Throttled (Dirty Air 1)

“Isn’t the first rule to never underestimate your enemy?” Noah holds back a smile.

“You got me there. I thought you were too much of a jackass for Maya. She tends to go for the nerdier guys.”

“That’s so not true. Name a nerd I’ve dated.” I cross my arms. Seeing as Noah has slept with enough women to populate a small island, he can sit and handle this conversation. Mainly because I don’t believe my brother’s words.

“Xavier, for one.”

“How was he a nerd?”

“Well, he did like to remodel those computers,” my dad chimes in. Great, did everyone think Xavier was geeky?

“He also loved watching The Twilight Zone with Mami. Talked about how he posted on Reddit boards about it and stuff.” Santi hits Noah with a smirk.

I see what he does here.

My mom smiles at the memory. “Such a sweet boy, offering to read the Bible with me.”

My brother shoots me a look. All right, the Bible study group was a bit weird.

My dad joins in on the fun because why the hell not. “Don’t forget about Felipe.”

“What was wrong with him? Do you all have chisme sessions without me?”

“To be fair, he was gay.” My brother hits me with a family secret I had no clue of.

Noah chokes on his wine. “You dated someone without knowing they were gay?”

My eyes narrow at him. “Seeing as this is all news to me, clearly not.”

“Sorry. We have to air all two pieces of Maya’s dirty laundry in case Noah wants to run in the other direction,” Santi says before sipping his wine.

My mom butts in, ending Santi’s game. “Noah won’t run. He’s liked her since Barcelona.”

Noah and I look at my mom with wide eyes.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that. The way you looked at my daughter is one I recognize in my own husband. You two were just too stubborn to admit it.”

My dad grumbles under his breath.

“What’s that, mi amor?” She smiles at him.

He looks Noah in the eyes. “If he breaks her heart, I’ll run him over with the car he loves more than anything.”

“Loved more than anything.” Noah sends me a wide smile that I save for my memories.

42

Maya

Noah preps for the final Prix race despite the crash last week, all smiles and jokes as the crew works in the garage. Such a badass. He landed the third position on the grid after a decent qualifying round.

Pit mechanics and engineers act as the backbone of a team, fixing any damage from Noah’s previous crash; the car looks brand new with not a dent in sight. Noah thanks the crew as his fingers graze the red hood.

Worst-case scenarios flash through my mind as I hang out with Santi for his last race. I clasp my fingers in front of me, my sneakers rocking back and forth against the concrete floor. Abu Dhabi. The final Grand Prix and home of the infamous crash between Noah and my brother. With a close Championship standing between Bandini and McCoy, it all comes down to this race.

Noah runs an unsteady hand through his hair while he talks to the engineers. Despite me asking him about his nervousness, he feigns indifference. He gives me a quick peck on the lips before he takes off with crew members toward the track.

My brother tugs me in for a good luck hug.