Page 60 of Overtake
“What else would be bothering me?”
“You tell me,maestro. You’re the one who came back from that confrontation looking like you’d seen Jesus.”
“No me jodas, Esteban.”
Before Nico’s physio can reply, Heinrich opens the door. “Final strategy meeting in ten minutes, Nico.” He pauses. “And Junior’s talking shit to the media.”
Nico glares at him. “About what?”
“The Singapore investigation and driver loyalties.”
“Perfecto.”Nico sits up and slides off the table. “Can I run him over yet?”
Heinrich laughs. “If only I had the authority to say yes.”
Esteban shadows Nico to the engineering room. “Focus on what matters. Everything else is noise.”
But as he settles at the table between Roxana and Heinrich, Nico circles back to that moment in the fitness center. To fierce dark eyes and challenging words and a touch that shouldn’t have mattered but somehow has changed everything.
Just noise? Petra?Nunca.
Dios mío.Is he out of his mind? Graham’s teeth are already at his throat about team loyalties and what does he do? Gets wound tight over Petra Hayter. Bloody brilliant, as she’d say. He isn’t worried about Graham impacting his career. Even if WolfBett lets his contract go—something they’d be stupid to do—he can land a seat with any team. But if it’s all over a rival driver? That creates a whole different situation.
“Nico?” Roxana’s voice yanks him free of his thoughts. “Ready to go over sprint strategy? Or should we wait while you process whatever’s going on?” She glances at Esteban.
Nico shakes his head. “Let’s discuss tire management.”
In the garage, his car and Wyn’s rumble. Nico threads his earpieces up through his fireproofs and ignores his teammate. If Wyn wants to talk, he knows where to find him.
“Be safe, Conejo.” Nicolina hugs him tight, her presence as steadying as always. Even with all that’s happening, his sister’s support centers him.
“I always am, Tortuga.” He returns her embrace, grateful she and Sebastian made the trip.
“Faster than last time.” Sebastian bumps fists with him.
Nico grins. “I can do that.”
Esteban hands him his balaclava and nods. “Ahora.” Now.
Nico moves to his car, catching glimpses of Nitro’s pink and green vying with WolfBett’s blue and gold fan base in the grandstands.
Helmet goes on, HANS device tethered in place, and Nico climbs into his car’s cockpit. Everything else is immediately muted—politics, investigations, a complicated moment with a beautiful rival.
Roxana comes through clear. “Radio check, Nico.”
“Copy.” The routine settles him further. He watches Bazyli Zietek, his number one mechanic, as the man guides him from the garage into the fast lane.
The installation and formation laps ground him, just like always as he weaves to build heat in the tires. He finishes and pulls into his place on the grid, P2. Just ahead of him, a pink and green car rumbles.
“The opportunities are in turns 11 and 12,” Roxana says.
Ahead, Petra’s car is perfectly positioned. Her start procedures are always textbook—one of many things he’snoticed over years of racing her. Not that he’s thinking about that now. Not that he’s thinking about anything but...
“Formation complete. Green flag.”
The grid settles. Engines growl with contained power. Five red lights appear on the stanchion overhead.
One.
