me.
“Do you honestly think any of them will miss a crash every single meet? It’ll probably end up being cheaper for us to back out of every deal than to have to build a new car every couple of weeks. Besides, the way you’ve been driving, it’s unlikely we’ll meet the track time requirements anyway.”
I hung my head in shame. My cheeks burned red and I longed for a drink to take the edge off the guilt eating at my stomach.
“This is a one-time offer, kid. A last chance, so to speak,” Danny said. There wasn’t a trace of anger in his voice, but somehow that made it seem all the more serious. “Take the time off like you wanted. Go to London; the doctors have given you clearance to fly. Get your shit together, and then come back fresh next season and get back to winning me some races.”
I didn’t need to ask what would happen if I refused or if I couldn’t do what he wanted; the answer danced in his eyes. The ticket wasn’t much more than a stay of execution if I didn’t do as he ordered.
That didn’t stop me from questioning him though. “Why London?”
“Because you sure as shit haven’t sorted yourself out here. I think you need a change of scenery. Plus, it’ll keep you away from Morgan until he’s calmed a little.”
I nodded. “But what’s the key for?”
“An apartment I own in London. You’ll have free access to it while you’re there, but that’s the only thing I can offer you until you return for the preseason testing.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, even though I wasn’t sure that it shouldn’t have been, “Fuck you.”
I didn’t want someone telling me what to do, or where to holiday, but maybe he was on the right track. Maybe it was exactly what I needed—to get out of the country and away from any possible reminders of Alyssa.
It was a chance to try to get my head together. To break whatever hold it was that Alyssa had over me after one chance sighting of her happy smile in the arms of another. Happy without me.
“You do realise this means your pay will be suspended?”
I nodded, mentally calculating what I had in liquid assets. With luck and good management, I should’ve had enough to make it through to preseason without compromising too much of my lifestyle. I would miss the twenty grand I had to pay in fines that much more though.
“And I shouldn’t have to remind you that your contract is up for renewal next year. I’m a reasonable man. I’m willing to overlook this last six months, providing you can prove to me that you are back on top next season.”
After standing and gathering up the documents with all the fines, I offered him a small smile. At least it wasn’t an outright dismissal. There had certainly been enough grounds for one. “Thank you, Danny.”
“I meant it when I said you have the potential to be a great driver, Declan. Nothing’s changed since then. You just need to get your head back in the game.”
”Thank you.”
“That is all.”
I knew not to hang around after getting dismissed from his office, lest he change his mind.
As I walked down the corridor away from his office, I kept staring at the plane ticket in my hand. The flight left the following day, and I had three months before I needed to be back for preseason testing for the following year’s races. That gave me three months to sort myself out.
Three months to get Alyssa “small town” Dawson out of my head for good.
CHAPTER SIX: CHANCE ENCOUNTERS
AFTER I ARRIVED home, I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the plane ticket. It felt heavy in my hands, much heavier than a piece of card rightfully should. It was weighted with expectation and fear. If it didn’t work . . . nothing would. I would be done. My career, the one thing I’d worked so damn hard for, would be gone. I’d given up everything for it. If it were gone, I’d be left with nothing. I’d have to crawl back home a failure and watch Alyssa flaunt her new love at every
“Do you honestly think any of them will miss a crash every single meet? It’ll probably end up being cheaper for us to back out of every deal than to have to build a new car every couple of weeks. Besides, the way you’ve been driving, it’s unlikely we’ll meet the track time requirements anyway.”
I hung my head in shame. My cheeks burned red and I longed for a drink to take the edge off the guilt eating at my stomach.
“This is a one-time offer, kid. A last chance, so to speak,” Danny said. There wasn’t a trace of anger in his voice, but somehow that made it seem all the more serious. “Take the time off like you wanted. Go to London; the doctors have given you clearance to fly. Get your shit together, and then come back fresh next season and get back to winning me some races.”
I didn’t need to ask what would happen if I refused or if I couldn’t do what he wanted; the answer danced in his eyes. The ticket wasn’t much more than a stay of execution if I didn’t do as he ordered.
That didn’t stop me from questioning him though. “Why London?”
“Because you sure as shit haven’t sorted yourself out here. I think you need a change of scenery. Plus, it’ll keep you away from Morgan until he’s calmed a little.”
I nodded. “But what’s the key for?”
“An apartment I own in London. You’ll have free access to it while you’re there, but that’s the only thing I can offer you until you return for the preseason testing.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, even though I wasn’t sure that it shouldn’t have been, “Fuck you.”
I didn’t want someone telling me what to do, or where to holiday, but maybe he was on the right track. Maybe it was exactly what I needed—to get out of the country and away from any possible reminders of Alyssa.
It was a chance to try to get my head together. To break whatever hold it was that Alyssa had over me after one chance sighting of her happy smile in the arms of another. Happy without me.
“You do realise this means your pay will be suspended?”
I nodded, mentally calculating what I had in liquid assets. With luck and good management, I should’ve had enough to make it through to preseason without compromising too much of my lifestyle. I would miss the twenty grand I had to pay in fines that much more though.
“And I shouldn’t have to remind you that your contract is up for renewal next year. I’m a reasonable man. I’m willing to overlook this last six months, providing you can prove to me that you are back on top next season.”
After standing and gathering up the documents with all the fines, I offered him a small smile. At least it wasn’t an outright dismissal. There had certainly been enough grounds for one. “Thank you, Danny.”
“I meant it when I said you have the potential to be a great driver, Declan. Nothing’s changed since then. You just need to get your head back in the game.”
”Thank you.”
“That is all.”
I knew not to hang around after getting dismissed from his office, lest he change his mind.
As I walked down the corridor away from his office, I kept staring at the plane ticket in my hand. The flight left the following day, and I had three months before I needed to be back for preseason testing for the following year’s races. That gave me three months to sort myself out.
Three months to get Alyssa “small town” Dawson out of my head for good.
CHAPTER SIX: CHANCE ENCOUNTERS
AFTER I ARRIVED home, I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the plane ticket. It felt heavy in my hands, much heavier than a piece of card rightfully should. It was weighted with expectation and fear. If it didn’t work . . . nothing would. I would be done. My career, the one thing I’d worked so damn hard for, would be gone. I’d given up everything for it. If it were gone, I’d be left with nothing. I’d have to crawl back home a failure and watch Alyssa flaunt her new love at every
Similar Books
