Page 45 of Octane

“Oh, no!” Sylvia exclaims. “Please don’t leave, dear. Let’s all just calm down. Take a deep breath and give our emotions a moment to settle.”

Sylvia’s constant, level headed attitude has always made me wonder what kind of drugs she’s on. No one can be that serene surrounded by all of this bullshit.

“Keep your fucking nose out of our business,” Daniel orders Carissa, his eyes tiny slits.

“Daniel, please don’t use that kind of language at the dinner table.”

Daniel looks at his mother and rolls his eyes, but he doesn’t speak again. None of us do. We finish our meals in uncomfortable silence, despite Sylvia’s efforts to reignite the conversation. I want to leave, but I am scared, thinking about what will happen when we get home.

I didn’t do anything wrong, but will Daniel make me pay for my sister’s outburst?

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

JACKSON

You can see the front stretch and Pit Road perfectly from my box. The view is one of the best in the arena. It’s why I tell my drivers to have their friends and family come up here to watch the race when we’re in town. A crowd is beginning to spread through the space as more people arrive, and the track below is abuzz with pre-race commotion. I look in the direction of turn four. Sawyer is down at that end, in the last pit space.

Her qualifying score was just enough to get her into today’s race, thankfully. She’s a very young driver and still has a lot to learn, but the fact that she’s here is a true testament to her skills.

I look around and see Nate’s parents as well as his fiancée and her parents. Robby’s dad and brother are here, and I see a few people from both Tim’s and Ryder’s families as well. I’m not always up here during races, sometimes I’m down on Pit Road. That’s where I’m going to be today, but there is an important conversation that I need to have first. My eyes keep darting to the door anxiously, as I await Sawyer’s family’s arrival.

“So when are you due again?” I ask Shauna, Nate’s fiancée.

They’re expecting, and if I remember correctly, they’re due this spring.

“May seventeenth,” she answers with an excited smile.

“Okay, not too much longer then.”

“Feels like forever,” she grumbles jokingly.

I laugh as my eyes dart to the door once again. When they do, I spot a girl who has to be Sawyer’s sister. She has the same black hair, minus the curls, and her eyes are bright blue like Sawyer’s, though they don’t pierce my soul like her sister’s do. She’s followed by two older gentlemen and Daniel.

“Excuse me,” I say to Nate’s family.

I walk to Sawyer’s family and extend my hand. “Hi, I’m Jackson Powell, owner of Powell Racing. You must be Carissa.”

I see Daniel’s eyes narrow slightly as if he didn’t expect me to know her name. Little does he know, but I pay attention to everything Sawyer says when she talks to me. I loved hearing about her first experience at the track with her sister and her uncle when she was twelve.

“It’s really nice to finally meet you,” she answers as she shakes my hand. “Sawyer’s told me a lot about you.”

My eyes shoot over to Daniel again, and he looks even angrier than he was a moment ago.

“Mr. Stone?” I ask the older man behind her.

“Zach, please. It’s nice to meet you as well, Jackson. Thank you for giving my girl a chance to prove herself. She’s been working hard for this moment.”

“She’s an absolute pleasure to have on the team. We’re lucky to have someone with her talent.

“Daniel,” I turn to face him, begrudgingly acknowledging his presence.

“Jackson.” He greets me just as coldly. “This is my father, Warren Kramer.”

I smile through the introduction as much as I'm able to, though the pompous way he speaks makes me want to knock the grin off his face.

Eat shit and die.

“Jackson,” the bored-looking man next to Daniel nods his head.

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