Page 113

And winning this race would mean everything to him.

The cars head into a straight on Raffles Boulevard, and then Mason makes a surprise lunge below Xavier into turn seven. The whole garage gasps, and my hands fly to my mouth. It’s an all-your-chips-on-the-table manoeuvre, and we all wait to see if Xavier will yield. If he doesn’t, if he doesn’t move at the apex, there will not only be a collision, but it will be a massive one. I hold my breath as the cars race side by side, hardly daring to look.

But as they go around, Xavier yields position. Mason makes his move to overtake, and the entire garage erupts into cheers. Grandfather turns to me and throws up his hand for a high-five, and I slap him back. “What a move!” he shouts excitedly. “Yes, Mason!”

I smile and blink back tears. That was the kind of move Mason wouldn’t have gambled on before. It was bold. Daring. High risk and high reward.

And he did it because he’s finally free.

“Brilliant, Mason, brilliant!” Zach says over the radio. “Keep your focus. Xavier’s tyres are gone.”

“Every lap, tell me the gap,” Mason says.

“Copy.”

Mason can do this, I think, watching the cars go around the track. He can win this!

Xavier is still fighting on his old tyres, and the Collings Motors strategy has paid off. Mason was able to make that tremendous overtake because his tyres aren’t as old.

Asher is now gaining on Xavier, and whilst they are battling for second, Mason is able to eke out more of a gap.

They come around the start line again. Six laps to go.

I’ve never been more anxious for six laps to pass in my life. Mason is still leading, Asher is all over the back of Xavier’s car, and now Caleb is closing on Romeo.

It’s a four-way fight to the chequered flag.

With each lap that goes by, Mason is closer to one of the biggest wins of his young career. The excitement in the garage is building, and when we are down to the last lap, his crew runs out to the chain-link fence to cheer him home.

I stare at the screen, tears now blurring my vision. I have my fingertips against my lips, my heart beating out of my chest. He’s going to do this. He’s going to win the Singapore Grand Prix.

Mason crosses the finish line, welcomed across by the chequered flag, and fireworks erupt over the Marina Bay Circuit to celebrate his victory.

“Yeah, baby! Singapore!” Mason yells over the radio. I let the tears fall as he pumps his fist in the air, and my dad puts his arm around my shoulders and squeezes me to him. “That’s your man!” he yells excitedly.

Oh my God, he’s done it! Mason has driven the race his way, and he won!

“Mason, unbelievable drive,” Alex says, coming onto the radio to congratulate his winner. “Absolutely incredible effort tonight.”

“Thank you, everyone, for the work all weekend,” Mason says. “Thank you so much.”

I take off my headset and put it aside, turning to my gathered family. “I need to go.”

“Of course you do,” Grandmother says, smiling brightly at me. “You need to be at parc fermé to greet Mason. Now go!”

I say goodbye and hurry to the area where the top-three finishers park. I want Mason to see me as soon as he looks into the crowd. Fireworks continue to explode over the circuit, colouring the sky above with a dazzling display of celebratory light. I make my way to where the Collings Motors team has gathered, along with the Hoffman and Sterling-Roth teams. Mason is already out of his car, and his helmet is off.

I stare at him on the video screen, and he’s pale. He looks exhausted by that physically punishing race. His thick hair is soaked with sweat, and I watch as he picks up a towel and rubs it over his face and head. He shakes hands with Xavier, then Archer, and then grabs his bottle of water and drinks deeply. I want Mason to hydrate, do his interviews, celebrate on the podium, and get into an ice bath because I know he needs it.

“Hey, Catherine, get up front!” Marc, one of our mechanics, says. “Mason needs to see you!”

“Thank you,” I say, and the Collings Motors crew makes a space for me right at the chain-link fence. Just making the walk down here, I’m sticky and hot. I cannot even imagine how Mason feels right now.

Mason is putting on his watch when suddenly he looks over at the Collings Motors team. Then he sees me. He stops fastening his watch, letting it fall back onto the white podium table, and despite how drained he is, he runs over to me. I fight back the tears once again as he throws his arms around me, holding me as tight as he can. He’s soaked in sweat, absolutely drenched, but I don’t care. All I want is to remember this moment.

“You did it!” I cry as cheers go up around us. “Babe, you did it!”

I feel his lips in my hair, then he moves to my mouth. I kiss him back, feeling all the love in the world for this man. Mason poured everything into that drive, and he did more than claim a first-place finish. He fought his past.