage sounded like before a session. But today felt different, maybe because I wasn't just there as Ethan's younger brother. I had actual work to do.

That mattered.

When we arrived, the paddock was already busy. Mechanics moved around the garage. Engineers checked equipment. Drivers walked past in team gear. People shouted instructions over the sound of engines. I felt more at home almost immediately.

Ethan noticed. "See?"

"What?"

"You're smiling."

"I am not."

"You are."

"I'm not."

He laughed. "Come on."

We walked toward the garage. I saw Knox before he saw me. He was standing beside the car, his racing suit half zipped, talking to Marcus. He looked focused, different from the version of him I knew at home. No teasing smile, no lazy attitude, just concentration.

I stopped without meaning to. Ethan kept walking. I forced myself to follow.

Marcus looked up when we approached. "Kai."

"Morning."

He nodded. "Glad you came." He handed me a tablet. "I want you to look at yesterday's test data before we run again."

I glanced at the screen. "Okay."

Knox turned at the sound of my voice. His eyes landed on me, and for a second his expression changed. Then he smiled. "Didn't know you were coming."

"Neither did I until yesterday."

Marcus looked between us. "You two know each other?"

Ethan laughed. "Unfortunately."

Knox smiled. "Very well."

I ignored him. Marcus pointed toward the car. "Kai's been looking at some of your data. He might have a few observations."

Knox looked at me. "Really?"

"Don't sound so surprised."

"I'm not."

"You look surprised."

"I'm impressed."

I wasn't prepared for that. I looked back at the tablet. "Just let me work."

Knox laughed. "Still bossy."

I didn't answer. I started going through the data. Lap after lap. Sector times. Brake pressure. Throttle application. Tire temperatures. I forgot about everything else. This was what I liked. Numbers didn't pretend. They didn't smile at you and hide what they meant. They either made sense or they didn't.

And Knox's data definitely didn't.

I frowned. There it was again. Turn Seven. The same inconsistency I'd noticed the night I first ran his session. I zoomed in.

Knox walked over. "What?"

I pointed at the screen. "Here."

He looked. "What about it?"

"Your braking."

He leaned closer. I could smell his cologne, and I immediately focused harder on the screen. "You're braking too late."

His eyebrows rose. "I'm not."

"You are."

"I've driven this circuit before."

"And you're still braking too late."

He looked at Marcus. Marcus took the tablet from me and studied the graph, then looked at Knox. "Actually..."

Knox frowned. I tried not to smile.

Marcus handed the tablet back. "Let's compare it with the previous session."

We did. The difference was small, but it was there.

Knox looked at me. "How did you spot that?"

I shrugged. "It's my job."

He smiled. "Right." There was something different in his expression. Respect, maybe. I wasn't sure.

Before I could say anything, a voice called from behind us. "Ethan!"

A team member waved. Ethan turned. "Coming." He looked at me. "Stay with Marcus."

"I can take care of myself."

"I know." He paused, then added, "Just don't disappear."

I gave him a look. "I won't."

He left. I went back to the tablet. Knox stayed.

"You always listen to him?"

I looked up. "What?"

"Ethan."

"No."

"You seemed pretty obedient just now."

I laughed. "Don't let him hear you say that."

Knox smiled. "He worries about you."

"He worries too much."

"He's your brother."

"I know."

Knox nodded, then his eyes went back to the data. "You're really good at this."

I looked at him. He wasn't teasing. I didn't know what to do with that.

"Thanks."

He nodded, then walked toward the car. I watched him for a second before looking away. Maybe this was what I needed. To be seen for something I had actually earned. Not because I was Ethan Bennett's little brother, not because Ethan brought me here, but because I was good at what I did.

A few minutes later, Ethan returned. He looked at the tablet. "What did you find?"

I explained. He nodded. "Good." Then he turned to Marcus. "You see why I keep telling everyone he's useful?"

I smiled.

Then Ethan added casually, "My little brother has always been good with numbers."

The smile disappeared from my face.

There it was. Again. That phrase. *My little brother.* I knew Ethan didn't mean anything by it. That was the problem. He never did. He said it proudly, like it was supposed to make me feel good. But all I heard was *little brother.* Not analyst. Not colleague. Not Kai. Just Ethan's little brother.

I handed the tablet back to Marcus. "I'm going to get some air."

Ethan looked at me. "Kai—"

"I'll be back."

I walked away before he could say anything else. I made it outside the garage and stopped beside the paddock wall. The noise of the track was loud enough to drown out my thoughts.

Almost.

I hated feeling like this. Ethan wasn't doing anything wrong. He loved me. He was proud of me. He was always there. So why did I still feel like I had to fight him just to be seen?

"Hey."

I turned. Knox.

Of course.

"What?"

He stopped beside me. "You okay?"

"Fine."

"You don't look fine."

"That's becoming everyone's favorite sentence."

He smiled slightly. "I heard what Ethan said."

I looked away. "Don't."

"I wasn't going to say anything."

"Good."

We stood there for a moment. Then Knox said quietly, "For what it's worth, I don't think of you that way."

I looked at him. "What way?"

"As Ethan's little brother."

My chest tightened.

Knox shrugged. "You're Kai."

I stared at him. He said it like it was obvious. Like it didn't need explaining.

Then someone called his name from the garage. He glanced back. "I have to go."

"Yeah."

He started walking away, then turned. "And Kai?"

"What?"

"That thing you found in the data." He smiled. "Don't be wrong."

I laughed despite myself. "Just drive properly."

"No promises."

He disappeared into the garage. I stood there for a moment, then smiled. Just a little. Maybe this wasn't going to be as terrible as I'd expected.

Maybe.

I turned back toward the garage. The car was already being prepared. Marcus was speaking to Knox, and mechanics moved around them. Then I saw something on the tablet still in Marcus's hand.

A number. A small change. One I hadn't noticed before.

I walked back toward him. "Marcus."

He looked up. "What?"

I pointed at the screen. "Can I see that?"

He handed it to me. I stared at the data, and my stomach tightened. Because the problem wasn't only Turn Seven. There was something else.

Something much worse.

I looked toward Knox, who was already climbing into the car. Then back at the screen.

"Wait."

Marcus frowned. "What?"

I looked at the telemetry again. "Don't send him out yet."

Across the garage, Knox turned his head.

Straight toward me.