Page 98 of Fast & Reckless
Better, but not good enough. Not for him. As he entered the straight, he opened up the car and gave it everything he had. He had the best car on the track, without a doubt, and now it showed. He focused on controlling the speed as Tae barked times into his ear.
“Just a reminder, Will,” Tae said. “We don’t need the point for fastest lap.”
“Yes we do,” he said between gritted teeth. He was leaving it all on the track today. Everything the tires could give him, every ounce of fuel, every bit of strength left in his body. Then, while he was gritting his teeth through the last turn complex, his head still full of tire pressures and brake temps and hydraulic pressure, he rounded Turn Sixteen and suddenly there it was, waving in front of him, filling his vision—the checkered flag.
He won.
He’d just won the world championship.
DIMLY, MIRA WAS AWARE OF SCREAMS,of Natalia kissing her cheek before Paul snatched her up in a hug, of Violet shrieking in her ear and throwing her arms around her neck. The Lennox paddock was pandemonium.
First, Will had to do the obligatory victory donuts with the car, burning up the tires and sending up a curtain of smoke asthe race fans screamed their appreciation. But finally, the crew pulled aside the barricades and the sleek blue car coasted into the waiting crowd. He was swarmed, an army of pit crew guys and mechanics rushing to pull him free, everyone shouting and laughing. Eventually his head rose above the crowd, his hair sweaty and tangled where he’d yanked his balaclava free. As if there were no other person in the paddock, his eyes went straight to hers, and he grinned, wide and triumphant.
“Go,” Violet said, shoving her through the crowd toward him. “He doesn’t want any of them. He wants you.”
She wound her way through the crew, until they seemed to realize she was there and fell back enough to make space. Will was standing on the seat of the car, helmet still hanging from his left hand. He reached the other out to her. Planting one foot on the edge of the car, she let him pull her up, until she was standing next to him, his arm banded around her waist.
She reached up to touch his flushed face. “I’m so proud of you, Will. You won,” she said, her voice barely audible over the rising din.
He glowed with triumph, and her heart felt about to burst. The smile he gave her was a private one, something intimate that had nothing to do with winners’ podiums. He pressed his palm to her cheek. “Yes, I won,” he said. “We won.”
And she knew he wasn’t talking about the team or racing. When she answered him, neither was she. “Yes, we did.”
EPILOGUE
Onetahi,Tahiti
Mira’s eyes were closed, but she felt the dappled sunlight dancing across her eyelids. In the distance, she could hear the gentle sound of the ocean surf. The warm breeze was scented with sea salt and some tropical flower that was blooming in the jungle ringing their private villa. Cool water lapped at her shoulders and chest as she reclined her head on the lip of the plunge pool. Perfection. This spot, right here, was the most perfect spot on earth. Well, it would be, except Will wasn’t there enjoying it with her.
“I’m serious, Jem. It’s you or I’m out … uh-huh … well, put him on, I’ll tell the old man myself …”
Mira cracked an eye open and twisted around in the water. Will was pacing back and forth just inside the open sliding door of their villa, phone to his ear, in just his board shorts. Actually,thiswas perfection.
“Ed agrees with me, Jem,” he continued. “You’re the brains here.”
With Will’s world championship win, the Velocity sponsorship deal had come together even better than before. Will had decided to sink a portion of the money into Hawley and Sonsto keep the business afloat. But his money came with strings attached. Namely that his father let Jemima run the expansion and diversification necessary to stay competitive. Mira had recently spent a few evenings in London with Jemima. It was definitely a smart move.
Will wandered deeper inside the villa, his voice now muffled by the surf. Closing her eyes, she soaked up the glorious sensation of the sun on her shoulders. Finally she heard him saying goodbye to Jem.
“Are you coming out?” she called. “This water isn’t getting any more perfect.”
“Coming,” he called.
He emerged a moment later with a bottle of Moët and two champagne flutes.
“What’s this for?”
“I don’t know if it’s exactly something to celebrate, but after avoiding it my entire life, I’m officially a partner in Hawley and Sons.”
“That’s definitely something to celebrate, because you’re doing it on your terms.”
