“Pizza,” she said at last. “The all-meat kind with sausage and pepperoni. What do think? Is there a take-out pizza place around here?”
At first she didn’t think he was going to let her change the subject. But she suspected Jeff didn’t want to discuss their differences any more than she did.
“I happen to know a great little place in town. We’ll have it delivered.”
“Sounds perfect.” She turned away, then glanced at him over her shoulder. “And while we’re waiting, we can take a bath...together.”
* * *
“I’ve never been much for speeding,” Ashley said uneasily the next afternoon. She eyed the souped-up dark town car parked in front of her, then glanced at the oval course laid out in a field about ten miles from the lodge.
The sealed concrete road went straight for about a quarter mile before curving through a series of turns. It disappeared behind a screen of trees, but she knew that on the far side of the track someone was spraying the surface with a slick mixture designed to make the tires slip. Assuming she survived that, the next section of the course would include an ambush, complete with gunshots and explosions. Being a passenger had been harrowing enough. Now it was her turn to drive.
She understood the point of the exercise. The people who took this course for real were powerful enough to be kidnapping targets. Should that happen on the road, they had to be prepared. This afternoon wouldn’t substitute for a professional driving course, but it was an introduction. Ashley tried to find humor in the situation by wondering if the training would help her get a better parking place at the grocery store.
Zane patted her back. “You don’t get special concession just because you’re female.”
She glared at him. “Did I ask for any?”
He shrugged. “You look kinda whiny.”
She planted her hands on her hips. “Do you think annoying me is going to make me drive better?”
“It’ll keep you from being nervous.”
Jeff strolled over and glanced down at the list on his clipboard. “Ashley, you’re up next as the driver. Are you ready?”
“Only if I get to kill Zane when I get back.”
Jeff chuckled. “Is he getting on your nerves?”
“Like nails on a chalkboard.”
“Were you scared?”
She looked at the big car and then at the course. “Maybe.”
“So it worked.”
She sighed. “I hate it when you two act all superior just because you’re professional soldiers.”
Jeff opened the driver’s door and reached inside for the safety helmet. “Relax, concentrate and drive fast.”
“Can I do just two out of three?” she asked.
“No. All three are required.”
Grumbling under her breath, she fastened on the helmet, then slid behind the wheel of the town car. Two men, bankers from New York, got into the rear. Zane rode shotgun. Jeff stood at the side of the track with a clipboard in one hand and a stopwatch in the other.
“Whenever you’re ready,” he called.
Ashley nodded. She took a deep breath to try to ease the tension in her body. It didn’t work. She wiped her damp palms on her jeans and tried to tell herself that this was just pretend. Nothing bad was going to happen. Except she knew that it could. One of the participants had overturned the other town car an hour before. No one had been hurt but the car had been totaled.
She glanced at her passengers. “Helmets on, gentlemen,” she said.
When everyone was safely buckled in, she started the car and drove onto the track.
The purpose of the exercise was to feel what it was like to have to drive evasively. They’d all seen a video on the subject and watched a demonstration. Now they were being given a chance to practice it for themselves.
