Page 40 of Twisted Trails (Rogue Riders Duet #2)

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Alaina

I shove open the bus door and hop down onto the gravel with a crunch.

My head is still swirling with the things I spilled to my therapist this morning.

Talking about the pain from the last seven years hasn’t gotten easier, but the weight has already shifted enough for me to breathe without feeling like I’m about to crack in two.

I’m hopeful for the future if I’m already feeling this much better about it.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, and when I check it, a small smile tugs at my mouth.

élise

Good morning, chérie. I’m thinking about you. Hope today feels kind.

élise has been texting me every morning since we left her house. Nothing dramatic, just softness. Steady warmth.

I like it way too much.

I send a quick good morning text back, then squint against the sun as my stomach growls, reminding me I took my pills on an empty stomach. Track walk is in twenty, so there’s no time to fix it. Fantastic.

Ready to stomp into another long day, I only make it two steps when a plastic sack hung on the side mirror catches my eye, swaying lightly in the breeze.

Weird?

I glance around, but no one is lingering nearby. Curiosity gets the better of me, and I grab it. Inside is a pastry wrapped loosely in paper—a fucking chocolate cornetto, the kind you only get fresh in Italy. Beside it, there’s a blue cornflower.

Bittersweet nostalgia slams into me, tightening my already bound chest. I would’ve known who left this even without the flower.

Finn and Dane are the only people on the planet who know how much I obsessed over these pastries whenever the circuit brought us to Italy.

I remember whining daily, begging for just one, while our team manager lectured me about sugar, training, and diets.

Finn had been my savior, sneaking me pastries like contraband.

Warmth at the gesture loosens that tightness in my chest, but I push it away hard.

Using every piece of intel he has on me like it’s a cheat code is plain unfair.

My stomach growls again, and I shrug. Going to therapy deserves a damn treat. Peeling back the paper, I sink my teeth into the cornetto and groan as chocolate floods my tongue.

God, it’s perfect.

A metallic clinking from the other side of the bus draws my attention, and I carefully slip the wildflower back into the bag and hang it on the door to grab later.

Stepping toward the sound, I find Finn and Jim bent over the engine compartment.

Finn is dressed differently today, wearing a blue T-shirt and shorts, with a black cap pulled backward on his head.

It feels strange, almost wrong , not seeing him in his usual red.

The bruises blooming around his eyes are darkening to ugly shades of purple and green, and there’s still tape stretched across the bridge of his nose.

Why the hell am I even noticing?

I chew harder, watching Jim hand Finn a tool. It’s not my damn problem if he gets kicked off his team for skipping mandatory shit just because he’s got it in his head to fix this goddamn bus.

Except ugh. I can’t let that happen. I can’t feel guilty over yet another thing Finn Greer.

“ Morning .”

Finn jerks upright, eyes wide like I just startled him awake, and Jim smiles. “Morning.”

Finn clears his throat. “Morning.”

“We’ve got track walk in a few.” I tilt my chin toward the gondola station. “You coming?”

“Uh.” Finn’s eyes meet mine, and he looks baffled by my implied invitation.

Same.

“Go on,” Jim says, gently nudging his shoulder and handing him a cloth to wipe his hands on. “I’ll finish up here while you’re gone.”

“Thanks.” Finn drags a hand through his messy blond hair, shoving his cap back into place as he steps toward me.

I take a step back. He’s too close, and he smells sweet, maple syrupy, and my chest does that stupid flutter it always does around him. But before I can take another step away, I get caught in the pull of those goddamn blue eyes.

“Al.” His voice is a whisper wrapped in a smirk, but it’s softer than usual. Sadder, almost. His gaze drops to my mouth, and my lungs forget how to work. “You?—”

“What? ”

He reaches toward me, brushing the corner of my lips with his thumb. I hold my breath until his thumb slips away, but he doesn’t pull back. Instead, Finn brings that thumb to his mouth, eyes locked on mine as he slides it past his lips.

“ Chocolate .”

I fucking hiccup.

He smiles with a shrug. “It’s all gone now.”

My heart thunders so loudly in my ears it’s deafening, and a shiver skitters down my spine.

My messy eating will be the death of me if I keep hanging out with pro riders.

“Let’s go,” Finn says as he strides past me, leaving me standing there like an idiot.

Behind me, Jim clears his throat, but it sounds suspiciously like laughter, and my cheeks flame.

I curse under my breath, which only makes Jim laugh outright, the rich sound following me as I hurry after Finn with my heart pounding, and a taste of sweet nostalgia lingering on my lips.

