Page 44 of Reckless: Corruption

“I learned from the best.” His smile carries warmth despite the sheen of sweat now visible at his temples.

I move my king out of danger, turning my attention back to the code. “So what are we looking for in Sterling’s servers anyway?”

“Everything.” His voice hardens. “Research data. Test subjects. The full composition of the virus he infected you with.”

“Mona doesn’t know?”

“She knows components.” He makes another move, his focus split between games. “But Sterling compartmentalizes everything. No one person has the full picture except him.”

“Smart.” I tap a sequence into his laptop. “Evil, but smart.”

“Like father, like daughter.” He catches himself. “Sorry, that was?—”

“Accurate.” I keep typing. “Though I’d like to think I use my powers for slightly less genocidal purposes.”

A laugh escapes him, genuine despite the strain around his eyes. “Like rick-rolling government agencies?”

“That was one time.” But I’m grinning now. The fever still simmers under my skin, but my mind feels clearer than it has in days. “God, I need to do something. Anything. I’m going stir crazy.”

“We could always go cliff diving.” He says it casually, but I catch the spark in his eyes as he captures one of my pawns. “That spot up at Lake Morrison is perfect this time of year.”

“Seriously? I can barely walk to the bathroom without help.”

“Not now, obviously.” He shifts, adjusting his position like he’s trying to get comfortable in his own skin. “But soon. When you’re stronger. When we’re both...” He trails off, catching his slip.

“Both what, Finn?”

“Nothing.” But there’s sweat beading at his temples now, his moves in the chess game becoming less precise. “Just thinking about that jump. The free fall. Nothing else quite like it.”

“Except maybe certain activities in barns?” I bump his shoulder, trying to lighten the moment.

His laugh turns into something that might be a cough if he didn’t master it so quickly. “That was... a very good day.”

“That seems like forever ago.” I make a bold move with my queen, taking his knight despite the risk. “The barn, the jump, everything. Back when I thought being brave meant doing the craziest thing possible.”

“And now?” He counters my queen, his hand steady through what must be pure determination.

“Now I think maybe being brave means staying. Trusting. All the things that terrify me more than any free fall.”

He’s quiet for a moment, fingers hovering over a bishop. “You know what I think about when I jump?”

“Besides holy shit, this is awesome?”

A smile tugs at his mouth. “That moment right before. When everything in your body screams that this is insane, that you should step back. But you jump anyway.” His voice drops. “Because sometimes the scariest things are exactly what we need.”

“Like trusting crazy pack and their artistic omega?”

“Like trusting yourself enough to let others catch you.”

The honesty in his voice makes my chest ache. Here’s Finn, the guy who calculates risk for fun, who jumps out of planes and off cliffs, telling me it’s okay to be scared of the emotional free fall.

“I really fucked up, didn’t I?”

“We all did.” He leans his head back, eyes closing briefly. “But you came back. That’s what matters.”

“Because you came for me.”

“Always will.” The words come out perfectly articulated, like he’s focusing on each syllable. “Pack means... nobody falls alone.”

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