Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Present Day

T he roar of engines filled the air as the sun dipped low over the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Tensions ran high among all the drivers, but none more so than in the pit of Marshall “The Hammer” Pete, a blocker for Team IHG, known for his aggressive driving style.

As the race wound into its final laps, Colby James was leading. However, veteran IHG drivers Lawrence "The Shark" Faulkner and Marshall weren’t having it. They decided they had had enough of the IT girl. It was well past time to put her in her place, and that was nowhere near the finish line.

In the garage, just before the race started, Marshall had leaned over to Lawrence. “We take her out on the final lap. Just a little nudge. Nothing too obvious.”

The green flag waved, and the cars surged forward, engines screaming. Colby felt totally in control. She led most of the race, pushing her car to the limit.

Final lap.

She glanced up into her review mirror. Behind her, two other cars were jockeying for position.

Marshall and Lawrence were strategizing their moves with every turn. They exchanged glances, silently signaling it was time to execute their plan.

As they rounded the fourth turn, Marshall slowed slightly, allowing Lawrence to slip ahead. Colby felt a sudden rush of adrenaline as she saw the gap narrow, unaware of the trap being set. Just as she approached the back of Lawrence’s car, Marshall shot forward, positioning himself on the inside lane.

“Now!” Marshall shouted to himself, swerving his car just enough to force Colby into a precarious position. She felt the shift of air as Lawrence’s bumper grazed her side, pushing her dangerously close to the wall.

The crowd gasped. Colby gripped the wheel tighter, her instincts kicking in. But it was too late. With a sudden jolt, Marshall slammed into Colby’s rear, sending her spinning. Her car veered out of control, almost colliding with the wall before careening back onto the track.

Chaos erupted as other drivers scrambled to avoid her. Tires screeched, and metal crunched as the pileup began. Cars plowed into one another like dominos, sending debris flying through the air.

The crowd held its collective breath, the tension palpable, while everyone hoped that no one was seriously hurt as the safety crews rushed to the scene.

During the melee, Marshall and Lawrence exchanged smug glances; their plan executed flawlessly. They pulled into the pit, exiting their cars and feigning concern as they watched the wreckage unfold on the giant monitors.

“Looks like she bit off more than she could chew,” Lawrence chuckled, wiping sweat from his brow.

Marshall leaned against his car, a satisfied grin spreading across his face. “Guess she didn’t see us coming. We still run this shit. Women don’t belong here, especially her.”

The pileup was extensive and would take some time to clear. As the announcer’s voice echoed throughout the stands, the fans erupted in cheers and boos, and the atmosphere was electric with shock and excitement.

As other drivers exited their cars, Colby sat in hers, shaken, but not about to let them get away with it. She would absolutely strike back.

Anger radiated off her body as Colby climbed out of her car. She snatched her headgear off and threw it into the seat. “Did you see that?! Did you see what just happened?” She couldn’t believe it.

After all the BS and dirty play, Colby still managed to pull off the impossible after the restart and crossed the finish line first.

She’d won. Only the officials hadn’t signaled her as the winner yet. Something was wrong, and right on cue, as uneasiness settled into the pit of her stomach, the announcers began to report that the tower was conferring.

Colby stood next to her Lockwood team and watched in horror as one of the officials started walking toward them. She could see by the look on his face that the news wasn’t good.

“Sorry, Ms. James.” His smirk portrayed a lot of things, but none of them conveyed sorry. “After careful review, it’s been determined that Team IHG will take the checkered flag, and due to your illegal move, Lockwood Racing will take a six-point penalty and will start in last place next race.”

Colby stood frozen, not daring to blink or even breathe as Team Lockwood went into full-on protest.

“What illegal move?” Brian was pissed. “You’ve got to be fuckin’ kidding me! They bumped into her and caused all the chaos. And how the hell can you count Lawrence’s free pass as a lap?! Team IHG should have been immediately tossed!”

Cyrus nodded in agreement. “This is a BS call, and you know it. All things being fair, you and I both know that when the race restarted, Lawrence should have been at the back of the field.”

Everything was surreal. Colby was having an out-of-body experience as she listened to her team argue her case in vain. Tears burned the back of her eyes, and her vision began to blur as she fought to beat them back. I had the lead. It was my race. At least it had been until those assholes set that trap, and the caution flag came out.

“This is not over.” Brian towered over the man. “We will lodge a formal complaint.” Those were the last words Colby heard before the raucous crowd, V8 engines, and teams shouting at Team IHG—furious over the unnecessary and reckless collision—all blended into one giant glob of white noise.

Colby should have known something like this could happen and been better prepared. It’s never easy when history is on the line. Unfortunately, the lightbulb came on too late, especially after yesterday’s pre-race meeting when Colby overheard the words “Operation James.” She’d tried to hear more, but the crush of other drivers leaving the room had swept her up and out.

Clearly, there was an organized effort to keep her from winning. Dammit! I needed those points.

