Page 90 of Out of Control

I don’t want you to believe you’re not important to me, Ollie.

Family. Responsibilities. Pressure. It’s all there, boiling inside of me.

But what’s the way forward?

Will I have to sacrifice my dreams again so that everything can be right in my world?

Do I have to step back into the shadows where I don’t matter?

One man will let me.

The other I know damn sure will not.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Rossi

The car is rough but manageable.

That fucking look in her eyes. I put it there. I made her feel that way. I’m at fucking fault.

I push it and test its limits. Hard through the corners. Within millimeters of the goddamn wall coming out of the chicane. I fly down the straight.

I’ll place on the podium. I’ll make her happy. I’ll prove to her brother and her family that I’m fucking worth it.

But Cruz is still ahead of me—within reach—and fuck if I’m not going to finish ahead of him this race. I’m going to. Have to.

The number two driver in the top Gravitas spot.

I’ll prove to Stavros that I can be consistently better than Cruz. I’ll prove to the fans I’m better than I’ve ever been. I’ll prove to the Navarros that I’m just as good if not better than their prized son. And I’ll fucking impress everyone who’s ever doubted me before.

Right here.

Right now.

This race.

“You’re pushing hard,” Alec says in my earpiece. I’m not sure if it’s an admonishment or praise.

I don’t fucking care.

“How’s the read?” I ask of all the gauges and telemetric stats on the car that he has on the massive board in front of him.

“Good. Fine. You’re about to hit traffic though. That will slow you down.”

“No, it won’t,” I say as I accelerate around and lap a car. I steer into the slipstream of the next one so I can sling out and around it at the right time.

“Careful, Rossi.”

I don’t respond. Can’t. I’m too busy watching Cruz ease up when he hits the traffic in front of him.

Fuck that.

I’m going for it.

At least that’s the plan.

If you don’t kill yourself, you’re going to kill someone else.