“He says he's sorry about what happened to Caudell, and after the way Renfro blurted out the daddy news, Dickey says there's no love lost between the two of them. Anyway, he's offered to draft with me today.”
“Are you fuckin' out of your mind?” Caro hissed the words through clenched teeth. “No. No. And, no.”
“Caro – “
“I said, no, Dell. You can win without a drafting partner. Besides, with the new rear bumpers, it's not as easy as it once was. One mistake from Dickhead, and you'll be nose into the wall. Have you forgotten Daytona? That was less than two months ago.”
“I haven't forgotten, but that was then. If he wanted to take me out of the race, he wouldn't offer to draft with me, he'd just shove me into the wall and keep going. He doesn't need my permission to kill me.” Dell fisted his hands on his hips. “Look, Caro. You'll just have to trust me on this. We know the risk. We won't draft unless I need the extra speed to win. I know you have the fuel injector thing down, and we have the fastest car on the track. I purposely held some back in qualifying so no one would know what we've got under the hood. But this is insurance, Caro. Just in case.”
“The only kind of insurance anyone from Renfro is offering is disaster insurance, Dell. This is guaranteed to be a disaster.”
“I don't think so, Caro. I've hated the guy since I first laid eyes on him when we were kids, but he seems sincere. I trust him. He wants to leave Renfro. If you get Hawkins Racing in the black, maybe we could take him on next year. Field two Cup cars instead of one. I'd like to see Hawkins as successful as it once was.”
Dell had grown two heads, or maybe she was seeing double in her rage. “Don't do anymore thinking for me, Dell. Just drive the fucking car, and do it without Dickhead or anyone else associated with Renfro. I won't stand for it.”
Dell squared his shoulders. Even the air seemed to stand still as he stared down at her. “Well, Ms. Hawkins. I don't give a good goddamned what you will or won't stand for. I've got money at stake here too, and if I can use Dickey to win this race, by God, that's what I'm going to do.”
Dell left without a backward glance, collected his new buddy and headed in the direction of the track. Echoes of Butch Renfro's words rang in her ears. Maybe Dell was after more than what was in her fire suit. Maybe he was using her body to get what he really wanted, her company. Maybe he was conspiring with Renfro. It didn't seem likely, but nothing that happened since she took over Hawkins Racing seemed likely.
She pasted on a smile for the cameras and joined in the pre-race festivities, all the while her heart was breaking, and her confidence waning. How could she have fallen for Dell? Somehow, he convinced her he was the one person in the business who believed she had every right to be a team owner. She'd bought into his act too. He was no better than Renfro – maybe even worse. At least Renfro was straight up about his intentions – offering to buy her out, and when that didn't work, offering to fuck her to get what he wanted.
Dell had gone about it in a more underhanded way. He seduced his way into her heart and her bed, made her believe in him – then he snuck his way into her company. She'd given him her heart and believed his financial backing was given out of friendship and his genuine belief in her. And all the time, she'd done exactly what Butch Renfro accused her of. She'd sold her body for money. Dell's money. And in the process, she'd lost control of Hawkins Racing.
Dell and Dickhead would do whatever they wanted, and there wasn't a damn thing she could do to stop them.
Caro almost forgot about her misery as the race progressed. Dell held track position throughout the race, seemingly without effort. He stayed out of every crash and skirted disaster with a steady hand on the wheel. While others tried drafting with various levels of success, Dell cruised into second place early and hung on.
He'd have to pit again for tires and fuel, but barring any unseen accidents, Dell could make a serious bid for the lead, and ultimately, the win in the last few laps. Everything he did looked like it was scripted. A few drivers made serious bids for his position, but he'd cut them off with skill and finesse.
“The temperature dropped,” Caro advised. “You should see a drop in engine temperature soon. Open her up when you think the time is right – she'll give you all the power you need.”
“I can feel it, Caro. Damn, this car is responsive – kind of reminds me of someone,” Dell said.
“Shut up and drive, Dell,” Caro warned.
Caro kept a close watch on Warner. He'd run fourth for most of the race, and in a few instances it appeared he might actually be protecting Dell's back. She shook her head to dislodge the ridiculous notion. If Warner was sticking close to Dell, it had to be so he could make sure Dell didn't win. No way would she believe Warner had Dell's best interest in his heart, fully apologetic half-brother or not. It didn't compute with what she knew.