Page 48 of Broken Breath (Rogue Riders Duet #1)

“All right, all right.” He raises his hands, palms out, still grinning. “Just saying, if you ever were fucking someone that much younger, you know I’d still love you, right? Shitty life choices and all.”

Even if I was fucking your little sister?

My jaw clenches so tight it aches. “I’m not fucking anyone.”

“Sure, sure. Tell your friend that, then.”

The speaker announces that Alaina is up next, and we both snap to attention.

I cross my arms over my chest and lean into the railing beside Dane, hoping it will help hold me upright as I try to hold all my shit together.

Because my baby girl or not, she’s coming.

And she’s about to burn this mountain down.

The screen flickers, the camera pans to her at the gate, then she explodes off the line and launches into the first berm like she’s been shot out of a cannon, so fast it makes my breath catch in my throat .

Dane exhales a soft laugh beside me. “She loves this fucking track.”

Yeah. I remember.

She used to say the mountain spoke to her, whispered back beneath her tires like it was made for her and her alone. Even in juniors, she turned heads. Pulled times that outpaced the elite women.

The camera struggles to follow along but stays with her through the top section. Every corner is clean, every drop smooth, like she’s memorized this place in her bones.

The crowd roars, and the commentator’s voice kicks in, barely keeping up with the pace. “The rookie is on fire ! Number seven is already in the green through the top section. This is shaping up to be one hell of a run!”

I can’t take my eyes off the screen, but when I glance at Dane, there’s a faint smile pulling at the corner of his mouth, like no matter how much shit is sitting on his shoulders, he can’t help but feel proud when he watches her fly.

After a moment, he says quietly, “I’m really glad she knows you know now.”

I blink. “What?”

He glances over. “I mean it. I need you on my side.”

My stomach knots. “For what?”

Dane shifts his weight. “Because she needs more than just me. She needs friends, real ones. People who make this life feel like more than punishment.”

He nods toward the screen, where Alaina is hammering down the track like she’s got nothing left to lose.

“She needs to see there’s something here worth staying for, even after the season is over.

You know how much she always looked up to you when she was in juniors, and I really think having you in her corner would help her see that life’s still livable, even if she’s not crushing on you anymore. ”

I swallow. Hard .

Fuck.

“I don’t think I’m the right person for that.”

“Yes, you are,” Dane says without hesitation. “You’re steady, and you’re kind. Honest. She’s always felt safe with you. You being in her corner again matters.”

I can’t speak.

Dane lowers his voice. “Finn… I don’t know if she’s gonna make it past the last race.

I think she’s hell bent on ending this… all of it.

And I need help. I tried to make her see it, but despite having seven years, I couldn’t manage it alone.

I’m sorry to pull you into this, but I need you, and she does too. ”

Right. His sister is fucking suicidal, and I hurt her feelings.

Like the fucking coward I am.

My throat feels too dry, too tight as I register that. Yeah, I absolutely added to the shit sitting on his shoulders, even if he doesn’t know it yet.

I jolt out of my introspection when I realize Alaina is already two seconds in the green by the next split.

Two fucking seconds.

A buzz starts to hum beneath my skin, so intense it’s pushing away the guilt and nausea that have been there for the last four days. That’s what watching her tear down that mountain like she owns it does. And we’re the lucky ones who get to witness it.

No matter how fucked up things are between us, no matter how hard I’ve tried to shove her out of my head, out of my heart, it doesn’t stop this feeling from curling hot in my chest.

I’m so fucking proud of her.

She drops into the root section next, the one where most riders ease off to play it safe because no one wants to botch it here, not this close to the finish, but not her .

Full risk. Full send. No hesitation.

She barrels through it, and when she shoots out the other side, it’s not only clean, it’s faster .

Dane chuckles under his breath. “Holy shit , Speedbump.”

“Rookie! Rookie! Rookie!” The crowd erupts, the noise swelling so loud it rattles my chest.

Austria lives and breathes mountain biking, and the fans have shown up in droves, packing the sides of the finish stretch tighter than I’ve seen all season. Goose bumps lift along my skin.

The next time comes up green as well, and now she’s four seconds faster than Luc. I glance his way, half-expecting to see cracks in that cocky grin of his, some sign that watching his lead get torn apart is getting under his skin.

But he’s standing, arms thrown high above his head, cheering right along with the crowd, like she’s his goddamn hero. His eyes are lit up with no bitterness or jealousy, just pure, unfiltered joy.

