Page 279 of Rogue Riders Duet

A quick glance toward Dane’s bunk across from mine tells me I’m still alone, and I lift my head and scan the rest of the bus.

It’s quiet, and apparently, no one else is inside.

No wonder.

I spent all of yesterday being a fucking menace, snapping at anyone who got too close, shutting down every attempt at conversation. I didn’t even go out for dinner with everybody else.

I had a call with my therapist, which helped a little, but I didn’t tell her about the problem, so after that, I just lay here, staring at the ceiling like it had answers, thinking about all the creative, stupid ways I could make my fingers work again.

Duct tape. That one kept coming back. Just tape my damn hand to the handlebar and force it to hold. Would that work? Maybe. Would it kill me on the way down the mountain? Also maybe.

I didn’t sleep much. Dane stayed in Piper’s hotel room last night because I practically shoved him out the door. I told him I needed space and that they needed time together. I meant it, but being alone in this bus, left alone with my thoughts and the weight of everything I can’t fix didn’t help. If anything, it just gave the spiral more room to breathe.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

This time it’s sharper. More urgent.

“I’m gonna rip his fucking head off,” I mutter, shoving the blanket off. But when I slam the heel of my hand into the door switch and it hisses open, it’s not Finn standing there.

It’s Mason.

Startled, I automatically reach up to shove my messy bed hair back. “Hey. What are you doing here?”

Shit.

He’s holding two water bottles, and one of his brows lifts slightly. “I was gonna ask… wait, were you still sleeping?”

I blush, ridiculously aware of how sloppy I must look. “Yeah, come in.”

Mason steps up into the bus, ducking slightly through the door before he sets the water bottles down on the table.

“Sorry,” I say, rubbing my face. “What time is it?”

He glances at his watch. “Little after ten.”

I groan and squeeze my eyes shut for a second. “Great.”

He steps toward me with narrowed eyes. “Why didn’t you sleep last night?”

Of course, he knows that without me outright saying it.

I shrug, keeping it light. “I don’t know. Just being back on the bus, I guess. There’s a lot going on.”

I don’t tell him about the panic curling around my ribs when I try to think about racing with these busted fingers, or about how Luc, Dane, and Piper all look at me like I might break in two.

Mason’s gaze drops to my hand. “Are you hurting?”

“No,” I say quickly. “No, I’m not. At least when I stay on top of the pills, it’s just…” I hesitate, then smile weakly. “I think I got spoiled sleeping next to someone.”

His eyes flick over to Dane’s bunk. “Didn’t he sleep here?”

“He was with Piper.” I force a shrug. “Maybe he’ll be back tonight. It’s fine.”

Mason’s jaw ticks. “It’s not fine when you can’t sleep. I’m sure Luc would let you sleep with him in his hotel room.”

“He probably would.” I look down at my fingers, flexing them gently. “But honestly, I don’t want to mess with his routine. Or distract him. He’s got his own prep to focus on, and I already feel like I’m too much.”

Mason lets out a breath, half-sigh, half-huff. “Luc doesn’t think like that. Trust me. Ask him. I’m sure he’d say yes in a heartbeat. But…” He hesitates, and I glance up just as he shifts his weight, nervous in a way Mason rarely is.