Page 86 of Reckless: Chaos

“That’s why I’m asking you.” She meets my eyes over the board. “Not Ryker with his protection, or Jinx with his rage, or Theo with his comfort. You. The one who counts cards and calculates odds and knows exactly how this ends.”

I consider my next move carefully—both on the board and in this conversation. “Twenty-three confirmed deaths in the last month. Possibly twice that unreported.”

Her knight takes my bishop. “And how many more while I play house with a pack of overprotective alphas?”

“Hollow Plague.” The name feels heavy on my tongue. “That’s what they’re calling it now. Fitting, considering how it leaves its victims—empty shells of corrupted code and crashed systems.”

“Pretty name for an ugly truth.” She sacrifices another pawn, but I see the trap she’s laying. Three moves ahead, always. “You know what the worst part is?”

“Besides knowing Sterling engineered it specifically to target betas?” I counter her trap with a subtle defense. “Or besides knowing that one hack into Omega Guardian’s systems was enough to compromise everything?”

“Besides knowing that trying to help once—just once—led him straight to them.” Her queen slides into position, threatening my defenses. “I haven’t even touched a keyboard in two months, and people are still dying because of what I did.”

“You’re not him.”

“Aren’t I?” Her laugh holds no humor. “You don’t need to see my code to know I think like him. Calculate like him. The way he designed that tracking program... it’s exactly how I would have done it.”

“But notwhyyou would have done it.” I move my knight to protect my king. “That’s where the real difference lies.”

“Intent doesn’t matter much to the dead.”

“No.” I capture her knight, forcing her to adjust her strategy. “But it matters to those of us watching you carry guilt that isn’t yours to bear.”

Her fingers trace the edge of her queen, considering her next move. Both on the board and off it. “How long before the next death?”

“Statistics suggest 48 hours. Maybe less.”

Her queen takes my rook—a calculated sacrifice I should have seen coming. “Then we both know what I have to do.”

“We also know what we could have.” I move my bishop, opening a path she probably already saw coming. “Theo’s been planning, you know. Has the whole pack hierarchy mapped out.”

The tight line of her mouth softens at the corners, the vertical crease between her eyebrows smoothing as her eyelids lower a fraction. For just a moment, the mask of calculation slips, revealing a glimpse of longing that disappears just as quickly. “Theo plans everything.”

“He does.” I allow myself a small smile. “Did you know he’s already redesigned the basement? Proper office setup, custom security system you’d actually approve of. He has sketches.”

“Of course he does.” But her next move is less aggressive, almost wistful. “Let me guess—he’s got the whole pack dynamic figured out too?”

“Down to the last detail.” I capture another pawn, watching how she adjusts her strategy. “You and Jinx creating beautiful chaos together. Ryker pretending to hate it while secretly loving every minute. Me keeping everyone’s books balanced while Theo makes sure we’re all properly fed.”

“Sounds perfect.” Her smile carries warmth beneath the worry. “Almost too perfect to risk.”

“Nothing worth having comes without risk.” I meet her eyes over the board. “That’s what makes us work—we’re all willing to fight for this. To find a way through this crisis together.”

“Finn...” Her queen hovers over the board, protective rather than uncertain. “We have to find a way that doesn’t lead him to more victims.”

“I’m not making it anything. I’m just stating facts. It’s what I do.” I gesture to the board between us. “Like the fact that you’re three moves from checkmate but you’re letting me close anyway. Like the fact that Theo stress-baked you a whole menu for today.Like the fact that Jinx has been pacing the garage since dawn, probably planning to teach you motorcycle maintenance.”

Her hand trembles slightly as she finally moves her queen. “You really don’t fight fair.”

“No,” I agree softly. “I just count cards and calculate odds and know exactly what we’re all risking. The question is—do you?”

The look she gives me could cut glass. “Now that was fighting dirty.”

“Simply presenting all variables for proper risk assessment.” I move my knight, knowing it’s the wrong play but making it anyway. Sometimes losing a piece gains you the game. “That’s what betas do, isn’t it? Calculate the odds?”

“You forgot one variable.” She takes my knight, exactly as planned. “The cost of being wrong.”

“Did I?” I study her face, catching all the micro-expressions she thinks she’s hiding. “Or did I factor that in along with Theo’s architectural plans and Jinx’s garage lessons and Ryker’s...” I pause deliberately. “Well. Last night’s variables.”

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