Boss’s Mile-High Baby
Chapter One
‘IDIDN’T THINKfans were allowed unaccompanied garage access.’ Massimo Hearnshawe hit Pause and stared at the image, regrettably unable to freeze his instant rage with as much ease.
Andre, his highly paid race director, leaned over to see what Massimo was fixated on. ‘Oh, she’s not a fan. She works for us.’
‘In what capacity?’ Massimo questioned. He was too tired to deal with unnecessary drama and this was definitely drama.
The woman had her back to the camera so Massimo couldn’t see her face, but hecouldsee his young cousin’s expression. Emiliano Costa, Massimo’s talented, fast-as-fury driver, was serving a smile so charming it would slide the panties off any straight woman in a ninety-mile radius, and the interest lighting his eyes was unmistakable.
As the youngest driver to be promoted to P1 Global, the world’s premier car-racing competition, the kid had more than enough to prove even before factoring in the added pressure of his family pedigree. He’d gained his P1 Global licence the day he’d turned eighteen last year and gone on to win rookie of the year despite barely being in the championship for enough of the races to be eligible. This was his first complete season and while he was performing well, a woman wasnotthe distraction he needed.
‘She’s in Conrad’s mechanic crew,’ Andre replied.
Conrad was Hearnshawe’s other driver—experienced, a proven race winner, married with two young children. Massimo had recruited him three years ago to mentor Emiliano and accumulate solid points while they got the car more competitive. The plan was progressing. Conrad was consistently making minor podium appearances, while Emiliano had come fourth in this afternoon’s race here in Canada. They wereveryclose.
It’s not enough to be fast; you must be first.
Echoes of family expectation aggravated Massimo’s exhaustion. He’d worked until the small hours for the three nights he’d been here, progressing deals within the broader company. He’d been finalising an auto group contract just now when the video had popped up. He stared harder at the screen. The mechanic’s hair was tucked beneath a forest greenHearnshawe Racingcap, exposing her long neck and slender shoulders—her refined elegance at odds with the loose team polo swamping her frame. ‘Then why is Emiliano talking to her?’
While their garages were side by side, while they were part of the same team, Emiliano had an entire crew of his own mechanics to talk to.
‘I’m not sure,’ Andre muttered.
Instant red flag.
Massimo was more than Emiliano’s cousin and boss. He’d been hisguardianfor the past five years and there was nothing he wouldn’t do toprotectthe kid. In this sport, elite athletes melded with exceptional engineering; it was a seductive combination that attracted the world’s most powerful, the most famous celebrities, the royals, the wealthy. And the wannabes. Sharks constantly circled. Sometimes those sharks were small and beautiful. There were temptations and traps on every turnoffthe track. But there was no way Massimo would allow anything to destroy Emiliano’s racing career, and he knew how easily it happened.Distractioncould destroy everything. It had destroyed Massimo’s racing chances all those years ago.
His inattention hadn’t just caused his own accident; he’d killed his parents.
He wasn’t letting anything like that happen to his cousin. He eliminated any distraction Emiliano encountered. He’d done it before and he’d do it again now.
With twenty-three races through the season, the concentration and commitment required from a driver was immense. There was an exceptional burden of travel, physical training, competing, while the world clamoured for attention. Over the years, Massimo had engaged coaches, nutritionists, PTs, private tutors, doctors and sports psychologists to help Emiliano. He’d created a comprehensive team to provide a layer of protection, ensuring that the kid had the best possible professional help, because Massimo couldn’t provide the personal. But even with all that in place, even with his innate drive and often declared intention to be the best ever, Emiliano had succumbed to the attentions of an older woman. She’d manipulated him, groomed him, until Massimo had managed to see it and step in. He’d unilaterally blocked her access and encouraged his cousin to focus on what he really wanted. Emiliano insisted that was driving, but the kid was now almost nineteen and as headstrong as he was talented, and to Massimo it was utterly obviouswhyhe was so animatedly chatting to this particular mechanic.
She was stunning. He touched the screen and the short video replayed on the social media platform favoured by millions. It was impossible to hear what they were saying but Emiliano couldn’t control his smile nor the flush in his cheeks. The comments piling in beneath the clip increased Massimo’s concern. Rumour and conjecture were the last things his cousin needed and would be equally invasive for the mechanic.Shepossibly needed protection, too. But mostly Massimo didn’t trust anyone who entered Emiliano’s sphere. He vetted everyone.
‘What do we know about her?’ Massimo flexed his shoulders as he watched the clip loop over, his tension increasing with every replay.
Andre scrolled through his tablet before responding. ‘Shane hired her a couple months ago. This was her first travelling weekend.’
Massimo frowned. Shane was Hearnshawe’s number-one mechanic—salt of the earth, best in the entire pit lane and so highly regarded that other teams regularly tried to poach him. He would never recruit someone who wasn’t supremely skilled at the job. But while Massimo respected Shane, he needed to see the woman’s pedigree for himself.
‘Show me her details.’
It took less than a minute for Massimo to skim the sparse text. Lily Jones was twenty-three, had basic mechanic qualifications but had built an impressive amount of experience in junior karting before levelling up through the categories. Furthermore, her references were excellent. Unfortunately, these facts didn’t ease Massimo’s tension; he wasmoreworried. ‘Where’s Shane now?’
‘Already on the way home.’
‘And she’s with him and the rest of the staff?’
Andre took back his tablet. With over a hundred employees travelling to each race, it was a massive logistical exercise and it took him a moment to scroll through the spreadsheet. ‘No.’
‘No? What are her travel arrangements?’ Massimo felt a pressing need to knowexactlywhere Lily Jones was this instant.
His cousin was meant to have dined with his trainer before retiring early at the hotel, but was something else going on?
‘Uh…’ Andre flicked through more screens. ‘She’s on the cargo flight. Takes off in an hour.’
