Page 41 of Twisted Trails (Rogue Riders Duet #2)

Mason leans forward, catching Finn’s eye. “And you’re saying I’m too aggressive?”

“Yeah. I mean, you’re riding angry. That can be good, but it’s not your flow. You’re not the angry type. You can still keep the aggression that makes you fast, but you have to let go of the anger. ”

Mason’s jaw works as he thinks that over, but Finn is right. Mason is not angry, not at his core. The world forced that anger into him, turning him into something he isn’t.

Before Mason can say anything else, the gondola slows, creaking as it reaches the top. The doors slide open, letting in a gust of mountain air, and we spill out onto the platform.

I take a breath, relieved for fresh air and the space from everything inside that too-small cabin.

But then Finn touches my elbow. “Al, can I talk to you for a sec?”

I glance up into eyes that I know better than my own—my safe place until everything broke apart. “Sure.”

He steps away from the others, and I follow. His shoulders are tight, and his expression is carefully neutral when he speaks. “I think I can help Payne.”

I frown, taken aback. “What?”

“I think I’ve figured out what’s been holding him back.

If I’m right, I could help make him faster.

But…” Finn hesitates, searching my gaze, his jaw flexing.

“I wanted to check with you first. If I do this, I’ll be giving you stronger competition.

He’ll be harder to beat. I just don’t want to screw all this up for you. ”

My breath catches, latching onto the important part. “You’d do that for him?”

He shakes his head. “Not for him.”

The silent part is loud between us.

He’d do it for me.

Wait, does he still believe the rumors?

Does he think I would hang out with Mason if he’d done what they say he did?

“I’d appreciate you helping him.”

Finn tilts his head and watches me like he’s searching for what I might not be saying, and before I can stop myself, the words spill out .

“He didn’t do it.”

His brows draw together slowly. “He didn’t?”

“No. It was all Raine. It was Isaac telling his sister to spread rumors about Mason, to get rid of him. It’s the same thing with your fiancée, the same way he made Luc lash out, and what happened to Dane and me.

It’s all connected, Finn. It’s all him.” He doesn’t respond immediately, and anxiety twists in my chest. “You don’t believe me? ”

“I believe you. It’s just…” He exhales slowly, dragging a hand across his face. “Fuck. This is all so messed up.”

“I know, and Mason doesn’t deserve it. He deserves every bit of help you can give him. I want him to have a real shot at winning.”

“Even if he takes the overall from you?” Finn asks, searching my face. “Because, Al, Payne is good. More than good. When he finds the right melody, he’ll probably be faster than you and Luc.”

That doesn’t surprise me. Mason Payne is a phenomenal rider, calculated and stupidly fast. He’s already secured two overalls at twenty-four. That says enough.

I nod eagerly. “Yeah. I’m fine with that.”

And the thing is, it’s the truth. If Mason or Luc took the title, I wouldn’t be bitter. I’d be proud. I’d be actually happy for them.

That realization hits me like a slow punch to the ribs, and a crooked smile tugs at my lips before I can stop it.

Shit.

Everything has changed so fast. For years, all I wanted was revenge and a trophy.

And now? I want so much more.

Not just for myself, but for these men, Finn included, even if that doesn’t include me.

Finn watches me intently, like he’s seeing all of that play out behind my eyes. A soft, bittersweet smile spreads across his face. “You’re into him.”

I shrug, but the words come out almost breathless. “He’s mine.”

Luc’s laugh echoes nearby, and Finn glances toward the sound.

“And Luc’s mine too,” I add softly.

That gets his full attention again. I bite my lip as my pulse thuds at the base of my throat. “We’re together. All three of us. Mason, Luc, and me.”

Surprise and hurt flash in Finn’s eyes, but then he nods, and the hurt softens, folding into something warmer. “As long as you’re happy, Al.”

Something inside my chest cracks open at his gentle sincerity.

“I am,” I whisper, and it’s mostly true .

