Fast Lane

by Jennis Slaughter

  The metal of the car melted the synthetic fiber of the gloves she wore as she pulled and pulled on the harness Sam wore. It had both saved and trapped her...Addi couldn’t get her out. “Sam, please hold on!” She realized the mic in her helmet was connected to Arnie. “ARNIE...GET AN AMBULANCE!!” she yelled as she reached inside to unhook the harness. Freeing Sam from under the steering wheel with the quick release, Addison hesitated in moving her, but knew the fuel tank would surely blow with the fire. With no choice left, Addison pulled Sam’s body hard and dragged her away from the heap of wreckage.

  Sam felt a white hot pain in her legs and heard Addison’s scream, but she could do nothing to help herself. She tried to reach out to let the younger woman know that she heard her, but she couldn’t move. “Addi...” she whispered before she gave into the darkness that was licking at the corner of her consciousness.

  Before Addison could even lay Sam down on the grass, the blonde was taken from her by a flood of EMT’s and firefighters. “DON’T TAKE HER FROM ME!” Addison screamed inside of her helmet, though no one could hear her. She fought helplessly against track personnel that attempted to slow her down and keep her from climbing into the ambulance with her girlfriend. Addi watched helplessly as they lifted Sam onto a stretcher, despite the burning pain in her hands, she tore her helmet off and threw it at a medic. “LET ME GO WITH HER!”

  The man caught the helmet mid-thigh and winced at her rage, but he moved aside and allowed the redhead into the ambulance with them. She kneeled, her charred hands framing Samantha’s pale face. “Sammie...” she whispered. “I’m not going to leave you.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Upstairs, Becca was pitching the biggest fit of her life in her skybox. “Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME DANA!” she screamed, throwing a pitcher of ice water at him, smiling in vindication as he didn’t move in time. “You clipped the WRONG brakes, you fucking moron! Now Sam is in the hospital possibly dead instead of Addison.”

  “It’s not my fault!” he sputtered, wiping his face with a linen napkin. “They had the cars in reverse order.” The man backed away from the irate redhead. Tatum had seen what the woman could do once she was angry. “They will at least need another driver now.”

  “No, you fucking idiot! Someone else is going to be in charge. I wanted Sam back and you wanted to be the new blocker. Now we have to start all over...what the hell are we going to do now?” Becca lifted a glass of champagne to her lips, trying to think. “I at least hope you were clean about it, because there will be an investigation. And it will be from the American government since it was an American citizen hurt on foreign soil.”

  “Don’t worry. I was really careful and used gloves. They won’t be able to prove that I was even there.” Tatum walked over to the bar and poured himself a glass of Gray Goose.

  “They had better not,” Rebecca warned him one last time. “Now get the fuck out of here before someone sees us together,” she hissed at him.

  “So what if they do? We’ve been in here the entire race so someone will have seen us all ready,” the man shot back.

  “Think about it, Dana, if someone sees us together I’m going to have to lie and say we are fucking....” She looked disgusted at the thought of him touching her. “And like Addison, I’m really not into men....”

  “Both of you just need to find the right one, but fine...I’ll leave. You know how to get in touch with me if you need to.” The man grabbed the bottle of vodka and made his way from the skybox.

  “Piece of shit,” Becca growled, watching him leave.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  The ambulance screamed into the driveway of the hospital and came to a halt in front of the emergency room doors. The staff had been alerted by the track and was waiting to rush Sam into an examination room to check her out.

  Addison watched helplessly as Sam was taken from her arms again. Tear filled gray eyes and spilled with drops that slowly etched the dirt off of her face. “I love you Sam...” she whispered, kissing the dirty cheek of her girlfriend. “Please don’t let go....” She squeezed her hand, watching the hospital staff take the blonde’s stretcher out of the ambulance before a separate medical team began flashing lights in her eyes and unzipping her jumpsuit. They had both been exposed to hazardous chemicals that could have killed them with prolonged exposure, and Addi’s body was beginning to shut down as shock was setting in.

