Page 17 of Broken Breath
I exhale sharply, shoving up from my seat.
Still,the hot seat is his now.
As I step off, I catch a muttered,“Fucker.”
It’s quiet, but not quiet enough. A single word, laced with so much bitterness it almost tastes like blood in the air. I glance back just in time to see Alaina shift over, making space for Raine in the leader’s seat.So it wasn’t aimed at me.
She curls her fingers into fists like she’s physically holding herself back from pummeling him. This isn’t about her losing a place on the podium or just frustration.It’s hatred.
I can’t say I like the guy either. The rivalry he had with Dane back in the day never stopped mattering to me, even after Dane left, but it’s more than that.
It’s the way he smirks when he sees me, like he took something from me, because he did in a way. Some losses don’t happen on the track.
Raine doesn’t even acknowledge Alaina as he takes his seat, like none of this is surprising, but she looks at him, and fuck,if looks could kill.
I scan the finish area until I spot Dane again, still standing off to the side, Alaina’s bike propped against the fence beside him. I don’t think. I just move, and by the time I reach Dane, my hand is already wrapping around his upper arm, yanking him away from the crowd.
“The fuck, Greer?” He stumbles, but I don’t slow down, just keep walking, dragging him with me.
He grumbles under his breath, adjusting his stride to keep up. “What the hell is your problem?”
I don’t answer, not with half the fucking circuit standing around, and not with cameras, racers, and reporters lurking. Not when I have about a thousand-fucking-questions ripping through my skull, and I need every single one answerednow.
“All right, enough.” He yanks his arm back when wemake it back to the gondola station. “Jesus, Finn, what the fuck is wrong with you?”
I guide him forward and shove him through the nearest door, my palm flat against his back as I force him inside the dim, sweat-stale locker room. The second we’re in, I scan for people. It smells like damp jerseys and exhaustion, but at least it’s empty.
Slamming the door shut behind us, I lock it.
Dane straightens, rubbing his arm where I grabbed him. “You wanna explain what the fuck that was?”
“What the fuck that was?” My voice rises as I turn to him.Is he fucking serious?I step toward him, my pulse pounding in my ears. “Bringingherhere? Letting her race the men’s World Cupdisguisedas a guy?What the actual fuck?”
Dane doesn’t even flinch. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Hell, he doesn’t even blink. He just crosses his arms over his chest, looking at me like I’m the one being unreasonable.
“Why?”
Dane just stares at me, and the following silence is thick and suffocating. I exhale sharply, dragging a hand through my hair before leveling my gaze at him. “Why would you let her do this?”
Dane still doesn’t answer, but I know him. I know him better than I know myself. His hands curl into fists at his sides, just like Alaina’s had. He’s physically holding the words in, and heneedsto talk, but something, probably loyalty to his sister, is keeping him from it.
“You said I was still your best friend. You’re still mine, too, Dane. Nothing changed. Us against the rest of the world, and yeah…” I shake my head and let a slight smile tug at my lips, “… I count your Velcro little sister into that. I always have.” His shoulders go rigid, but I push on. “I will nottell anybody. Not even her if you don’t want me to. You can talk to me, Dane.”
Dane’s arms stay crossed as he keeps silent, and it seems they’re the only thing holding him together, but I can tell he’s balancing on the edge of letting go. I give him another pleading look, and finally, the tension in his shoulders loosens, the weight of whatever he’s holding pressing down too hard for him to keep carrying alone.
He blinks down at the floor, then drags a hand over his jaw. “We’re here because we think Isaac Raine fucked with Alaina’s bike before the crash.”
Dread washes over me. “What?”
Dane doesn’t look away. “You heard me.”
No. No, I fucking didn’t. Because that’s not possible.
“That’s…” I shake my head, “… that was a material failure. ACrews Bikesfailure. Everyone said so. It’s why…”
Why the team shut down.
Why the factory closed.
