Page 53 of Twisted Trails (Rogue Riders Duet #2)

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Alaina

“Oh my God, it’s really you!”

A high-pitched voice screeches behind me in the gondola line, too loud and way too close. I spin around on instinct, one hand halfway to my pocket like I’m about to throw hands or maybe grab my race pass. Instinct doesn’t care which.

Shit. Did someone recognize me?

But when I turn, it’s not a reporter or a fan with a camera.

It’s a kid—teen, maybe. Braces. Big brown eyes. Vibrating with excitement like she’s just spotted a celebrity. Which, I guess, technically I am.

“Hey,” I say warily in my deep voice.

“ Oh my God , hey!” she squeaks again, like she’s buffering on repeat.

I glance at Mason, Luc, and Otis, and they’re just watching with varying degrees of amusement.

I’m standing beside Luc-fucking-Delacroix , and she’s freaking out over me ?

What the hell ?

A second kid jogs up beside her, taller, with the same dark hair and eyes. Like they’re a matching set. “Rach…” he hisses, “… you’re embarrassing yourself.”

The girl glares at him. “But it’s?—”

“Hey,” he cuts in quickly. “I’m Kevin. This is Rachel.”

“Nice to meet you,” I answer automatically, eyes flicking between them, then back to Mason and Luc. They both shrug like this is somehow my situation now.

“We’re big fans,” Rachel blurts, clutching the straps of her hydration pack.

“Thanks?” I say, awkwardly, making Mason snort.

Then Finn jogs over out of nowhere, sounding breathless. “What did I say?” he pants, pulling up next to them.

Rachel shrugs. “You were taking too long!”

“I tried to hold her back,” Kevin mutters.

Finn exhales. “If you want Al to take you with on the track walk, you’ve got to behave.”

“We are behaving,” Kevin protests. “We just said hello.”

“They just said hello,” I echo, glancing at Finn. “So, they’re yours?”

Finn runs a hand through his hair and sighs again. “Yeah. That’s Rachel. Kevin. They’re?—”

“We already introduced ourselves,” Kevin interrupts.

“Wow. Manners for zero point two seconds. We’re making progress.” Finn shoots him a look, then his eyes find mine again. “They’re about to be juniors. I’m training them.”

My brows lift, heart kicking a little harder.

These are the juniors? They’re cute, and I know Finn picked good kids if he put so much heart into this.

I would love to tell him about the phone call yesterday.

Tell him that Dad said he’d make it happen, but I want to wait until it’s sure-sure before I say anything. Still, it’s hard not to smile .

“You guys wanna come with me on the track walk?” I ask, flicking my eyes between them.

“Yes!” Rachel’s face lights up again. “I mean, yes, please, that would be amazing.”

“I promised them I’d take them, but…” Finn trails off with a shrug and a lopsided smile. “I’m not a rider anymore, and I hoped maybe you would…”

“Of course, I’ll take you guys,” I agree easily.

Rachel lets out a high-pitched squeal that makes Mason huff a laugh.

I reach for his wrist, giving it a gentle squeeze in apology, since we’d planned to ride the gondola up together, but he gives me that soft smile in return.

As I move past him and Luc to join Finn and the juniors at the next gondola, I let my fingers brush Luc’s arm in passing, and he flashes me a wink.

As the gondola door hisses shut behind us, and we all sit down, Rachel blurts, “Alaina, I’m your biggest fan!”

“Rach!” Finn visibly tenses. “Didn’t I tell you not to use her name here?”

“Yeah, but we’re in the gondola. It’s just us.”

“Yeah, loosen up.” Kevin shrugs. “It’s not like anybody can hear us here.”

“ Jesus Christ ,” Finn mutters, pinching the bridge of his nose, which is still green from the bruising.

I snicker. “They’re fine, Finn.”

“I have no idea who you two are,” Finn says dryly. “You’re usually so well-behaved.”

“Liar.” Kevin chuckles, and I bite back another laugh.

They’re adorable together and clearly tight. It reminds me of how Finn was with me when I was a junior.

“Anyway,” Rachel continues. “I’m your biggest fan. I watched almost all your races. In juniors and now. You’re the coolest.”

“I’m not, but thanks. ”

“You so are,” she insists. “You were always the fastest, the one with the most insane lines, and now you’re racing with the men, and you’re still killing it. You’re so cool.”

“Thanks,” I say again, chuckling.

“I’m not the only one who thinks that. Kevin does too.”

Kevin shrugs. “How could we not? It was always Alaina this, Alaina that. Alaina would have sent it better. For years.”

Finn shifts, rubbing the back of his neck, a little sheepish. It’s rare for him to look even a tiny bit embarrassed, and I kind of love it.

