The smell of eggs, bacon, and something vaguely resembling toast filled the apartment as Erin sat at the kitchen island, watching Dax move.

He was calm. Focused. Not saying much. But that was just Dax. He wasn't the type to push for answers until you were ready to give them. And that's what made it worse.

Because Erin wasn't sure if she was ready at all. She ran her fingers along the rim of her coffee mug, trying to steady her thoughts.

"How long are you gonna pretend you're okay?" The question caught her off guard.

She looked up, but Dax wasn't even facing her. He was flipping the bacon, his voice casual, but direct.

Erin sighed, leaning her elbows on the counter. "I'm not pretending."

Dax glanced at her. "You're not talking either."

Erin exhaled through her nose, gripping her mug a little tighter. "You really wanna know?" she asked, finally meeting his gaze.

Dax didn't hesitate. "Yeah. I do."

She let out a slow breath. "Ghost told me Jamie's race was a setup."

Dax stilled, spatula hovering over the pan.

Erin continued before she could stop herself. "He said Jamie wasn't supposed to win. That someone put money on it, more than just street betting. That it was bigger."

Dax slowly set the spatula down. "And you believe him?"

Erin hesitated. "I don't know. I don't want to. But... if it's true..." She swallowed, her voice barely above a whisper. "Then Jamie didn't just die because he made a mistake. Someone made sure he did."

Dax's jaw tightened, his hands gripping the counter. "And you think Ghost has the rest of the answers?"

Erin nodded.

Dax didn't say anything for a long moment. He turned the stove off and placed the plate of food in front of her.

Erin blinked. "That's it?"

Dax shrugged, pouring himself more coffee. "You need to eat."

She stared at him. "I just told you my brother might have been murdered, and you're worried about breakfast?"

Dax leaned on the counter, crossing his arms. "You haven't slept. You haven't eaten. You're running on fumes, Ace. I'm not gonna let you crash while trying to figure this out."

Erin swallowed the lump in her throat.

Because this was Dax. He didn't do big speeches. He didn't demand anything from her. He just made sure she had a place to land.

She picked up her fork, taking a bite of the bacon. It was... actually decent.

Dax smirked. "Not bad, huh?"

Erin rolled her eyes but kept eating.

For a few minutes, it was quiet, just the sound of silverware and coffee mugs hitting the counter.

Then Dax exhaled. "Look. I don't trust Ghost. And I don't like that you're chasing this alone."

Erin set her fork down, looking at him. "I'm not asking you to get involved."

Dax let out a humourless laugh. "You really think I'm not already involved? You disappeared with the one guy I'd punch in the face without thinking twice. And now you're sitting here telling me Jamie's death wasn't just an accident. So yeah, Erin, I'm already in this."

Erin chewed the inside of her cheek. "So what now?"

Dax leaned forward. "Now? We find out the truth."

She raised an eyebrow. "We?"

Dax smirked slightly. "Like hell I'm letting you do this on your own."

Something inside Erin unclenched just a little. The weight on Erin's chest eased, just a little. For the first time since she got on Ghost's bike, since she ignored Dax's call, since she heard the words "Jamie wasn't supposed to win", she finally felt steady again.

Because Dax was in this with her. And if there was one person in the world she trusted to keep her from spinning out completely, it was him.

She pushed the last bite of breakfast around on her plate, exhaling softly.

Dax leaned back in his chair, watching her carefully, but not pushing. He still wasn't demanding answers. He was just waiting.

That was what made Erin break the silence first. "I don't know where to start," she admitted.

Dax took a slow sip of his coffee. "You already did."

She scoffed. "How? By vanishing for a night and coming back looking like a ghost myself?"

"By coming back at all."

Erin looked up at him, meeting his steady gaze.

Dax wasn't mad. He wasn't throwing accusations or saying "I told you so." He was just making it clear that whatever happened next, he was here. That was all she needed.

Dax set his coffee down, crossing his arms over the counter. "So what's the next move?"

Erin rubbed her temples, sighing. "I don't know. Ghost won't give me everything at once. He's holding back. But if I push too hard, he'll shut me out completely."

Dax nodded slowly. "Then we take this one step at a time. But..." His voice dipped lower, more serious. "There's a line, Erin. A hard one."

She frowned. "What line?"

"You don't disappear again."

Her breath caught.

Dax's eyes locked onto hers, unwavering. "If you're chasing this, you tell me. No more vanishing acts. No more unanswered calls. I don't care how deep you go into this, I'm going with you." His voice wasn't angry, wasn't demanding, but it was final. Like this was the only non-negotiable term in all of this.

She couldn't argue. She didn't want to do this alone anymore. She simply nodded. "Okay. No more disappearing."

Dax exhaled through his nose. "Good." Then, after a pause, "and I'm still gonna punch Ghost at some point."

Erin snorted, shaking her head. "Of course you are."

Dax smirked. "Just making sure that's clear."

Dax finally finished off his coffee, setting the empty mug down with a dull clink. "Alright. We've got two options. We either keep waiting for Ghost to drop breadcrumbs, or we take a shortcut."

Erin raised an eyebrow. "What shortcut?"

Dax smirked slightly. "Kane."

Erin stalled. "You really think Kane knows anything?"

"He's got connections. And he's not the type to get involved unless there's money in it. If someone was paying big for Jamie's race, Kane might know who was moving money back then."

Erin tapped her fingers against the counter. It was risky. "He won't give us that kind of info for free," she muttered.

Dax nodded. "Probably not. But he likes you."

Erin rolled her eyes. "Not this again."

"I'm just saying. You might be able to get him talking without tipping him off that we're digging."

She sighed, rubbing a hand over her face. "Fine. Kane's an option. But I'm not making promises."

Dax shrugged. "Just putting it on the table."

She exhaled, staring at her empty coffee mug. There was so much to unravel. At least now, she wasn't standing at the starting line alone. She glanced up at Dax, catching him watching her again. She smirked slightly. "So... are we actually working today or what?"

Dax smirked back. "You mean after you ran off for 24 hours and gave me a heart attack?"

"Don't be dramatic, Carter."

"Not dramatic. Just factual."

She laughed for the first time in two days. That felt like a small win.