Page 131 of Broken Breath
And she’s about to burn this mountain down.
The screen flickers, the camera pans to her at the gate, then she explodes off the line and launches into the first berm like she’s been shot out of a cannon, so fast it makes my breath catch in my throat.
Dane exhales a soft laugh beside me. “She loves this fucking track.”
Yeah. I remember.
She used to say the mountain spoke to her, whispered back beneath her tires like it was made for her and her alone. Even in juniors, she turned heads. Pulled times that outpaced the elite women.
The camera struggles to follow along but stays with her through the top section. Every corner is clean, every drop smooth, like she’s memorized this place in her bones.
The crowd roars, and the commentator’s voice kicks in, barely keeping up with the pace. “The rookie ison fire! Number seven is already in the green through the top section. This is shaping up to be one hell of a run!”
I can’t take my eyes off the screen, but when I glance at Dane, there’s a faint smile pulling at the corner of his mouth, like no matter how much shit is sitting on his shoulders, he can’t help but feel proud when he watches her fly.
After a moment, he says quietly, “I’m really glad she knows you know now.”
I blink. “What?”
He glances over. “I mean it. I need you on my side.”
My stomach knots. “For what?”
Dane shifts his weight. “Because she needs more than just me. She needs friends, real ones. People who make this life feel like more than punishment.”
He nods toward the screen, where Alaina is hammering down the track like she’s got nothing left to lose. “She needs to see there’s something here worth staying for, even after the season is over. You know how much she always looked up to you when she was in juniors, and I really think having you in her corner would help her see that life’s still livable, even if she’s not crushing on you anymore.”
I swallow. Hard.
Fuck.
“I don’t think I’m the right person for that.”
“Yes, you are,” Dane says without hesitation. “You’re steady, and you’re kind. Honest. She’s always felt safe with you. You being in her corner again matters.”
I can’t speak.
Dane lowers his voice. “Finn… I don’t know if she’s gonna make it past the last race. I think she’s hell bent on ending this… all of it. And I need help. I tried to make her see it, but despite having seven years, I couldn’t manage it alone. I’m sorry to pull you into this, but I need you, and she does too.”
Right. His sister is fucking suicidal, and I hurt her feelings.
Like the fucking coward I am.
My throat feels too dry, too tight as I register that. Yeah, I absolutely added to the shit sitting on his shoulders, even if he doesn’t know it yet.
I jolt out of my introspection when I realize Alaina is already two seconds in the green by the next split.
Twofuckingseconds.
A buzz starts to hum beneath my skin, so intense it’s pushing away the guilt and nausea that have been there for the last four days. That’s what watching her tear down that mountain like sheownsit does. And we’re the lucky ones who get to witness it.
No matter how fucked up things are between us, no matter how hard I’ve tried to shove her out of my head, out of my heart, it doesn’t stop this feeling from curling hot in my chest.
I’m so fucking proud of her.
She drops into the root section next, the one where most riders ease off to play it safe because no one wants to botch it here, not this close to the finish, but not her.
Full risk. Full send. No hesitation.