I catch up to him quickly, our footsteps crunching over gravel and dust. When we finally get to the gondola, Mason and Luc are already standing there, waiting in line alongside Otis, Dane, and Piper.

Dane’s stupidly happy grin is a good distraction as he wraps his arm around Piper’s waist. She smiles up at him, looking disgustingly adorable.

He spent the night in the bus again, but I sent him away for my session earlier. Seems like they missed each other.

I’ll have to kick him out more often.

Luc’s mouth tips into that smug smirk he does so well when he sees me. “I’m more on time for track walk than you, Petite ? What’s going on?”

I roll my eyes. “I’m on time.”

Dane turns Piper toward him, pulling her into a kiss, and they’re so damn cute it’s nauseating.

My gaze flicks between Luc and Mason, and fuck , I’d love nothing more than to kiss them right now.

Their gazes linger on me for a moment, too, before they both quickly take in the people around us, doing the same calculation I am.

It’s not an option. Not with half the MTB world milling around us, waiting for a gondola ride, since only four people can ride one at a time.

As the next free gondola comes into view, I inch toward Piper and Dane—safe territory—but before I can step inside with them, Luc throws an arm out and shoves Mason and Finn into the gondola with each other before herding me in behind them.

The door slides closed with an ominous click, and I’m boxed in with the three guys I least want to be alone with right now.

The last time I was in a gondola with Finn…

Nope, not thinking about that now.

Luc sits down next to me, and I glare at him for bringing me into this situation while Mason and Finn sit down opposite us. He grins, completely unbothered, and throws an arm around my shoulder. “Don’t look at me like that, Petite. ”

I shove his arm off, twisting away. “It’s hot, and I’m sweaty.”

Ignoring my warning, Luc drags his tongue slowly up the side of my neck before nipping at my skin. “You know I’m into it.”

I squirm away as heat rises to my cheeks for the second time today, and he laughs and settles back into his seat, looking triumphant. I jerk my gaze away from him, only to find Finn watching me, a quiet, heartbreakingly sad smile on his face.

Fuck. How long is this gondola ride anyway?

Thankfully, Mason swoops in for the save. “Anyone figure out which line to take in that upper rock garden?” he asks, rubbing a thumb over his bottom lip thoughtfully. “I usually hit the upper one, but I’m not convinced it’s the fastest. Val di Sole’s always a fucking nightmare.”

Luc snorts, kicking out his feet and sprawling back lazily. “Why are you even thinking about it, Pretty Boy? Just fly over it.”

Mason shoots him an unimpressed look. “Not everyone rides like a lunatic, Delacroix.”

Finn leans forward with his elbows on his knees. “You should take the lower line but come in way less aggressively than you usually do. You’re overriding the entry.”

Mason twists toward Finn, cocking an eyebrow. “Did you just critique my riding style?”

Finn shrugs. “Your melody’s off.”

“What the fuck are you even saying?”

A reluctant smile tugs at my lips. “He compares riding styles to music.”

Luc raises an eyebrow, glancing between us. “What does that mean?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Finn watching me, surprise flashing in his eyes like he didn’t think I’d remember.

But of course I do.

I remember everything about you, Finn Greer. Every note.

He clears his throat, starting slow. “Everyone rides with their own rhythm?—”

“Like a song,” I cut in without thinking, reciting words I’ve heard a hundred times before. “And if your flow feels off, it’s because you’re not on the right track. Not playing the right melody.”

Luc notices my shift in mood instantly. Without a word, he reaches over, grabs my hand, and places it on his knee, stroking slow circles with his thumb over my knuckles.

“I know it sounds nuts,” I continue. “But he’s helped a lot of people with it, especially juniors. I’ve seen riders shave two or three seconds off their times because of his advice. Myself included.”

“ Merde, Papi. ” Luc grins, eyes bright with intrigue. “What’s my song? I gotta know.”

Finn shrugs again, but his eyes stay on me like he’s still astonished I’m speaking this highly of him. “Smooth Criminal.”

Luc wrinkles his nose, clearly offended. “Michael Jackson?”

“No. Alien Ant Farm.”

“ Fuck yes . That’s way more my jam.”

I snort, shaking my head. It does fit him.

“What’s Petite’s song?” Luc asks, obviously very interested in the answer, and I am too. I’d love to know whether Finn thinks it’s still the same song, even after all the years of training.

Finn’s eyes find mine, and the smallest smile tugs at his lips when he says softly, ““Still Waiting,” Sum 41.”

Warmth fills my chest, and I have to remember to exhale.

Yes, still the same damn song.

And I love it.

Luc squeezes my hand when he laughs. “That’s so damn badass.”