Charlotte, North Carolina was the NASCAR capital of the world, and most teams set up their headquarters there. Of course, Truscott was a fucking idiot and claimed Baton Rouge as our home, but I wasn't a part of that shit show any longer. No matter how much I liked the culture of Louisiana, Charlotte had it beat in terms of racing.

People there knew about me. They knew that I was a badass woman who would do whatever it took to propel myself back into the spotlight. I did some of my best work under pressure, after all.

The tradition was that the final driver in the field, the fan pick, wasn't announced until right before the race, so I had a few days to kill before I finally got my chance. But that didn't stop me from joining in the interviews, the festivities, and the fun.

Four of the most popular drivers were slated to have a fan Q and A session, and even though I wasn't under contract, no one had forgotten about me. Of course, that group also included Griffin Gallagher, who inherited the title of Most Attractive Driver since I had left, Elizabeth Tonkin, also known as the replacement woman and new driver in town, and Tyler Bailey, my ex and career-ruiner. But I wasn't one to hold a grudge.

Up on a platform, there was a table set with four chairs and four name plates, and my spot was right in between Tyler and Griffin. I smiled. I could tolerate Tyler's shit as long as I had Griffin with me.

It was a Friday afternoon, and the sun shone over the infield of the Charlotte Motor Speedway track. Compared to Canada, it was hotter than me and Griffin combined, but that didn't stop the fans from packing into chairs just to listen to us talk.

Maybe I could seize the opportunity to do a little bit of damage control. I pissed some people off by being a bitch when I found out Elizabeth was taking my spot, plus too many people bought into the idea that I was an addict. I was addicted to one thing: destruction. A little chaos never killed nobody.

"Oh my god," someone said from behind me, and before I could turn around to say anything to him, he wrapped his arms around me and picked me up just off the ground.

I would have recognized those tatted arms anywhere. "I missed you so much, Griffin."

He let me go, and I turned around to see him. He looked the same as always (but maybe a little more tired than usual), but how much could change in just a few weeks?

Apparently, a fuck ton. A few weeks ago I didn't even know what the hell combat robotics was.

"So how's it been going with you?" I asked.

"It's different. I miss having you around to eat everything horrible that I buy. Elizabeth's too polite to steal it, and the temptation's beginning to get to me," Griffin said.

I smiled. Was he trying to pretend that he didn't buy that shit specifically for me? "You better not eat a single cookie, or you'll never achieve your dream of being in the Sports Illustrated Body Issue."

Griffin laughed. "That's why I need you, Kate. You do everything I'm not supposed to before I get the chance to do it."

"You'll probably never win another race again without me, if you use that logic."

"And even if that's the case, I'll still win before you."

I laughed. "Wow, that's harsh."

Same shit-talking, same Griffin. He just felt so familiar, and even though I was used to change smacking me in the face, the comfort was nice for once. There were no constants on the road, but he was as close to one as I'd ever get.

A tear stung my eye, and before either of us could acknowledge it, I brushed it away and changed the subject. "You know, this race is just going to be pure insanity. I've worked with Paul York and Chris Lancaster for years, but now they work with Elizabeth. And my pit crew is hers now, too. When I climb in that car, I'm not going to have anything that I used to know."

Elizabeth technically wasn't in the All-Star Race yet either, but with her recent arrival, talent, and all of my old shit, she was a favorite to get in by winning one of the mini-races.

Since I was most recently affiliated with Roger Truscott Racing, he was the one who had to provide me a car for the race, and it wasn't going to be great since it was someone's backup to the backup. I knew that, but I had a better shot at winning with a piece of shit car than a broken robot. I would also have to start dead last, but this time around, everyone was going to get the Tyler Bailey treatment: get in my way and get wrecked.

"Well, Kate, you're not even supposed to be here. All you can do is drive the hell out of the car, and hopefully, people will remember why they fell in love with you. You're a regular badass chick who can drive," Griffin said.

"So if it's you and me at the end, would you let me win?" I asked.

Griffin laughed and shook his head. "Let you win? Fuck no. But there's a damn good chance you'd beat me anyway."

I smiled. That was a good answer.

It was just about time for our Q and A session to begin, so the two of us took our seats up on the platform. We were joined by Elizabeth Tonkin, Tyler Bailey and a small crowd of fans, which was always one of my favorite parts of being the only woman in the series. People either loved me or they hated me, but they all knew me. Of course, Elizabeth just had to ruin that for me.

An event manager introduced the four of us, and several people lined up to ask us some questions. I bit my cheek. There weren't any cameras around, and I would probably have to wait until Saturday night to make a scene for the entire racing world.

"I have a question for Katie Moore," the first person said into the microphone.

I smiled. Suck it, Tyler and Elizabeth. "Yeah?"

"What have you been up to since the, uh, incident?" he asked.

"You mean since Roger Truscott dragged my name through the mud and abandoned me? Well, I've actually been doing pretty good. Obviously, I'm not driving in NASCAR for the time being, but I've moved on to driving for a combat robotics team," I replied.

"What's that?" the guy asked.

"It's the weirdest, nerdiest thing ever. You build a robot, then battle other robots to the death. I mean, I have no idea how to put a robot together, but this nice Canadian team offered me a spot to drive their robot, so I took it."

