21. Jameson #2
“Rapunzel. You lucky girl. Do you get to veg on the couch today?” I ask her. There's a beat of silence and Sam says something to Dylan.
“Yes. I stay home with Mommy.”
My lips twitch with a smile. I miss Dylan. I’ve never been good with having to stay away from her. “You get some rest today with Mommy. I’ll be home tomorrow.”
“I see you tomorrow?”
Her question about breaks my heart and I’m seconds away from saying fuck the race and just getting on a plane to go home. “Yes, Dyl. I’ll be home tomorrow. Get some rest, little baby.”
“O’tay,” she answers and there’s another rustling noise.
“Kane, do not stress about her being sick. I promise she will be just fine. She just wanted to talk to her daddy, which is why I called you,” Sam explains, even though it does nothing to lift my mood.
“You can call me anytime, Sam. I like hearing from you. I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you to see your aunt and sister this weekend. I know you were looking forward to it.”
She's quiet for a minute and I can picture her processing my words. I really hope she’s smiling. “It will be okay. I’m sure we’ll reschedule for a different weekend. So, you’ll be home tomorrow?”
I grin. “Yeah, Pretty Girl, I’ll be home tomorrow. As soon as my plane lands I’m coming to find you.”
“I can pick you up from the airport,” she replies and there's no mistaking the hitch in her voice.
“My flight gets in during your practice. Johnny already said he'll pick me up.” I exhale in disappointment, but I also know if she did pick me up, I’d have to explain the private runway and jet that I arrived on.
“Oh. Okay.”
The disappointment in her voice shouldn’t make my heart beat faster but it does. “You miss me, Sammy?”
She scoffs, but there's no heat behind it. “You know I do, Kane. I better get going. I’m going to try and get Dylan to eat something light for breakfast.”
“Sounds good, Sam. Take care of our girl,” I say to her. “I love you.”
There’s a second of silence before she softly says, “I love you too.”
We both hang up and despite the lack of sleep from last night I’m ready to get up and get this day over with.
Using Luca’s guest bathroom, I shower and change before heading down the stairs of his condo to the kitchen and dining area.
Luca is already at the counter, pouring coffee. He looks rough and slightly hung over.
“Are you going to survive today?”
He glares at me and moves to sit in a reclining chair, tilting his head back with his coffee in his lap. “I don’t know why Romeo expects us to stay so late when the race is literally midday when the fucking sun is the hottest.”
My shoulders shrug. “Probably so sponsors and the crowd also feel like ass and they’re willing to bet anything just to get back to the air conditioning.”
“It’s shit. I’m hung over and have to sweat it out in the blistering sun,” Luca mumbles. I hide my grin behind my mug.
“Sam called. Dylan has a fever and they stayed home.” I fill him in on my morning chat.
Luca watches me speculatively. “How you ever got that woman to love you is beyond me. Maybe I should call her and see if she needs help.”
“You of all people know that no matter where she goes, I’ll follow,” I tell him, lacing my words with a threatening tone, friend or not.
He laughs and shakes his head. “Guess we should get the day going then, huh? Get this race over with so we can get you home.”
I nod. Already I can feel the adrenaline spiking in my veins.
I’m amped to get to the track and behind the wheel.
The nice thing about having Romeo for a sponsor is that he keeps my car in Chicago where he lives and has it transported to wherever the next race is.
That way, my car stays inconspicuous on major highways since it has no license plate or tags.
Thirty minutes later, we leave Luca’s place and head to the Dead Zone, a concealed and confidential race track an hour outside of the Vegas strip and run by a man named Delano.
The area is indeed a dead zone, with only Delano able to use his device in order to stream the race to the major players who are watching from their penthouse suites in the hotels.
The second we drive within a thousand yards of the track, the signal to our phones turns off.
Luca drives to the main gate and we’re directed by Delano’s men to take a left, while some observers turn right into an impromptu parking lot.
