Drive to Survive

Chapter Thirty-Six

Chapter Thirty-Six

After Dylan had finally calmed down, she was absolutely drained. Her head lolled back against Max's shoulder and she sighed, feeling every muscle in her body ache. There was a pounding in her temples from the dehydration of crying and her throat and chest burned from the exertion of the panic attack.

"Come on, baby, let's get you up."

Max helped her to her feet and looked down at the girl in front of him. Mascara was smudged down her cheeks, her hair was tangled, and she was worryingly pale. A fresh wave of anger hit him as he thought back to the journalists doing this to her with no remorse but he pushed it away; he needed to control his emotions right now. 

He made the executive decision that she would not be working any further today and, instead, he tucked a firm arm around her waist and guided her back towards the Red Bull garage.

The paddock was quieter with everyone still in their press conferences and, with his knowledge of the Barcelona track, he managed to navigate them through the more private paths until they reached their garage. Quickly bypassing the mechanics before they could see her, he led them down the corridors until they arrived at his private room.

"Here we are. Sit down for me, gorgeous."

She wordlessly complied with all his requests and he was able to gently help her get comfy on his sofa-bed. She'd lost all spirit and energy and it broke his heart.

When she was settled, he found a duvet shoved at the back of one of the cupboards, from when he'd been forced to take a nap after a rough time-zone change. It was the perfect size to spread over her and he tucked her in, bending down to place a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"How are you feeling?"

She shrugged, letting out a small sigh that spoke to her absolute exhaustion. Max nodded, understanding her anyway, "You get some sleep now, I'm going to fix everything, I promise."

Dylan closed her eyes obediently, surrendering to sleep within minutes. Max stayed, stroking her hair until he heard her breaths even out and then he quietly tip-toed out the door, closing it behind him.

As soon as he knew she was safely tucked away and resting, the familiar rage settled once more in the pit of his stomach. This time, he welcomed the feeling, pushing away the gentle, caring side he reserved just for her and settling into the anger he had grown up used to.

How dare they treat her like that, time and time again?

They had absolutely no consideration for her mental or physical well-being and they broached multiple boundaries in the pursuit of a trashy story. When she didn't give them what they wanted, they pushed harder or resorted to lies. It was unacceptable and he finally had the power to put a stop to it.

He would do whatever it took to ensure Dylan never spiralled down that badly again.

Christian was the first person he came across as he stormed back out into the garage, his face thunderous, "Where the fuck is Greg?" He demanded, skipping the pleasantries.

His boss turned to look at him, surprise washing over his face as he took in the unadulterated fury radiating from his driver.

"Hey, what's happened?"

Max shook his head, his tongue in his cheek as he tried to control his rage, "Fucking media have crossed a line. Tell me where Greg is."

"He's back in the media zone with Hunter, I-" Christian paused as Max began to storm towards the media zone, "Hey, wait! What is this about? Let's talk about this privately, Max."