But a quarter of the way into the race, Reese noticed it, the faint twitch of Marissa’s rear tires on the corner exit, the kind that meant her grip was fading.
Julie must have caught it, too. “She’s sliding. Set her up for Turn 7.”
“You got it.”
Reese waited one more lap, letting the tension coil through her shoulders. The humidity pressed in. The heat was almost unbearable in the car. She’d been climate training for two weeks to prepare for this. Time for some self-talk: just another day on the exercise bike in a ninety-five-degree room. She just needed to turn off her brain and its reaction. Though it was probably the most uncomfortable she’d ever been inside a car. Singapore didn’t play.
When the moment came, she took it without hesitation.
Marissa drifted wide by a fraction, and Reese dove for the inside. The overtake was quick and almost surgical, done before Marissa had time to defend. She’d buy her dinner to apologize. Hell, she’d buy them all dinner if this went her way.
“P2.”
“Let’s go,” she called back to Julie.
“Nice one, Reese. One more. Let’s go get Danielle.”
She focused on the turquoise-and-white car ahead of her. Only Danielle Todd remained in her forward view. As always, she was fierce, stubborn, blisteringly fast. The kind of driver who’d rather scrape the paint off her car or run them both into a wall than give up a position.Well, fuck her.
Reese allowed herself a small smile in the absolutely sweltering heat.Game on.
A few laps later, chaos erupted behind them. Two midfield cars tangled, one spinning into the barrier in a shower of sparks. Yellow flags waved instantly, and the safety car rolled out.
Julie didn’t miss a beat. “Safety car. Box now. Fresh tires. Box. Box.”
Reese obeyed, pulling into the pit lane. Her stop was slick and fast, and she rejoined the track glued to Danielle’s rear wing. Danielle hadn’t pitted — a gamble that might pay off or might crumble. How much faith did she have in those tires?
Julie’s voice steadied her. “She’s losing traction. Trust me. She’ll slip up. Wait for it.” Patience seemed to be a running theme these days, and though it was hard for Reese, she was working on it. She silenced the urge to make an immediate move and waited. Another five seconds passed. Another three. This was killing her.
And then Danielle made the mistake.
Coming out of a slow corner, she went for the throttle too early. Her car snapped sideways for the briefest moment. Not a crash, but just enough of a stumble to crack the door open.
Reese made her move.
They tore down the narrow straight wheel-to-wheel, the walls crowding in as if daring them to shift an inch. Reese held her line with icy focus. Danielle had to back out or risk the wall. Sweat ran down her face as she gripped the wheel.
Finally, Reese pulled ahead.
The last laps blurred into a mix of adrenaline and bright city lights. Was this actually happening? Was she this close to winning her first race in Formula Next? Reese managed her tires, her breathing, her nerves, all enhanced by the thought of the people who would be proud of her. Her mother. God, she couldn’t wait to talk to her. Julie. Her team.Sloane.
When the checkered flag waved, she let out a raw, involuntary shout.
Julie laughed in her ear, warm and relieved. “That’s a win, Reese. A damn good one.”
Reese slowed on the cooldown lap, her breath catching in her throat. Her voice lowered, almost a confession to herself. “I did it. I actually did it.”
The very next thought? Guess she was getting that dinner.
CHAPTER 10
LAST OF THE BEST
Well, well. Race weekend in Singapore was certainly shaping up to be an interesting one. Sloane had spent a good portion of it with the drivers from Dominion Racing, which meant time dedicated to Danielle Todd, who was talented as hell but unnecessarily aggressive in her approach. If Sloane could convince her to value the rules of racing and drive fairly, there was a bright career ahead of her. If not, no team was going to trust her with their multimillion-dollar cars in F1. She had a choice to make moving forward. Unfortunately, Sloane wasn’t convinced Danielle believed her.
As she walked back to the paddock after watching Reese accept her first-place trophy atop the podium, she was stopped by a determined reporter.
“Hey, Sloane, you got a second?”
