Page 83 of Endurance

“Yes. And I still am, Sloan. I just think it’s for the best. I can’t come between you and racing. I know how much you love it. It would be wrong for me to make you choose. Please don’t quit because of me.”

“That’s just it—Iamquitting because of you, but it’s not because of anything you did or said. It’s because of how I feel about you. Kallie, I—” Once again, his words were cut off when his cellphone began to ring. Reaching around to pull it from his back pocket, he glanced at the screen and frowned. “Shit. It’s Milo. Kallie, I’m sorry. I need to answer this.”

I pursed my lips, trying to hide my irritation over Milo’s interruption. I was on pins and needles. I wanted to finish hearing what Sloan had to say. However, this just further proved why I needed to leave—racing would always come first.

“It’s fine. Do what you need to do,” I waved off as casually as I could to mask the sting.

“Just give me two minutes. I have to do something I should’ve done a long time ago.” Turning back to his phone, he slid his finger across the screen and brought the phone to his ear. “This is Atwood.”

“Where the hell are you? You were supposed to leave hours ago,” Milo barked. Despite the busy airport, I could hear him loud and clear. He was yelling, and he sounded furious.

“I’m not going to San Antonio, Milo,” Sloan told him.

“What do you mean you’re not going? The whole crew is packed and waiting—”

“I quit. I’m sorry it’s so last minute, but it is what it is. I’ll call Tyler and explain.”

I stared at Sloan with incredulity. He truly was going to quit. It wasn’t just a line he was giving to appease me. Still, guilt clawed at my chest. I had meant what I said—I didn’t want him to give up what he loved on account of me.

“Explain? You’ll have to do more than explain! The reps at Kapton are going to lose their goddamn minds!” I heard Milo booming, forcing Sloan to pull the phone slightly away from his ear. “Do you know how much money has gone into this? I haven’t been busting my ass to get you here for nothing. Do you think I work for free?”

“Well, it looks like you did this time. But don’t worry about your precious money. If you have anything out of pocket, I’ll reimburse you. I would say I’m sorry that you’ll miss your payout for this race, but I’m not. There will be others. I just won’t be the driver. You’re fired, Milo.”

“You can’t fire me!”

“I just did,” Sloan stated matter-of-factly.

“Does this have anything to do with the blonde bitch?”

“Man, you really are a dick. Don’t call me again. And if you even think about smearing my name or Kallie’s, I’ll have to inform the International Racing Association about the little baggie of pills you gave me. I don’t think they’ll look favorably on an agent handing out illegally-obtained oxy like it’s candy.”

“You wouldn’t dare. Nobody would believe you, and it would be your word against mine.”

“You sure about that? Your fingerprints are all over the bag,” Sloan pointed out, then angled his head to toss me a wink. “Your clients will start dropping like flies once word gets out.”

“Why, you son of a—”

“Goodbye, Milo.” Sloan ended the call with a satisfied smirk and turned back to me. “God, that felt good. I should have cut him loose years ago. He’s such an asshole.”

“You know, my fingerprints are on the bag, too,” I reminded him.

“I know, but Milo doesn’t know that,” he said with a shrug before giving me a sexy, lopsided grin. “So, where were we?”

“You were talking about giving up racing, and I said I didn’t want you to do it for the wrong reasons.”

“Kallie, you aren’t the wrong reason.”

“What about Tyler? I mean, there’s so much at stake. If you want to pull out of racing in the MILL because of your hip, that’s one thing. But I can’t be the reason Tyler’s wife doesn’t get the treatment she needs.”

“I’ve thought about that. A while back, I briefly spoke to Colton about doing a fundraiser. I know Rylee was looking into it, but I don’t know how far she got. The more I think about doing a benefit, the more I think we’d be able to pull in a ton of cash if we got all of the top drivers involved—maybe do a silent auction or something like that. Serious fans would pay a mint for a signed helmet worn during a prominent race. We might even be able to raise more money than I’d be able to win in the MILL. I won’t just leave Tyler high and dry. I know he was counting on me, and I won’t let him down.”

“That might solve the problem with Tyler, but that still leaves one huge unanswered question. Are you really going to be able to give up racing for good? You’re forgetting that I saw you on the track. The way your spirit came alive was like magic—like seeing a caged bird set free to fly. What are you going to do without it?”

“I thought about that, too,” he told me and then paused. A faraway look spread across his face for a moment before he focused on me once more. “I went to the cemetery after I left your house earlier today.”

“The cemetery?” I asked with surprise.

“Yeah… I felt the need to visit my parents’ gravesites. I didn’t realize how much soul-searching one can do in a place like that. If I did, I might have gone there long before today.”

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