Kimi clapped a hand on my shoulder. “You tell me where to show up. I’ll be there to back you, Ray.”
“I’ll go full Italian scandal,” Marco growled. “They won’t know what hit them.”
My brows flew to my hairline. “You’re from a royal Italian bloodline, Marco. Be so for real.”
“Morel almost killed my best friend, Aurélie. They haven’t seen me angry.”
I nodded once, pulse finally feeling steady after having some sort of plan in place.
“Are you okay?” Kimi asked me.
“As okay as I can be,” I admitted. “I’ll feel better once the race is over and I have some more answers. And now I’m about to make sure someone elseisn’tokay.”
I nodded once, slipping my phone back into my suit. My pulse was steady now. I felt cold and detached but focused.
I wasn’t racing for the world’s approval anymore. I wasn’t racing for headlines or trophies.
I was racing for the man who nearly died for me after he told me to stay behind him to protect me.
For the people they kept ignoring.
Forevery damn womanthey thought would keep her mouth shut.
And to end a legacy of silence.
He told me to finish the race. So I would. But I was finishing it my way—on fire and unforgiving. For him. Let’s see how fast I could be when I finally stopped holding back.
Henric’s wordslingered in my mind like a stubborn echo, refusing to fade.That man’s willing to fight for you in ways most wouldn’t.I crouched into another stretch, pressing my palms flat to the ground, but the tremor in my hands betrayed me. My muscles felt stiff no matter how hard I pushed. My heart beat faster than it should have for a warmup, Callum’s name looping in my head like a mantra.
I forced myself to focus on my breathing—slow in, slower out—but every inhale brought the phantom scent of scorched rubber and smoke. The image of him slumped in the cockpit flashed behind my eyelids, and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep myself present. He was alive. I’d spoken to him, held his hand myself. Henric said he stood on his own two feet. I repeated the thought until it felt more real.
“Aurélie.” Henric’s sharp tone cut through the fog, snapping me back to the present. His brows knit together as he watched me, his expression unreadable. “You ready?”
I nodded, the lie sitting heavy in my throat. “Always.”
Henric didn’t press further, but as he turned away, I caught the flicker of concern in his eyes—as if he had any right to feel concerned after how he’d treated me. Yet somehow, that concern mirrored the uncertainty twisting inside me, but there was no room for doubt. Callum had fought for me. Now it was my turn.
Focus, Dubois.There was only one way to honor what Callum did.
Win.
The lightsabove the grid blurred slightly as I waited in my slot in P6, the world narrowing to the cockpit, the wheel, and the road ahead. I tightened my grip on the wheel, my gloves creaking against the leather.
One light.
Two.
The rhythm of my breathing matched the countdown, my heart a drumbeat of anticipation.
Three.
Four.
Five.
The lights vanished, and my car surged forward, the engine’s roar blending with the pounding of my pulse. I caught Kimi’s car in my periphery, his livery glinting under the midday sun. Thefield jostled into position, tires squealing as we funneled into Turn 1. I stayed ahead, carving the perfect line, pushing the car to its limits.
I felt every bump, every imperfection in the track through the wheel, the vibrations traveling up my arms. My tires gripped hard, skimming the edge of the curb as I carved through the corner. The field ahead shifted like a kaleidoscope, cars darting left and right, their movements erratic. A split-second decision loomed—a gap opened ahead of me, barely wide enough to fit. I took it without hesitation, the adrenaline surging as I threaded the needle.