“Okay,” he says, straightening his shoulders. “If you want me to help Payne, I’ll do it, but he has to actually let me.”

“He will. I’m sure of it.” I offer him a small, grateful smile. “Thank you.”

“Of course, baby girl.”

The endearment echoes between us, dredging up all the things we haven’t said. I take a deep breath, holding his gaze just a moment longer, wishing things could’ve been different, and the what-ifs between us hadn’t cracked into a thousand sharp edges.

But the world isn’t that kind.

“Come on.” Finn nudges me lightly, the gesture familiar enough to break my heart just a little more. “We have a track walk to survive.”

My heart aches as we rejoin the others, not because I don’t want Mason or Luc, but because I know Finn will always hold a piece of me I can’t take back .

Dane has Piper tucked close to his side, but when he sees Finn, his smile drops away, replaced by a cold glare.

“You two done with your secret little chitchat?” he snaps, more cutting than necessary. “Some of us are here for track walk.”

“Dane,” I warn, putting myself squarely between them. “Drop it.”

His eyes flicker down to mine, and when he sees the conviction there, he huffs and turns his attention toward Piper again.

Finn gives me another sad smile, and it hits me right in the chest.

All of this, his bruised-up face, the broken friendship, the pain, the fractured silence between us, it’s on me.

My fault.

“What a beautiful day for a fucking useless walk down a mountain, don’t you think, Petite ?” Luc breaks the tension, his arm slipping easily around my shoulders, tugging me against him.

Mason steps up to my other side, and together we make our way down the track.

After a few feet, I lean toward Mason and whisper, “Finn’s really good at what he does, you know.”

His brows furrow in question, but before I can say more, Finn crouches near a difficult half-camber section, gesturing at the rocks and roots littering the line.

“Here, see this? You want to come in a little higher, keep your weight farther back. Let the bike float over this section, then dive low into the next turn to carry your speed out.”

Mason shoots me another quick look, trying to puzzle out what’s changed, before he crouches down beside Finn. “You sure it’ll hold speed better?”

Finn nods confidently, tracing the line with his finger. “ Yeah, you’re losing time with sections like this because you’re fighting the bike. Flow here, don’t battle it.”

I smile softly to myself, glancing sideways at Luc. He raises an eyebrow, curious, and I nudge him gently.

“You should probably listen to Finn, too, you know. Might learn something, or Mason will overtake you, and we’ll both end up eating his dust.”

“Funnily enough, since winning isn’t the only nice thing in my life anymore, Petite , it’s not quite as important as it used to be.

” Luc tightens his arm around me, pulling me close enough that I feel his breath ghost across my temple as we walk past the others.

“I’m not saying I’m done winning, or that I’ll stop racing for the top spot.

I’m just saying my life’s a whole lot fuller now.

And if you win, or if he does? It’s like I’m winning too. ”

My throat closes a little, emotion tightening in my chest, but then Luc tips his head down, nipping my neck. I push his face away, eyes darting around in panic. “Luc, not here.”

Racers and their teams are scattered along the track, but there are also girlfriends, coaches, and trail dogs. Track walks are open to anyone a rider wants to bring along, so it’s packed.

Luc smirks, mischievous and completely unbothered. “ Yes , here,” he insists, leaning in and stealing a lightning-fast kiss from my lips.

I glance around again in alarm, my heart hammering as I look for anyone who might’ve seen us, but relax when I see no one is paying us any attention. Luc’s triumphant grin stays in place even as I shove him away with a smile of my own.

“You good, Bambi?” Mason asks as he and Finn overtake us again, pausing their conversation about line choice and braking zones.

I nod just as Dane, Piper, and Otis catch up .

“Fucking concentrate, Al,” Dane says in warning. “This track’s only gonna get harder with your fingers. And seriously?” He cuts a glare at Mason. “Does he call you Bambi because our mom died when you were little?”

I nearly choke.

What the actual hell?

Mason halts a few feet ahead, whipping around with a full-body cringe. “ Fuck, no.”

