average human’s Reviews > Twisted Trails > Status Update

I blink after him, confused and a little annoyed.
Sir. Why are you leaving me alone with a brooding Frenchman?
He’s our boyfriend. This is a group project.
I turn back to Luc, who is now full-on pouting, stormy expression still locked in place, but with the unmistakable pushed-out lower lip.
“What’s with you?” I ask, folding my arms.

I turn to see that Luc looks like someone just insulted his rat, his baguette, and his mother in one sentence.
Mason clocks the mood shift and clears his throat. “I’m gonna finish the track walk with Greer and the juniors. Might get some local intel. This is his mountain, after all.”
And then he just walks off.

Alaina
“I’m not gonna do it,” Dane snaps.
I never thought this would be my brother’s line, but here we are.
My unwrapped fingers shake as I wave the duct tape at him with a glare. “Well, I can’t fucking do it myself.”

Racers and their teams are scattered along the track, but there are also girlfriends, coaches, and trail dogs. Track walks are open to anyone a rider wants to bring along, so it’s packed.
Luc smirks, mischievous and completely unbothered. “Yes, here,” he insists, leaning in and stealing a lightning-fast kiss from my lips.

Alaina
The door to Luc’s hotel room closes behind us with a final, decisive snap.
Mason leans back against the doorframe, eyes closed, exhaling like the weight of the day’s bullshit finally caught up with him, but he just realized it’s only morning. “I’m so done with this circuit shit.”

His cock slips from my mouth with a wet sound. “You like that?” I ask, glancing up at him, and the look on his face makes my cock twitch. He’s wrecked, and we’ve barely started. He answers with a broken little mewl that sends heat shooting straight through me.

Luc
Kitchen? Empty. Hallway? No sign.
I even peeked into the laundry room, just in case Payne talked Petite into something weird involving soap and wrenches, but I still can’t find them.
“Where the fuck?”
A soft clink of tools comes from outside.
Bingo.
I head out the front door, and there they are.

Mason Payne is a horrible distraction.
He’s got that whole brooding thing going on, arms crossed, jaw tense, eyes fixed on the space where Dane and Alaina just finished their “so here’s why we lied to everyone” speech.
My brain should be catching up, cataloging all the shit they just dropped on us—revenge arcs, fake identities, sabotaged careers—but instead,

And what did I do when it was my turn to prove it?
I let her walk away thinking she was a mistake—my mistake.
She’s right.
It’s not about what I tell her, it’s about what I do next, and about standing tall, even if it costs me everything. Even if she never forgives me.

“I’m not here to fight,” Dad sighs. “Let’s just round this up. Get your stuff. We’ll catch the jet.”
I blink. “What?”
“I’ll take you back with me,” he says, glancing at my cast like it offends him. “You need a hand specialist. Not a tiny hospital in the middle of nowhere run by mountain people. Even the cast looks wonky.”