Shenanigans had been par for the course since her win over a year ago but today had been unusually reckless. Colby had escaped several direct attacks and rule violations. As a matter-of-fact, in the past three races, things had been escalating to dangerous levels and had now reached a crescendo that was impossible to ignore.

They. Want. Me. OUT!

Too bad for them because even with all the craziness, they had to cheat to keep her from winning the entire thing.

Liam had to watch the race from the VIP suite. He couldn’t stomach the bullshit from the pit, like Brian and Lila. He needed the privacy of the suite so that he could react honestly. And the truth was, this race had aged him by a decade.

He began to make it down to pit row just before the final lap. He thought they’d be celebrating a win. Instead, all hell was breaking loose. Liam watched in horror as the final lap replayed on the monitors.

The second Lucky #12 rolled into their Lockwood space, it took everything within him not to pull Colby out of the car window and wrap her up into the safety of his arms.

Be patient, he told himself.

Liam exhaled a long breath. He was both relieved the race was over and seething about the entire fiasco but did his best to mask it.

He spotted her first. Colby’s back was facing him, but Liam could tell by how rigid she was that him losing his shit wasn’t what Colby needed.

He wondered if she had been searching for him because her eyes found his the second Colby turned around.

The broken look reflected in her beautiful brown eyes caused Liam’s chest to feel like it was gripped inside a large iron vice. He put his emotions to the side and walked over toward her.

“You okay?” Liam may not have been able to pull her into a tight embrace, but he had to at least touch her.

Colby felt the weight of his hand on the center of her lower back just as a large salty tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. Angrily, she swiped it away.

Her throat was too thick with emotion to speak, but she forced out the words. “I can’t let the press see me like this.”

Liam took a step around Colby to shield her from the flashing lights. “Let’s go inside.” He wanted to do more but knew the optics would make Colby look weak. Weakness was not anything Colby could display. Therefore, Liam would wait to comfort her until they were alone. For now, he would support her in other ways.

Colby shook her head no. “I can’t go inside.” Her voice was soft. “Not yet, and I can’t let the other teams see me like this either.”

After a quick glance around, Liam saw, as expected, all eyes were focused on her, everyone looking for a reaction.

Colby was still processing her loss and taking it hard. It killed him that there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. However, Liam would do what he could. It was a small gesture, but he removed his mirrored sunglasses and placed them gently on her face.

His voice was strained. “Take your time.” Liam deserved an award for the level of rage he was keeping at bay. Every race. Every. Fuckin’. Race, he’d worried if idiots were going to end Colby’s life, and this contest wasn’t any different.

There were several scary moments that looked like drivers were purposely trying to take her out. It was disgusting and hard to comprehend the level of animosity against her just for being on the circuit. It was a miracle she placed as high as she had.

Colby never got a break, not on or off the track, from people who wanted to cause her physical harm. Liam had to hire round-the-clock bodyguards. And the press, they were like vultures, looking for anything to slander her.

“Colby! How does it feel to lose?!”

“Did they cheat you out of a win?”

“Should you have stopped to change tires on lap 320?”

Colby ignored the shouts from the reporters. Mostly because she was having a moment. She’d started to wonder if she had what it took to be a premier driver in this sport. It wasn’t like she hadn’t known it would be difficult, but she thought there had been some progress since her brother's death and her first win. No one could have prepared her for just how tough things had been.

Shouts from the press were getting louder. As much as Colby wanted to ignore them, it was impossible. In just a few moments, she had to attend the mandatory press briefing required after every race.

Get it together. You can’t let them see you break.

Briefly, Colby closed her eyes, took a deep breath, held it, and blew it out. She allowed herself another moment to shake off the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach before removing Liam’s glasses and handing them back.

When she looked up this time, Liam was relieved to see embers of the fire that typically burned deep within her.

It was still there.

“I just needed a minute. I’m ready.” Colby did her best to reassure him. She knew that if Liam could choose any other career for her, he would, but this was her chosen path.

Liam wasn’t convinced. “You sure?”

Colby nodded. “I’m sure.”

Cyrus had been standing just a few feet away. If she needed him, he would be there, but she needed Liam. He’d given his baby girl some space but had also been listening to their conversation. As soon as they were finished, he walked over. “You don’t have to do this press conference. We’ll take the fine.”

Colby wouldn’t hear of it. “Absolutely not. They may have stolen the checkered flag, but there is no way in hell I’m going to let those assholes think they won.”

It was important to Colby that she projected strength not just to the opposition but for Lockwood Racing as well. She set the tone for the team, and they would follow her lead.

Liam saw the moment her mask was firmly in place.

“It’s showtime.” Her tone said it all. The vulnerability from earlier was gone. Replaced by a fearlessness that Liam could only admire. There was steel in her back as he watched her walk toward the lion’s den, Team Lockwood trailing closely behind.

Where did she find the strength? He was both mad as hell and in awe.