Page 15 of Hot Lap
"Shut the fuck up!" Reece rounds on his father, standing tall. "You don't walk in here and disrespect her. Not happening. Not ever."
“Give me a fucking break and save your precious bullshit for another day.”
"You self-righteous dickhead. You have no idea what you just did."
Graham scoffs. "I saved you from your own bloody stupidity. Have you seen what's online? Photos of you two all over Vegas,stumbling into that tacky chapel? Do you have any idea the damage control I have to do?"
Reece’s pulse pounds in his temples. "The only thing that needs controlling is my urge to throw you out a fucking window."
"Is that any way to speak to the man who made your career?"
"Made?You?" Reece laughs bitterly. "I'm the one who drives the car, Graham. I'm the one who puts his life on the line every race weekend. Not you."
"And I'm the one who makes sure you have a car to drive."
“No, that’sBranca.” She’s Reece’s new manager. Branca Flores, whom he hired in Graham’s stead last spring. His father’s still livid about that, but the fucker did it to himself.
“Mm-hmm. Signing with her was a brilliant move, boy. Look where it’s gotten you.” Graham’s as cold as ever. "Do you think sponsors want a driver who married some skanky Vegas stripper? What the hell were you thinking?"
Reece freezes. "How did you know she's a dancer?"
Graham waves that away. "CircuitJerks had her name within an hour of the photos leaking. Mai-Lan Rouge. Burlesque performer at The Golden Oyster. You couldn't find someone trashier if you tried."
Reece clenches his hands. "Her name is Maiken Lange, and she's mywife."
Graham ignores that. "Get your shit together. We're due at the airport in two hours, and you need to issue a statement before CircuitJerks runs those photos with their own spin. Claudia’s drafting it right now."
What the fuck?None of this is Graham’s business. He’s not Reece’s manager. He’s not even associated with PNW Nitro. "What statement would that be?"
"That last night was a drunken mistake and any marriage license obtained while intoxicated is invalid." Graham's voice is clipped, business-like, as if this is just another PR fire to put out."We'll have legal handle the annulment paperwork, but you need to be on that plane to Qatar. Your team is?—"
"No."
The single word hangs in the air.
Graham's gaze narrows and his head tilts. "Excuse me?"
"I said no." Reece crosses his arms. "No statement. No annulment. Simple as that."
His father's face darkens. He steps closer, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "You think this is a game? Nitro is twelve points behind in the championship with two races left. The team has sponsors, obligations. Your contract?—"
"I know my bloody contract inside out.Brancajust renegotiated it and nothing in it says I can't marry whomever I fancy."
Graham’s laugh is cold and dismissive. "A stripper you met last night? Be serious, Reece."
"This isn't negotiable." Reece holds his ground the way he would against any competitor trying to force him off his line. "Maiken is my wife. She stays my wife unlessshedecides otherwise. That's her call, not yours, not the team's, not the sponsors'. Absolutely not negotiable. End of discussion."
Graham’s chin comes up and he gets that arrogant sneer that always makes Reece want to punch his own father. “I don’t know how you turned out to be such a self-destructive idiot. God knows I tried my best. But, fine, blow up your career and everything I’ve done for you.”
“Everything you’ve done for me?”Is this man for real?“You mean like bloody Peony Jones-Musgrove?”
Graham’s expression turns to concrete. “I’m finished saving you from yourself, Reece Ayrton Pritchard.” With that, the bastard strides out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
Reece slumps onto the bed and scrubs his hands over his face. Should he go after Maiken or give her some breathing space? He’s not entirely sure.
Heshouldcall Wyn, get ahead of this. Explain the marriage before Graham gets to him first and spins this into something ugly. Except what’s the point? Wyn will listen to Graham's version, nod in all the right places, and file it away for future reference. Like their father trained him to do since childhood. Wyn’s strategic like that. Proper calculating. It's what makes him a formidable driver and a bloody infuriating brother.
Reece tried to protect his little brother from the worst of their father's manipulation, but he failed at that too. He was the first-born son, but he's never been the favored one. That honor belongs to Wyn — Graham's perfect little spy, his eyes and ears in Reece's life.
