Page 32 of Ride Me Reckless

The finish line came up like it had been waiting for me all along.

I crossed.

I didn't even hear the announcer at first. Didn't register the explosion of cheers or Callie's scream behind the pit rail. All I knew was the number flashing on the LED board.

17.843 seconds. My best run this season. Maybe my best ever.

I ripped the helmet off and let the air slap my face. My hands were trembling. My throat burned from holding my breath too long.

But I smiled.

I actually smiled.

We'd won.

The dragster rumbled to a halt as I coasted down the end lane, the official waving me toward the return path. My heart still hadn't caught up.

This didn't change everything.

But it changedsomething.

Maybe enough to buy us time—to get home and finally fight for the things that mattered—beforethey slipped away for good.

The car clicked and groaned beneath me as it cooled, metal settling with the lazy rhythm of an engine that had given its all. Istood beside her, helmet cradled in my arm, sweat drying sticky along my spine, the Texas sun still throwing heat like it had something to prove.

Callie came barreling down the return lane, her boots skidding in the dirt. "Tess!" she shrieked, throwing her arms around me. "You did it! You freaking did it!"

I laughed and nodded. "I know. I can't believe it either."

"You smoked that lane! Girl, I swear, they're gonna talk about this run all damn week."

Her voice was loud, triumphant, but it faded as I looked past her—toward the stands, the fence line, the sea of strangers who'd seen the best of me today.

He wasn't there.

Of course he wasn't. Colt wasn't part of this world anymore. I left that behind years ago. But still... some quiet, stubborn part of me had hoped.

Maybe not for him to cheer. But just toknow.

Back then, after a good ride—whether it was a perfect barrel run or just some small win at a nowhere rodeo—he used to wrap me in his arms like I'd just lassoed the moon. He'd murmur, "That's my girl," low and proud into my neck while the dust was still settling.

Now it was just me.

Me and Callie. Me and this one win.

It was enough. But it wasn'teverything.

Callie tugged on my sleeve. "Tessa. Don't go all broody on me. This is huge."

I blinked the sting from my eyes and forced a smile. “Yeah. I know. I just…” My voice wavered. “He would’ve liked to see that run.”

Callie quieted. For once, she didn’t offer a comeback.

She just looped her arm through mine and nodded. “Then maybe you ought to tell him.”

The crowd noise dulled around us, swallowed by the rumble of engines and the slow return to business as usual. The moment—fleeting and raw—hung in the heat like smoke from an engine burn.

I slipped my hand into my back pocket and pulled out my phone before I could talk myself out of it. My thumb paused over his name.