Page 14 of Reckless Consequences

As I move through the aisles, I find myself thinking about what each pack member would suggest.

Finn would calculate exact caloric needs, probably lecturing about electrolyte balance. Theo would insist on something with actual nutritional value. Jinx would grab the spiciest snacks available just to watch everyone suffer. Ryker would focus on practical supplies, probably adding a flashlight and multitool.

The casualness of these thoughts catches me off guard. When did they become so integrated into my thinking? The realization sends a jolt through me—I’m not just thinking about them. I’m thinking like them. Their perspectives have become part of me.

I grab a flashlight and a cheap multitool, Ryker’s influence guiding my hand. My body moves through the store following patterns they’ve established in me.

I drop cash on the counter, not bothering to wait for change. Outside, I survey the parking lot. Three vehicles—a rusted pickup, an SUV with a car seat visible, and a nondescript sedan parked at the far end.

The sedan it is. Old enough that it likely lacks sophisticated anti-theft systems, new enough that it might make it twenty miles.

Hotwiring a car is surprisingly similar to hacking—identify the vulnerabilities, bypass the standard protocols. Jinx taught me during one of our late-night survival skill sessions, his hands guiding mine beneath the steering column. The memory of his touch sends an unexpected flush of heat through me.

“Pressure, not force,” I hear his voice in my head as I strip the wires. “You’re seducing the engine, not assaulting it.”

When the car roars to life, I feel a surge of pride. “You’d be impressed, Jinx,” I murmur to the empty seat.

The highway stretches empty before me, painted gold by the rising sun. I press the accelerator, feeling a new urgency now. Not just the need to reach Finn with the booster, but something more primal—the pull of Jinx’s bond growing stronger as Sterling’s genetic influence wanes.

My skin feels electric, hypersensitive. The claiming mark on my neck pulsates, sending waves of warmth cascading down my spine and pooling low in my belly.

Through his connection, I catch impressions of the others with startling clarity. Theo’s presence registers as a distant warmth. Finn’s condition comes through in alarming pulses—moments of clarity followed by stretches of nothing.

And Ryker... Ryker isn’t stationary at the cabin as I’d expected, but moving, tracking, hunting. The realization hits me—he isn’t waiting. He’s coming for me.

My heart rate spikes dramatically. A rush of heat floods my system, followed by a wave of dizzying arousal. Despite everything—my secrets, my departure, my mistakes—they’re still coming for me. This isn’t just about Finn’s booster. This is about me. About them not letting me go. My throat tightens, eyes burning with tears.

The thought is so distracting that I almost miss the warning signs from the car—the shudder beneath my hands, the concerning rattle from beneath the hood. Ten miles from the cabin, the engine makes a sound no functioning machine should ever make, followed by smoke.

“No, no, no...” I coax the dying vehicle, but it’s a lost cause. The sedan limps to the shoulder before giving up entirely, leaving me stranded on an empty forest road.

I slam my palm against the steering wheel. Finn needs the booster now, not after a ten-mile hike. I grab my makeshift pack and step out, ready to start walking.

That’s when I hear it—the distinctive growl of a motorcycle engine, approaching fast. The sound triggers my fight-or-flight response before conscious recognition. I melt into the treeline, hand reaching for my gun. The engine sound grows louder, then cuts abruptly.

Silence.

“Cayenne.” A single word, carrying command and relief in equal measure.

My body reacts before my mind can process—heart racing, skin flushing, a rush of moisture between my thighs. The claiming mark on my neck blazes like a brand suddenly pressed to skin.

Ryker stands beside his bike in tactical gear. His scent—cedar and steel—hits me with new intensity, making my knees weak. He smells like safety and danger wrapped together.

His eyes lock onto mine through the trees, finding me despite my attempted concealment. My pupils dilate rapidly, every detail of him suddenly in high definition—the tension in his shoulders, the barely contained relief in his stance.

“How did you find me?” I step out from the treeline, voice emerging rough and unfamiliar.

He taps his neck, where Jinx’s claiming mark sits. “I followed your bond through Jinx.” Simple words, complex implications. He moves closer, each step deliberate. “It’s been... changing. Getting stronger.”

Every step he takes ignites nerve endings across my skin. The space between us feels charged. My fingers tingle with the need to reach for him, to verify through touch that he’s actually here.

“Mona gave me a genetic blocker,” I explain, fighting to maintain rational thought. “It suppresses Sterling’s markers.”

“Where is she?”

“With Aria. Omega Guardians is providing lab space to synthesize more booster doses and develop a beta vaccine.” I reach into my pocket, pulling out the specialized case. “I have one dose. For Finn.”

Something shifts in Ryker’s expression—the tactical assessment softening. “You’re hurt.”

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