Chapter 1 Parenthood #11
Not because I think he'll lose, hell no. Because Escobar looks like a feral street goblin who wants Gio dead.
He's giving murder energy. Zero softness. Just "I have anger issues and drive expensive things."
They honk horns. Crowd goes wild.
Lorenzo is perched on his bike in the corner.
"WHOOP HIS ASS, GIOVANNI," he screams. The crowd yells back. Gio spots me. He waves. It was an actual puppy-energy wave. My heart does a flip. Then he shuts his visor...
The girl in front raises the flags. Everyone goes dead quiet. Three... Two... One.
Flags drop. They explode forward.
The whole crowd lurches with them as if we're all tied to invisible ropes. I grip the metal barrier in front of me just so I don't start ripping my own hair out from the stress.
Gio takes the lead for exactly half a second, then Escobar swerves WAY too close, forcing Gio to pull back... unless he wants to lose a leg immediately.
"HEY!" I yell out loud. "HE DID THAT ON PURPOSE!" The guy next to me just laughs. "Yeah, man. It's underground. Anything goes."
"Anything?!" I'm offended.
Escobar cuts Gio off AGAIN, this time almost pushing him onto the sideline! I jab the elbow of the dude on my other side. "Is THAT allowed?!"
"Yep." He shrugs. "Dirty racing is normal. If you complain, they'll hit harder."
Great. WONDERFUL. Let me just go vomit in a bush.
The Ferrari sends a burst of acceleration and gains distance. My heart sinks. Gio stays on him though, with zero panic. Every time Escobar tries something shady, Gio moves with this impossible precision, slipping away.
He's not shook at all.
I'm dying.
He's having the time of his life. The first tight turn comes fast. Escobar brakes late, tries to slide the back of the car out to block the road. But Gio does exactly what he told me earlier. He leans in and cuts the angle so sharply I gasp out loud. He hugs the inside line.
And for the first time, he actually fucking gets ahead.
The crowd ROARS. I nearly cry from relief. "Oh my god. Oh my god THAT'S MY HUSBAND Y'ALL!"
Then Escobar hits him with another cheap move. Shady bitch accelerates just enough to try and force Gio off balance on the next straight. Gio's bike shakes a little.
I freak out.
"IS THAT LEGAL?!"
"YES," the same guys answer in unison.
"How?!"
"IT JUST IS!"
I want to pass out. But then Gio's plan starts to unfold exactly like he explained. Escobar's Ferrari speeds up... but it takes too long to react. Cause it's too heavy. Too fucking slow in the turns.
Gio slices past him again, this time smoother.
He ducks low and slips through the tiniest pocket of space on the track. He's in front now. For real this time. Escobar floors it.
Gio just nods his head like, yeah, I expected you to do that, asshole, and pulls away with this terrifying confidence.
Someone has to pick up my jaw.
Cause, WOW.
He's actually doing it. He's beating the giant red demon. The crowd is losing their minds.
"Holy shit... holy shit holy shit holy—he's winning," I say, grabbing my hair. The second they hit the final stretch, my whole body leans forward like I'm the one steering the damn bike.
Gio is in front. Exactly like he promised. Exactly like he told me he could.
Please, Gio... just finish. Please, before I pass out.
He pushes more throttle. I can hear it even from here. I clench my fists. Here he comes... When he crosses the line, I launch myself into the air.
I scream so loud half the crowd jumps.
I accidentally smack someone.
People around me start cheering with me, howling like wild animals because HE DID IT. I see him on the screen, slowing down. Taking his helmet off. I'm ready to run to him.
But the world stops.
The Ferrari slams into him.
On purpose.
The bike jerks sideways. Gio hits the ground hard. And that's the moment I stop breathing.
"I—NO. No no no no—" I jump the barrier without thinking and sprint so fast that everything around me just blurs.
I'm shoving through people. "Move—excuse me... MOVE, FOR FUCK'S SAKE!" I scream at some idiot who tries to block me.
Lorenzo abandons his bike and runs too.