“For years,” Rachel echoes. “ Rach, you need to ride more like Alaina. ”

Then Kevin joins in and they say in unison, “ Alaina had the rhythm. ”

I laugh at Finn, whose ears are as red as his jerseys always were. “Okay, are you two done with the bedtime stories?”

“If you knew how many times he talked about you…” Kevin says, grinning widely, “… you’d get a restraining order.”

Finn shoots him a look. “You know what I told you to do if you want to come on the track walk?”

“Shut our mouths and keep our eyes open.”

“Great,” Finn deadpans. “Why don’t we start with that right now?”

My cheeks hurt from smiling, and my chest tingles as Finn’s gaze finds mine again, the corner of his mouth twitching in that half-grin.

The gondola slows, doors cracking open at the top.

I step out and glance back. “I’m waiting on Luc and Mason.”

Finn nods, hands shoved into his pockets. “Sure, but we’re starting now before they get too excited and start leaking more of my secrets.”

“Better odds,” Kevin mutters dryly, just as Finn plants a hand on each of their shoulders and nudges them forward.

The next gondola rolls in, doors gliding open to reveal Luc, Mason, and Otis. Luc is already grinning, while Toulouse pokes his tiny head out of Otis’ hoodie. Mason squints toward the trailhead where Rachel and Kevin are chatting animatedly beside Finn.

“Are those the juniors Greer wants on his team?” Luc adds, head cocked.

“Which team?” Mason asks at the same time I say, “How do you know about that?”

“He told me.” Luc shrugs. “Start of the season. We went drinking, he said he wanted to build a junior team when he retires.”

Mason’s brow furrows. “Yeah?”

Luc nods. “But his sponsor bailed. That’s why we drank.”

“Fuck,” Mason mutters.

I glance back at Finn. “I didn’t know you two were that close?”

“We weren’t,” Luc says with a chuckle, which somehow leaves me with more questions than answers.

We start walking toward the track, and not long into it, the first rock garden comes into view. Finn is crouched beside it, probably explaining line choices to Rachel and Kevin, and Otis makes his way over and listens in.

That leaves Luc, Mason, and me standing at the edge of the section.

My pulse picks up.

I was turning this over all of yesterday and all last night. If I’m going to do this, if I’m going to let go of the rage, the identity, they need to know first. Because if they’re not in, there’s no point in making a new plan at all.

I glance around, but no one is close enough to listen in.

Now or never.

I wet my lips, then drop my voice to a murmur. “What would you guys say if Allen Crews finished the season without outing himself?” Both their heads snap to me. “And to Alaina Crews coming back to racing, after probably another hip surgery, recovery, and?—”

Luc’s eyes widen as he cuts me off. “You want to come back?”

“Yeah,” I whisper. “I think so. I’m not sure if it’s a good idea, or if it’s just?—”

Luc lets out a sharp laugh, and suddenly, I’m off the ground. He spins me in a full circle, almost dropping me.

“Of-fucking-course it’s a great idea!” he crows, setting me down only to frame my face with both hands.

“ Bébé , please. I’ll do anything to help.

I’ll make sure my team signs you. You’re gonna have everything .

From surgery to rehab to the best equipment and mechanic, to the first gate drop, we’ve got you. Right, Mase?”

Mason just looks at me. “So, fuck revenge?”

I nod. “The people I love know what happened. That’s enough.”

His smile breaks slowly, a dimple flashing as he pulls me from Luc’s grip into a solid hug. “I’m proud of you.”

“Yeah,” I breathe out. “Maybe I’m proud of me too.

” We all smile at each other like dorks before I continue with the rest I wanted to share.

“Okay, so even if I love you for trying to find me a spot, Luc, Dane actually had an idea. Our dad still wants to make up for everything. So Dane figured, why not use that?”

Luc’s brows lift. “Use it how ?”

“We pitched him the idea to fund Finn’s team, but not just juniors. An elite squad too. So I can race, and Finn can run his junior team. Dane can still be my manager, and Piper can be our physio. I’d love to have Jim as our mechanic, even though we’d need to ask him first.”

Mason’s eyebrows rise. “Your dad would do that?”

“Yeah. He’s still hell-bent on trying to fix things with me, apparently, and money’s not the issue. He already agreed, we’re just waiting for the official go.”

“ Putain , even better.” Luc steps in close, palm cupping my cheek. “You’re so damn special, you know that? You’re not just building a comeback, you’re making his dream come true. The kids’ too.”

I swallow hard. “It’s not me. It’s the money. My dad’s.”

“Luc’s right,” Mason disagrees. “You’re making the dream happen.”

“You know.” I glance up at him. “We’ll be a new team, not a big name, and you’re one of the best riders on the circuit, but…”

He steps closer. “But what, Bambi?”