Page 28 of Break My Heart

“For now,” he says, reminding me I’ll have to work with Leo.

“For now.”

I take a bite and chew while considering the consequences of what I’m about to do. Then again, no matter what happens in the next few months, I won’t be alone. I have my friends. My dad.

Most importantly, I have my self-respect.

Still, I can’t help but wonder what Leo’s going to do when he sees me.

10

COOLDOWN LAP: SLOWER LAP TO RESET TIRES: ONE WEEK LATER

Location: Las Vegas

Vegas is a spectacle—exactly what it’s fabled to be. Fitting, considering I’m about to cause one myself when I step into the F1 racing world in an entirely different manner from the way people know me.

Tonight, I won’t just be visible as Lewis Porter’s daughter. Instead, I’m going to own that ballroom as the newest consultant for Apex Orion Racing.

On the flight, I reviewed everything I’ve built into the prototype. I can’t help but wonder if Leo is ripping his hair out. His telemetry logs and input latency must be causing significant problems he can only correct from behind the wheel.

By the time we descend, I know the solution I’ve developed should solve half the problems they’re having out of the box. The rest I’ll fix when I see it fail in person.

Because it will.

There’s no doubt about it.

By the time I reach my father’s home, memories of the time we spent here while he raced in the Las Vegas Grand Prix hum through my veins.

I recall neon lights shooting into the sky. Engines screaming down the Strip like the city itself was powered by E10 fuel. I remember my mother holding my hand as I pointed out everything. Leaning against the window overlooking my father’s private track, I can practically feel her in the room with me.

“Mama, this is incredible!”

She wraps an arm around my waist, hugging me tightly. “I know, Pumpkin.”

“I’ve never seen the Strip like this.”

“Few have.”

“Will Dad even be able to find us after the race in this madhouse?”

She leans over to murmur in my ear so I can hear her over the noise. “Don’t you worry, Pumpkin. Your father will always find his way home to us.”

I beam at her before wrapping an arm around her waist and squeezing back.

Little did any of us know her body would succumb to uterine cancer two years after that. What used to astound me—the bright dazzle of an F1 event—faded without her by my side. Still, I can’t help but feel a pull to Vegas because of it.

But just like that, my trip down memory lane ends, replaced by the present. By the weight of why I’m here and who I’m here for.

My phone lights up. I grin when I see Maya, Amy, and Emery are video calling.

I press the green check and, immediately, their faces fill the screen. I drawl, “I’m always astounded that one small device can survive our chaos.”

“There she is!” Maya announces like she’s hosting a live broadcast from her home in Italy.

Emery leans closer to her camera, squinting at me. “Zoom in. I need to assess your initial emotional damage.”

I lift the phone so she can see the profile of my nose. “Does that work?”