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“You need to apologize to Connor, man,” Olivier pipes up and Brody scoffs, looking at him like he’s crazy.
“The fuck I do,” he grits. “He went at me first. And his girlfriend is the villain here.”
“I know, I get that. But if you swallow your pride and try to smooth things over, maybe Connor will corroborate that she uses the stuff to the police. It’ll be an open and shut case.”
I look to Brody and raise a brow. Could that work?
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Today is the only race day I’ve missed in my entire career. Oddly, there isn’t a single part of me that feels bad about it, even if the reason for it has me wrapping my arm tighter around Rosie’s shoulders. It’s early morning and the only people around are the hotel staff and Ignite team members.
“Feels like everyone is looking at us.” Rosie shuffles deeper into my side as we walk through the lobby from the elevator.
“They are,” I tell her, giving her a reassuring squeeze.
A lot of the people watching us are part of my crew, and they’re curious of what’s going on outside the rumors and speculation. They know me. They know how committed I am to them and the team, and they’re worried about where this places us on both the driver and constructor championships.
“These people are family. They have my back and mostly, I try to have theirs too. It’s been a hard week with the configuration and adjustment issues and everything else that’s gone down—”
“You mean what happened to me.”
Pausing by one of the empty seating areas, I guide her to the large single-seater that looks the plushest. “What happened to you and my reaction to it. The press situation…everything. This is the first time that I’ve made the gossip rags with a scandal, and it’s thrown us all, I guess.”
“Most of it is all lies, though,” Rosie whispers back at me, sounding as fed up as I feel about the entire situation. When I crouch in front of her, she gives me a sad smile, resting her hands over mine on her thighs. “The little truth there is has been manipulated to suit the bullshit.”
“Well, we’re workin’ it all out and we’ll get to the bottom of it like Dad and Louise told you. In the end, we’ll be better for it…stronger, right?”
Tipping her chin with a crooked finger, I bring her eyes back to mine. When her gaze flutters open, I stroke over her cheek with one hand while the other laces with hers.
“I love you, sweetheart.” A long sigh deflates the tension from her body at my words before a soft smile lights up her face, making her green eyes brighter than ever. It’s a sight to behold. One that draws me in and makes it impossible to pull away from as a throat clears behind me.
It’s only when her glance flashes over my shoulder and worry pulls at her brows that I stand. Rosie’s hand is still twined with mine, her grip tightening as I turn to find Connor standing behind me. The bruises on his jaw aren’t as bad as I thought they’d be, but the sight of them makes me cringe as I smooth my hand over my jaw and the lighter ones he gave me.
Physical violence has never been a reaction I’m familiar with. However, the circumstances we’re in aren’t conventional either. Every time I thought or said that I was in over my head with Rosie, I never knew just how much until the moment I thought I’d lost her. Sure, I thought I’d be lost without her, but the reality is that I cease to exist. Those hours where she was laying in the hospital bed with her life in the balance…I wasn’t lost, I was suffocating. Slowly dying.
“Can we talk?” Connor asks, breaking me out of my thoughts.
My first instinct is to say no, but then I remember what Olivier said about Connor helping us cement any kind of proof against Natalya. I don’t know if they’re still together, and she’s nowhere in sight right now, but regardless, he could be our best chance at making a solid case and getting closure for Rosie. I know she won’t be able to move on from this without a fair resolution. More than that, she deserves it.
“Murph filled me in,” he says to Rosie as he comes closer. “I’m sorry you were so sick.”
“She wasn’t sick,” I scoff at his carefully worded remark, earning myself a tight squeeze and yank of my hand from Rosie as she cuts me off. “Thank you.”
“I hope you’re feeling better.”
I bite my tongue, taking a deep breath as I remind myself that he might be the person to help us end this catastrophe.
“She’s getting there,” I tell him at the same time as Rosie says, “I am. Just got to get over the hazy head and get rest.”
There’s a beat of awkward silence as Connor looks around us. If we were being watched before, all eyes are on us now. Hotel staff and team alike. It’s the first time that the impact of my actions sinks in. The caution and apprehension in the air is palpable in every meeting glance and wary stance. Connor and I have always been competitive and many times combative, but we’ve never created this much tension in our barracks.
Dad is right, I’ve caused more damage than I’ve helped the situation. Now it’s up to me to eat the humble pie Olivier suggested and try to fix things with a level head.
“I should get going,” Connor says, taking a step back. But as he turns, he pauses and gives Rosie a second glance.
When I offer him my hand, he appears confused and surprised. Staring around us as though he’s looking for the bigger picture.
“I’m sorry I reacted the way I did.” Even though he came at me first, in hindsight, I might’ve done the same.
