Page 74 of Reckless: Chaos

“About Sterling being my father, or about his quantum tracking program?”

“Both.” His thumb traces patterns on my scalp that make thinking difficult. “The facility on Thirteenth Street changes things.”

I hum noncommittally, trying not to lean into his touch like a cat. “Running out of safe houses?”

“Running out of patience.” The admission carries weight. “Watching you get shot once was enough.”

“Pretty sure that was my line.”

His other hand finds mine, still clutching Jinx’s beanie. “You’re wearing his mark, you know.”

“What?”

“The hat.” His fingers brush over the emerald wool. “Jinx doesn’t make these for just anyone. Hasn’t made one since his sister.”

The revelation hits harder than it should. “I didn’t know he had a sister.”

“Doesn’t anymore.” His voice carries old pain. “That’s his story to tell. But the point is, you’re not just some assignment to us, Cayenne. Not just someone to protect.”

God, he’s making this so much harder.

“What am I then?”

His forehead touches mine, breath ghosting across my lips. “Everything.”

“Everything,” he says, but then laughs softly. “Which is ironic, considering how much I hated you at first.”

“Oh?” I pull back just enough to see his face, though his hand in my hair makes retreat difficult. “Do tell.”

“You were chaos incarnate. This wild card thrust into my perfectly ordered pack.” His thumb traces my jaw. “I hadeverything figured out. The feral alpha I could channel, the steady beta who kept us grounded, our omega who gave us purpose. A perfect machine.”

“Sounds boring.”

“Sounds safe.” But his smile holds self-deprecation. “Then you blew in with your hack-first-ask-questions-later attitude and completely disrupted my system.”

“That’s kind of my specialty.”

“Then Jinx marked you.” His voice drops, something possessive threading through it. “Didn’t even ask. Just claimed you like he had the right.”

“You saying he didn’t?”

“I’m saying...” His thumb traces my jaw, contradiction in every touch. “I’m saying you were supposed to be an assignment. A problem to solve. Something to fix and send on your way.”

“And now?”

“Now you’re embedded in our code. Part of our system.” His laugh holds no humor. “I hated that at first. Hated how Jinx marked you without thought, without considering the complications. Hated how naturally you fit.”

“Into your perfect pack of broken men?”

“We didn’t think we needed anyone else.” The admission costs him something. “Four pieces of a whole. Each fracture lining up just right. Then you came in and showed us all the spaces we didn’t even know were empty.”

“By being a pain in your ass?”

“By being exactly who you are.” His fingers card through my hair. “Fearless. Brilliant. Impossible to control.”

“Most people don’t consider that last one a feature.”

“Most people are idiots.” His voice drops lower. “Do you know how rare it is? Someone who can match Jinx’s chaos, challenge Finn’s mind, inspire Theo’s art?”

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