Luca parks and the second my door opens, Ace, one of Romeo’s main guys, is there to escort me to my car.
“It was delivered only five minutes ago. Feel free to do another check but Zeek and I checked it over and we’ve been guarding it until you got here,” he explains as we walk.
I tip my chin at Luca who walks around us to do some basic functionality tests and checks the tires before giving me the thumbs up.
“What's the pool looking like today?” I ask Ace and Zeek, who get their information straight from Romeo.
“Mostly high rollers. A few off the beaten path just testing their luck after winning a few hands in Blackjack last night,” Ace explains.
“Delano let the usual rift raff in?”
Zeek nods. “A few of the other drivers you’ll recognize. Two newbies out of New York as well, one of them seems more a veteran driver than the other. And one poor sucker who is betting pinks.”
“Betting his car?” My brow rises, and I follow Zeek's line of vision to a souped up Nissan Skyline. “Does he owe some sharks? Is Romeo interested?”
Zeek and Ace share a glance. “The dude isn’t saying why he’s desperate enough to put up his car. He doesn’t have a sponsor either. Romeo said to be cautious with how this shakes out, try not to end up in the same bracket as this guy. There is a chance the car is hot or wired.”
With the new information I slide into my car and pull around to the lineup.
With some finesse I manage to not be in the first round with the guy selling pink.
He gets washed out and loses his car to a team from Florida.
In the final round, there’s only ten drivers including me.
Half of the guys I’ve raced before, but the rest are new faces.
At least one is a rookie and looks like he has to shit but is too scared to get out of his car.
My eyes stay locked on the green flag that's being waved by a woman in an expensive looking diamond bikini.
Delano loves theatrics, but I secretly think he knows a quarter of the drivers will be distracted by the flesh on display, and that it will mess up their running start.
Since I could care less about any other woman besides Sam, my foot hits the gas pedal the second that flag turns down.
Dust and gravel flies under my tires. My engine roars to life.
My hands stay tight on the wheel, and I clock all my mirrors to see who’s surrounding me.
Instinct takes over, becoming one with the car.
My focus zones out to only what is happening around me and the promise of the finish line.
The first curve is light, and barely anyone gains a spot, the next twist is where the rookies and less sure drivers usually fall off.
I shift through the gears, spinning my wheel and causing enough of a drift to clip out two drivers and gain a spot ahead of me.
Only two others remain in front and we’re neck in neck most of the drive.
Within the last curve, the car next to me fakes pushing into me, but I gun it forward and the kick of gravel is enough to cause their tires to spin out.
It's only me and one other driver left now.
The last turn of the curve, I fake going outside and when he goes to cut me off, I manage to shoot past him on the inside, effectively taking first place.
During the last stretch of road we battle it out, but that extra shot of momentum from being inside on the track pushes me toward the red line.
The checker flag waves right as I cross it, and the crowd around me goes crazy.
Luca, Ace and Zeek meet me where I park, all three offering me pats on the back. Ace hands me a stack of cash.
“Here’s the first cut. Romeo will clean the rest and it will be delivered,” he explains, and I nod my head. Just knowing I’m carrying 15k home is enough right now.
“Kane, I totally thought that guy had you for a minute,” Luca jokes while Zeeks climbs in my car and drives it over to their waiting semi. I watch for a few seconds as they load it up.
“I hope you bet smarter than that,” I tell him, my brow raised.
Luca scoffs and takes my stack of money. “I never bet on friends.”
We laugh and get in his car. I’m out of the last race, after taking the biggest pot in this one. Delano dips his head respectfully as we leave, which is more than he usually gives me.
“All right. Let's get you home to your girls,” Luca says, and I grin for the first time all day. My fingers flip through the stack of bills, thinking about all the possibilities. Eventually I will have to give this up. While retirement feels bitter sweet, it also feels necessary. Once my girls and my family are set up for life, it will be time to walk away. Thinking of Sam’s smile takes the sting away like it always does. I can’t wait to get back home.