Throttled (Dirty Air 1)

He takes up a spot next to me, staring up at the TV like he shares my same emotional investment. A comical display because his intentions become clear once he opens his mouth.

“You both think you’re clever, hiding what you’re doing.”

My body stills but my eyes remain on the TV. Noah and Jax compete for first place. Mechanics buzz as Noah pulls in for his pit stop, distracting me from his dad as the team puts on his new tires. The process finishes in under two seconds. I forget about his dad standing beside me until he fake coughs.

“What do you think Santiago and I are doing exactly?” I withhold an urge to run away.

His laugh makes my skin crawl.

Is it possible to hate someone without knowing much about him? Because what I know is enough. Who the hell hits their child for losing kart races? A man with a small dick and a fragile ego.

“You’re fucking my son. It’s so obvious from watching you two in the pit area earlier.”

My neck heats up, prickling at the dangerous man next to me. My fingers twirl a piece of hair to stop my fidgeting. I avert his gaze, staring up at the TV.

“That’s quite a theory. Are you so bored with attending races that you need to come up with stories?” I come off way more confident than I feel.

“You’re a smart girl. If you mess around with Noah, and his performance isn’t what I expect…”

I keep silent. He wants a fight that I don’t need to entertain.

“I’ll make sure your brother doesn’t have another contract renewal. Not to mention you’ll never walk into a Bandini suite again. I don’t mess around. I play to win.”

I turn my head, taking in his cold stare before returning it with one of my own. His threats don’t scare me. No need to give him any semblance of control over me.

“Not sure what you think is happening. I’m sorry you’re worried about Noah’s performance. But what he does out there is all on him.” My voice sounds sickly sweet to my own ears.

He leaves with a smirk on his face, proving to be the asshole Noah described.

“We need to talk.” Santi lays himself against the headboard of my bed, occupying the space next to me. Yesterday was a rough day for him after placing fourth in the Prix. He made his rounds to appease fans, but the loss ate away at him and he closed himself off in the hotel suite for the rest of the night. Only room service could push him to leave the four walls of his bedroom.

“About?” my voice croaks. Paranoia riddles my brain, playing tricks on me as I worry if Noah’s dad told Santi about my secret relationship. I wouldn’t put anything past that vile man.

“We didn’t have a chance to talk in private about yesterday. I came off like an asshole and I’m sorry. A lot has been on my mind with Bandini, and I worry about you on top of everything else.” His brown eyes pierce mine.

“There isn’t anything else to discuss. I get how you want what’s best for me.” I squirm against the bedspread, unable to find a comfortable position.

“You’ve been kind of distant and I don’t know what’s going on. I thought you might want to go back home, but I overstepped.”

My chest tightens at his sincerity. “No. That’s not it.”

“You’d be honest if something was bothering you, right? This world is hard, but I appreciate having you here. It’s made the season much better.”

Please, stab me one more time in the heart.

“Of course. You’re my best friend.” A lump in my throat makes swallowing difficult.

“Now that our feelings shit is out of the way, Netflix came out with the new Stranger Things season. Let’s see it while I have free time.”

I end up watching the same season twice because guilt has a funny way of making me do just about anything for my brother.

30

Noah

I ended up placing runner-up in yesterday’s race. Jax put up one hell of a fight for the first-place spot, deserving his Prix win. The hard track and my placement keeps me pleased with my performance.

My dad, on the other hand, is not.