The truth was, we’d been butting heads recently over not only the car set up, but how I’d been driving. In a lot of ways, I felt like he was more concerned about the car than winning. The cars are expensive, there’s no question about it, but I was getting fed up with it. He knew full well that I could go a lot faster in qualifying, but for whatever reason, he was preventing it. It wouldn’t be long before he and I had words about it, yet now was not the time.

Just then, Darren turned to walk away. “Good, so I’ll see you first thing, Dyson?”

“Yep.”

After he walked off, I happened to glance up and see Ava looking at me.

“Is everything okay between you two?”

I nodded. “Yeah, no problem at all. Now, where were we?”

AVA

Everything Dyson did for me at dinner the night before caught me completely by surprise. He made his desires clear. And the truth was, it was becoming almost impossible to ignore the growing feelings I had for him.

Even so, a part of me resisted.

Forgetting about his reputation, I hadn’t exactly been with anyone for a while. Whether I was uncertain about him or myself, I couldn’t say for sure. Luckily, with the race coming up at the end of the week, there was enough distraction to go around for both of us. And so, for the time being, I decided to see how things unfolded.

It was midmorning the next day when I made my way to the pits. I had to get signatures from the drivers and Darren for some insurance forms the City of Los Angeles required.

After arriving, I saw Darren hunched over his laptop computer, presumably working on the cars, since both Dyson and Marco were already on the track. Normally I would have waited until there was a break in the action, but I had to deliver the forms downtown before the office closed that day. I’d never been to downtown Los Angeles, and I wasn’t crazy about the idea of sitting in crazy traffic all day.

I approached him. “Excuse me, Darren? Do you have a second?”

His focus never wavered from the laptop screen. Instead, he lifted his index finger in my direction. “One sec, Ava.”

“Right. Sorry about that.”

I folded my arms across my chest, holding the paperwork in the middle of it. Just then, Dyson came down the straightaway. I winced, cursing myself for not having any ear protection on. On race day, it was a must, but when there were only a handful of cars on the track, no one else ever wore them. I assumed I’d get used to it with time, but I hadn’t just yet.

After Dyson went by, I glanced at Darren again. His posture changed. He’d placed both palms flat on the table in front of him. He dropped his head, shaking it and muttering to himself.

I had no idea what the problem could be, I just assumed they were having issues with the car. If things weren’t running exactly like he wanted, Darren had a tendency to get a little angry. I worried if he got too distracted I’d never get the signatures I needed. Soon, the sound of Dyson’s engine faded, and once again I tried to get Darren’s attention.

“Darren?” I began, inching towards him just a little bit.

But, just as before, his focus remained on the laptop. He continued to work in silence for another minute, maybe two. I hesitated, and just as I was about to try again, Darren slammed his fist on the table, startling me.

“Fuck!” he yelled.

I backed away and glanced all around me. A couple of the mechanics were nearby and lifted their heads, looking in our direction. At the rate things were going, I was going to be here for a while.

Shortly after, Darren stood upright and stared straight ahead. I stood there in silence, not sure if another explosion was on the way. Just then, he turned, looking at me like he hadn’t seen me before.

“Ava. Did you need something?”

But even as he spoke those words to me, Darren kept his focus fixed towards the far end of the track.

“Um,” I began, uncrossing my arms and leafing through the folder for the correct document. “Real quick, I just need to get your signature on a couple of things so that I can…”

Without a word, Darren hitched up his pants and marched right past me. I swiveled my head, following him with my eyes. In the distance, Dyson’s car came down pit lane. Right around that time, Darren raised both of his arms in the air.

I grimaced, lowering the folder and focusing my attention on Darren as he continued to walk in Dyson’s direction.

Just then, I noticed I wasn’t the only one paying attention. A number of the mechanics and pit crew also stopped what they were doing and looked on as well.

Soon after, Dyson pulled up and turned off the engine.

“What the fuck!” Darren screamed.

He’d yelled so loud and so suddenly, I flinched. Within seconds, Dyson emerged from the car and walked in Darren’s direction, yanking his helmet off of his head in the process. He didn’t even bother looking at Darren. Instead, he walked in the opposite direction.

“Dyson!” Darren called out, walking after his driver. “Dyson! Don’t take another step or you’ll regret it.”

Dyson stopped dead, spinning in place before walking towards Darren. Within seconds, the two men were face-to-face.

“Hey!” Dyson began, pointing his finger. “If you want to win, you need to lay off right now, because I know exactly what I’m doing, and I know exactly what that car is capable of.”

Darren leaned back, a long sustained laugh rumbled from him. Facing Dyson once again, he clapped his hands together just as his face turned dark with anger.

“I’m the manager of this team. You. You, Dyson, are a driver. If you don’t do what I tell you to, I’ll suspend your ass.”

Dyson shook his head, gesturing with his helmet in the direction of the team garage. “Oh yeah? Why don’t you go ask Dieter what he thinks of that idea? I can guarantee you he wants to win.”

Darren also pointed in the same direction. “Yeah, no shit Dyson, but he doesn’t want to do it at the expense of car after car. You’re pushing too hard, and it’s hurting all of us. I’m only going to say it one more time. Do what I tell you to or you’re suspended.”

Dyson scoffed and shook his head but didn’t respond. For several seconds afterward, the two men remained silent, staring each other down. I happened to glance around once again, noticing all eyes focused on the two of them. At last, Dyson spit on the ground and turned, storming away from Darren.

“Don’t push me, Dyson,” Darren warned. “You won’t like the outcome.”

Like everyone else, I stood there riveted by the turn of events. A moment or so later, Dyson marched right past me without acknowledging my presence, like I didn’t even exist.

DYSON

“Mother fucker,” I muttered, walking away from the pits and heading towards my motor coach.

I ripped the door opened, walked inside and slammed it behind me. I stood there for a second before throwing my helmet across the room, where it banged against the far wall.

“God damn it!”

For the next minute or so, I paced back and forth. At some point, I heard a knock on the door. The last thing I wanted to do right now was talk to anyone, especially that asshole, Darren.

“Who is it!” I yelled.

There was a moment of silence before the response came. “It’s me, Ava.”

I looked up towards the ceiling and exhaled. “I don’t want to talk to anyone right now. Go away.”

As before, she didn’t speak immediately, but remained quiet for a few seconds. “Are you sure? We don’t have to talk about it.”

I shook my head and rubbed my face with my hands. I stared at the door in silence. A few seconds later I walked over to it, opened it, and turned my back on her. She came inside and closed the door, while I walked in the other direction.