Chapter 99 Whiskey on the Rocks
By the time he got out of his car, Case had cooled off some, but he knew the second he saw Gordo or Whiskey, he was going to flip. If either one of those two drivers knew what was good for them, they’d avoid him for the rest of the day.
That didn’t happen, though. After he got out of the car, a few reporters were waiting to talk to him. Determined to be as cool as possible, Case took a few deep breaths, and when the reporter asked, “What happened out there between you and Jones? Do you think that was on purpose?”
Case shrugged. “You know, it’s just one of those racing things. I heard Gordo said that he didn’t see us coming or didn’t know we were coming that fast or something to that degree. So, we’ll just chalk it up to that and move on.”
“So no retaliation tonight during the shootout?”
“No, no. I don’t drive that way,” Case said, shaking his head. “As long as Gordo and Whiskey race me clean tonight, we won’t have a problem.” Whiskey wasn’t even supposed to be in the shootout. The only reason he was there was because another driver couldn’t make it. Case secretly thought it had something to do with the bar fight, as if Whiskey were planning something for the race. He hadn’t expected him to show his cards during practice, but now Case was alert that something might be about to go down.
“And if they don’t race you clean? Will there be a problem then?” the reporter pushed.
Case looked down at the ground for a moment and then managed to say, “We’ll see how that goes tonight. I’m sure they’ll want to keep their cars on the track, though.”
Another reporter jumped in as the one from the reputable TV channel walked away. “Case! Any chance Gordon Jones was trying to wreck you on purpose because of your prior relationship with his now girlfriend, Sarah Lockton?”
Choosing his words carefully, Case stared at the man for a moment, trying to decide what to say. Eventually, he said, “I don’t think so. I’ve got to go.”
A flock of reporters followed him as he made his way over to the pit box to collect Andrea. She was already down and headed his way, and all of his racing troubles melted away as soon as he saw her smile.
“Hi, gorgeous,” he said, giving her a hug. He was aware that they were being photographed and recorded, and she was, too, so he could feel her holding back. It wasn’t that they cared what anyone else thought, but there was a level of respect for each other and those who might be watching that kept them from acting like two horny teenagers, the way Gordo and Sarah were earlier.
“Where to now?” Andre asked with a wide smile.
“Well, I’ve got about an hour to go back to the motor coach to get something to eat before I have to go to the driver’s meeting. The race’ll be starting in about three hours.”
“Okay. Let’s go then,” she said, her fingers laced in his. They had a golf cart waiting nearby. Normally, one of Case’s team members would be around to drive them, but all of his people were hanging back, trying to give him some space since Andrea was there for the first time. Besides, he liked driving himself whenever possible.
They were on their way over to get on the cart when Whiskey stepped out from between two pit boxes and headed their direction. “You got some nerve, Meyer!” he shouted.
Case took a deep breath, wondering what in the world Whiskey was talking about but not wanting to get into another fight with him. As it was, the older man’s face was still messed up from the bar fight last week. It was a wonder he was even there. He’d been arrested for the bar brawl, and Case had thought he’d probably be out of racing for a week or two. But money had a way of solving problems like that.
Andrea’s fingers tightened around Case’s. “Listen, Whiskey, we don’t want to fight. Let’s just let it go, all right?” Case asked.
The older man chuckled. “Should’ve guessed you’d be running away.”
“I’m not running away from anything. Jones said he didn’t see us coming when he stepped out. Nobody meant to hit you, but Charlie didn’t have much of a choice but to lay on the brakes which caused Antony to have to brake, too. You had a hand in this, you know. Clearly, you and Gordon were working together.”
“Don’t you go accusing me of nothin’ you b*stard,” Whiskey said, taking a few steps forward, his finger wagging. “I’ll mess you up big time. I ain’t drunk this time, and I’m looking, you son of a b*tch, so you can’t coldcock me.”
“Nobody’s punching anyone,” Andrea said, stepping between them. “Case is here to race, and you should be, too. Now back up, old man, because I’m not messing around!”
Whiskey stared at her wide eyed for a moment before he said, “D*mn! Girl’s got gumption. I didn’t see that the other night, but she’s a spitfire. Now, I like you even more, Ms. Sparks.”
“Get the hell out of my face!” Andrea spat.
Whiskey backed up. Why she was suddenly so daring, Case couldn’t say, but he assumed didn’t want Case to get into a fight so close to race time, and she knew he’d feel obligated to protect her if she didn’t get Whiskey to back down.
“All right, all right. I’m goin’. But I’ll see you on the track, Meyer.”
“D*mn right you will,” Case said, smiling at Andrea with amusement. He was sure Andrea knew what he was thinking. He was proud of her and also a bit surprised. The altercation made him love her even more
Once Whiskey backed up, she got into the golf cart, and Case slid in behind the wheel. “Well, I’m not sure where that came from. But I liked it,” he said with a wide smile.
Andrea folded her arms. “I guess I’m just tired of letting people push me around.”
Case smiled and cranked the engine. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
He loved the sound of her giggle. He knew she wasn’t talking about him, and he couldn’t imagine her ever being as mad at him as she was at Whiskey. But he’d gotten the message, too.
Case drove her to the RV, but before he got out he put a hand on her knee. “I’ve only got an hour, so keep that in mind before you start driving me crazy, okay?”
Andrea smiled at him. “I thought you were just going to grab something to eat.”
“I was, but then I saw you and remembered how beautiful you are, and now, well, I’m hungry for something else.”
He could practically hear her pulse racing, thumping faster than any of the cars had been on the track. Andrea leaned over and kissed him, leaving Case thinking if she kept this sort of behavior up, he might just starve to death.
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