Redeemed (Dirty Air 4)

Chloe and I walk hand in hand into the boardroom, following Noah and Maya. It reminds me of a law courtroom with the panelists sitting in a row of seats where a judge usually resides.

I halt, and Chloe stumbles from the momentum of being pulled back. She looks back over her shoulder. I can barely focus on her because of the sight in front of me.

Every seat in the room is filled with people of my racing past. Maya takes a seat beside Sophie and Liam, who both wave at me from the front row. Beside Liam sits Jax, who has his arm wrapped around Elena. He offers me a chin tip before turning his attention back to Elena and Elías.

Countless Bandini crew members sit in the rows behind them, all chatting or smiling at one another. There isn’t one face I don’t recognize. The sight assaults me, forcing ragged breaths from my lungs.

All these people are here for me?

James waves me over from the table in the front meant for lawyers.

Chloe squeezes my hand, gaining my attention. “Ready?”

I swallow back the lump in my throat. “I’d say no, but I’m supposed to act calm, cool, and collected according to Noah, or else he’ll kick my ass.”

She laughs under her breath. “You’ve got this. No one has prepared more than you have for something like this.”

“It’s hard to compete against no one. It’s not like many racers have been in this position before.”

She stands on her toes and places a kiss on my cheek. “There’s no one better suited to do this than you. You already showed that you can get behind the wheel and race as well as the rest of them. During your last test, you even broke your old record. There’s no one else meant for driving more than you.”

Nodding my head, I lead Chloe toward her seat beside Maya. I press a kiss against the top of her head before heading toward Noah and James.

“Ready?” Noah slaps a hand against my back.

“About as ready as I’ll ever be.” My eyes dart across the panel.

It’s a bunch of suits, staring down at me with stoic faces. A cool sweat breaks out across my brow, and I swipe it away with the sleeve of my suit.

“Relax. They’d be foolish to say no. You’re a legend, and everyone is a sucker for a good comeback story.” James smiles at me.

The head of the panel introduces himself and starts the meeting. Noah and James present my race statistics at the test track and discuss the steering wheel Bandini designed that allows me to race like everyone else.

I hide my shaking hands beneath the table the entire meeting. My heart remains permanently lodged inside of my throat as everyone speaks.

The head of the meeting looks over at me and calls my name.

“Yes, sir.” I stand.

“Are you afraid of going back out there?”

I look over my shoulder at Chloe. She throws her two thumbs up and shoots me a goofy grin, making me smile back.

Am I afraid? Only an idiot wouldn’t be.

I turn back toward the main speaker. “Fear isn’t always a bad thing.”

His brows lift. “How so?”

“Fear motivates me. It reminds me how the best things in life will always make us afraid, but that shouldn’t stop us from pursuing them anyway. I spent three years of my life allowing fear to guide my decisions and look where that got me. I’d rather be afraid and drive anyway than be afraid and watch life pass me by. Because in the end, nothing is more fearful than realizing life goes on, with or without you.”

All the people on the panel nod their heads.

A woman at the end of the row raises her hand to speak. “Santiago, I want to ask how you plan on approaching your injury with the public.”

“By being upfront about it. Someone taught me honesty takes strength.” My eyes slide from the panel to Chloe. Her eyes gain a sheen in them as she stares at me.

I return my focus back on the panel. “I want to be a champion for those like me. I want to show them that—no matter what they want to achieve in life—no injury or obstacle should stop them. But I also want to be a model for those who have been broken by their circumstances because they deserve hope too.”