Page 28 of Pole Position
Whilst I know both Kian and his sister are grieving right now, it’s going to be completely pointless if I’ve flown all this way in the middle of the night and I can’t get Elise on the phone. Luckily, Kian gave me her landline number ages ago when I was sick and I’ve tried every hour on the flight when finally it rings more than once on my like fifth try. This time, she finally picks up. After a short preamble in which we are finally introduced, I let her know I’ve been trying to get hold of Kian for days. I don’t mention he’s blocked me, but it seems like Elise knows more about our situation than I thought.
‘Bloody hell, I didn’t think I’d ever meet anyone more stubborn than my brother until now. You do know we are burying our mother tomorrow, right?’ She’s fiery, maybe even more so than Kian, you can definitely tell they are twins.
‘I do, hence why I’m currently thirty-six thousand feet in the air and seven hours away from landing.
‘Christ, which airline lets you make calls from the sky?’
‘A private jet, of course.’
‘Of course, silly me. What do you want, Harper?’
‘To be there for Kian, I’m coming to him; I just need the address the cars are leaving from in the morning. I’m going to make it no matter what.’
The line goes silent and I have to check she hasn’t hung up on me, but the call still shows as active. ‘You’re a real piece of work, you know that right, Harper?’ I nod even though she can’t see me. I can only imagine the stories her twin has told her. ‘He’s so torn up right now, not just about Mum; I don’t even think he’s begun to process that guilt and grief properly yet. But about you, you really hurt him. I almost want to tell you to keep away from him, but…’
‘But…?’ I let out a hopeful breath.
‘But, I think he will need some support tomorrow. I’m lucky, I have my husband and friends and my kids keeping me strong. Kian, well, he thinks he can do this on his own and well, maybe, it would even be a miniscule bit easier with you here.’
‘Elise, thank you. I promise you I won’t be in the way, I’ll sit at the back if I have to, I just want to be there for him.’
‘Cars are leaving at one, are you going to make it?’
I don’t know. We land at nine-thirty and Norfolk is a trek. I’m going to be cutting it fine.
‘How far are you from Gatwick?’
‘Like two-and-a-half hours.’
Roughly calculating that as long as we aren’t delayed and I can take the priority line for passport control, I should be fine. Good thing I only bought a cabin bag. ‘I’ll be there. Come rain or shine.’
‘Hopefully shine, the wake is in the garden.’ That doesn’t surprise me considering how much land they have.
‘See you in the morning.’
‘I’m trusting you, Harper. He’s been through enough,’ she warns one final time.
‘You have my word.’
I hear a scoffing sound. Clearly my word isn’t worth much to her right now, but I’m determined to prove her wrong.
After taking my mobile number, she hangs up, but then texts me the address of her mum’s, where the funeral cars are leaving from, so I’m taking this as a win.
The plane soars on and I sleep until we’re about to land.
The airport is in complete chaos; someone’s clearly got the word out that I’ve left Singapore to fly here and they are like piranhas trying to get proof. Even worse I think I’ve spotted a bigger asshole than me coming through the airport at the same time as me.
He has to be fucking kidding me. I can’t think of the last time I saw him in the papers or any good headlines about him, he’d pretty much dropped off the radar. Yet here he is, paparazzi trailing him with flashing cameras as he walked through the airport in his funeral suit and sunglasses. He is an absolute joke of a human; I couldn’t believe I’d ever looked up to him.
Eventually, my security begins to push back all the press. It’s not like I can declare the real reason why I am here. Plus, Anders had told me to avoid commenting on the matter at all. Which leaves me, my security and Tyler fucking Heath on the same path out of the airport.
It may be the stupidest thing I ever do, but I can’t help but call his name. ‘Tyler,’ I shout. I can’t be sure he still even follows the sport until he turns to see who is calling him and stops completely in his tracks.
‘Harper James, bloody hell what’s the likelihood of this. A racing legend and one in the making both here today? No wonder the press was manic in there. I don’t see much of that in Spain.’
So that’s where he’d taken himself when he’d walked out on his kids and wife. Two hours away on a plane. My blood only boils more at this.
‘Why the fuck are you here?’ I ask and the bite to my tone catches him off guard and I watch as the spiteful man he truly is takes over.
‘Not sure that’s any of your business, kid. But, in case you missed it while you were off winning, my wife died last week.’
‘Ex wife. I really don’t think it would be a good idea if you attended today.’ My tone’s icy as I try to keep the volume down; the press don’t need to hear this.
‘My kids will need their father.’
I scoff at him and he flinches, clearly not expecting a twenty-five-year-old to be calling him out on his bullshit. ‘Kian and Elise don’t need you,’ I say. ‘I don’t think for a second Kian wants you there today after you abandoned them both before they were even born.’
‘Who put you in charge of Kian’s life story? You his boyfriend or something?’
I wish. I bloody wish. Yet my silence must speak magnitudes, because Tyler sucks his teeth at me, his stare brutally disappointing. ‘You can tell he was raised by his mother, no son of mine would become a pansy.’
He’s lucky that I don’t want to create anymore bad headlines for Kian. Otherwise I would have decked him. I would have wiped the smug look off his face.
Finally, my security form a wall around me and I’m escorted away from the potential subject of my fist and into a car which I’m praying gets me to the funeral just in time.