  Nick rushed through the doors along with Sven and Addi’s family, and the assistant quickly gathered what information that he could and got permission for Charlotte to see her daughter as soon as the doctor was finished taking care of her hands.

  Much later when Charlotte was finally able to see Addison, the young redhead was sitting up wide awake in a hospital bed, both of her hands bandaged with gauze. There was an oxygen mask over her face and her eyes were glassy.

  Tears sprang to the older McCloud’s eyes, but she quickly brushed them aside as she went to stand next to her daughter. Carefully she reached up to push a strand of hair away from Addison’s face. “How are you feeling Sweet Pea?”

  Her voice was weak, but Charlotte had no trouble mistaking what Addison really wanted to know. “I’m fine, but how is Sam?” she asked her mother, tears welling in her eyes at the thought of the woman she loved. What if she could no longer hold that face in her hands? Kiss those lips?

  “Her right leg has a couple of pins in it and the doctor says that she won’t be able to race for maybe six months...Nick said that she’ll be back in three.” The older woman smiled weakly before she continued. “They are still worried about her head though...she hasn’t woken up yet and they are becoming quite concerned.”

  The look on Addison’s face was crushing as her head fell back into the pillow. Succumbing to the fact that at least Sam was still alive, she felt the burning sensation in her eyes and throat that let her know she was crying. She felt her mother hold her close kissing her forehead and whispering how things were going to be okay. “Please God let her live. I don’t care if she ever races again, but let her live,” she thought greedily.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Gray smoke swirled in the darkness and Sam found herself standing in the middle of a spotlight. Whirling around, she peered into the inky blackness, but could see nothing. Suddenly her father’s voice rang out.

  “You got complacent Sam, and you didn’t check your car. What’s happening to you?”

  Looking around, Sam searched for her father. “I’m sorry, Daddy...I checked it the night before, and I thought tha....”

  “You thought! I told you time and time again, you’re the one driving the car so you’re the one to do the final check. You take responsibilities for your actions, and for your car. Your crew is going to feel like they let you down, when you’re the one that let them down.” Tommy Dupree’s voice sounded disappointed.

  “I’ll tell them that I make a mistake...I promise,” the blonde reassured the darkness.

  Silence answered her for a long moment before a movie started to play and Sam watched herself spy on Addison at the Formula 1 School as the young woman drove the race car for the first time. The blonde had watched along with the director of the school as Addison drove around the track, and with each circuit, the driver in her reduced her lap time as she became more accustomed to the car.

  The director had kept the veteran driver aware of Addison’s progress, and during the weekends that the blonde wasn’t racing, she could be found at the school, watching the redhead go through her classes, working on the test cars or jogging the track. Sam was impressed that the young woman had never tried to sneak off the facility to go drinking or partying with the locals. She had studied and kept focused the entire time, and it seemed that her one true confident had been her crew chief, Arnie.

  There had been one afternoon that the blonde had watched the young woman when Arnie had finally convinced Addison to take a week-end off and to go to the beach in Monaco. Instead of taking it easy and lying in the sand or playing in the waves, the driv
er had walked the route that the upcoming race would take, and had written notes to send to Sam.

  Sam had stayed out of sight the entire weekend, just watching the young woman and was amazed at the concentration that Addison put into her time in the city, never wavering from what she thought was important. And that was the weekend that Samantha Jayne Dupree admitted to herself that she had fallen in love and lost her heart to a beautiful redheaded driver named Addison Gere McCloud.

  “You know that you let her down most of all, don’t you?” Tommy Dupree’s voice came from behind his daughters back. “She looks up to you to lead her by example, and you totally dropped the ball.”

  Turning quickly, Sam tried to catch a glimpse of her father even though she knew it was a lost cause. “I’ll make it up to her, Daddy. I don’t want to lose her...I can’t. I love her, Daddy.”

