Page 89 of Bend

Thorne shifts his weight and looks back at Andre, excitement still there even if he’s trying harder than the others to act normal. “What exactly are we riding?”

“Bikes will be waiting for us. Specs, setup sheets, everything you need will be sent over today.” Andre taps the folder against his palm. “We’ll have limited time once we land, so nobody’s treating this like some vacation.”

His eyes move straight to Revel.

Revel slowly puts a hand to his chest. “Why the fuck are you looking at me like I’ve already done something?”

Andre gives him a look. “Because I’ve met you.”

A few of the guys laugh.

Revel shakes his head. “That’s profiling.”

“Accurate profiling,” Wolfe says from behind me.

Revel points at him. “See, normally I’d tell you to get fucked, but it’s basically your birthday, so I’m choosing maturity.”

Wolfe nods solemnly. “Very big of you.”

“Thank you. I’m growing.”

Talon snorts. “Debatable.”

Revel looks offended. “Why is everyone attacking me today?”

Andre shakes his head.

“Listen to me, because I’m only saying this once.”

That gets everybody quiet.

“The TT is not one of our normal weekends. You fuck up on a circuit, you usually have runoff, gravel, barriers designed to absorb impact. Over there, you’ve got stone walls, buildings, trees, curbs and roads that were never built for racing.”

The excitement in the room settles slightly.

Not gone, just sharpened.

Andre looks around the group.

“It is one of the most dangerous races in the world. I know every single one of you likes risk. It’s basically a fucking prerequisite for this team. But I need your heads screwed on straight for this.”

Talon nods first.

Andre continues. “No stupid shit. No trying to impress each other, or turning practice into a dick-measuring contest. You learn the course. You listen to the people who know it, respect the conditions, and if something feels wrong with the bike, you fucking say something.”

His eyes move to me.

“Which brings me to you.”

I blink. “Why does that sound threatening?”

A couple of the guys laugh.

Andre doesn’t.

“I want you coming with us.”

My brows lift.