Debutant. Chapter 18. Zugzwang. Part 1

This novel is fictional; there is no need to look for intersections with historical events. This is a continuation of “Debutant” by Nikita Savelyev, the first readers of which were readers of F1News.ru…

Chapter 18. Zugzwang. Part One

Manager Monetti Frederico, responsible for the preparation for the American marathons, apparently spent a lot of time abroad, which could only influence his temperament. He suggested calling him Fred for short and turned out to be un-Italian businesslike, dry and controlled.

– Your tickets to Jacksonville, flight on Monday morning after the race in New York.

“I’ll try not to oversleep,” Henry said jokingly.

“Do me a favor,” Frederico looked dissatisfied. – This envelope contains the details of the car that will meet you at the airport. Here is information about the hotel, the room is already booked, single, standard category. A good hotel near the center. On this card are the necessary telephone numbers, this is mine, I have underlined, this is the local Monetti office. What else? Oh yeah. Prepayment according to the terms of your contract.

Trying not to look too greedy, Henry took the precious envelope away. This was the first time he was paid for performances. The meager prize money and the starters received from Baker do not count. They were still immediately scattered for current needs, and Henry did not even have time to feel the pleasant rustle of the bills in his hands.

“It seems like everything,” Frederico tried to smile, which in his case passed for enormous joy. – Congratulations, Henry, you are a Monetti pilot, it is a great honor.

– I’m very happy too.

– See you in Florida at the race track, where you will meet other drivers, team members and your car. Let us hope that our cooperation will be long and fruitful.

Henry went out of the office and took a deep breath of the polluted native air. He left America in March, and now it’s early October, but it seems like a whole life is behind him. During this time, Henry went from a mechanic and unknown regular at the back of the grid to a driver of the legendary red stable.

He pulled out a lucky ticket, now the main thing is not to embarrass himself during the upcoming marathon. It was time for the most important start in his life. No exaggeration. Open car racing remains, if you put all prestige aside, generally fun for Mario Monetti. His small but very proud team makes a living selling sports cars. That is why the result in a popular competition, in which production cars also participate, is of great importance to the team. At the end of the marathon, thousands of moneybags decide which fashionable car they will choose to drive out of town with their family, travel or drive through the nightlife. Therefore, the driver who brings Monetti’s victory will immediately become a famous person: he can easily negotiate a lucrative contract and permanent registration in the team. It’s strange, but so far there is no trace of excitement or fear, only excitement bubbling in my soul. What surprise will fate bring this time? It’s enough just to receive insulting slaps in the face, it’s time to go to the top.

Henry walked mindlessly along the narrow sidewalk, maneuvering through the endless noisy stream of people. How did he get rid of all this? Major European cities cannot be compared to the madness that takes place on the streets of New York. Everywhere billboards twinkle, traffic lights flash, there is an unimaginable rumbling sound, the streets are clogged with traffic, buses rev loudly, trams rattle, cars rev, motorcycles buzz and bicycles rustle. All this unimaginable mess still manages to miss each other. Men and women, children and the elderly, policemen and workers, brokers and beggars, office workers and students, businessmen and loafers, of all skin colors around them are constantly noisy, smoking, making scandals, and everyone is surely in a hurry somewhere, pushing the people around them. A little man arriving here for the first time feels like a helpless splinter in a whirlpool.

Henry himself isn’t here long, though. The race takes place, as it often does, in a small village in the western part of the state. The audience there is already known: its own, racing. Once everything is settled with Monetti, it’s time to get ready for the road. The generous organizers of the race even provided Henry with a car – it is not possible for a promising compatriot to get to the track by train. Their attention extended to the fact that on the windshield there was a colored pass with Henry’s photo, and most importantly, indicating that he was a world championship driver. Yes, exactly! He’s a racer.

Although the next phase of open cars is now only in the way. The main thing is not to get hurt at such an unfortunate moment – a bad thought came in. Should we be more careful? No. You have to race as usual, excessive caution also leads to problems. The main thing is not to cross the line. When a rider no longer feels a certain lead, the worst happens.