  “Well, she deserves someone who can keep up their end of the relationship, and I mean whether it’s in love or business. You just proven that you can’t at work...how are you gonna convince her that you’re the one for her. Maybe you should just let her go find someone who she can rely on.”

  Sam stood there, looking at Addison’s image, and she concluded that her father may be right. With her reputation, she was the wrong person for the younger driver to be with. Addi needed someone who was reliable, trustworthy and someone she could look up to. Not a playgirl, who changed girlfriends as fast as other people changed their minds. If Sam loved her like she thought she did, she would have to walk away to let the redhead move on.

  Smiling at the picture of Addi sleeping, Sam whispered. “I’m sorry Darlin’...I’ll always love you.” With tears in her eyes and her heart breaking, the blonde driver turned away to walk into the darkness.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Nick’s cell phone kept beeping incessantly until he finally answered it. He listened in silent shock as the Melbourne Police Department as well as the FBI influxes explained they may have a video of interest to him. Hanging up, Nick dialed Sven. “Are you still at Addison’s hospital room?”

  “Ya...what do you need?” The bodyguard was feeling pretty helpless right about then.

  “Leave her with Charlotte for a moment. I’ll send another bodyguard detail to relieve you. I just got a call from Melbourne PD and the FBI; they think they have an idea who did this to Sam. A car will be there in fifteen minutes and bring you to the police station.”

  “You trust this detail? I don’t want Charlotte or the children to be unprotected.” Sven looked down the hallway.

  “The head bodyguard is someone we used when Addison first was hired by Sam, his name is Drew. You two might see eye to eye on some things.” Nick smiled at Sven’s protectiveness. “Before the accident, Sam really expressed how well you took care of Addi. That comes from the both of us, Sven.”

  “Well, as soon as this guy and the rest of the detail get here, I’ll be on my way to you. Thank you.” The older man nodded his head even though he knew the assistant couldn’t see him.

  “See you soon.” Nick ended the call. It wasn’t long before a tall, dark man, Sven’s equal in height and muscle tone, came striding down the hall. At his back was a team of four other men. All were dressed in neat, black, pressed suits, small discrete earpieces in their left ears. The lead man stopped in front of Sven and extended his hand. “I’m Drew, I believe you are Sven?”

  “Ya....” Sven shook his hand. “Good to meet you.” Pointing to the waiting room where Maddie was sleeping and Clint was watching television, he started explaining his instructions. “Those two are Addison’s brother and sister. They can stay there or in here with Addison and her mother Charlotte.” He nodded his head towards the blocker’s room. “I need to tell them that I’m leaving so why don’t you come in and I’ll introduce you.”

  Drew nodded giving swift instructions to his team who remained outside. He’d assign a man to each of the children as well as the mother, but Addison was going to be under his watch along with another man’s. He had already sent his best man to watch Sam’s room.

  Quietly opening the door, Sven smiled as Charlotte turned to him and rose from her chair to walk over to him. “She finally drifted off to sleep.”

  “Nick called and I need to go down to the police station for a bit. This is Drew and he is gonna watch over you and Addison. He has someone watching the kids in the waiting room.”

  Charlotte smiled warmly at Sven, squeezing her boyfriend’s hand. That hadn’t had time to share it with Sam or Addison yet, or even Clint, but she cared for the blonde bodyguard quite a bit. He protected her family so well. “Of course.” Releasing his hand, she shook Drew’s. “It’s a pleasure.”

  “Ma’am. I want you to know that I met Addison the day that she signed her contract. You raised a lovely young woman. I’ll be right outside if you need me.” He nodded his head and left the room.

  The older redhead sighed. “Sam is the perfect match for Addison. I just hope she wakes up and realizes it.” Charlotte sighed before looking at Sven.

  “Sam loves Addison so very much already. And trust me when I say that she realizes it. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” The taller man gave Charlotte a quick hug.

