The Royal Contract

Chapter 581: End up in a pile of carnage

“That is what I am talking about.” Rick expressed in his loud voice, clapping his hands as soon as the cars passed the finish line.

He started congratulating the team, who had performed well with their individual task. If not for their tremendous effort, the race would not have run smoothly.

Still, they had more things to work on. Rick still spotted areas where they needed to tighten the screws and grease some parts. It would help them in the actual race eventually. If they wanted to win by a significant margin.

“Good job, Rick. You are still the best.” One of the pit crew said as they patted each shoulder before another one of them said the same.

“You all did well.” Rick complimented the entire team, giving them the praise they deserved. It was the boost they needed for the next rounds.

Everyone was overjoyed by the win. It was a chance once again to get back to the final event. Last year, they almost had it, but an unexpected mishap happened.

Nobody blamed anybody, but it caused them the championship. This time, they would work harder and fix the problems to clutch the title.

.....

“Oh, here comes our Champ!” Gian shouted as the car approached them after it had gone another lap.

As it neared and slowed down on their location, everyone started clapping and cheering, waiting to congratulate the man of the hour.

Instead of going out, he only waved at everyone but did not get out or did not seem to have any plan of stepping out of his car. He spoke on his mike, and Rick nodded his head in agreement.

“Guys, we can celebrate later. Lance still had something to do.” The man in charge chastised the men and women to stand down and return to their position.

“Ms. Harlowe, if you want your chance to talk to him. Now is the time.” Rick gestured for her to enter the passenger seat as he opened it for her.

It was what Lance had told him on the headset. He was just a messenger and nothing more. But he could not help but smile at the fate of the reporter.

He could not wait for the end of their interview. The prince would surely give her the ride of her life that she would never forget. He believed this would be exciting to watch.

“What?” Eida exclaimed, a little bit surprised, not expecting the interview would take place inside his car.

However, she would oblige his request if he felt more comfortable talking to her in the tiny space. She did not mind since it would give her some privacy compared to just talking to him on the side of the tracks with all the noises as their backdrop.

Moreover, she badly wanted the interview from him. Therefore, she would do anything to get it. Even if she had to do what he was asking as long as reasonable.

“Well, either get inside the car or go home,” Rick said as he held the door for her.

The rest of the crew and even Gian were silent as they observed their exchange. The prince stayed inside his car without saying anything else.

“Then, I guess I have no choice but to get in.” She smiled at the big man as she entered the small space.

She noticed it was cramped inside with all the metals and the belts attached to the seat as she tried to make herself comfortable. There was little space for her legs, not that she would need much anyway. At least she could stretch it a bit.

She looked around, curious about the inside of the car, but there was nothing much to see. It was all reinforced metals and not much room for anything else but the engine probably, she thought.

“I think you should buckle up.” Lance finally spoke for the first time and turned to look her way. “That is if you want to live.”

Then, Rick closed the door shut from the outside. He had to make sure that the doors would not dislodge while the car was cruising at high speed.

“What are you doing?” Eida asked as she turned around to see Rick waving goodbye to her. Then, the engine revved up in a loud and noisy way.

She was caught unaware as everything happened too fast. She did not expect that the car would suddenly come to life, and the next thing she knew, it was starting to speed up on the tracks.

She quickly grabbed the seat belt on the side and tried to figure out how to lock it. It was a bit more complicated than what she had in her sports car.

“Need any help,” Lance turned to her, checking her status.

He could see her struggling with the buckle. It was made differently, and the locking mechanism was designed to withstand tremendous pressure compared to an ordinary car.

Although he was speeding up, they were still at a comfortable speed that he could easily manage. Besides, he could drive this car even with his eyes closed, figuratively speaking.

“I got this.” She was not letting a damn seat belt beat her, she thought to herself as she finally nailed the locks. She checked again, and she was secured in her seat. “Told you.” She said proudly. “Now, put your eyes fixed on the road.”

Eventually, her eyes also focused on the view outside the front window. Then, she turned to her side mirror, noticing the slowly fading people left behind on the pit.

“Good.” He responded, picking up speed as they approached the curved. “Well, ask your questions away,” Lance said in a louder tone so she could hear him over the roaring engine.

Usually, ordinary drivers would slow down when there was a turn, but not him. He liked to speed it up a little bit more before drifting his car, creating a burning tire sensation in its wake.

He expected that she would not mind that kind of speed since she also drove a fast car. Therefore on his next lap, he picked up the phase, increasing the velocity of the metallic monster.

“Now?” She was a little bit disoriented. She was not expecting that they would conduct the interview while the car was in constant speeding motion.

She thought that he was just giving her a tour. Letting her get an idea of what it was like to be in a race car. Although she was a bit surprised at first, it was quickly replaced by the thrill of going beyond what she was able to do.

However, she was not intimidated at all by his tactics. If he thought that he could avoid her questions by putting her in a speeding car, then he was in for a treat.

“It is a good time as any. Fire away because by the time we are through with five laps, well, the interview is over. I still have other prior commitments.” Lance informed her as she looked at him with a gaping mouth, not foreseeing his plans.

He quickly glanced at her, wondering what she might be thinking, but he was not disappointed as her eyes turned blazing hot with fury. Her surprise was replaced by her anger.

He smiled as he returned his vision on the road ahead. They were about to make a turn again, and he had to concentrate, not wanting them to end up in a pile of carnage.