Dane is sick as shit. Coughing like he swallowed gravel. Once I realized what was happening, I shoved him into the back of the bus like a plague rat because I can’t get sick too. Not now, and not with my lungs.
Pain, I can handle.But colds?
No.
They sink into my chest and tear me down from the inside out. Breathing, let alone riding, becomes impossible, and I’m already hanging on by a thread thanks to my hip pain.
Yes, I finished in second place yesterday, but Luc coming in fourth screwed with the overall points, and now Raine is leading the standings.
And I fucking hate it.
She shakes her head, offering a sympathetic smile. “No, I’m sorry. We don’t carry that here.”
Of course you fucking don’t.
“Is there a pharmacy nearby?” I ask through gritted teeth, trying not to snap at her as she opens her mouth to give me the answer I’m braced for.
“The closest is in the next town over. Maybe twenty kilometers. It’s a small area here,” she says, like I haven’t noticed we’re surrounded by trees, goats, and fucking nothing.
“Right. Thanks.”
I stomp away from her, already planning the most efficient way to drive our monster of a bus through a bunch of tiny, winding Polish village roads without killing myself or someone else when a hand lands on my shoulder, drawing me to a halt. I freeze, heart leaping into my throat.
“Hey, you okay? What was that about medicine?”
I relax at Finn’s voice, but step back so his hand falls away. His backpack is on, and he looks as ready to hit the road as the rest of the circuit, all buzzing around in the lobby of the hotel. Concern is etched into the furrow of his brow, though, and those stupidly perceptive blue eyes are scanning me from head to toe.
“I’m fine,” I snap, turning my frazzled nerves on him. “Dane has a cold.”
His frown deepens. “Want me to?—”
“No.” I cut him off. “It’s fine. I’ll grab some stuff on the way over. See you in Austria.”
I turn away from his concern before I do something dumb, like lean into that steady presence of his and let myself need someone. That can’t end well for any of us.
Ducking into the bus, I take one last deep, germ-free breath before I grab a bottle of water from the refrigerator and head straight for the back.
Dane is already passed out, snoring with his mouth open and one hand curled under his cheek like a kid. It makes my chest ache that I’ve come back with nothing for him.
We always took care of each other when we were sick, with soup, movies, and matching flu meds. No big deal. But we’re not home in Snowshoe anymore, and I can’t afford to show any cracks, not even little ones.
I leave the water bottle by his bunk and don’t let myself breathe again until I’m back at the front of the bus. Sliding into the driver’s seat, I jam the key in and twist, and the engine rumbles to life beneath me, the vibration climbing straight through my bones.
Eight hours to Leogang, Austria. Just me, my bad mood, and a thriving colony of bus germs.
Let’s fucking go.
I punch the gas and make it roughly one hundred yards before Finn steps right into my path.
“Jesus!” I slam on the brakes, my heart ricocheting off my ribs.
He grins, entirely unbothered by his near death by bus, and lifts a hand to point at the side door.
I stare at him through the windshield for a full beat before groaning and hitting the switch. I’m already halfway to snapping,What do you want?when Finn climbs on with that same grin still on his face.
“I know I’m beyond my prime, but you didn’t need to try and euthanize me.”
My laugh slips out before I can stop it. Sharp, startled, and way too feminine.
