Page 13 of Red Queen
“Looking alright, no rain detected. We’re not starting from good positions, but we could snatch solid points. We’re more focused on the next race.” I hear a little disappointment in my uncle’s voice.
“Good thinking. But hey, you never know.” We do know. I’ve said this a hundred times now, but in Monaco, it is basically impossible to overtake, so most probably you’ll finish in the place you started.
The track is known for its narrow streets. There are limited places you can overtake, and the tight corners make it even more difficult. The size of the modern F1 cars isn’t helping either.
I pat his shoulders and I go back to the garage after managing not to get run over. As we still have a lot of time before the race, I’ll go back to play with Kai.
“Momma, can I go find Dad with Rosa?” She bats her eyelashes at her mother, who, of course, nods right away. She’s damn good at convincing people.
“I think Daddy is in his room. Do you want to go upstairs?” I ask, smiling at her, and while she nods vigorously, she grabs my hand and starts pulling me toward the stairs. I knock on the door, but no answer comes. Kai steps inside, but the room is empty. Maybe he finished his pre-race routine already.
“He’s not here.” Disappointment stains her voice, so I hold her hand tighter and lift her chin.
“We can ask the others if they’ve seen him, how’s that sound?” I see her eyes light up again, so we take our way back down. “Jason! Hey! Have you seen Huck?”
“No.” He grabs his earpiece from his neck and starts talking again. “Has anyone seen Huck? Kai and Rosa are looking for him.”
Did this man disappear or what? How can a driver disappear without notice? Jason is still clutching the device, but soon after, he rolls his eyes and laughs.
“He’s in the bathroom.” Me and the little girl burst out laughing. Poor Huck, he must be nervous, taking so much time in there. I mutter a thanks to Jason, and I turn to Kai.
“While we wait for the old man, do you want to go a little more outside so you can peek at the other cars?” She starts nodding her head fast, so I walk out of the garage, grab us two ear muffs, and bring her to a place where we’re not in people’s way.
I watch the teams getting ready for the race with Kai, and when I feel a hand on my shoulders, I turn around and look up at the clock, only to realize that the race starts in ten minutes.
Thank god I came early to spend more time with my uncle, who was busy as always. Eventually, Huck went back to his driver’s room to be alone for a while, and he just sat in his car.
We wish good luck to Asher and Huck, and settle back in the garage, waiting for the red lights to go out. The mechanics take off the tire warmers one by one, and they exit the track. Two minutes to go.
The cars begin to speed up, starting their formation lap. People usually don’t like the Monaco track; they say it’s “boring”. And while it is not the most exciting race, I love this one. It has beautiful scenery, and the track layout is also one to admire. Not to mention the people, everyone here looks like they’re from the royal family. Thankfully, they’re also nice, not just rich.
The cars are back at their starting position, stopping under the red lights. The marshal waves the green flag, and the lights start to beep.Please, God let this race end without any crashes. The Monaco track is famous for huge crashes, the dangerous corners, and the high speed straights give enough reason to be worried about the drivers.
As soon as the lights go out, I grab Kai and Georgia’s hands. I almost can’t even look at the giant screen that shows us the action. A yellow flag appears in sector one, and two secondslater, the virtual safety car icon is shown.Shit. I hear names pop up on the radio, then finally, the cameras show the two unlucky cars.
It’s Liam and Fred, the two Brits. No one’s hurt, thankfully. The other cars seem to have been able to avoid the collision. Well, at least they’re not teammates. They’re barely over the first turn, and the cars are already making their way back to the garages. They won’t be able to clean the track off easily, so they have to stop the race for now.
After that one collision in the beginning, we only had to wait a few minutes until they cleared the track. The rest of the race goes smoothly, and as predicted, Aiden finishes in first place. Everyone cheers on him, even us, after Huck and Asher finished only in 6th and 7th place. Mateo managed to somehow overtake Nath, but then close to the end, he got a five-second penalty, and he couldn’t work that off, so Nathan was promoted to second place.
By some miracle, I was able to slip off before the crowd and get back to the bar just in time. Everyone else was able to do that, even the DJ, who was already waiting for us at the entrance. Guess he didn’t get the memo that Ivy and others were, in fact, inside the whole time, so they could’ve started to set up their stuff already.
I’m standing in the corner, watching the crowd of people flow in, everyone taking their welcome drink, snatching photos, and stealing snacks. I’m so focused on the people in front of me that I jump when I feel arms snake around me from behind.
They pull me close, and if I didn’t recognize the few small tattoos, I would’ve known it was Nathan just from his cologne. A sweet, flowery scent filled with ginger and cinnamon that I like so much. He’s been using this for years, and I always tell him to never change it.
“Hellooo!” He chuckles into my ear and lifts me to spin around. I shriek in surprise, but he doesn’t let me go for a while. “You left before I could find you after the race.”
“Yes. In case you forgot, I’m working tonight, I still have work to do here.” He lets his arms drop from my body and goes over to the bar to ask for a drink.
“You want something too?”
“I can’t drink now.” I fold my arms under my chest while he steps closer, now with a glass of whiskey in his hand.
“You said you’d have a drink with me when I win.”
“But you didn’t win, right, Nathan?” I love to rile him up. He’s so adorable when he’s angry at me. Like a little puppy.
“Fair point. Alright, you’re in for next time. I’m not letting you off the hook, miss.” He winks at me, and then his eyes light up. I look behind and I see some of his friends walk through the back door.
