Smitten || DeAndre Jordan {Crush Sequel}

Chapter Sixteen

Cami

"I'm scared," I kept my voice low as I glanced around, making sure no one else could hear me talking on the phone. Everyone's attention was gathered around the group of flashy vehicles parked around one end of the old abandoned runway in the middle of the desert.

"Don't be," DeAndre replied. "I promise I'll drive as safely as possible. I've had driving courses with my other job, so I know what I'm doing. Everything will be okay. I promise."

I knew it wasn't wise for me to contact him on the phone with everyone milling around his vehicle. He couldn't talk freely, but I'd been mortified when Jason wanted DeAndre to race his Camaro–well, the department's Camaro. "What if you lose that car to someone else?"

He chuckled briefly. "I'm not going to lose it–I'll win this thing. I've got to go now. They're trying to get us organized."

"Please be careful." I whispered again.

"I will. See you when it's over." The line went dead, and I slipped my phone back into my pocket with a frustrated sigh.

"What's the matter, Cami?" Mary's voice came from behind me, and I turned to face her. "Nervous for Jason?" She gave a half smile. "You shouldn't be. His cars always win."

"I'm sure he knows what he's doing," I replied, not caring one bit about what might happen to Jason. I chose to be honest with her. "It's DeAndre I'm worried about. He's never been a drag racer."

Mary stepped closer, speaking softly. "You don't have to keep up pretenses with me, Cami. I know this isn't any sisterly concern on your part. You're no more DeAndre's sister than I am, but you seem awfully close to him. What is he to you? Your partner? And who's that Blake guy who was with you guys last night?"

"Blake is a friend of ours we took with us yesterday. He's not a..." I hesitated, leery about saying the word out loud.

"Got it," Mary said with a knowing look. I wondered if she realized I hadn't answered her first question. If she wanted to assume that meant I was a cop, then so be it. I'd never said it.

I decided to try and turn the focus back to her. "I'm sorry Manny disappeared. I hope we'll be able to figure out what happened to him."

She studied me with a hard look for a moment, and I wondered if perhaps I'd opened too difficult of a wound for her, but then her features softened. She shrugged and turned to watch the activity around the vehicle. "He wouldn't have run off without saying anything to anybody. Jason and I always knew what was going on with him. All I know is he argued with my brother at the auto body shop over money from one of the deals they had going. I was tired of hearing them fight and told him I was going home, and he knew where to find me, then I never saw him again." She glanced at me. "Jason said they figured out their issue and he'd left, leaving Manny working on one of the cars in the garage."

"How'd you find out he was missing?" I asked trying to keep her talking.

"His car was left parked outside his parent's house, suggesting he'd gone home, but no one remembers seeing him. He was known to go off on his own now and again but never for more than a day. After two days had gone by with no contact from him, his mom filed a missing persons report. The only things anyone could find missing were his wallet, cell phone, and the clothes he'd been wearing."