Spy Racers: World Tour

Chapter 7: Say Hello to Okada

Miss Nowhere had said the party was in the hotel banquet room, but what they saw when they arrived could've been better described as a ballroom. It was almost as big as the main atrium, with the same chandeliers hanging from a domed ceiling. Tables covered in white cloth were set up around the perimeter, leaving the center of the room open for mingling with sponsors and other teams. A cool breeze was blowing in through an arched doorway at the back of the room, which led outside to a balcony.

Layla tried to hide her awe. She'd been to her share of parties with SH1FTER, but this was on a whole other level. However, their cover identities were supposed to be somewhat familiar with this high-class world of racing, so she had to act like it was no big deal. Tony, however, was not doing a good job of that. He was staring around the room like a kid in a candy shop, so lost in wonder that he would've run into a waiter had Layla not grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side.

"Watch it, Connor," she muttered, cringing internally at how weird it was to call him anything other than 'Toretto.' The waiter raised an eyebrow at them, so Layla quickly improvised.

"Sorry," she said, flashing an apologetic smile. "Jet lag. He's still a little disoriented."

"Right," Tony confirmed, glancing at Layla's hand, which was still on his arm. "Sorry sir, I'll be more careful."

"No worries," the waiter replied, waving him off. "I know the feeling, Enjoy the party!"

"Thanks for the save," Tony said quietly once they were out of earshot.

"Anytime," Layla told him. "Just try not to lose your head like that when we're talking to Beck."

"You got it."

Miss Nowhere led them over to a table with a place card that had their team name written across it in fancy lettering.

"We'll meet back here for the dinner portion of the party. Now go mingle," Nowhere said, shooing them away.

The kids glanced around the room, searching for their respective targets. Echo spotted the team from earlier that they'd seen getting bombarded by reporters outside the hotel. She beckoned Cisco and Frostee to follow her.

"We'll go see if we can get anything out of them," Echo told Layla and Tony. "Good luck with Beck."

The Okada Racing squad hadn't shown up yet, so Layla and Tony were left alone by their table to wait while Echo, Cisco, and Frostee went to talk to the other teams. Layla could sense Tony tensing up beside her, though she wasn't really sure why. She turned and studied him for a moment as he looked out over the room. Dang, Layla thought. Who knew Toretto could look so good in glasses? He hadn't been wearing them earlier, and she had to admit, they actually kinda suited him, especially paired with the tuxedo.

Tony must've felt her gaze on him because he suddenly turned to face her and raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"What?"

"Nothin," Layla replied quickly. Her plan to 'quickly glance at Tony to see why he was tense' had somehow turned into her checking him out. Great. "You just seem a little off tonight."

"Uh, what do you mean?" Tony asked.

Layla shrugged. To be honest, she wasn't really sure what she meant. She couldn't pinpoint exactly what about his current demeanor was different than usual, but something was definitely up.

"I don't know. It's like...you're not as chill as you usually are. Are you nervous or somethin?" Layla lowered her voice and then continued. "I know we've never done a mission like this before, but come on- there's nothing to worry about. I got your back."