Page 128 of Overtake
“Will find what we already know. That you and Nico are innocent.” He leans forward. “Pet, you’ve been dealing with people trying to undermine you since you were fifteen. This is just another Tuesday.”
“This feels bigger than a Tuesday.”
“Because it involves someone you love.” His smile is sad but knowing. “Both Nico and, despite everything, Kelley. That makes the stakes feel higher.”
I shake my head. “Not Kelley. You.”
Dad smiles and hands me the stone.
Miraculously, it’s undamaged. “She really was trying to help.”
“I know. And she’s probably mortified right now, realizing what she’s done.” He stands. “But you can’t control Kelley, Petra. You never could. So focus on what you can.”
“Which is?”
“Getting up tomorrow and doing your job. Racing clean, driving fast, and showing the world who Petra Hayter really is.” He pauses at the door. “Everything else is just noise. Remember?”
“Yeah, but it’s become really fucking noisy lately, Dad.”
He nods. “Some seasons are like that. But the good thing about seasons is that they change, Pet.”
After he leaves, I sit worrying my stone, Dad’s words settling into the quiet spaces between my heartbeats. Tomorrow there will be questions and speculation. But tonight, in the silence of my hotel room, I let myself remember what’s true:
I’m innocent, Nico’s innocent, and I still have races to win.
THE SLIPSTREAM
@BunniesAndHoneysWe need to protect Petra FROM HER OWN MUM at this point. Kelley means well but she’s about to accidentally end her daughter’s career. Someone stage an intervention! #SavePetraFromKelley #StandWithPetra
@HoneyBunny69WAIT. Did Petra’s own MOTHER just make her look guilty?? KELLEY WHY??? #StandWithPetra #MotherOfTheYear
@RabbitEarsForeverI screamed watching Kelley’s interviews. She tried to defend Petra but she made it sound like she grew up in a spy novel! Someone take that woman’s phone away! #HoneyBunniesUnited #StandWithPetra
? @GridWalkGossipThe secondhand embarrassment is REAL. Kelley really said “sharing technical insights for years” like that sounds INNOCENT??? Ma’am, your daughter is being investigated for espionage! READ THE ROOM! #StandWithPetra
@F1StatisticianTHREAD: Kelley Hayter-Morrison’s interviews are a masterclass in how NOT to do damage control. “Sharing insights for YEARS” - hello, conspiracy theory! Someone help this woman! #MediaTraining #StandWithPetra
? @PaddockPrincess91The way Kelley is completely oblivious to how bad this sounds... #StandWithPetra
@TenPSupremacyKelley, BESTIE. NO. You just made your daughter’s relationship look like corporate espionage! #FansSayNo #StandWithPetra
? @PaddockMom47I feel so bad for Petra right now. Imagine your own mother accidentally sabotaging your career while thinking she’s helping. SMH #ProtectOurDrivers #NotInOurName
@WolfBettSupporterPlot twist: Graham Pritchard didn’t need to manufacture this scandal. KHM did it for him. For FREE. #ConnectTheDots #StandWithPetra
? @NitroNation_The lawyers watching Kelley’s interviews: “Evidence of long-term technical collaboration” “Childhood access to proprietary data” “Multi-year relationship timeline” RIP Petra’s legal team. #StandWithPetra
@PaddockInsider_VerifiedSources close to Nitro Racing confirm emergency legal meetings are underway. Kelley’s interviews have reportedly shifted the FIA investigation focus to historical technical collaboration between the drivers. This is not good.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
GRAN PREMIO DE LA CIUDAD DE MÉXICO | FRIDAY | FREE PRACTICE AND RACE QUALIFYING
When Rodrigo pulls upto the circuit’s paddock entrance Friday morning, I see two things: Nico and a sea of fans wearing WolfBett blue and gold, and Nitro pink and green. He stands with Esteban and his own security team, surrounded by fans waving signs. His arms are crossed, and I know he’s waiting for me as his gaze tracks our SUV.
“Ready for this?” Cin asks from beside me, but the question’s pointless. There’s no being ready for what’s waiting out there.
My stomach’s been twisted in knots since I awoke to seventeen missed calls from journalists and a text from Dad.
