Page 25 of Twisted Trails (Rogue Riders Duet #2)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Finn

“Jesus Christ, Finn. What the hell happened to your face?”

Shit. I forgot how bad I look.

Why did I FaceTime my manager again? Could’ve just written a fucking email.

Right, I wanted to stop being a coward.

Even if it took me two days to gather the courage to make this phone call.

There’s still medical tape stretched over the bridge of my nose, but the real kicker is the bruising. Two solid black eyes, like I went ten rounds in a ring instead of taking one punch from a pissed-off best friend.

I look like a raccoon who lost a fight with gravity.

“Oh, you know,” I say, forcing a grin. “Fell off my BMX.”

He squints at me through the screen. “You sure you didn’t get punched in the face? Because that looks a lot like a punch.”

I huff a laugh. “Well, what can I say? You’re not wrong.”

He mutters something about idiots and athletes under his breath but then cuts himself off and leans back in his chair.

“Anyway, don’t stress. Remember Willy? Four or five seasons ago, he got into that bar fight before the Swiss run.

We still have that nose extender somewhere, the one that keeps the goggles from pressing onto the bridge.

It’ll hurt like hell anyway, but it’ll get you through the race. ”

I shift my weight on the shitty hotel bed I’m sitting on. “That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about. I don’t want to race anymore.”

There’s a beat of silence. Then he looks up, brows furrowed. “I get that it’s your last season. You wanna end it on a high note, not taped up and hurting. Okay, well, look, you’ve been with us a long time. I’m sure I can talk to the higher-ups about extending your contract for another season.”

My chest tightens, but he doesn’t even give me the chance to open my mouth.

“We’ll frame it like this season ended early due to injury. Give you the off-time to recover, then let you wrap it up next year, your way. Clean exit. Full support. You’ll be back on your feet for Fort William.”

“You’d do that?” My fingers flex around the phone.

“Of course,” he says, almost scoffing. “You’ve been solid for us. A great mentor for the juniors, dependable as hell, and the fans love you. I’d love to have you for another season.”

It hits harder than I expected. Not only the offer, but his words, telling me that all the work I’ve done in the shadows actually meant something. I didn’t think anyone noticed, and I didn’t expect them to. I was just doing what felt right.

I almost say yes.

Almost let myself be swayed by the comfort of being wanted, needed. By someone finally seeing what I brought to the table, but then my nose stings, and I remember why I called him, why I’m doing this.

I was clinging to racing because it was the last piece of me that made sense.

The only thing I hadn’t wrecked, but now the only thing that matters is Alaina, and I can’t keep chasing long-ended dreams while I’m trying to rebuild what I destroyed.

She deserves someone who shows up for her, who doesn’t run, who doesn’t keep hiding behind handlebars and adrenaline to avoid the hard shit.

If I want a chance at getting Alaina to let me back in, not just into her life, but to earn her trust and belief, I need to be better, and that means letting go of the version of me who only ever knew how to race away.

This time, I’m staying.

No more finish lines.

Just the fight that actually matters.

“Thank you,” I say, my voice thick with things I’m not sure how to name. “That means a lot, but I’m done.”

He blinks. “You’re done?”

“Yeah. I’m done racing. My career ended with the last race.”

“Finn—”

“It’s fine. Honestly, it was over a long time ago. I was just too much of a coward to admit it. Kept chasing ghosts because I didn’t know who I was without the plate on my bars.”

His silence is heavy on the other end, but I press through it.

“Doesn’t mean I’m leaving the sport, though. You know I love this too much to stay away, but I won’t be racing again.”

He exhales hard. “I get that. I really do, but you’ve still got a contract with us, Greer. Walking away like this will cost you. ”

I shrug. “I know. It’s fine.”

“Fuck.” He scrubs a hand down his face, then softens. “Go on, break some hearts on a random Friday morning.”

I smile faintly. “I’m sorry to end it like this, but I’ll be around for the rest of the circuit. I’ll come find you in Val di Sole, say goodbye properly, okay?”

“You better.” He jabs a finger at the screen. “Or I’ll come find you , Finn Greer.”

“Yes, sir.”

The moment the call ends, I sag back against the headboard, my spine finally giving out. Relief hits me so hard, I exhale sharply through my nose and grimace at the sting, but it’s worth it. God, it’s worth it.

That conversation has been overdue for months, years really, and yeah, it’s going to cost me.

Terminating my contract, the payout clauses, the fines, they’re going to gut my savings and maybe ruin me for a while, but I can come back from that.

