Chapter 22

Calla:

Saturday mornings usually belonged to paperwork. It was the only time the shop was quiet enough to hear yourself think. Unfortunately… My thoughts were exactly what I was trying to avoid. The office overlooked the main garage through an old glass window Camden had insisted on installing. "I wanna see the cars even when I'm buried in invoices." Typical. The room itself hadn't changed much since he was alive. The same dented metal filing cabinets. The same faded Riverside Racing calendar hanging crooked on the wall. His old coffee mug still sat beside the computer. World's Okayest Mechanic. He'd refused to throw it away because, according to him, "Expectations stay low." I smiled despite myself. Then my laptop chimed. Another unpaid invoice. Fantastic. I rubbed my temples. 

Outside, Julio's impact gun echoed through the shop. McKenna argued with someone over the phone about a delayed shipment. Reid's laugh floated in through the open office door. Normal. Busy. Safe. Exactly where I wanted to be. My phone buzzed. Reve. I stared at the screen. It buzzed again. Then again.

With a sigh, I answered. "What?"

"Good morning to you too."

"What do you need?"

He chuckled softly. "I can't call my favorite girl?"

"You usually don't."

Silence.

Then— "Busy?"

"I'm at work."

"I figured."

"What do you need, Reve?"

"I just wanted to check in."

I leaned back in Camden's chair. "I'm alive."

"I know."

"...You sound irritated."

"I wonder why."

He ignored the jab. "I was thinking maybe dinner tonight."

"I'll let you know."

"You always say that."

"Because I don't always know."

"I can send a car."

"I have one."

"I know."

"I like driving it."

Another pause. "You sleeping alright? I know you were at the race last night. Did everything go okay? I didn’t see you, you should have came up to the car."

There it was again. That weird concern. "Yeah, wasn’t planning on going, it was a quick drive though really. I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"I'm beginning to think you aren't."

Silence.

Then his practiced charm slipped back into place. "Alright. I'll see you later."

"Mhm."

"And Calla?"

"What?"

"If you need anything..."

I closed my eyes. "I know."

I hung up. I set my phone face-down on the desk. God. Everyone wanted something. Dad wanted the shop. Reve wanted control. The city wanted someone to blame. And Jace… I didn't even know what Jace wanted anymore. The problem was… I couldn't stop thinking about him. About the kid at the port. About the radiator hose. About him walking away without waiting for someone to thank him. That wasn't the man I'd spent two years hating. That wasn't the villain.

I leaned back in the chair. "Dammit."

Cam… What really happened? My eyes drifted toward the bottom drawer of the desk. I hadn't opened it in months. Maybe longer. Camden's drawer. The one I'd never really touched. It felt wrong. Like digging through someone else's pockets. Slowly… I pulled it open. It stuck halfway. Always had. Inside sat the random collection of someone's life. Loose sockets. Business cards. Old race entry wristbands. A faded Polaroid of Camden and me covered in grease after rebuilding Bubblegum's transmission. A pack of gum that had probably fossilized. Receipts. Pens that no longer worked. Nothing important. Nothing— Wait. Near the very back… Half-hidden beneath an old shop towel… Sat a small ring of keys. I frowned. I'd never noticed them before. There were three keys. One brass. Two silver. Attached to them was a faded white tag. Written in black marker. 210.

I picked them up. The keys jingled softly in my hand. "Two-ten..." What was 210? Storage? Locker? Apartment? I searched my memory. Nothing. I turned the tag over. Blank. My pulse quickened. Camden wasn't forgetful. If he'd labeled these… It mattered. More importantly… He would've hidden them. Not left them out. Not where Dad would stumble across them. Unless… He hadn't wanted Dad to know. The thought sent a chill crawling up my spine despite the Florida heat. My eyes narrowed. Cam… What were you hiding? A knock against the open office door nearly made me throw the keys across the room.

"Jesus!"

Reid laughed. "You alright?"

I quickly closed my hand around the keys. "You scared the hell outta me."

"My bad." He leaned against the frame. "I'm making a lunch run." He held up his truck keys. "Julio wants tacos."

"McKenna wants a salad she'll complain about."

"I want a burger."

He smiled. "You want anything?"

I barely heard him. My mind raced. Dad couldn't know about these. Absolutely not. Neither could Reve. If either of them saw me looking into Camden's things… Questions would start. Questions I wasn't ready to answer. I looked down at the keys again. 210.  What if it was something? What if it was nothing? Either way… I couldn't investigate alone. Not anymore. I thought about last night. About Jace. About him fixing that kid's car without asking for anything in return. About Reid saying— "If Jace really did it... why would he come back?"

I looked up. "Reid?"

He paused. "Yeah?"

A lump formed in my throat. This felt insane. Absolutely insane. "Do you..." I hesitated. "...trust Jace?"

His eyebrows rose. "That's a loaded question."

"Answer it."

He studied me for a long moment. Then nodded. "...Yeah, Calla, I do."

"No hesitation?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I've known him almost my whole life." Reid shrugged. "He screws up. He makes terrible decisions. He'll absolutely convince you to jump off a bridge into the river." A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.

"Sounds about right."

"But..." His expression grew serious. "...he's never been a liar. And if he tells me he's looking for the truth..." Reid met my eyes. "...I believe him."

Silence. I looked back at the keys. Then back at Reid. This was a Hail Mary. Maybe the dumbest thing I'd ever done. Or maybe… The smartest. I held the key ring out.

He looked confused. "...What's this?"

"I don't know. It was Camden's." His expression immediately changed. "He kept it hidden. I just found it."

Reid looked between me and the keys. "You want me to look into it?"

I slowly shook my head. "No."

"Then..."

 I swallowed. "If Jace really is trying to figure out what happened..." The words caught in my throat. "...maybe..." I forced myself to finish. "...maybe this'll help."

Reid stared at me. Actually stared. Like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You serious?"

"I don't know." I laughed nervously. "I honestly don't know anything anymore."

He took the keys carefully. Almost reverently. "I'll get them to him."

"Don't tell him they came from me."

"You sure?"

"I'm not ready."

Reid nodded once. "I won't."

He slipped the keys into his pocket. "I'll say they turned up."

"That's enough."

He started toward the door. Then stopped. Without turning around, he said quietly, "You know..."

"What?"

"I think Camden would've wanted you to do exactly this."

The office fell silent after he left. I stared at the closed drawer. At Camden's empty chair. At the grease-smudged mug sitting beside the computer. For the first time… Helping Jace didn't feel like betraying my brother. It felt like honoring him. And somehow… That realization scared me even more than the keys.