Page 222 of Knot So Lucky

I can feel the realization settling among the team—Elias in the tech bay, Richard in race control, Cale wherever the fuck he is. The voice coming through the radio isn't Aurora's careful masculine presentation.

It's mine.

Adrian Castellanos, who supposedly doesn't drive anymore.

"Where the hell is Aurora?" Luca's voice is sharp now, dangerous. "And Adrian,why the fuck are you driving?You don't drive!"

I overtake Dante cleanly, pulling ahead with a combination of better exit speed and sheer aggression.

First place.

Just seconds from the finish line.

The foreign object warning is still flashing on my screen, insistent and urgent.

"It's crazy," I say, my voice surprisingly calm given the circumstances, "how you always used to believe that Sera's death was your fault."

I can hear Luca's sharp intake of breath through the radio.

"But I finally figured out who the target is." I smile, even though no one can see it behind the helmet. "Who the target hasalwaysbeen."

"Adrian, what the fuck does that—" Luca starts.

I bite down on something I've been keeping in the corner of my mouth the entire race. A small capsule, carefully positioned against my back molars where it wouldn't interfere with breathing or communication.

The liquid seeps under my tongue—bitter and chemical, making my mouth go numb almost immediately. It's an experimental antidote, something my family's pharmaceutical connections provided for if I ever was put in a circumstance that truly shot me into the realms of life and death.

Designed to counteract most common poisons and toxins, but more importantly, buying critical time for medical intervention.

Not a guarantee of survival.

But better odds than nothing.

"I get it now," I say, more to myself than anyone listening. "I was the target all along, wasn't I?"

The pieces have been falling into place all race. The pattern of sabotage. The way threats always seemed to focus on Aurora but the actual danger consistently targeted the cars I worked on, the systems I designed, the protocols I implemented.

Someone isn't after the Omegas.

They're afterme.

Using Aurora as bait. Using Sera before her.

Creating situations where my instinct to protect makes me vulnerable, makes me predictable.

"Adrian, what the fuck do you mean—" Luca's voice cuts off as understanding hits him.

My car crosses the finish line.

First place. Victory. Everything Aurora worked for, secured.

And in the same instant, something pops.

Not an explosion—not yet. But the sound of a device activating, of carefully planned sabotage triggering exactly as designed.

The car veers violently to the left, completely out of my control. The steering wheel is useless in my hands, the brakes unresponsive, all electronic systems failing simultaneously.

I'm heading off the track. Toward the slope at full speed, the momentum carrying me toward barriers designed to stop cars traveling much slower.