I can fight through financial ruin. I’ve done harder things.

My phone buzzes in my hand, the screen lighting up with a text from Luc-fucking-Delacroix.

Luc

Alaina’s check-up is in 30, better be there.

Harder things, like dealing with that maniac.

No emojis. No forgiveness. But still, it’s a bone. One I don’t deserve but will grab onto like a lifeline because that’s exactly what it is.

Maybe he hates me a little less today than when I left his home with a shattered nose and blood down my shirt, with Dane’s fist print on my face and her name still bleeding from my mouth. Or maybe he just pities me.

Either way, I’m going.

I’m dressed and in a taxi in record time, and twenty minutes later I’m standing outside the same hospital I limped out of three days ago. The one where they reset my nose but not the rest of me.

The sun beats down on me like it’s in on the punishment.

Not that I haven’t done enough damage on my own.

Since I got back to the hotel from this place, I’ve been making a plan. Trying to line up every step like a clean race line. Smooth, direct, and with no room for error.

Like any of that ever worked for me.

First priority? Alaina.

Fix what I broke, which is everything.

I don’t even know whether that’s possible, but I decided I’m done being a coward. I’m done hiding behind what-ifs and could-have-beens. If this is the hill I die on, so be it.

She’s worth it.

The problem is, I don’t even know where to start. I don’t know when they’re leaving for Val di Sole, or what the next steps are, and I’m not about to stalk the girl I already broke. So, since Luc sent that message, it’s now or never.

It doesn’t help that Dane is still pissed. Not even cold-pissed, but scalding. The kind of fury that takes years to burn off. And honestly? I can’t blame him. There’s probably nothing I can say or do that’ll make that right. I betrayed him in every way that matters.

But if I can be there for her, even just quietly, from the sidelines, I’ll take it. That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out. How to support her without making her life harder. How to be there when she needs me without pushing my way into spaces I don’t deserve anymore.

I’m starting with something simple. Buying a beat-up car from some sketchy dealer ten blocks from the hotel, so I can drive to Val di Sole on my own and not be a burden. I’ve got an appointment to check it out this afternoon. It’s cheap and ugly, but hopefully functional.

Not unlike me.

Walking toward the wing I remember, my nerves build again with every step. The halls are too clean, too quiet, and my heartbeat thuds louder than my footsteps. Then I turn a corner and freeze.

Just ahead, clustered near the nurse’s desk, are Dane, Alaina, Payne, and Delacroix.

Shit.

I step back fast, pressing myself flat against the wall, just out of sight, and my lungs lock like they forgot how to work.

So much for being brave.

Peeking around the edge of the corner, careful not to be seen, I see Alaina holding a paper bag, its edges crinkled.

Dane eyes it, brows furrowed as he asks, just loud enough for me to hear. “What’s with all the meds? I thought they said the fingers are healing well.”

She shrugs a little, adjusting her grip. “I asked them to give me enough painkillers to last until we’re back in Snowshoe.”

Dane’s voice drops. “You feel better with them?”

Alaina nods. “Yeah. I don’t hurt.”

Beauty. That’s good.

That’s fucking good.

My shoulders sag with relief. At least the physical pain is under control.

Dane’s next words come quieter, tinged with something that sounds like fear. “And what happens when they run out?”

A cold shiver runs down my spine at the dread I hear in Dane’s voice, but Luc’s hand is already wrapped around Alaina’s, and she looks up at him, gaze soft. “Then we’ll find something else that helps me. ”

Delacroix smiles, leans down, and presses a kiss to her temple. “ Oui, we will, Petite .”

Dane is just standing there, staring at the two of them. His mouth parts, and it looks like tears are welling up in his eyes, but it’s hard to tell from this distance. Then he steps forward and crushes Alaina against his chest.

“Fuck, Dane,” she groans. “I can’t breathe.”

He releases her with a choked laugh and then reaches out for Delacroix. Dane grabs him by the head and pulls him in, foreheads touching, almost like brothers. “Who would’ve thought that you, idiot, would be so good to have around?”

He chuckles. “I like you, too, old man.”

They’re laughing, hugging, healing, and I stand there like a ghost, watching it all from a distance I don’t know how to cross.

Delacroix looks good for her. Strong. Steady. Present. He’s not the idiot I got to know anymore. He changed for her. He holds her pain like it doesn’t scare him, and maybe he doesn’t just look like what she needs.

Maybe he is.

I changed for her, too, the last few days, didn’t I? Gutted my whole life to try to make space for the kind of man she needed, but apparently, I’m still not him, never was.