Page 203 of Twisted Trails
“What’s there to explain?” I say with a smirk. “He’s mine and I’m his, and Alaina Crews is our girl.”
I glance to where Alaina is standing next to Dane and Finn, her mouth open, probably shocked at my public admission.
Shite,I shouldn’t have pulled her into this after all the online hate she’s already been getting, but then she smiles, and I know she’s thinking what Luc told me earlier.
Us against the world.
The reporter still looks stunned when I turn back to her.
Oh well.
“Are you saying you guys are in a three-way relationship?”
“We’re a family.” My uncertainty falls away. “And next year, we’ll be back as Finn Greer’s new team on the circuit.”
The crowd gasps, someone whistles, and Luc lets out a wild whoop somewhere in the background.
“Well, that’s certainly a first.” The reporter hesitates, and it’s obvious she doesn’t quite know what to do with all that. She glances toward the cameraman, who just shrugs, but to her credit, she pivots quickly. “What do you want to say about the run today? About that chainless ride or your win?”
Back to safer territory.Livestream damage control.
Yeah,no.
“I guess what I want to say is this was never just about a win.”
I dip my chin, gaze flicking to the dirt as my heart beats loudly in my ears. When I look up again, right at the camera, I make damn sure I’m steady.
It’s time.
“This year, I raced for redemption and for my name. For the right to stand here. But it shouldn’t take a confession, a miracle ride, and a broken chain for people to believe I deserve it. When claims were made against me, no one investigated. The UCI didn’t step in. They didn’t ask for my side. They didn’t doanything, except watch me lose everything I’d worked for. It wasn’t true, and still, it cost me everything, butwhat if it had been true?”
I pause, giving the question a second to breathe. “What if someone had been hurt?” I glance at my dad, who’s still holding the broken chain. He meets my eyes and nods encouragingly. “What if therewasa victim? The UCI didn’t care enough to do anything either way. We don’t havea safety net, and that…” I shake my head. “That should scare the hell out of all of us.”
I glance around, finding everyone who holds a piece of me, then turn back to the camera. “This sport gave me everything. It made me who I am, and I love it enough to say this.We need to do better.Every rider out here, every kid dreaming of being one of us, deserves a system that protects them. Not one that buries them the second something goes wrong.”
I hadn’t realized how much the crowd had quietened until now. Taking a deep breath, I hold it in my lungs as the crowd erupts, but it’s not just cheers this time.
It’s agreement. It’shope.
Exhaling heavily, I reach my hands out, and they come easily, like I knew they would. Luc slides in, curling an arm around my waist with a grin, and Alaina steps in on the other side, tucking in close, her hand finding the small of my back. I grip them both, then lift my chin and nod at Greer to join in. He steps behind Alaina and rests a hand on her hip, the other curling gently on my shoulder.
“This sport isn’t supposed to be a team sport.” I glance toward my dad again, now flanked by Otis, Dane, and Piper, with Toulouse on her shoulder, all of them smiling at me. “But the best people make it one.”
EPILOGUE PART ONE
FOUR MONTHS LATER
Alaina
I slam the controller down on the couch and throw my arms up like I just won the fucking Olympics. “You loser!”
Luc groans from the other end of the sofa, flopping back in theatrical agony. “Merde, you cheat.”
“Oh, come on.” I grin and collapse sideways into the cushions. “You say that every time I beat you.”
“Because it’s true every time,” he grumbles, but that smirk is tugging at his lips anyway.
The crutch that was leaning on the couch falls to the floor with a clatter, thanks to all the movement, but I don’t need it anymore.
