Eli nods. "Good girl. I'll make sure nobody bothers you before the race."
The praise is enough to shock me out of my thoughts. My neck flushes hot but when I look up at Eli, his face gives nothing away. "Why are you helping me?"
He looks up from adjusting the cap on the bottle, eyes meeting mine. "Because you earned it."
"How? By lying to everyone?"
His lips curve into a rare half-smile. "By getting in that boat every day knowing what could happen. By pushing us harder than any coxswain ever has." He shrugs one shoulder. "That takes guts."
"So it's respect, then?"
"That." He pauses, looking almost uncomfortable. "And maybe I give a damn about what happens to you. Beyond the boat."
The simple admission warms something in my chest that has nothing to do with failing suppressants.
"Thank you," I say softly.
He nods once, then glances toward the boathouse. "Team meeting in ten minutes. Strategy for finals."
"I'll be there."
As he walks away, I take a deep breath, steadying myself for what comes next. Three more hours. One race. Then whatever happens, happens.
I can do this. I have to.
For the team. For myself. For everything I've worked toward.
chapter TWENTY-FOUR
Jackson
Iknow what'shappening before anyone else.
The scent hits me as we prepare for finals. What was subtle during our qualifying heat has intensified, like sunshine warming honey, barely masked beneath the failing clinical suppressants. It threads through the air around Reese as she reviews race strategy with Gray and the coaches.
My body recognizes it before my brain does, muscles tensing involuntarily, pulse quickening in response. I move away, putting distance between us, fighting against instincts honed through years of painful experience.
Not again. Not here.
Eli catches my abrupt retreat, his analytical gaze tracking between me and Reese with quick understanding. He crosses to me, voice low.
"You detected it?"
I nod once, jaw clenched tight. "How long?"
"Tyler's emergency injection is breaking down faster than calculated. Full breakthrough within the hour. Potentially during the race."
"She shouldn't be in the boat." The words come out harsh and cruel before I can stop them.
"She's the reason we're in finals."
"She's also about to trigger eight Alphas in the middle of the most important race of the season." I grab my water bottle, crushing it slightly in my grip. "After what happened at Hampton Hills—"
"This isn't Hampton Hills." Eli's voice stays measured, reasonable. "And Reese isn't Meredith."
"Don't."
"You brought it up."
