Page 92 of Knot So Lucky
One second. Two. Three.
Then—
"Rory." Cale's voice is flat, dangerous, carrying a note I've learned means he's equal parts furious and impressed. "That's fuckingRoryin the car."
"Rory?" one of the techs repeats, confused. "But Rory's in the pit?—"
"Man, Cale, you have some serious bromance obsession with our tech," another voice laughs nervously.
"No." Cale's certainty cuts through any doubt. "I know Rory Lane's voice. That's one hundred percent him."
I sigh, unable to suppress the small smile tugging at my lips even though no one can see it beneath the helmet.
"Can we concentrate on the race ahead, partner in crime?"
"You're so fucking dead," Cale growls, but there's something underneath the threat.Relief, maybe. Or recognition that I'm giving us a fighting chance when we otherwise had none.
I smirk, hands tightening on the steering wheel as the starting grid lights begin their sequence.
"Well," I say, voice carrying just enough challenge to provoke him, "you'd best catch me first if you want to kill me."
The lights turn red.
Five lights illuminated.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.
Every muscle in my body tenses, ready for the explosive acceleration the moment the lights go green.
This is it.
No more shadows.
No more hiding behind my brother's success or my own carefully constructed limitations.
Just me, a car, and a track full of drivers who have no idea what's about to hit them.
The lights turn green.
And I floor it.
CHAPTER 16
Unveiled
~AURORA~
The world narrows to nothing but the track ahead and the roar of the engine beneath me.
Everything else becomes background noise—the chatter on the intercom, the other drivers jockeying for position, the awareness that millions are probably watching this race unfold on screens around the world. None of it matters. Can't matter when I'm in the zone, every synapse firing in perfect synchronization with the machine I'm piloting.
The final sharp turn approaches with terrifying speed.
