Page 124 of Until The Lights Go Out

“And?”

“And I don’t care.”

Her expression softened instantly at that, some sadness flickering briefly through her eyes. Because she knew why I left the race, and I knew I would do it again too.

I reached up, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear carefully. “You needed me.”

Theo Bauer, previous professional race car driver and current emotional disaster, apparently.

Maisey’s face crumpled slightly around the edges before she leaned down and kissed me softly.

“You owe him an explanation, and maybe an apology for however much he shielded you since yesterday,” she whispered against my mouth. I closed my eyes briefly.

There it was.

Reality.

The thing waiting outside this hotel room was an orchestra of contracts, sponsors, media storms brewing online, and a whole slew of chaos because I had very publicly disappeared from a Formula One race four hours before race start. I finally grabbed my phone from the nightstand with a sigh. The second the screen unlocked, Sebastian called again like he’d been waiting with the phone in his hand.

I answered cautiously. “Hello?”

“You absolute fucking psychopath.” I pulled the phone slightly away from my ear while Maisey buried her face in the pillow laughing.

“Good morning to you, too.”

“Is Maisey okay?” he asked quietly. I smirked at my big softy of a brother.

“Yeah, she’s okay.” I sighed, reaching out and lacing my fingers through hers.

“Good, I’m glad. Now on to yelling at you… Do you have any idea what kind of chaos you caused yesterday?” Sebastian continued. “The FIA launched an inquiry. Kaz PR nearly had collective cardiac arrest. Simmons is livid, and I mean seriously fucking livid. I know you did what you had to, but did you have to disappear for this fucking long?”

“Sorry.”

“You abandoned a race! Which, fine, okay, still bad, but I see your reasons, and then you disappear for 24 hours. I am going to die young; my heart is going to give out. I am going to go gray early, Theodore.”

“It was an emergency.”

“Yes, understood, but then you need to text your manager and confirm you and everyone are safe and alive and go back to work!” Sebastian continued before I could defend myself. “The internet thinks you either had a nervous breakdown, got kidnapped, or secretly got married.”