Drive

Chapter Four

SAVANNAH

After chatting with a couple of the pit crew guys after the meeting—it seemed as though everyone wanted to tell me about the time they went to a NASCAR race or visited my hometown of Atlanta—I went on the hunt for Jack, the chief engineer.

I was on a mission.

If I was to service Dante's car in the pits, I needed his trust. Judging from the glares he'd given me during the meeting, it sure seemed like he had a problem with me. I wanted to nip that in the bud and confront any awkwardness right away. That was another thing Daddy had taught me: never shy away from a fight.

Jack could probably set me straight on whether Dante had an issue with my presence, or if he wore that sour look on his face because he was nervous about the season opener in Monaco. Right as I was walking out the door, the engineer was on his way in, carrying papers attached to a clipboard. We almost crashed into each other, and we both laughed.

"Whoops! You're the man I want to see, Jack. Sorry for almost running into you."

"No worries, mate. This is brilliant because I was looking for you as well."

"Forgive me for being so forward." I smiled. "But between us, does Mr. Annunziata have a problem with me being on the team? I got a frosty vibe from him during the post-race wrap-up. I wanted to clear the air, if so."

Jack smirked. "You certainly don't mince words."

"In fact, I don't. I know my presence here is a bit unusual, and it might take some getting used to, for some of the guys. I didn't expect to have issues with the star driver, though."

To my surprise, Jack looked amused.

"I was actually coming in here to find you so I could personally introduce you to Dante. I'm sure once the two of you get to know each other, he'll be fine and drop his attitude. C'mon, he's in the garage."

Jack gestured for me to follow him. We walked briskly out of the room and into the bright sunshine.

"So my instincts were correct? Mr. Annunziata—"

"Dante. Please. Call him Dante."

"Dante. Yes. Dante has a problem with me? But why?"

"It's not my story to tell," he said as he headed toward the garage bays. "Let's say he has his reasons for being wary of a woman on the pit crew. Dante can be a bit, shall we say, dramatic. He's hot-tempered, says what he thinks, and has absolutely no poker face. He also can be a little grumpy."

"Sounds like we'll get along great," I said, only half sarcastically.

The white of the concrete bay cut a sharp line against the azure sky. "He'll get over it." Jack paused. "And speak of the devil. There's our man. Dante, I wanted you to officially meet our new team member, Savannah. Sorry we couldn't do this introduction before the test runs, but our superstar was pretty busy with marketing earlier in the day, and he's had sponsor meetings all damn week."

Dante was crouched at the driver's side of his car. He appeared to be studying something on the side, but from this distance and the angle of the vehicle, I couldn't determine exactly what.

He rose and turned to us, fixing those piercing, vicious eyes on me. For a second, I was caught off guard because he filled the room more than I expected him to. Then I gathered my cool and stepped into the garage. I wasn't sure which threw off more masculine energy: the thirteen-million-dollar racecar or its driver.

"Hey there." I made sure my voice was as buttery and Southern as could be. "I wanted to get to know you for a spell. It's wonderful to meet a racing legend, Mr. Annunziata, and it's an honor to be on your team."