Page 90 of Reckless: Chaos

“She would have liked you,” he says suddenly. “Would have appreciated how you drive Ryker crazy with your security breaches and give Finn grey hairs with your reckless coding.”

“Sounds like we would have gotten along dangerously well.”

“That’s what scares me.” He turns to face me fully, and the intensity in his eyes pins me in place. “Having someone else I can’t bear to lose. Someone else who makes me want to burn the world down to keep them safe.”

My ribs seem to compress with each breath, lungs struggling against an invisible weight that makes swallowing difficult. My heart hammers against bone like it’s trying to escape before I have to speak the words we both know are coming. “Jinx...”

“Just...” His hand lifts to the beanie, adjusting it with gentle fingers. “Promise me one thing?”

“What?”

“When you go,” because of course he knows, of course he sees it coming, “take this with you. Let it do its job.”

“Jinx...” But what can I say? What words could possibly fill this void between what I have to do and what it will cost?

“When she died,” he continues, voice dropping to something raw, “I held her. Watched the light fade while she tried to make stupid jokes about my crazy eyes. Said at least the blood matched her nail polish.” His laugh sounds like shattering. “She was still trying to make me smile, even then. Still trying to protect me.”

The parallel hits like a knife—how many times have I used humor to deflect their concern? How many times have I joked about getting shot?

“When Theo carried you in,” his hands clench at the memory, “all I could see was Emma. All that blood, the way you were so still...” He shudders. “I couldn’t... couldn’t be the one to carry you. Couldn’t hold another person I lo— another person while they bled out.”

“But I didn’t.” I step closer, letting him feel my presence, my warmth. “I’m right here.”

“For now.” His eyes meet mine, holding centuries of loss. “Until you decide it’s time to play hero. To throw yourself in front of whatever bullet you think has your name on it.”

“That’s not?—”

“It is.” He touches the beanie again, so gentle for someone capable of such violence. “And the worst part? I understand. Emma would have done the same thing. Would have made the same choice, over and over.”

Something cracks beneath my sternum at his tone—not accusation or anger, but a quiet understanding that burns worse than any rage. My throat constricts as his eyes meet mine, that same feral intelligence that once terrified me now reflecting back a truth neither of us can escape.

“I won’t let her legacy die,” I whisper, meaning both Emma and the piece of himself he’s trusted me with. “I promise.”

“Know what’s really fucked up?” His laugh holds that edge of mania I recognize too well. “Sometimes I think Emma wouldhave loved all this. The virus, the codes, the way you turn chaos into protection. She would have been right there with you, calculating odds and finding solutions.”

“She sounds amazing.”

“She was.” He touches the beanie, a gesture so gentle it seems impossible from hands capable of such violence. “Which is why you should know something.”

“What’s that?”

His smile turns feral, that beautiful disaster I’ve come to trust showing its teeth. “The thing about chaos? It’s not just destruction. It’s also infinite possibility.” His eyes gleam with that dangerous light that earned him the name psycho squad. “And I’ve learned exactly how much destruction I’m capable of when protecting what’s mine.”

The temperature between us drops ten degrees as his voice lowers to a register that makes the hair on my arms stand at attention. Each syllable drops with precision of a predator testing the air, his pupils consuming the amber until only black remains. This isn’t Jinx being comforting. This is Jinx making a promise written in blood and violence.

“Anyone who threatens my pack,” he continues, voice dropping to that place where mania meets precision, “anyone who makes us feel helpless while betas die...” His grin turns sharp enough to draw blood. “Well, let’s just say Emma taught me how to channel chaos. But you? You’ve taught me how to weaponize it.”

The weight of his words settles like lead in my chest. Because this isn’t just Jinx being protective. This is him declaring war on anyone who would hurt his family.

And god help Sterling when Jinx finally gets his chance for vengeance.

Chapter 20

Cayenne

Minor chords seepthrough plaster and wood, vibrating in my bones before reaching my ears. Each haunting note of Chopin carries invisible spores of melancholy that colonize every corner of the mansion, multiplying in strength until even the air tastes of impending tragedy.

I find him in his music room, where afternoon light paints constellations through leaded glass. His fingers create warfare on ivory keys—beauty and violence wrapped in perfect precision. The contrast strikes me as appropriate, considering what I’m here to do.

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