Page 87 of Fast & Reckless
That his first thought was forherwell-being brought tears to her eyes. “I should be asking you that.” Her voice was coarse with strained emotion. “You crashed.”
He shrugged. “I’m fine.”
“You could havedied, Will.”
“Mira, I’m fine. No head injury. It’s okay.”
“You’re out of the race. That’s not okay.”
“It’s one race.”
“One race that could end up costing you the championship. And it could cost Lennox the Constructor’s … God.” She stopped, her hands shaking, and drew another deep breath. “I’m sorry, Will. I’msosorry. That’s all I seem to be able to say and it’s not enough. Not for anybody.”
“Hey.” He was at her side in a moment, reaching for her hand. “This isn’t your fault. You know that.”
She couldn’t bear it, his affection in the face of this wreckage. Turning away, she crossed the room, needing to put a little distance between them as she said what came next.
“Will, look what’s happened to you because of me. Last week, nobody on that track had a chance of taking the worldchampionship away from you. Now you’re out of a race, maybe two. Everything you’ve accomplished this season is about to be wiped away, because of me.”
“Mira—”
She turned back to face him. “Ryan from Velocity called Violet.”
He scowled. “Ryan? Why?”
“They’ve seen the fight online. They might kill your sponsorship, Will.”
He shook his head and waved his good hand dismissively. “You think I give a shit about that?”
He came toward her, reaching for her, but she batted his hand away. She couldn’t bear it if he touched her with those gentle fingers, pulled her into that warm embrace. She was already certain that when she left the room, she’d be leaving an irreplaceable piece of her heart behind. His tenderness would only make it worse.
“You have to save that contract.”
“Did you just hear me? I don’t care about the contract.”
“I do! Will, do you remember what you told me after your first press junket in London? You told me—yousworeto me—that you’d never do something to harm Lennox.”
“Of course, but—”
“Don’t you get it?I’mthat thing! You and me,we’rethe thing that’s harming Lennox. And I won’t do it. Not to you, not to the team, not to my dad. Not again.”
Will looked like she’d punched him, his eyes stricken and his mouth gaping. “So you’re saying we’re over?”
She dropped her head. She couldn’t look at him. Not now. Her hands started to shake involuntarily. She balled them into fists. “Yes,” she said. “Take me out of the mix and it’s a little track rivalry that got out of hand. I’m taking myself outof their damned story, so you get a chance to write your own ending to this.”
“Don’t tell me you’re doing this for me. You’re doing it because you’re scared.” Will eyed her, like he was just now coming to see her clearly, and it felt awful, like she’d been stripped down to just her ugliest, smallest parts. “They’re going to talk about you again and instead of standing with me, you’re going to run and hide.”
His anger hurt worse than anything had so far.
“That’s not fair,” Mira whispered.
“Oh, I know what you’re scared of. You’re scared of disappointing your father. You’re dumping me just to spare his feelings.”
Anger of her own flared in her chest. She refused to let one more person pay for what she’d done, not when she had the chance to fix it. “It’s not about hisfeelings! It’s about hislife! It’s aboutyourlife. It’s about this team! Don’t you get it?”
Will stared at the floor, his shoulders heaving as he dragged in deep breaths. When he spoke, his voice was hard and icy, shaking with rage. “Got it. So I’m good for sneaking around with and fucking, a little forbidden fun, but when shit gets real, you drop me cold. ‘Just go drive, Will. That’s all you’re good for.’ ”
“That’s not—”
