Page 89 of Rogue Riders Duet

Piper catches my eye from the side, a little too knowing. “You noticed how much attention he pays to you?”

“He doesn’t like me. He doesn’t even know me,” I argue, too fast, even though my stomach flips.

“No?” she asks. “Could’ve fooled me. He practically ran after you mid-conversation this morning.”

I roll onto my side. “He’s just weird.”

Piper grins. “Weird and obsessed.”

I have nothing to say to that because some part of me wants to believe it, but a bigger part of me knows it’s a very bad thing if it’s true.

“Well, your legs might not kill you now.” Piper wipes her hands on a towel. “For at least twenty-four hours.”

I sigh heavily. “Bless you.”

She grins, cocking her head. “So. Are you gonna put him out of his misery anytime soon?”

“Who?”

She gives me a look. “Delacroix.”

“Piper.” I laugh. “He still thinks I’m a guy.”

Her eyebrows go up before she chuckles. “Even better. No wonder he’s losing his shit. You’ve really messed with his head, and it was already pretty fucked.”

“Anyway.” I sit up slowly, sore in about sixteen places. “You said you’re kind of a doctor too, right?”

“On-hold pit medic, yeah,” she says, tossing the towel aside. “Not a real doctor-doctor, but for cuts, bruises, hydration, and panicked mechanics with finger sprains? I’m your girl. Why?”

I pull my hoodie down with a wince. “You know anything about sinus infections? Dane gets them sometimes, and I think the cold he has might be more than that now. The cough is gross, and he’s sleeping like crap, but he looks feverish like he did when he last had one, and I really can’t afford to get infected right now.”

“Oh, sinus infection?” She nods. “I’ve got some stuff. I’ll walk over with you. Consider it a house call.” She holds up a finger like one sec, disappears behind a curtain, and returns a moment later with a small black bag slung over her shoulder.

We step out into the night together, and I catch the once-over she gives the school bus, probably taking in the faded paint, how one wheel is chocked with a rock, and the white CREWS decal on the side that is peeling at the corners.

It looks like a rusted-out joke compared to the gleaming setup we just left.

Home sweet home.

The bus is quiet when we climb in, the air stale with hints of leftover soup, used tissues, and travel.

Piper glances around. “Where’s the patient?”

I usher her toward him, and Dane sits up from his bunk, wrapped in a blanket like a grumpy goblin. His eyes squint between us.

“What the fuck,” he rasps.

“She’s my physio,” I explain quickly, and Piper flashes a grin.

“Hey, I’m Piper. Nice to meet you, Dane.”

He looks at me with an expression that says, “Are you serious right now?” I just shrug back like, yep.

“Don’t worry, I’m just here to make you feel a little better,” Piper adds, settling her kit on the small table. “You know, you’re kind of the reason I got into downhill mountain biking.”

Dane blinks in confusion, as if he doesn’t even know who he is. “Me?”

“Yeah.” She cracks open a small container and starts mixing something. “When you were in your prime, I watched every single race while I was doing my training to become a physio. You were it. You made it look like flying. So damn cool.”