Page 27 of Formula Freedom (Race Fever #3)

Lara

T he Zurich night air is crisp as we walk the quiet street toward Reid’s apartment.

My hand is tucked inside his, fingers laced, and it’s not odd at all.

Maybe one day I’ll admit to Reid that when I was just twelve, I had the biggest crush on him.

It was innocent and he only looked at me as his surf buddy.

But I used to daydream about being his girlfriend and us walking the beaches hand in hand, just as we’re doing now in this beautiful, old-world city.

Back then, I could never have dreamed that it would be as good as it is now.

That it’s better than I had ever imagined.

It makes me a little breathless, like I’m that smitten twelve-year-old or I’m fifteen again and crushing hard after our first kiss—but this time, the story’s only beginning and everything ahead of me has unlimited possibility.

We’re not talking—just exchanging little glances, content in the day spent with one another. Earlier, we toured Matterhorn’s headquarters top to bottom—an unexpectedly personal experience that left me in awe not just of the team, but of how deeply embedded Reid is in this world.

Afterward, we spent the afternoon exploring the quieter corners of the city, wandering through the Kunsthaus Museum, grabbing lunch at a riverside café, ducking into antique bookstores and window-shopping along narrow lanes.

It wasn’t glamorous. It was real. Easy. The kind of day that folds itself into my memory and will live there forever.

We ended it with dinner at Reid’s favorite place, tucked into the lower floor of an old sandstone building in his neighborhood.

A restaurant without a sign, the waitstaff knew him by name but didn’t fawn over him.

The food was spectacular—wild mushroom risotto, handmade pasta and a bottle of red. Everything about it was quiet luxury.

The city is going to sleep around us now as storefronts close their shutters. Tomorrow starts the new week and Reid will be focused on getting ready for Suzuka. That race is one week away.

“You tired?” he asks as we reach his building.

“A little,” I reply as he opens the door, and I precede him. “It was a big day.”

“How about we crawl into bed and watch a movie?”

“That sounds divine,” I say, turning to face him as the door to the lobby closes behind us.

“C’mere,” he murmurs, brushing a thumb along my cheek.

I smile, walk right into him. His lips meet mine softly, unhurried, familiar now. His hands hold my face and my head spins as it always does when he kisses me.

“What the fuck is this?”

The menacing voice cuts through the stillness like a whip and I jerk away from Reid as I recognize my nightmare.

Reid takes my hand and steps forward, putting me slightly behind him as we both turn to find Lance rising from a lobby chair.

I’m stunned and can’t figure out for the life of me why he’s in Zurich.

Did someone tell him that I was here with Reid?

Surely not our parents. They promised they wouldn’t.

His eyes flick to our joined hands and his expression twists. Hurt, disbelief, fury—all colliding into something that nauseates me.

“Lance—” I start, but Reid’s hand squeezes mine. Not hard, but a clear and silent warning not to engage.

The man I thought I would marry one day is unrecognizable. His mouth curls into a vicious snarl, his eyes ice cold and pinned right on me. “Were you already screwing my brother while we were together? Is that why you left?”

“You better watch your fucking mouth,” Reid growls, and I’ve never heard him sound so… so… enraged before. I glance around, quickly noting the lobby is at least empty and no one is here to witness this. He points a finger at Lance. “She never cheated on you. She’s not like you .”

Lance’s eyes flash with blazing hatred toward his brother and it kills me to see that.

“Maybe not,” Lance sneers as he comes toward us and I’m unable to tear my eyes away from his. “But from where I’m standing, it looks like you went from my fiancée to his little toy in what—a few days?”

“Don’t do this,” Reid warns in a low rumble. He releases my hand and nudges me farther behind him.

Lance laughs, bitter and sharp, ignoring his brother and staring straight at me. “Jesus Christ, Lara. You’re a goddamn slut.”

The word hangs in the air like a slap, sharper than what I felt on my face by his hand.

And then Reid moves. In a blur, he’s got a fistful of Lance’s shirt and his other fist is cocked back. It comes across in a roundhouse, catching Lance on his left cheekbone with a sickening crack.

Reid releases his hold and Lance stumbles back, crashing into a potted plant but doesn’t go all the way down. He staggers, shakes his head and then charges at Reid like a bull. He looks wild, unhinged, overflowing with rage.

Lowering his shoulder, he catches Reid in the torso and drives him backward for a few steps before they both go down hard. I stand there frozen, listening to them grunt as fists fly, knuckles connecting and curses dripping from both their mouths.

And then there’s blood. I see it first on Reid’s hand but trace it back to Lance’s face… specifically his teeth as he sneers at Reid with a crimson, maniacal laugh. “You’re a goddamn traitor, brother.”

Reid punches him again, this time in the side of the head. “And you’re a fucking loser who couldn’t make it in Formula racing, and you sure as shit couldn’t keep the best thing that ever happened to you.”

Lance retaliates with an elbow to Reid’s head but he launches himself at his brother, putting him into a headlock.

