Page 32 of Downforce

I’m not particularly fond of the luggage brand William Cole represents, but it is a well-known brand. Still, I’m not in the mood to put on my usual smiling and joking facade.

“We can do it tomorrow.”

Edwin stops me with a hand to my chest. “We can’t, mate. Cole’s busy for the rest of the weekend. As are you,” he reminds me. “You have a shit ton of press starting tomorrow, not to mention warm up laps, qualifying, oh and there’s the actual fucking race.

“Plus, Rodney, Jake, and Parker arrive in the morning.”

“You never told me they were all coming.” My surprise isn’t logical. It’s the first race of the season, of course our mates want to show up for it. However, in preparing for opening weekend, I’ve avoided calls and text, redirecting most communication to Edwin to handle it while I focused on training.

“Didn’t I?” he asks and shrugs.

I’m not in the mood right now.

“I’m going back to the hotel.”

“What? You can’t. Cole will only be available for a little longer. We need to pounce on this opportunity. You’re the one who said you wanted to up your sponsorship deals this season.”

Edwin confronting me with my own words has the same result as pouring petrol over a lit match.

“I’m not bloody meeting him now,” I say through clenched teeth.

Edwin rears back, eyes shifting between surprise and then curiosity.

“What’s the matter, mate? Stressed about this weekend? If there’s anything⁠—”

“I’m fine. I just had a terrible flight and I need to get some rest before everything ramps up tomorrow.”

“Right. Right.” He nods, not mentioning that he was on the same flight. Which right now I’m grateful for.

“I’ll speak with Cole for you. You don’t need to be there. Go back to your room and work on those sudoku puzzles I just bought for you. I’ll handle everything here.”

I think about the book of puzzles I left sitting on my bed in my hotel room. I finished half of the book on the plane. I’ll need another one soon.

“Yeah,” I say and then stop, grasping Edwin’s shoulder. “When my mother contacts you, don’t tell her my room number.”

He gives me a quizzical look.

Rarely do I make this kind of request from him, but as off kilter as I’m feeling right now, I don’t want to deal with her. Not until I’m ready.

“Sure thing, mate.”

CHAPTER 10

Max

Today’s qualifying, and I woke up with a splitting headache. A night of tossing and turning from disturbing dreams will do that I suppose.

What’s most bothersome is that the dreams are in fact memories. My interaction with Annalise a few days ago sparked reemergence of the memories I’ve worked to suppress for years now.

The accident with Travis.

And what happened between his sister and I that night at the hospital.

“You could’ve killed him!” she yelled at me when she first saw me bend the corner toward his hospital room.

I went to the hospital to see how he was doing and to offer my apologies. Everyone from my team principal to my mother had told me not to go, that I would only make more trouble in doing so. Everyone knew how upset Travis’ entire family had been.

But I couldn’t sit in my hotel room, waiting for news on how he was doing. News I knew would never come because no one on his team would convey that type of information to me.