Page 16 of Red Flagged
“Please, can we stop with the sexism angle?” Henric cut in, and the entire tent turned toward him, including the medical staff, who were mostly women. I bit back a smirk.
The air in the tent turned electric. One of the female medics, still holding a blood-pressure cuff, froze mid-movement and muttered, “Unbelievable.” Another—older, calm, and clearly done with the bullshit—set down her stethoscope with a sharpclick.
“Maybe start listening to the women on your payroll,” she said coolly. “Might save you some paperwork.”
“It’s glaringly obvious,” the first woman said with a snicker, “the divide between those fighting for equality and those fighting against it. Just wait, the sport always remembers which side of history you were on.”
Even Dom blinked at that. The tension was thick enough to choke on.
A cramp sliced through my lower abdomen so hard I nearly doubled over. I disguised it by shifting my stance, pressing the back of my hand against the rolling tray beside me. The edge bit into my palm, anchoring me. I refused to give anyone in this tent the satisfaction of seeing me falter.
Callum saw anyway. He always did. His head tilted just slightly, just enough for his eyes to meet mine, dark and searching. His lips pursed, a tiny twitch that told me he was one breath away from losing it. It was evident in how he sneered, “We controlled plenty today. Maybe more than you’ll ever know.”
Reinhardt glared. “Careful, Fraser.”
But Callum didn’t back down. He took a deliberate step closer, his voice lowering just enough to make every man in the room lean in. “You want to know what’s reckless? Ignoring a safety report when your drivers risk their lives to file it. That’swhat this was. You didn’t listen, so the car did the talking for her. We told you it was a matter of time.”
I held my breath. Every heartbeat pounded through my abdomen, dull and rhythmic, like the warning before something breaks.
Our plan wasworking.
Mon Dieu, this man of mine… he was absolutely brilliant. He’d be rewarded later for this.
Reinhardt’s eyes flicked between us, suspicion and panic threading together. “Are you admitting something, Fraser?”
“No,” Callum said smoothly, the faintest smirk curving his lips. “I’m admitting you’ve got bigger problems than us.”
Reinhardt turned away with a muttered curse, motioning for the medics to clear out. “Everyone out. Now. I want a private word.”
One by one, the medical staff slipped past us, leaving the tent stripped down to its pulse—the sound of rain, of anger, of the truth finally finding oxygen.
When the flap closed behind the last body, Callum’s hand brushed mine. Just a whisper of contact.
Henric snorted. “You two are unbelievable. Always the victims, never the cause.”
“Victims?” I echoed in practically a shout. “You think standing up for my safety makes me avictim? You think I’m going to let you or anyone else in this sport sweep this under the rugagain?”
“Mademoiselle Dubois,” Reinhardt warned.
My blood was boiling now. I was hurt and angry and so fucking over this same argument. I took a step closer to him, shifting my gaze between the other men so they could see I wasn’t bluffing. “My attorney is already compiling documentation on every ignored report, every falsified submission, every warning that should’ve been acknowledged.
Henric’s smirk wilted. “You’re threatening legal action against your own team?”
“No, I’mtakinglegal action against the FIA. For negligence, discrimination, sexism. I could keep going,” I snarled, breathing through another intense cramp. “I’m promising accountability. For every woman who’s been silenced by this sport. For every driver who’s been ignored for the sake of what makes the most money.”
Silence.
“And for the record,” I added coldly, “my attorney is in the process of filing a criminal complaint against Adrian Morel for assault. So thank you, Mr. Reinhardt, for the guidance on that. If Orion or the FIA puts him back on a grid before that investigation is complete, we’ll seek an injunction. Driver safety is not negotiable.”
Silvio didn’t miss a beat. “Ferrari will cooperate as an interested party.”
Reinhardt’s jaw ticked, the first crack in stone. Silvio rounded the group to stand beside me, Callum flanking my other side. Between them, I felt fortified.
“And if Luminis thinks they can strongarm her out of any of this,” Silvio started, “they’ll have Ferrari to answer to.” His tone turned lethal. “Because from where I’m standing, Henric, this looks like intentional sabotage. Maybe you didn’t hold the wrench yourself, but you sure as hell looked away while someone else did. I don’t take lightly to my future driver’s safety being at risk.”
Henric’s pale face reddened, his eyes darting toward Reinhardt. “You can’t just?—”
“I can,” Silvio said, stepping closer, “and I will. I want a full investigation launched by morning. Every engineer, every report, every part inspected. Her attorney will be in the loop atall times. And if I findoneirregularity, I’ll drag your ass to the World Council myself.”
