Page 20 of Green Flag (StormSprint #2)

“It’s the one coming up next, isn’t it?” he laughed. “Nothing really changes around here other than the tech.”

Everly opened the door, and my chest tightened when she immediately smiled at me. Then her face dropped as her gaze crashed into the man I’d brought down.

And I knew I’d made a huge mistake.

She was frozen as Pedro continued to discuss the years-old rivalry between Prixton and Ciclati, but I wasn’t listening.

Because Everly looked horrified.

Her mouth was open, brows pinched together in alarmed pain. Her eyes flickered between the two of us and landed on him with frequent blinks.

“Pedro,” she said, standing tall, but her voice came out wobbly and twisted despite the anger in her closed fists. “You got my messages?”

Pedro’s shoulders lowered with a sigh. “I’m not here for you.”

Everly stood back, opening the door further to the pit box. “So, who are you here for? Because not one person in here wants to see you.”

Through the door, I could see Livie talking to the camera crew but glancing over her shoulder towards us. I couldn’t see anyone else, though Pedro leaned forward as if preparing to answer her question.

If I were him, I wouldn’t dare.

“My new friend Luca,” he said, throwing a thumb my way. “He invited me down.”

It was her time to sigh, rolling her eyes at me. “If you wanted an invite, all you had to do was reply to my message.”

I didn’t think of myself as particularly dense, but it was when she said this, the way her voice softened, that I realised. This was him .

The only man she’d ever had sex with. The man who had worn her down so much that he had made her trust in people weak.

I looked him over again. Rich, yes. Attractive, without a doubt. Confident, dark and mysterious, tick. A fucking predator? Obviously.

Because she had been a teenager.

He had to have been thirty then. At least. If she wouldn’t punch him, I fucking would.

“If you’re not here for me, what are you here for? Dad won’t see you and—”

He clicked his tongue. “Not everything is about you, princess. Nothing about me has to do with you. Nor your father.”

I was never going to call her that again.

The venom in his words made my hands ball into fists. He was not about to talk to Everly like that.

Livie had stepped back into view before coming over with a worried expression. “Everything—”

“It’s fine,” Pedro snapped.

Oh hell no.

No amount of aggression — even the abruptness of his words — was going to stand in my pit box.

I’d defend any of my Ciclati workers to the death.

If he so much as dared to snap at Everly again…

I wasn’t ignorant of Ciclati, but Livie knew everything about her brand. Her eyes widened when she saw him and she glanced from him to me to Everly.

Everly didn’t turn around. “Just… just give us a second, please, Liv.”

I stepped past her into the pit box, trying to tear my eyes away from them.

Livie didn’t let Everly close the door, instead placing the door stop in the way, despite the cameras around.

She gestured for me to go towards one. “This is the one and only Luca Mendes,” she said before leaving me to speak into her radio, mentioning security.

I had to ask the producers to repeat their questions more times than was socially acceptable. My focus was on the hushed argument behind me.

And I tried to distract the camera team away from it, while also being heavily distracted by it.

Everly was getting angrier, her hisses rising.

Livie was back at my side as the camera crew and presenter started to pay more attention to the quiet commotion at the door than the interviews.

“Ah look, here’s Arabella, our longest standing grid girl — she’s about to give some tours of pit lane — why— why don’t you show them, Bella? ”

Arabella whispered something in Livie’s ear then tried to take off just as Everly screeched at Pedro before storming over.

Livie was at my side with concern in her eyes. “Luca… I know it’s not your role, I know I shouldn’t even ask — but could you — could you escort Velazco out?”

Before I could say of course, everything was blocked out by a pair of fierce, hazel eyes on mine. Everly’s breaths were fast and flustered until her breath was all I could feel. Then her mouth was on mine. Then her arms were around my neck as she kissed me.

We hadn’t kissed since that morning in her hotel. We’d said we were just friends—

Her tongue melded with mine, an angry passion between the two of us.

And I knew she was using me to make my new ‘friend’ jealous and I couldn’t care less.

My hand travelled up her back, fingers sinking into her hair to hold her closer to me as our tongues fought in our mouths.

My heart rate picked up; I finally had her in my hands and she was giving me everything.

All her anger.

All her freedom.

When she pulled back, I kept my grip in her hair. “I’m not done, Everly.”

She smirked and made my cock harder. But she turned back to Pedro leaning against the wall, clapping slowly. “Bravo.”

I’d been lost in the moment, I hadn’t noticed the camera for the documentary was back on us, that lights were flashing.

Everly left me before hissing at him in Spanish.

Livie was right behind her. “I’ve called security—” but if anything, she sounded more worried that they hadn’t arrived yet.

“I’ll take him,” I said, stepping before Everly. He wouldn’t touch her ever again, no matter how much she wanted it.

He lifted his hands. “I’m going, I’m going.”

Livie was back on the radio and I turned to Everly, who was blinking rapidly, rubbing at her elbow.

“Are you…?”

If she told me she wasn’t okay, I had absolutely no issue beating that shithead up. But now was not the time or the place. I didn’t want her to hate me.

Or worse, see this cunt as the victim.

She nodded but didn’t look at me. “Make sure he leaves,” she said quietly.

She never had to ask me twice.

I was back in the corridor in seconds. But Pedro had moved forward and talked in angry, hushed tones with someone round the corner.

Hopefully security.

But when I got there, it was none other than Nix, who was snarling in French.

“Think it’s best you leave,” I said to Pedro and Nix stood back, face full of disgust.

Nix silently questioned if I had it covered and I nodded.

“Go and check on Ever and Quinnie,” I told him and he nodded, giving Pedro one last glare.

“She’s a princess, that Ever,” he muttered as we walked through the tunnel. I was on his heels, hurrying him along, ready to force him to face where he was walking and not turn to go back for round two with her. He wouldn’t survive it.

The faster he got out of there, the faster I could get back to her.

“If you really do want her dad to hate you, you’re going about it right,” he laughed.

“But I’d find a different route if I were you.

The last guy ended up in prison.” His laugh deepened as he joked about himself.

This man was insane. “God, don’t let her ever find out you’re using her either. She’ll stalk you like she does me.”

I didn’t speak; I wasn’t going to humour him.

And when I could see security rushing through, I was so relieved to be done with the scumbag.

“You want out? There you go,” he said, turning his back on the approaching team. If they weren’t fast approaching, I really would deck him right now. Especially when his eyes glinted with humour over my anger, eyeing my clenched fists with a grin. “That’s his weakness, Luca. His daughter.”

I ignored him, hoping to shove him into the security team and get back to her.

“Fuck her publicly, loudly. It’s all Everly’s good for.”

He was against the wall, my forearm to his throat, my face close to his as I spat, “You fucking dare. You say her name one more time and it’ll be the last thing you say because you’ll be without teeth.”

I’d spent long enough having to watch Everly talk to him, knowing I’d put her in that situation. But I wanted to give her the space to handle it.

She didn’t need a rescue mission.

But I only had so much willpower.

He smirked and I wanted to go through with my threat, smash his head into the wall until one of my team colours was splattered across the white paint.

“Luca,” one of the guards warned and I stepped back, glaring at the scum.

“I mean it. Say her name one more time.”

He shrugged, smile intact, as they walked him out.