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Iuard looked at it, then handed it back and waved the car through The pointed tops of the stands looer, as pale and delicate as tented canopies froe of her seat, every ato the car onward

You are bigfan?‘ the driver asked

Kate gave a choked laughI hate it‘

The eyes in the rearview lish lady with a face as white as her T-shirt clearly was mad

Then may I ask why you come here?‘

Kate exhaled a shaky breathBecause I suddenly realised that love is a er than that‘

The dark eyes softened as the car caates

I leave you here, miss‘

Her hands were shaking as she reached into her bag for ave way beneath her

Good luck,‘ the taxi driver called after her

She handed her pass to another set of security guards, who frowned down at it for a second, then back up at her

A guest of Cristiano Maresca?‘

Where do I have to go?‘ she gaspedI need to find him before the race starts‘

Through there But you‘ll have to hurry—‘

At that an to shake hat felt like the beginnings of an earthquake A high-pitched hu like a siren to an ear-splitting scream

Ah…‘ said the guard apologeticallySorry Too late‘

The sun was low on the track, shining through a haze of fuel A white plume of smoke rose up from the Ferrari in front of Cristiano as they ca it impossible to see

Cristiano kept going, his lungs bursting as the acceleration pressed back on hi blind, with only his split-second reflexes between hiht with a sudden burst of elation as the choking cloud lifted Another corner On Cristiano‘s nearside wing a car spun out of control, spiralling away behind him Cristiano felt his elation die a little as he let out a vicious curse

Silvio‘s voice on the teaIt‘s OK, Cristiano Plenty of room at the front now Move in Show them that you‘re back‘

You don’t have to prove anything to anyone…

Swearing softly again, Cristiano hit the brakes This wasn‘t ine and the pressure of the G-force and the sheer bloody need to stay alive should make it impossible to hear Kate‘s voice inside his head That hy he did this—to escape the tangled mess of complicated emotions over which he had no control

To forget

But he couldn‘t And in that moment he felt another flashbulb sensation as the track in front of him disappeared and he remembered…

He re back to look for Kate before he got in the car That hy he‘d thought she was here today, he realised, as a clear picture of her in a blue T-shirt— his blue T-shirt?—appeared in his head

And she had turned and ses and kissed her and laughed because she had told him to drive carefully

A shower of sparks flew up fro out of his wake, Cristiano found some clear space on the outside of the bend

Move in,seconds!‘

And suddenly it all made perfect sense All this tied hiher, drive faster And all he‘d ever really wanted was soh to tell him to stop

His mother had wanted that And so did Kate

He slowed down Silvio was shouting so loudly in his headset that his voice was an incoherent crackle of noise The pit lane entrance loo forward, looking alar his way to the front, , shaking car to a standstill