There's a whole swarm around Gio. I can't fucking see. I want to break every single person in front of me.
I push through all of them, shoving hard now. I finally see him. On the ground. My stomach flips inside out. "Gio?!" I drop to my knees as fast as I can.
I touch his shoulder while my hands are shaking violently. "Gio—Gio, can you hear me?!" He doesn't answer. He just pushes himself up slowly, clutching his arm, and stands.
He storms.
He walks toward the Ferrari with whatever rage is left in his shaking body. He rips the door open, yanks Escobar out like he weighs nothing, and throws him on the pavement.
The crowd gasps. He's on top of him before anyone can blink. I can't hear what he's saying cause the noise is too loud, but I see him land one solid punch right to Escobar's face.
And God help me, I want him to land ten more.
Lorenzo grabs my arm and spins me toward him. His face is pale. "Take Gio," he yells. "Check if he's hurt. He's shaking. What he’s doing right now is pure adrenaline and shock. We don't know if he's actually okay. I'll deal with that piece of shit."
I nod fast and yank Gio back.
I look at his face, and I see... blood.
I see blood on Gio's cheek. On my husband's cheek. No, fuck my manners. Fuck the whole idea of restraint. I punch him right in the face too, so hard his head snaps sideways. So hard I don't even feel guilt for half a second.
He deserved a hundred more.
One for every heartbeat I lost when he launched my husband into the asphalt.
All because he couldn't swallow his pathetic fucking loss. He turns back toward me. That means one punch wasn't enough.
So my fist connects with his jaw again.
Harder this time.
"GOOD. BUT GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!!" Lorenzo screams. And he's right.
I grab Gio's arm with both hands, dragging him with me, pushing through the bodies, shoving people out of the way with all my strength.
Something metal glints on the floor. A loose pipe. I snatch it mid-run, and with every ounce of fury left in me, I smash both his headlights in.
Then the window. Glass explodes everywhere.
If you can try to take a life for fun, then I'm sure you can survive losing a car.
Gio's hands are trembling. It scares me more than anything. "Gio—" I cup his face, searching his eyes. "Tell me NOW what hurts. Don't act tough. Tell me."
He doesn't speak. He just collapses into my arms, hugging me tight. "I'm sorry, Rava," he breathes into my shoulder. "I'm so fucking sorry. We shouldn't have come. I shouldn't have listened to you."
"ARE YOU CRAZY?!" I pull back enough to look at him. "That asshole hit you after the race! That's beyond dirty, that's criminal! This is NOT your fault. Not even a little."
He looks down, shaking.
"Are you okay? Are you dizzy?" I insist. "Tell me. Please. You scared the hell out of me. I thought—" He brushes his hair back with trembling fingers. "I'm fine. I swear. I've had worse. I'm just pissed."
"I don't care if you're pissed. I care if you're alive!" I crush him into another hug because I physically cannot let go. Not after watching him fall like that. Not after that terrifying, absolutely gut-wrenching sound.
"I want to break every bone in his body," he tells me.
I hold him tighter. No way I'm letting him go near that man again.
"Please," I whisper, "let's just go home.
Take the gear off. Let me see your arm. Please.
" Lorenzo appears again, breathless. "That was the most fucked-up thing I've ever seen," he says.
"Gio, holy shit. Are you hurt? Should I call someone? "
"We’re going home," I tell him fast. "Can you help us get out of here?"
Lorenzo nods. "One of my guys will take you in his car. Don't stress about the bike. I'll handle everything."
"I can walk. I don't need—"
"Shut up," Lorenzo snaps. "You're going."
We lift him gently. He can walk, but his body still trembles when he moves. "Don't get involved," Gio warns him. "I don't want you in trouble."
"Let me worry about that," Lorenzo says. "Just get home safe."
I spot a thick metal bar on the ground. Probably leftover from a broken barrier. I pick it up.
We get to the car.
I help Gio get into the backseat. Lorenzo leans in. "I'll meet you at your place." I nod. "Thank you. Seriously."