Luc snorts. “It’s the eyes, mon ami . Total Bambi.”

“I thought it was because Bambi’s actually a boy, but everyone thinks he’s a girl at first,” Otis adds.

“ Riiight .” Piper grins. “I thought that, too, when I watched it.”

I groan. “Can we all shut up? There are people around.”

Dane narrows his eyes. “Oh, so Delacroix can go all PDA and tongue your throat, but we’re not allowed to talk?”

“There’s no PDA happening,” I hiss.

Otis raises a hand. “Delacroix is literally the embodiment of PDA.”

“True.” Luc shrugs, kissing my cheek before sprinting away to catch up with Mason and Finn. He claps Mason on the ass with a loud smack, which earns him a glare that could burn through carbon. I can’t help the chuckle that slips out of me.

“They’re cute together,” Piper says, sidling up to me.

“They are.” I smile, only to catch, out of the corner of my eye, other riders chuckling and whispering to each other, pointing at Mason, and my good mood turns sour.

“I’m really fucking done with everyone thinking Mason did what he didn’t.

We need a plan.” I glance pointedly at everyone left. “Group brain time.”

Dane huffs as he glances up the track. “We’ve been thinking about it, too, but the problem is, it’s her word against his. We don’t have proof. Same issue with Raine and your bike.”

Piper frowns, chewing on her lip. “We need to get her to confess.”

“And how exactly do we do that?” Otis makes a face. “As if Isla Raine is gonna wake up one day and say, Oopsie, my bad .”

“I don’t know.” Piper sighs, then levels me with a calculating look. “Didn’t she give you her number?”

“She did,” I mutter, not liking where this is going.

“Do you still have it?”

“No.”

As if I would have saved that on my phone.

Piper frowns. “Okay, what if you, like befriend her? Hang out with her? Go on a date and maybe woo her into telling you the truth.”

I look at her like she’s lost her damn mind. “And then she’ll just blurt out, Hey, I make up sexual assault allegations for fun, wanna be next? ” Otis snorts, and I grin at him despite the awful topic. “She only flirted with me last time because I was on top of the league. You know her game.”

Dane’s hand slides around my forearm and squeezes me in warning. I shut my mouth fast, glancing at him.

He nods his head to the left, and Isla and Isaac come strolling by, flanked by their line spotters. Isla and I lock gazes as she passes, but her expression is cold.

Otis elbows me. “Now or never, Romeo. ”

Fuck.

Before I can think better of it, I prepare my too-deep voice and step toward her. “Isla, wait.”

Dane and Otis snicker behind me, but I just jog forward, my boots scraping against gravel, heart hammering like I’m about to drop into a finals run.

Apparently, asking out a girl I hate makes me nervous .

“Hey,” I say as I fall into step beside her.

She glances at me but says absolutely nothing.

Oh shit. Abort. Abort.

“I… uh… I lost your number,” I blurt instead of turning right back around, like I should, immediately regretting every life choice that led to this moment.

Isaac snorts from her other side so loudly it echoes off the trees.

“Oh, you did?” Isla’s eyebrow arches. “Did you chop off your hand?”

“What? No, I just…” I blink, scrambling. “I washed them. The number was gone.”

She stops walking, and so does Isaac. He hovers just behind her with his arms crossed, smirk locked in place.

“Right.” Isla surveys me like I’m a particularly unimpressive trail feature.

“I’m sorry,” I add quickly. “Do you… want to hang out sometime?”

“No.”

Ouch.

Her eyes trail down to my bandaged fingers, then back up.

“You had your chance, rookie .”

She flicks her perfect blonde hair over her shoulder and keeps walking.

Isaac lingers just long enough to give me the full effect of his smirk. “Damn, rookie, I would be so embarrassed if I were you right now.” Then he whistles lowly and follows her.

And I’m left standing there. Fist clenched, face burning, and heart pounding like a fucking idiot.

Perfect.