Page 110 of Reckless: Collision

“How did you—” Finn starts.

“Because it’s what I would do.” She cuts him off. “Create an obvious path, then watch who’s dumb enough to take it. But they didn’t count on someone who thinks like they do.”

The confidence in her voice hits something in my chest. Because this—this right here—is why we need her. Why she fits with us in ways I didn’t want to admit.

“Finn, hook me into that panel. I’m going to show Sterling Labs what happens when you try to outsmart a hacker who spent her teenage years breaking into Pentagon servers for fun.”

Theo lets out a low whistle. Jinx grins, all teeth and anticipation.

“You did what now?” I can’t help asking.

“Story for another time, Alpha.” I can hear her smile. “Right now, I’m going to dismantle their entire security web and rebuild it around them. They want to play? Let’s play.”

Finn connects his tablet to the panel, and suddenly Cayenne’s typing becomes almost musical. A symphony of keystrokes that’s rewriting Sterling’s carefully laid trap.

“They’re watching the main corridors,” she narrates as she works. “Expecting a direct approach. But see, that’s the problem with most security systems—they focus so much on keeping people out, they forget about what’s already in.”

“Meaning?” I prompt, fascinated despite myself by the deadly grace in her voice.

“Meaning I just convinced their system that we’re supposed to be here. That we’re part of its routine maintenance protocols.We’re not breaking in anymore.” She pauses for effect. “We’re just coming home.”

The panel lights shift from red to green.

“Every camera, every sensor, every alarm on this floor now thinks we belong here.” Pride colors her tone. “They’ll be so busy watching their obvious traps, they won’t even notice us walking right through their front door.”

And in that moment, watching my team move forward under her protection, something shifts in my chest—a recognition that shakes me to my core. The pack bonds flare with shared purpose, and even through the sterile lab air, I can smell the change in my pack’s scents: Jinx’s cherry tobacco softening with trust, Theo’s midnight jasmine warming with acceptance, Finn’s worn leather brightening with understanding.

We’ve been wrong about her from the start.

She’s not a liability we need to control—she’s the chaos that balances our order.

She’s not a potential threat to contain—she’s the wild card that completes our hand.

She’s the missing piece we never knew we needed, her lemon-sharp defiance fitting perfectly into the spaces between our broken pieces.

The realization hits me with the force of a scent bond, though she’s not even here. My alpha instincts surge with the need to claim, to mark, to make her understand that she’s already pack in all the ways that matter. The alpha in me recognizes what the tactical leader tried to deny—she doesn’t just work with us.

She belongs with us.

The one who thinks like our enemies but fights for us instead.

“Next intersection,” she directs. “Three doors down. That’s where they keep their biological samples. And Ryker?” Her voice softens just for me. “I’ve got you. All of you.”

The simple promise hits harder than any declaration of loyalty could. Because she proves it with every keystroke, every warning, every path she clears for us.

She’s not running from the pack.

She’s protecting it.

“Contact,” Cayenne’s voice suddenly turns sharp. “Two guards approaching from the east corridor. They’re... wait. That’s not right.”

“Talk to me.” I signal the team to hold position.

“Their movement pattern is wrong.” Her typing speeds up. “Regular patrols don’t—shit. Security hub just went dark. Someone’s manually overriding the system.”

Jinx tenses beside me, ready for violence. Theo’s eyes gleam dangerously in the dim light.

“Options?” I demand, already calculating escape routes.

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