And why should you be so afraid of this phase? On the contrary, Henry is now playing for a new team and Mr. Quincey has achieved much more success than the hapless Baker. And even if private traders are not highly regarded now, who said that Henry will not be able to achieve a decent result? He already felt comfortable on the track and considered himself an experienced pilot, and at home, as you know, even the walls help.

After retiring to the Italian podium, Rinaldo’s lead over Murphy in the championship grew to as much as thirteen points, making the Italian’s chances of first place two races from the end only theoretical. According to rumors, if Carlo finally loses his last chance for the title at the American stadium, he will leave Monetti without waiting for the end of the season. This means that the Italians need a replacement and that another reshuffle is coming. Is it really possible that in an age of change an agile young man will not be able to make a profit for himself? From sports prototypes to the world championship, it’s just a stone’s throw away. And racer Monetti fights almost every year for the title of strongest pilot in the world.

Inspired by brilliant prospects, Henry did not immediately notice them turning to him. A girl with beautiful dark skin and dark hair was found nearby; she helplessly held a card in her hands and looked ashamed and very lost. No wonder, in such and such chaos.

“Sir, I’m lost, can you help me,” the girl cooed in a cute Spanish accent.

– Always ready.

– How can I deal with this idiotic card?

Henry was now filled with love for the world around him and put on one of his friendliest smiles:

– Don’t worry, cards are my profile. Where do you have to go?

“Here,” the manicured nail dug into the piece of paper.

– Nothing complicated.

Henry bowed politely. Quite unexpectedly, a sharp stream of odorous gas flew into his face, causing him to instantly go blind and lose his orientation. Henry felt himself being grabbed roughly by the arms from both sides. His eyes stung mercilessly, he couldn’t see anything, his throat hurt terribly, he wanted to bend over and cough, but this was exactly what Henry wasn’t allowed to do. They picked him up forcibly and immediately threw him somewhere. Moreover, he touched his head sensitively. Henry tried to rub his eyes with his hands, but they were pressed tightly against his body. The screeching of tires, the grinding of the gearbox, the sound of the engine – these sounds cannot be confused with anything.

After a few more minutes, Henry blinked hard and cleared his throat, tears flowing like a waterfall, the taste of paper in his throat, and his head was a little dizzy, but he could finally see his surroundings. And he categorically did not like it. Henry was in the backseat of the car, squeezed on both sides by powerful torsos. He didn’t see the driver – just the dark-haired back of his head, and the same girl was sitting in the front passenger seat. Kidnapping? In the middle of the day? They became completely insolent.

– What is going on? – Henry asked in a shrunken voice.

The girl turned and smiled predatorily in response.

– Who you are? – Henry asked more confidently. – I am a very famous racer, you will have problems!

Meanwhile, my head was spinning: will they demand a ransom? So, what shall we do?

– Do you understand that they will definitely look for me? – Henry made another attempt.

“Shut up,” came a voice from the upper right.

Henry raised his head with difficulty. Osvaldo. Himself. Manuel’s faithful dog. Yours! The man with the same impressive build who pinched Henry on the left side is unknown to him, but a meeting with Osvaldo is enough. These are not random kidnappers. Tracked down? But how?! Henry thought this dark part of his life was over. But no, at the most inopportune moment she overtook him. What a pity!

– Why such difficulties, Osvaldo? – Henry was worried.

And then he got a painful fist in the side. Just like a hammer. Okay, Osvaldo doesn’t have the ability to make a quality swing. And I’m incredibly happy to see you too, old man.

-Where are we going? – Henry asked, barely catching his breath.

“You’ll see,” Osvaldo was not bothered by verbosity.

“My disappearance will not pass without a trace,” Henry noted cautiously.

“Shut up or I’ll gag your mouth,” Osvaldo threatened.

Why be silent, so quiet. Henry has regained his powers of analysis, he will certainly discover everything, not then they will take him away to simply kill him. Let’s talk first. Only my sixth sense told me: Henry would definitely not like this conversation.

They walked the rest of the way in oppressive silence. Apparently Osvaldo had used up his entire supply of speeches, and the others were also reluctant to communicate. We drove for a long time. As a result, we did not end up in a gloomy basement, but in a small, neat house with a well-kept front garden on the edge of the city. Then again, who said there isn’t a basement here?

== To be continued…