Page 71
‘Are you having a good time, boys?’
‘Yes, Papa,’ Lucas laughed at his father’s exuberance.
‘How about you, Paulo? Have you ever seen anything like this before?’
‘No, I haven’t.’ Paulo smiled tightly, and Andre didn’t seem to notice the acid touch to his tone. ‘I wouldn’t mind spending a lot more time in places like this. I feel right at home.’
Andre roared with laughter. ‘Nice to see a guy with ambition. Right, I think it’s time to take this party back to the chalet. Shall we head off, Lucas? Everyone can follow.’
‘Sure,’ Lucas grinned. ‘You coming, Paulo?’
‘Of course. You go on ahead. I’ll be there shortly.’
Andre helped Lucas into his jacket and the two of them walked outside, feet crunching in the snow, the bright sun giving the late afternoon a residual warmth. Lucas carried an open bottle of champagne, taking swigs from it as they waited for the valet to bring the car round. He handed the keys to Andre and the two men climbed in.
‘Top down, don’t you think?’ Andre said as he touched the control on the dashboard and the roof of the Ferrari convertible roof rolled back. Then he gunned the engine and the Ferrari roared to life.
Andre set off at speed, heading down the mountain on the narrow, winding roads towards their chalet, Lucas finding the air bracing, and shaking off a little of his alcoholic stupor. Before long, another car appeared in the rear-view mirror, which then shot past them at speed, overtaking on a blind bend.
‘What the hell …’ Andre began, then he burst out laughing. ‘That was Paulo! Well, if he wants to play that game …’ Andre expertly revved the engine, the car roaring as it raced after the car in front.
They quickly caught up – Paulo’s GTI was no match for Andre’s powerful Ferrari – and swung out to overtake, the two vehicles side by side on the narrow mountain road. Lucas was laughing uncontrollably, waving and gesticulating as they overtook Paulo.
The road was silvery with a sheen of ice forming as the sun fell, the pinpricks of fading sunlight flickering on the mountainside.
‘Hey, Dad, let me drive,’ Lucas grinned. ‘I want to beat Paulo.’
‘Lucas …’ Andre smiled indulgently. ‘I’m not sure that’s such a good idea. How much have you had to drink?’
‘Just a couple of glasses, I’m fine. Come on, I want to have some fun too,’ Lucas pleaded. ‘We’re almost back at the chalet. Look,’ He pointed at a passing place on the roadside. ‘Pull in there and we can quickly swap over.’
Andre hesitated, then pushed his foot down on the accelerator, speeding to the spot next to the metal barrier at the side of the road and hastily pulling in. ‘Quick,’ he cried, as he jumped out of the car, flying high on a combination of adrenaline and cocaine. Father and son were laughing hysterically as they ran around and swapped places, Lucas taking his father’s place in the left-hand driver’s seat, and quickly clicking his seatbelt in place. ‘I can see him!’
Paulo’s car breezily overtook them, and Lucas rammed his foot on the accelerator and pulled out so fast that his head slammed back against the seat, as Andre continued to fumble with his seatbelt. Lucas was laughing harder than ever as the Ferrari ate up the distance between the two cars. Paulo was going to flip when he realized it was Lucas who was cutting him up this time. Lucas knew the road, but had never driven it at this speed, the champagne was fizzing in his system. Lucas felt the coolness of the leather steering wheel in his palms, the smooth curve of the gearstick as he drove instinctively.
And then they were catching up with Paulo, and Lucas pulled out into the empty road, giving him a triumphant finger as they shot past, Andre banging on the dashboard in triumph.
‘Lucas, slow down, son, be careful, huh!’
Lucas was giddy with testosterone. He turned to look at his father, relishing the feeling of excitement, how connected he felt to his father at that moment. But then he was struck with a moment of clarity, realizing his father was worried, and Lucas could see he was still struggling with his seatbelt, so he took his foot off the accelerator, and put pressure on the brake, as he approached the next bend. As he did so, he caught sight of Paulo’s car coming up behind him fast in the wing mirror. Lucas barely had time to register that the gap ahead was too sharp for them both to take it at speed, and as he slammed hard on the brake, Paulo rammed into their bumper and instantly the Ferrari was lifted sideways towards the barrier, breaking through it and hitting the tree on the other side before nestling precariously close to the steep incline.
Then everything fragmented for Lucas. A scream of agony. A crunch of metal. And then blackness.
Paulo had taken the corner too sharply to see what had happened to the Ferrari as they rounded the bend. Maybe he had mistimed his overtake, he told himself, but Andre was driving like a lunatic, and it served him right if that penis-extension sports car of his had taken a dent.
He pulled over to wait for Andre and Lucas to come around the bend. Where were they? His eyes shot nervously over the side of the mountain. The drop here had no trees to break the fall, and it was a long way down … still no sign of them.
‘Shit.’
Paulo reversed out of the verge and turned his car around, it was twilight now, and he switched his car headlights on. As he rounded the bend, he felt the air knocked out of him as his headlights picked up the mangled Ferrari, upended, and dangerously close to the mountain verge. He pulled over, his hands and legs shaking as he quickly climbed out of the vehicle, and walked in a horrified daze towards the wreck.
‘No, no, no.’ He dragged his hands across his scalp, willing the sight to be just a bad dream.
As he approached, he could see Andre had been thrown from the car, and was lying unconscious in the road, his limbs and neck nauseatingly contorted, blood pouring from his head. His eyes darted to the vehicle … Was that Lucas in the driving seat? He’d been driving? Of course … it was Lucas who had flipped him the bird, Lucas who always thought he was better at everything than Paulo.
Not this time.
‘Help me …’