What the fuck?

I blink hard and drag my eyes away, glancing left. Mason is slouched low on his seat per usual, arms crossed, chin tucked, but even the grumpy fucker has got a big-ass smile across his face.

The hell is going on?

At least Raine is predictable, scowling as he glares at the screen, maybe thinking he can stare hard enough to slow her down.

Not going to happen, asshole.

I tear my eyes away from him just as Alaina barrels into the final stretch, with one jump left, the biggest one on the circuit this season so far, maybe the biggest since Snowshoe.

The one that broke her .

I watch her approach that lip, my heart pounding so loud I can feel it in my ears, but she doesn’t even flinch.

She sends it, launching off that lip so fast, the drone camera lags behind for a heartbeat, struggling to keep up with the sheer speed she’s carrying. The feed stutters before it locks back onto her as she hits the ground clean, tucks low, and rockets toward the finish line.

First place, five whole seconds ahead of Luc.

Five.

The announcer’s voice cracks over the roar of the crowd, losing his mind as he shouts over the noise. “ This is history, folks! Fastest time ever raced in Leogang!”

I’m still frozen in awe when Dane pulls me into his side, yelling over the crowd cheering, “Did you fucking see that?”

I knew it. Felt it in my bones.

That wasn’t just a win. That was Alaina Crews burning the whole damn mountain down.

She stays low over the bars, folded into herself, like she spent every ounce of strength she had getting to that finish line.

She’s not even celebrating. No fist in the air, no grin behind the helmet, no soaking up the roar of the crowd that’s still chanting some variation of her fake name.

When she reaches us, she swings her leg off the bike with a stiffness that makes my stomach drop.

What the fuck happened?

Dane moves to steady her, one hand on her shoulder as she passes him the bike. Even though I can’t see her eyes behind the goggles, there’s something in the way she sags just slightly under his hand that tells me she must be hurting badly.

“What’s wrong?” Dane crouches to be on eye level with her. “You okay?”

She shakes her head, a small, jerky movement, barely more than a flick beneath the weight of her helmet, then mumbles something I can’t fully hear over the crowd, but I catch the end.

“… watch the bike.”

With that, she pushes through the throng of people gathered at the finish, cutting a line through the noise.

Hands reach out to clap her on the shoulder, to offer high fives and congratulations, riders and fans alike trying to pull her into the celebration, but she brushes past them all without slowing.

“Watch it, please,” Dane says, shoving the bike into my hands before he hurries after her.

Yeah, hell no.

I grip the handlebars and push the bike forward, following Dane, who reaches Alaina just as she’s heading toward the women’s bathroom at the gondola station. His hands come down on her shoulders, redirecting her toward the men’s, and she steps inside with him, her body curled in on itself.

I hesitate only a second before setting the bike down against the wall outside and following them in.

Inside, the air is cooler, the noise of the crowd muffled behind the heavy door, and a quick glance tells me we’re alone in here.

Alaina is panting at the sink, helmet already yanked off, one hand braced against the metal edge while the other clutches at her lower abdomen.

“Al,” Dane steps in close, worry bleeding out of him. “What’s happening?”

Alaina doesn’t answer, her whole body bowing under the weight of whatever is tearing through her.

And that’s when I see it, a dark trail of blood seeping down the inside of her blue race pants, staining the fabric along her thighs .

“Dane.” My voice comes out rough as I point toward her legs.

Dane’s head jerks around, following my gaze, and Alaina’s eyes snap down too.

“Fuck,” she hisses, then almost screams the word again. “ Fuck!” She turns to Dane. “Get me Piper, please .”

“Who’s Piper?” I ask, already moving toward the door.

Dane barely glances at me. “The pretty blonde physio on Delacroix’s team.”

I push out of the bathroom and run back into the thick of things, my heart pounding as I scan the area.

The leftover chants of the fans at the finish are slowly fading out when I spot Delacroix, his grin stretched wide, one arm thrown over Otis’s shoulder.

Next to them stands a blonde woman in a pink team shirt, backpack slung over one shoulder.

Looks like a physio, I guess.

I go right to her. “You Piper?”

She glances over, looking annoyed. “Yes, Greer . We’ve been on the same circuit for five years now.”

I blink. “Right. Sorry.”

“What do you need?” she asks, eyebrows knitting as she registers the urgency I carry.

“It’s Al… len Crews. He asked for you.”