  “Be safe,” Charlotte whispered, kissing his cheek before she let him go.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Nick stood with his arms crossed over his chest, biting his tongue as he watched dual monitors. On the left one was a video of Dana Tatum sneaking into the garage that housed the Dupree cars and tampering with Addison’s car before sneaking back out. The right monitor showed James McCloud entering into the same garage thirty minutes later and repairing Addison’s car before tampering with Sam’s. The assistant was barely containing his fury and it was only because he knew that Sam would have his ass if he ended up in jail that kept his temper in check.

  Uncrossing his arms, Nick looked down at the photos that he had crumpled up in his fist. They showed Becca and Tatum arguing in the Sky box right after the accident. The FBI was still going over the video footage, trying to read the lips of both Becca and Tatum. There was going to be hell to pay and Nick hoped that he would be able to watch.

  Sven watched quietly, his own anger simmering. Dana, James and Becca would all be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Australian law, and when they were extradited, they would face even harsher penalties under American law.

  “So Dana rigged Addison’s car only to have James come back and fix it?” Sven asked curiously.

  “As far as they can tell, yeah. Tatum wants Addi’s job, and Becca wants back in Sam’s life, so they tampered with Addison’s car. What we can’t figure out is how James found out about it. We both know why he went after Sam, but just don’t know how he knew.” The younger man ran a hand through his hair.

  “I’m sure he has his own connections at the track. What if whoever Dana and Becca paid off, just so happened to also be on James’ bank roll?” Sven replied.

  “I just don’t know if James has that many connections in the F1 series as he has in NASCAR. Maybe he just knows Tatum so well that he knew that sooner or later he would try something, and just kept a watch on him.” Nick sighed as he sat down in a nearby chair. “They have people out looking for all three now.”

  “Sam hasn’t woken up yet, Nick, but the doctors say her brainwaves are spiking. It should be any day now. Addison is a wreck though. If Sam can’t drive, who’s going to take her spot? Who’s going to run Dupree Motorsports?”

  “Addi is the number one driver now...we’ll have to get her a blocker though. She has to complete the season or the company will lose too much money.” The younger man stared down at his hands for a long moment before he answered the final part of the question. “Sam always had a backup in place in case this ever happened. Neely and I run Dupree Motorsports.”

  The bodyguard nodded. “The doctors say her hands are going to be a little scarred, but she’ll have full use of them in another few days.”

  “Well, she had better get them in working order.
..we can’t miss this race in the standings.” Nick coughed and stood up. “I’m not trying to be a hard ass, but it is what Sam would expect.”

  Sven’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Nick, but said nothing to disagree. “I’ll see you later. I need to get back to Charlotte and the children.” He gave the man one last look before leaving the media room at the police station.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  The quiet hum of an air conditioner alerted Sam that she wasn’t home in Georgia, as did the sterile smell of antiseptics. When she finally opened her eyes, she wasn’t too surprised to see that she was in a hospital room.

  Suddenly the memory of the crash flooded her mind and she gasped out loud and tried to sit up. A white pain shot through her leg and she held onto her thigh as she searched for the call button.

  It was only a moment or two after pressing it that a nurse came in with an expectant look on her face. “I see that you’ve decided to join the land of the living again. We were becoming quite worried.” She reached behind the bed to reset the call alert. “I’ll let the doctors know that you’re up.”

  “Yeah that’s fine, but could you tell me if Addison McCloud is alright?” Sam asked.

  “Yes, Ms. McCloud is just fine. Her hands were slightly burned, and she was treated for smoke inhalation, but she has been at your bedside every day. We’ve had to almost carry her out to get her to her own bed.” The nurse wrote something down on Sam’s chart. “I’ll go get the doctor, he’ll have to check you over before we can give you some pain medication, and afterwards I’ll send in your family.”

  Sam nodded and leaned back against her pillow with her eyes closed, trying to concentrate on blocking out the pain.

  After the doctor came in and gave her a quick go over, he explained that she would more than likely be in the hospital for a week or so before he would allow her to be discharged, however he refused to even think about letting her take an overseas flight, even if she did have a private jet. She would be in Australia for at least a couple of months.