Page 65 of Full Throttle 2

I can wallow in self-pity later. Today, I have a race to win.

Colby threw the covers off her body and got out of bed. She figured she’d take a quick shower, burn some energy off on the treadmill in the hotel fitness room, and then get ready to line up.

As she walked out into the living room of her suite, Lila was sitting on the sofa with her feet curled up underneath her while drinking a cup of coffee, her laptop balanced on her knees.

“Hey.”

Colby wasn’t in the mood for the cheerfulness in her voice. Dammit, she was entitled to be a bitter Betty, and her voice reflected it. “Hey.”

Lila ignored the I-don’t-feel-like-talking tone. “You ready for today?”

Colby sighed. “Considering it might be my last race, I am trying to capture and embrace every moment.”

Lila’s fingers froze over her keyboard. “Now, why would you say something like that?”

“Because you and I both know people will believe the lies before the truth, and when that magazine article comes out, I’m toast.”

Carelessly, Lila waved her hand back and forth. “Oh, that. You’re still worried about that?”

Colby nodded. “Um . . . yes. I am . . . among other things.”

Lila placed her laptop on the sofa, got up, and walked over to Colby. Her voice softened. “Why don’t you call him?”

“And say what? I’m the one who told him we needed to take a break.”

“Do you regret it?”

“Yes and no.”

“What does that mean?”

“I can’t give up racing—not long term. It’s been my dream since before I even knew how to dream.” Colby glanced up at the ceiling. “Although I may not have a choice.”

“Okay, I’ve had enough of this.” Lila went back over to the sofa and picked up a sealed manilla envelope. “I haven’t shown this to Brian yet. I thought you should be the first to see it.”

Hesitantly, Colby reached for it. “What is this?”

“Open it and see.”

“Okaaay.” The gleam in Lila’s eyes made Colby curious.

Colby opened the envelope and pulled out a glossy magazine with her picture on the cover. She was the featured guest for the issue ofRACINGmagazine. Colby was confused. “What is this? Why would the same magazine that’s doing anexclusivehit piece now write a glowing cover story?”

“Because we did what’s called a catch-and-kill story.”

“What? I don’t know what that is.”

“With the help of some of my friends in the industry, we were able to issue a kill order. Initially, they balked at it, but once they found out you have friends in high places who threatened to sue their asses into oblivion and blast them on their sports network, which averages more than ten million viewers a night, they calmed the fuck down and decided to take another approach.”

“You’re kidding?”

“Nope.”

“I have friends in high places?”

Lila smirked. “You sure do.”

Colby didn’t believe it. “How did you really pull this off?”

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