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“A lot of people compare your brother to him. And he’s a great driver, but he’ll never be as great as your father,” Carlton said confidently. “He lacks the raw talent Marco Perez had. The fight that was in your father’s eyes isn’t in your brother’s. But you have it, Luna.”
What?I was growing more uncomfortable by the second.
“How do you know so much about my father?” I asked, unsure of whether Carlton truly did know anything about the great Marco Perez or if he was blowing smoke up my ass.
“Before I made it here, I used to watch old footage of him in action. I knew he had it all figured out. I spent hours watching him race, the post-race interviews, anything I could get my hands on. Even years after his death, there are thousands of sites devoted to your father. You see, your father was the greatest driver to ever live. I attribute all my success to Marco Perez’s driving philosophy. I’m sorry that I didn’t join the circuit until a year after his death.”
Did he want me to pat him on the back for all his success? Feel flattered that he idolized my father? “I’m glad my father has helped you all these years, but what does it have to do with me?”
“You’re a straight shooter. I like that.” He grinned. “I’ll get right to it, then. I’d like to drive with the Perez team next year. I want to help you and your brother develop a top-notch team with a real future and the possibility of much better things. And I’d like your support.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The rumors were true. “Why would you leave a highly successful team and join ours? You’d never win another championship.”
“I’m already not gonna win another championship with Roche. I think you’ve heard that my team has changed engine suppliers. The season has been a struggle, no lie, and there’s no chance of winning anything. I’m facing reality. I’m at the end of my racing career, and I’m feeling charitable. I know I can get you and your brother where you both want to be. Wherever I go, so do millions of sponsorship dollars. What the Perez team needs is a marquee driver, and that would be me.”
I blinked a few times, absorbing it all. “Okay, but Rafe is our first-position driver. Rafe Perez is hardly going to be number two on Team Perez. Are you saying you would give up everything to drive with an inferior team? And be the second driver?” And what about Pedro Martinez, who currently occupied that spot on the team? He was young, but he was loyal, and his skills improved with every race.
“Roche won’t be competitive again for years. The only thing I can do is get off this sinking ship, and Perez is my last hurrah. I might not win a championship with you, either, but it’d be about more than that. It’d be about legacy. Your team needs me. Who else but me can turn your fortunes around? I think it’d be fun to build up a team with your pedigree.”
Pedigree? Were Rafe and I show dogs he wanted to prop up and parade around? “I’m afraid you’re talking to the wrong Perez, Blake.”
“Oh, I know you’re not the decision-maker, but I respect you and want you to know my plans for our team,” he said, his arrogance shining through. “But you’re right, I have another reason for wanting this little chin-wag with you.”
God, all the drivers were inherently the same. They had a smugness about them as if they could walk on water if given the chance. I admired their self-esteem, but more often than not, their egos got the better of them. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. Look, Luna, when I see a person making a mistake, I point it out to them. So that’s why you’re here—or at least the more important reason I invited you here.” He rose from his seat and took a bottled water from the refrigerator. He offered me one and I politely refused. Given the chance, I may have thrown it at his overly handsome head.
“What mistake have I made?” I asked, since he seemed to be waiting for me to ask.
He took a long drink and sat back down. “You’re a beautiful woman, and enough people don’t tell you that. I was reading one of the racing sites the other day. Some gossip article that went on and on about you and Flynn. They think you aren’t good enough for him. I happen to agree.”
I bristled at that. Carlton wasn’t doing a very good job of selling himself to me. “Oh, do you.”
“You are a Perez!” he said emphatically, nearly springing out of his seat. His sudden outburst made me jump. “Let me tell you something. All of us racers, we are like a community. As competitive as it is, we all cheer one another on … for the most part. It’s like a village, and Devin Flynn is the idiot. Why are you with such a clown?”
I’d finally reached my breaking point. “Mr. Carlton, I don’t need to justify my love life to you,” I said, rising. It was definitely time to get out of there.
He rose, too, and put a hand on my shoulder. “Please, hear me out,” he said apologetically. “I hate to see such an innocent lady with such an asshole.”
I shrugged him off. “I’m not quite as naïve as you seem to think. I know he can be a real asshole sometimes, but there is a side to him that you never see, and you won’t ever see. You think he’s a clown? Sure, fine. But that’s his brand: funny and lighthearted. People love it.Ilove it. But he’s more than that. He’s also a very tender person with a good heart.”
Carlton pursed his lips. “He sure has you wrapped around his finger.”
The man was relentless.
“I know it’s hard to see his good side, but it does exist.”
“I know things that would change your mind.”
That caught my attention, but I wouldn’t let on. “I don’t want to hear them.”
“It’s easy to just push away all the bad things, but one day they’re going to come out of nowhere and knock you down.”
I could feel my cheeks flush and my hands balled into fists. “You’re not exactly the poster boy for good behavior.”
“Ask him about Charlotte Simpson,” he said, his eyes cutting into me.
“Who?”
