Page 62 of Full Throttle
Liam had heard their conversation. He had also heard the complete anguish in her voice. It sliced him like a knife, knowing that he was partially responsible for her pain.
“Do you really think Colby can win the Atlanta race?” he asked.
Cyrus was still staring after her. “For Colby, driving would be a thousand times more dangerous than any other man on that course. She would have every team gunning for her. She would have teams working together in tandem to keep her in her place. And now that she is on NASCAR’s radar, Lockwood Racing has a huge X on our chest. Any driver from this team is going to have a hell of a time simply because Colby’s on it.” Cyrus turned to Liam. “I’ve seen and worked with a lot of legends in my lifetime. I know what winning looks like. And even with the odds stacked up against us like they are, do I believe that Colby could win?” Cyrus paused. “I don’t say this lightly, and I sure as hell don’t say it because she’s my daughter, but Colby James can win. She’sthattalented. Of course, Lockwood drivers would have to work as one cohesive unit for that to happen. They would have to spend the next couple of weeks, not training to drive, but training to work together. And that’sIFwe can get our cars together and find a few sponsors.”
“That’s a heavy lift between now and Atlanta,” Liam said.
“Yep. Time is not on our side.” Solemnly, Cyrus put his hands in his front pockets. “I think I’m going to follow in my daughter’s footsteps and call it a day. Maybe go out and enjoy some of the fresh air and sunshine. Hopefully, it’ll help recharge this old man’s batteries, and I’ll be in better spirits to fight another day on Monday.”
Chapter 21
Over the next few days, and with Liam’s help, Brian put an incredible PR and crisis management team in place. Most of their press coverage was favorable, but that was the public, not NASCAR.
Asher had yet to show up for any practice runs.
“I’m still struggling to get engines and tires for the cars,” Brian said.
“I thought the tires came in today?” Liam responded.
“They did—with shit tread. They’re useless.”
“I’ve been working on a plan B.”
“What do you mean, plan B?”
“Just in case things don’t work out, we’ve got to be prepared for the Luccesses. So, I’ve been working on creating a new division of Lockwood Enterprises.”
“Okaaaay,” Brian said hesitantly. “What does that mean exactly?”
“What if we spun off that division of Lockwood to form a whole other company unrelated to Lockwood Enterprises and transfer all of your shares to it? We’ll make you the CEO. Then if things go left, you can give Anthony those shares. He’ll own a shell of a company without any ties to Lockwood Enterprises.”
Listening to Liam’s plan was a hard pill to swallow. Brian would have lost almost his entire fortune, except for Lockwood Racing. But if he were honest, it was a good plan because shit was looking bleak. “Honestly, I think it’s a great plan.” Brian smashed his fist down on his desk. “I can’t believe I messed up like this.”
Liam didn’t want Brian to beat himself up too badly. “We’ve all made mistakes. It’s only money.”
“Said the billionaire.”
“Yes. I am. I’m not ashamed of it, but if you think it didn’t come with its own fair share of problems, you would be kidding yourself,” Liam said.
“You would have never made the kinds of mistakes I’ve made.”
“Maybe not the exact same kinds of mistakes because we’re different people, but I haven’t always made the best decisions, and neither did Dad,” Liam confirmed. “When he died, he left the company almost bankrupt.”
“You’re lying?” Brian had never heard that before.
“No. Far from it. Mom made Dad put money in a trust for us before he started doing stupid shit. It was one that he couldn’t touch. She was the executor. I didn’t gain full access to mine until I was twenty-seven. After she died, mom’s role as executor fell to me. You were supposed to gain full access to your trust on your twenty-seventh birthday too, but you were wildin’ out, so I made them change it to age thirty. At any rate, separate from the trust, Mom left each of us five million cash. That’s the money we received when they died. I almost lost all of mine dealing with a Bernie Madoff type. Dude made off with mostly all of it. Left me with five hundred thousand dollars, which is the money I used to rebuild Lockwood Enterprises. To this day, I’ve never touched the money Dad left in my trust. At the time, I couldn’t. Now, I don’t need to. So, while we might be different in our approaches to things, we’re both cut from the same cloth. No matter what happens with this situation, I have faith that you’ll be okay.”
Liam had never told Brian that story before. Brian was shocked but also felt a little better. He was learning on the fly about business, but Brian was glad that Liam was on his side to guide him through it. Knowing that his mistakes wouldn’t be the downfall of Lockwood Enterprises lifted a heavy burden off of Brian’s shoulders.
“Thanks for that, bro.”
“No thanks necessary.”
Brian sighed. “I really don’t want to lose to Anthony Luccesse. It’s more than just about money. He’s taken so much away from me.”
“Lila?”
Brian wouldn’t answer.