Andy put up his hands to protest, but I shook my head, a silent plea to stand down.Mark and I had to work together all season, and I didn’t need my physio starting a war with my engineer.
I shifted on sore legs, reliving the crash in flashes.“The wheel twitched twice.Then it went light, like the car wasn’t listening to me anymore.”
Mark tapped something into his tablet, brow furrowing.“So, you’re saying mechanical failure, not driver error?”The question landed like an accusation, even though his tone was neutral.It took everything within me not to scoff.
He’s just doing his job, Lily, I reminded myself.
“I’m saying I don’t normally like to play bumper cars in the middle of a race.”I tried to keep my voice light and easy.
Felix pinched the bridge of his nose, the only crack in his otherwise perfect composure.“We’ll have the car analyzed.Let’s get you evaluated by a doctor.Andy will walk you to your driver’s room.The doctor will be in shortly.”
Nodding, I gave my team one last round of thanks.I’d barely taken a step when Felix’s hand touched my shoulder.
“One more thing.”His voice was measured, but there was something uncomfortable under it, a tightness that didn’t match his normal composure.“I’ll make sure Bertha has answers ready for you.Media will be all over this.Hermes will probably turn this into a circus and demand the FIA investigate.”
Of course Hermes would.
They’d been demanding FIA investigations all season, turning every minor incident into a major scandal, filing complaints over the smallest infractions, playing the victim for the cameras while Verhoeven, Hermes Team Principal, made dramatic speeches about safety and integrity.All while doing the exact same things they accused us of.
Felix added, “Don’t worry, we have your back.I’ll see to the FIA personally.”
“Thank you,” I said, meaning it completely.
Felix’s expression smoothed back into neutral territory, and he gave me a single nod before turning back to the engineers.The one thing I knew about Felix more than anything: he would always support his drivers.
Andy walked me down the narrow corridor toward the medical office, hovering like a nervous shadow.He kept glancing at me as though he wasn’t sure if I’d shatter.
“You’re really okay?”he asked quietly.
“Yeah, yeah.I’ll live.”When we reached the door, he opened it for me, motioning for me to head inside.
“All right, I’ll go see where that doctor is.Be back in a few.”
“Thanks, Andy.”
Once the medical checks had been completed, I was able to get back to my driver’s room.I peeled off my gloves and tossed them onto the chair, flexing my aching fingers.I was about to fling myself on the couch, until a bouquet of flowers caught my eye.
On the coffee table sat a neat flower arrangement in a clear glass vase, bright and cheerful and completely out of place compared to how I felt.The bouquet was full of lilies, naturally, because someone in PR had probably thought that was clever, mixed with sunny yellow daisies and a few white roses.A silver ribbon had fallen off the vase, probably dropped by some sponsor’s assistant rushing through the delivery.
For a moment, I let myself breathe in their scent.Sweet and fresh, their smell cut through the lingering smoke that clung to my race suit.
Then I noticed the small white envelope tucked among the stems.My name was scrawled across it in black ink, the handwriting unfamiliar.My fingers tore open the envelope, and I peered inside.
Inside was a small card with decorative gold edges.
I turned the card over in my hands, and my breath caught in my throat.
MESS UP HENRI AGAIN AND NEXT TIME YOU WON’T WALK AWAY.YOU DON’T WANT TO OWE ME, LILLIAN.
Well, shit.
Chapter Two
Henri
Helmet on, gloves tugged tight, I sat in the cockpit and tried not to focus on the thud of my own heartbeat.It’d been two weeks since Miami.Two weeks since Lily’s mistake had flipped me upside down, costing me the race.The racing stewards had called it “an incident,” which made it sound like a casual coincidence rather than a car forcing me to flip and hit the wall hard enough that I could hear my bones rattle.
Rennen’s official apology had been pathetic.Lily’s worse.She’d smiled that infuriatingly media-trained sunshine smile and blamed “unexpected behavior” and “a systems fault,” as if a gremlin had yanked the wheel right out of her hands.Or that the car had decided to run itself across the track for fun.