“Stop!” I scream, rushing in. “Enough!”

I grab Reid’s arm, pulling with everything I have. “Get off him!”

Reid finally disengages, but it’s not because I ask. It’s because Lance is still striking out with flailing arms and legs, and Reid doesn’t want me hurt. He gently pushes me away about ten feet before turning on his brother.

Blood trickles from Lance’s lip. Reid’s got a bruise starting on his temple.

“Get the fuck out of here,” Reid says, pointing at the door. “Or I’ll call the polizei .”

Lance glares at Reid. His chest rises and falls, his words a sharp accusation.

“I came here to talk to you , brother. I thought maybe you could help me.” His eyes cut only briefly to me, then back again.

“I thought you could help me fix things with Lara but clearly you just sort of helped yourself, didn’t you? How does it feel to be a replacement?”

“I didn’t replace you,” I snap at Lance, drawing his gaze back to me. “I left you because you cheated on me… you hit me. There’s no reality where you get to make me the bad guy.”

Lance doesn’t even flinch but turns to Reid, wiping blood from his mouth. “You think this lasts? You think she won’t do the same to you one day?”

Reid’s fists clench again but he doesn’t move. His eyes are flat and cold.

“Go home, Lance,” I say softly, exhaustion washing over me. “Go to Torquay and I’ll meet you there.”

Reid jerks, his head turning my way, and I can tell he’s not happy about that. But this needs to be taken care of once and for all.

“We’ll talk when we’re back home,” I repeat to Lance, ignoring Reid’s murderous expression but at least he remains quiet.

Lance laughs, bloodied and furious. “Fuck you. Don’t bother.”

And then he’s gone—storming out of the building and disappearing into the dark.

Reid doesn’t say anything for a long beat and neither do I.

We both just stare at the door until Reid lifts his hand to examine his knuckles.

They’re covered in blood and I don’t know if it’s his or Lance’s.

It breaks me out of my trance and I reach for it, bringing it closer to my face to examine.

“We need to get this cleaned up and bandaged.”

We walk up to the apartment in silence, but anger radiates off Reid. My heart’s still hammering when I close the door behind us.

He wheels on me. “I can’t believe you’re following him to Torquay.”

“I need to end this, Reid, and you can’t be dragged into it. You have a race to concentrate on.”

“It is ended,” he snaps angrily. “He knows two very important things… you’re never going back to him and you’re with me. So why even bother going to talk to him?”

“Because this was a huge blow to Lance.”

“Good!” he yells, throwing his arms out. “I hope he hurts as much as you did.”

I take a deep breath, rub the bridge of my nose. “This isn’t just about me and Lance, or me and you. It’s about our families. I need to make sure that we keep relationships as intact as we can, and that means I need to go handle this. Now. Then we’re free to be us.”

Reid rubs both hands over his face, seemingly considering my reasoning. “I can’t believe he showed up here.”

“It was clearly a shock to see us together. Add on that he was here to ask for your help and I know he has to be reeling.”

Reid’s eyes flash with ire. “That doesn’t excuse what he said to you. He called you a slut, for fuck’s sake.”

“I know,” I say. “And I’m not defending him. But he’s unraveling.”

Reid eyes me dubiously. “You’re sure this is the right play?”

“I need to go,” I say. “Not for him—for the bigger picture. For Graham. For Leanne. For my family. Really… for the two of us so we can move on with our lives.”

Reid looks at me like I’ve betrayed him. “You said you’d come to Suzuka.”

“I know. And I meant it when I said it, but things have changed. Lance coming here and finding us like that changes things and I can’t ignore it anymore.”

He crosses his arms, jaw tight. “So you’re choosing to go clean up after the guy who just called you a slut.”

I flinch. “I’m choosing to stop this once and for all. To keep this from dragging out into some ugly split that pulls our families apart.”

He throws out his hands. “I’m sorry… but I’m just not understanding it. He cheated on you. He hit you. And now you want to run after him?”

Ugh, I’m so frustrated. We’re going round and round on this and I want to tell him he’s being stupid, but I can’t.

So I take a breath, calm my voice and say, “I’m sorry this is hurting you, but I hope you can accept it’s something that I need to do.

I can’t move on until this is settled and I hope you can respect my decision. ”

Reid stares at me and I’m surprised when he nods. “Of course I respect you. I just don’t like it.”

I heave a sigh of relief, a thank-you on my lips, but he turns and walks to the bedroom. I know he’s hurt that I’m not going to Japan with him, but I know deep in my heart we can’t move forward without addressing this.

I follow him into the room more slowly. We move around each other like ghosts—undressing, brushing teeth, settling into bed.

Reid and I haven’t ever fought like this, but then again, the nature of our relationship wasn’t a breeding ground for conflict.

Our friendship was always rock solid, and I don’t know if I should keep trying to talk to him.

Ultimately, I hold my own space. We lie side by side on our backs, neither of us touching.

Neither of us says good night.

Neither of us sleeps.