Page 10 of Green Flag
“It was overlooked,” Cris said with remorse. “It was an accident.”
“How am I meant to race for a team that overlooked my cousin’s life? How am I meant to get on that bike knowing how negligent Ciclati are?”
“Were,” Cris stressed. “We’ve changed everything. New checks. New protocols. You know Alv. He kept gear to himself. That helmet? Personal use.”
Did he just fucking talk about Alv in the past tense?
“Don’t blame the victim.”
“He’s not,” Livie chipped in. She was in PR mode. Not friend mode. “He’s just saying there have been changes since.”
“And you want me to be quiet about all of this? I don’t know if—”
“You have no choice,” Cris said. “The report and our statement are all the world needs to know. Anything negative you say goes against your contract.”
Yet Nix could bitch all he liked and get away with it?
“Nix—”
“He’s careful,” Livie stressed but of course she would seeing as she was in love with the guy. “He complains about StormSprint, not Ciclati.”
“I bet he’s not happy about the helmets, though, is he?”
“I’ve already spoken to him,” Cris said, but looked down at the folder.
“And how did that go?”
They looked at each other before Livie said, “He’s not going to talk.”
No, because that would mean extra work for her, and Nix liked to keep her all to himself.
“Ciclati—”
“If you’re going to blame anyone, blame me,” Cris said, and through my frustration at Ciclati, I could see the distress in his eyes. As well as the tears. “I already do. You might as well. But don’t go after your team, you’ll ruin your career just as it’s getting started.”
My career meant nothing compared to my cousin’s life.
I wouldn’t have had the career without him. His knowledgeable, gentle yet firm voice was ingrained in my brain.Careful round the bend, Luca. Steady of the breaks, Luca.
And I could never compare.
I was in this strange no-man’s-land in my head. I’d quit boxing three years ago, needing a new rush, and wound up here.
As a teenager, you couldn’t get me out of the ring or off the track. My granddad moved me to an American boarding school, hoping it would improve my grades. There, I found people more like myself—not necessarily intelligent but driven.
I wasn’t so driven anymore.
“Luca, there is no getting out of your contract, trust me, I know,” Cris called, pulling me out of my thoughts with a few blinks. He wiped away a tear and my hard surface was cracking. Everyone loved Alv. Including his boss. “It’s not just your career. If you go against your contract, Ciclati will sue you. It’s worth hundreds of thousands.”
“It’s just money.”
But Cris cocked a brow. “It’s a substantial amount of money and your reputation, Luca.”
Livie was nodding along, her eyes wide with sympathy.
“If you want to race, you need to see out your contract. I know you want to leave and I completely understand that. Your family…” He shook his head. “Stay. Continue his legacy.”
Legacy. Right.
