Page 44 of Broken Breath
I laugh the words off, but it comes out wrong. Too manic, too exposing.
Payne looks like he doesn’t know what to do with it either, appearing just as confused by the backup as I am. Dane claps the rookie on the shoulder once, and the kid falls in step beside him like nothing happened. I watch them go, wound up and unsatisfied, my body buzzing.
“Good talk, Pretty Boy,” I mutter to Payne, not even looking at him as I walk away.
I quicken my pace to catch up to Finn, drawing a grunt from him when I run into his side, trying to expel some of the strange energy. “Did you hear that? The little rookie’s mouthing off. Maybe he’s fast, but he needs to learn some fucking manners.”
Finn stops, and I stumble when he turns to glare at me. “After yesterday, I’d sayyou’rethe one who needs to learn some fucking manners, Delacroix.”
“Wait, what?” I laugh awkwardly. “I thought we were… we had fun,non? I mean, after you said that thing about the junior team and…”
“We remember yesterday very differently, asshole.” Greer’s scowl deepens. “Youhad fun. I left after one beer. You were on your third shot, talking to strangers and acting like I wasn’t even there. It took me an hour to get a fucking taxi in Polish, and you didn’t even notice I’d gone.”
Merde.
Ihadwondered when he left, but not enough to do anything about it.
“Mon ami…” I start, reaching for some kind of reset button.
“I’m not your fucking friend, Delacroix.”
And with that, he heads straight down the track for Dane and the rookie.
Cool.Very cool.
That’s two for two.
I run a hand down my face and huff out a laugh. “Well, Toulouse, looks like it’s just you and me again.”
Who needs actual friends when you’ve got a rat that bites strangers and a mother who calls twice a week to ask whether you’re still alive?
I glance back toward Payne, still standing on the track, silent and stormy. At least with him, IknowI’m not the problem.
Toulouse’s whiskers tickle my cheek, and I pet him lightly, just to feel something.
“You’re the only one that gets me,mon amour,” I whisper, tapping his nose. “The only one.”
He squeaks, then curls closer.
And I pretend that’s enough.
It has to be until I can find the right kind of noise again.
I’ve given up on the right kind of silence completely.
CHAPTER TEN
Alaina
Practice is chaos in the best way.
There’s no timing or pressure, just the mountain, the track, and the flood of riders chasing lines. You ride down, stop where you want, hike back up, ride the same section again if it pissed you off the first time. No one cares because it’s mutual respect, unspoken rules, and adrenaline-coded chaos.
I’ve hit the track four times already, and I’m still vibrating from the rush. My legs burn, my lungs hurt, and pretty much everything in my body does right now, but I want more. There’s a gnawing edge of nausea curling low in my gut, probably from the meds, the heat, or just pushing too hard.
But I don’t care.
I need another run.