"Rock bottom, huh?" Tyler muttered beside me.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, shut up. It's actually a lot more work than you think. It's just a different kind." I didn't necessarily believe my own words, but I had a reputation to defend, and I would have rather died than let him spew more bullshit about my low. "I've been doing great. Thank you for asking."

The next person in line asked a question, but since it was for Tyler, I tuned it out.

Oddly enough, I hadn't gotten any calls from Drake asking where the hell I had gone, which seemed a little weird. I figured he would at least try to check in on me, but I got nothing.

Even though I spent my entire time in Canada scheming a way to get back into NASCAR, all I could think about was Team Sacrilege and how I left.

When the next dude stepped up to the microphone, I snapped out of my thoughts. I didn't have time to focus on that.

"I have a question for Elizabeth. Does it bother you that Katie Moore is here? I mean, that makes two women. Where does it end?" a man asked.

Right, because two women meant the feminists were well on our way to taking over the entire fucking sport. I sat up in my seat and leaned toward my microphone, but Griffin held out his hand and nudged me back. Even though it technically wasn't my question, I had a fucking answer for the asshole.

"I'm sorry, what?" Elizabeth asked.

The man explained further. "Two women is just too much. I was extremely supportive of Katie Moore's career at first, and when she left, I supported you, but this just seems like an attack on men at this point."

Elizabeth blinked a couple times. "I don't know what to tell you. We're both here, because we both earned it, whether Katie thinks so or not. I'm not a fan of her being here either since she already had her chance, but the fans voted, and that's that."

"I know what to tell you. Learn to drive and take one of our spots, douche," I said. "You won't be able to do it."

I looked over to Griffin, and he fought a smile off his face. Technically speaking, Elizabeth and I both weren't actually in the All-Star Race, but my fan-vote spot was all but locked up, and she had a good shot at winning her way in.

Elizabeth nodded. "I like that. If you don't like us being here, drive better than us."

I wasn't keen on her Katie already had her chance comment, but we could settle that later. We were in the middle of agreeing on something, and I wasn't going to ruin that.

I didn't want a feud with the only other woman in the series; it made much more sense for us to stick together. But if she wanted to fight, then she would have had to be stupid to think that I wouldn't fucking destroy her. People like me lived in the trenches, and as much as we liked to think it, battles weren't won on a stage under the lights. They were won in the soul, and even though I sold mine for a single race—one more shot—I still had more spirit than anyone in NASCAR.

A young girl stepped up to the microphone, and her mother pulled it off the stand and handed it to her. She looked up at us on the stage. "Good afternoon, Mr. Gallagher sir."

Griffin held in a chuckle. "Hi there. You can call me Griffin. It's okay."

"I wanted to know if I could please take a picture with you. You're my favorite," she said.

"Of course. Come on up here. Do you want one with Katie and Elizabeth too?"

"No, thank you. My mommy said they're not nice ladies."

Well, fuck her mommy. I was super fucking nice.

Q and A sessions were always fun, but sometimes people were just the worst. I managed to get through more questions, and by the time it was all finished, I just wanted to take a nap.

Instead, I had to deal with Elizabeth Tonkin. Sure, she was younger and more conventionally attractive than me, but I was there first, and if she didn't like my legacy, she was free to build her own without trashing mine.

Just as we climbed down from the platform, I turned to her. "We have to settle some shit as soon as possible. I'm real sick of the bitchiness."

She rose her blonde eyebrows at me and spoke with that stupid Southern accent. "I don't know who the hell you think you're talking to, since we actually haven't had one real conversation yet."

I paused for a moment. She was right. There was always someone there or a camera in our faces, and we never did just chat. "That's a good point. I'll tell you what, if you come with me, we'll talk over a couple of drinks."

"You better not be hitting on me."

I rolled my eyes. "Right, because there's just something about the way you talk shit that drives me insane for you."

If she, Tyler, and I were the last people on Earth, I would just kill myself.

"Let's just hash this out right here, right now then. I didn't appreciate your comments about me when I first got picked to be your replacement. It hurt my feelings that someone I looked up to was too self-centered to even be happy for me for one second," Elizabeth said.

"You looked up to me?" I asked.

"Of course. All women in the sport do."

I grimaced. "Well, that's your fault. Everyone knows I'm not a good role model, even that little girl's mom."

Elizabeth nodded. "Yeah, she was rude. What did we ever do to her?"

"Maybe she's in love with Griffin. Anyone with a pair of eyes is, really," I said.

Elizabeth let out a breath. "God took his sweet old time on Griffin, and he created a masterpiece."

Oh hell no.

I was practically stealing from Drake, but I wasn't about to have Elizabeth steal anything else from me. She had my job, my car, my crew chief and pit crew. What more could she want?

But I put on a smile anyway. "Yep, he sure did."

I was woman enough to keep our feud strictly professional.

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Hi there! I'm so sorry this is late, but I've been so busy with exams, and naturally, it stressed me out to the point that I'm sick now, but I finally got this done! Thank you so much for your patience, and thank you for reading! The next chapter might be a little late too since I'm still super busy, but hopefully, I'll get it done on time.

Now, let's chat. First of all, how do you think this race is going to play out? Why do you think Katie and Elizabeth are struggling to get along? And finally, why hasn't anyone from Team Sacrilege reached out?