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“Good luck,” Regan said. “I’ll see you after the race.”
He nodded, and then Rob escorted her out of the pit area. Wyatt shook out his limbs and loosened up as best he could. He made a point of shaking every man’s hand that touched his car and then slipped inside. Once the safety harness was in place and he was secure, he made sure his in-car communication was working and then had a look at the piece of paper Regan had given him.
That which you look for is not behind you. It is in front of you if you are brave enough to grab it.
He turned it over, and then it hit him. Chinese night at her parents. It was from his fortune cookie. The one she’d pilfered from him.
“All set, Blackwell.”
He stuck the paper in the cuff of his race suit and nodded. “I’m ready.” He gave the thumbs-up and let the engine roar. It competed with the roar of the crowd and echoed in his head. He took a moment and pushed all of it aside. He glanced up and spied the tattered old picture he always took with him on race day.
It was a photo of his mother on the dock, so young and beautiful. So alive. He tapped the picture twice.
“I’ve got this.”
He cleared his mind and focused. It was all about the race. All about winning. That’s all there was.
Racing was a funny thing. On one hand, the spectacle was big and grand. It was exciting, life and death, passion and living all rolled into one ball of dirty exhaust, screaming tires, and roaring engines.
For so many years, being inside a car, pushing himself and the machine to its limit—that made life worth living for Wyatt. That, and the chance at every turn to beat the man who’d killed his mother. He could never explain it to anyone, maybe because he could barely understand it himself.
Racing had made him meet his fear head-on. And today, with Regan watching, he would win. He unclenched his hands and then gripped the steering wheel. It was time.
The race ran fast and aggressive. By the time he entered the last ten laps, Wyatt was feeling the effects of it. His shoulders were tight, and his neck killed. His hands were starting to cramp, so tight was his grip on the steering wheel, and his jaw ached from clenching his teeth so damn tight.
He was currently sitting second and needed to make a move to take the number one spot. He just had to be smart about it. Wyatt cleared his mind and waited for his chance. It came with two laps to go. The car in front of him took the turn a little too wide, and Wyatt gunned his engine. The speeds were upwards of 160 mph, and he held tight, going for the inside so he could pass.
But the bastard swerved, and…
Shit. He saw Diego. His mother.
“What the hell?” Wyatt shook his head violently, correcting the wheel just in time to avoid a crash. His heart sped up, and he gritted his teeth. He was going to do this. He needed to do this.
That which you look for is not behind you. It is in front of you if you are brave enough to grab it.
“Fuck this shit,” he snarled.
He pressed his foot down harder on the accelerator, and at the last moment said a silent fuck you as he sailed past the first-place car and took the lead.
It was a thrilling moment for those in attendance, one many would talk about for years to come. Wyatt Blackwell’s triumphant return to racing and his spectacular, nail-biting win that guaranteed him a pole spot in the Daytona 500.
When he finally managed to pull himself away from the reporters covering the race, and the rabid fans who were literally tearing at the barricades to get to him, he headed for his trailer, hoping that was where he’d find Regan.
He opened the door and found her inside, but instead of the happy face he’d expected, she was quiet, pale, and wouldn’t meet his gaze.
“Congratulations,” she said softly. “I hear you’ll be racing next weekend.”
“Hey.” Concerned, he took a step closer but stopped when she took one back. “What the hell, Regan? I thought you’d be happy. I needed this win. I wanted this win.”
She nodded. “I know.” And when she finally met his gaze, he was taken aback at the look in her eyes. At the sadness and…was that fear?
“And I’m glad for you if that’s what you want but…”
“But what?”
“On that second-to-last turn…” Tears filled her eyes, and she wiped at them angrily. “I thought you were going to crash. I thought…” She shook her head and looked away. “It was so close. Oh my God, it was so close.”
He took a moment, his body shaking from the adrenaline drop. “I didn’t. I didn’t crash. I beat him.”
