WE TOOK OFF IN A flash of light. Bear on my left—Nico on my right. And everyone else trailing behind.

I smirked, wind ripping at my breath. I beat Nico to the holeshot, securing the lead, but not by much.

Potholes littered the track, some hardly visible till the last minute. My heart thrashed in my chest as we took the first bend. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, I thought, following a rut and praying I didn't catch a piece of twisted metal.

Our bikes shrieked as we straightened out—the dark thick.

How the fuck did anyone see? I didn't remember it being this bad.

I kept upright, thighs burning as I fought for balance. The terrain was rough, the track so narrow Nico brushed my side. I crossed my brows. He wasn't letting up, even as the track got smaller and smaller.

My stomach flopped as we dipped down a steep hill. Nico hit my side, fighting for first, like he had something to prove.

I clenched my teeth and pinned it, forcing him behind. I gunned it through a narrow corridor only big enough for one.

The rock sides were high, the mud as thick as the air. One wrong move and I'd tumble, causing a pileup.

The terrain changed again—rockier now, the path leading me up a hill. The track widened—an open invitation for Bear and Nico to fan out. I floored it, taking a few jumps along a straight stretch the moon illuminated in hopes of gaining more of a lead. But Nico wasn't having it.

My brows furrowed. I knew he was talented, but I wasn't expecting him to be this good. The stretch ended—another burning barrel alerting us of a bend, but the fires weren't bright enough. Bear slammed his brakes, avoiding a random tire at the last second.

He disappeared from my peripheral vision. I snapped a glance over my shoulder. He lost control—bike toppling. My heart stopped.

Bear jumped up before the others ran him over—hands up.

I exhaled a pent-up breath, relieved.

Nico and I continued—the former hot on my tail as we took another bend.

I leaned, foot out like I'd been instructed to do a thousand times over, but no amount of training could prepare me for the massive boulder neither of us saw.

I shoved right, knocking Nico out of the way with my shoulder before cutting left.

I grazed the boulder, avoiding it by the skin of my teeth and Nico—

I snapped a look behind.

Nico went over the berm—bike flipping over the top.

Shit. "Nico!"

I cut back around—mud flying and sped around.

Nico stumbled to a stand in the open field, throwing off his helmet.

I dropped my bike, removing my own. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he growled as I sprinted towards him.

I couldn't say the same about his mud-caked clothes. Or the upturned bike discarded at his feet.

Out of breath, he bent, hands on his knees. "What the hell are you doing here?"

I shook my head, slowing to a halt. "I was looking for you."

"Why?"

"Because your family's worried about you."

Nico scoffed.

The other racers veered around the bend, spraying dirt and speeding off.

I waited till the sound of their bikes faded, leaving Nico and I in silence. A part of me wanted to give him shit for his reckless driving, but another part of me was impressed by the fact that he'd managed to keep up with Bear and I. "Why do you race here? I asked. "You don't need to."

"Are you gonna lecture me like Johnny?" He rose, wiping wet dirt from his chin.

"No," I said, taking a seat on a crumbled piece of concrete. "I'm just curious."

He snarled. "Why? What do you care?"

My brows crossed. "I care because you're Nadine's little brother."

He sniffed, and I almost expected him to call down our relationship like everyone else and accuse me of not caring for her. He didn't, to my surprise. He merely tipped his head back, staring at the moon.

"Do you wanna talk?"

He huffed a humourless laugh. "About what?"

"Anything. Maybe we can start with why you held back this season?"

I lifted my brows when he looked at me. Nico was a talented rider who won nearly every season in his division. An up-and-comer, they called him. Just as fast as his dad, but this past summer...

For a minute, he was quiet—breath fogging in front of his face. "What do you want to know, Hunt? Do you want me to tell you that things went to shit after Hama passed? That my dad inherited an entire team, and I got pushed to the back of the training line? Or maybe you wanna know about the rumours and how people are accusing me of sandbagging?"

My head bowed slightly. Sandbagging was a term used when a rider didn't move up in class. They stay because wins are easier, but it doesn't look good on them. "Have you talked to your coach?" I asked.

"I'm sixteen," he reminded. "My dad says I should stay in Schoolboy. I've had sponsors reach out, but they'll only back me if I move up to the 250 class."

My class. And unfortunately, the same class Jace was in.

"It sucks," he hissed. "I get in shit for not trying, but what's the point when I can't excel."

It was a fair question.

"I don't expect you to understand."

"You're right. I don't understand," I said, resting an arm on my knee. "I have a dad who pushes me till I can't walk. I have to show up. No matter what. And if I don't win, I get shit."

Nico was quiet—throat bobbing. "Does your dad train you?"

"He did for the first few years," I answered. "After my mom died, he hired a trainer, a coach, a nutritionist." The list went on and on and on. "My job is to win. He provides me with everything I need to do just that."

Nico's eyes darted over me. "My dad doesn't have time for me. Ever since Hama died, he's been busy. With the business, the track." He shifted, facing me head-on. "When he does come, he only has time with the others. He spreads himself so thin I barely see him." He paused. "I gave up after my sister left for school."

Nico's shoulders tightened. Fists clenched at his side. "I hate them. I hate Jace. I hate how the team covered for him." He pointed to his chest. "My sister has a good heart. She took care of Hama when she was sick, and he fucking..." he trailed off, throwing his arm and cursing at the night.

My heart cracked as Nico broke, yelling and screaming into the void. I understood his anger. I felt it. The betrayal constricting his throat, and the frustration balled in his fists.

He let it all out. Every bit of rage he kept bottled up inside.

Nico's shoulders fell inward. "I trusted him," he said gentler now. "I trusted all of them."

"So did Nadine."

Nico's head snapped—brown eyes glistening with fury. Not at me I hoped. "You're the best racer, you know. I know I'm supposed to hate you, but I don't. I never did."

His blunt remark hit me straight in the chest. "I never hated you either, Nico," I said, and I didn't. I never hated any of them, but I disliked the fact that Nico's family refused to give me a chance because of something my dad did years before I was born.

I waited a moment before asking, "Why did you want the training? With me?"

He shrugged, gazing out toward the nothingness. "Your career is already mapped out. You don't need Nick Baker to get ahead. You have endorsement deals, sponsors..." he trailed off. "You can't use us."

Us.

The truth in his words stung. It was the same thing Nadine said when she jumped out of my truck at Raven's Pass. "They like me for what I can give them." Nico obviously felt the same. He was Nick Baker's son. Nick Baker. The man everyone loved. The man who could change your life, given his and his wife's connections. The same connections as my dad.

"I think you get it," Nico said. "What it's like to live in the shadow of a legend. To not know who to trust. To bear the weight of expectation and feeling like it might crush you at any moment."

I did get it, and it sucked.

"When Johnny told me you went to the house..." he dipped his chin, rubbing the back of his neck. "I thought... I don't know. I wanted to feel like a part of a team again. And I wanted someone who understood. Nothing's been the same since Hama. And after Nadine left, it's gotten worse." He lifted his head. "I miss her. I miss my family."

"I get it," I said. And I did. After my mom died, my dad and I drifted apart. Nothing was the same. Her absence was a cold reminder of the love we lost and the bitter resentment that filled my dad's heart every day after. But at least I had my team: Bear, Morin. Nico's team betrayed him. And Nadine.

Nico smiled as if sensing who captured my thoughts. "She's different with you, you know. Happier. I saw it at the hospital and again in the truck."

"About that."

Nico chuckled. "Seriously, though. Everything with Jace seemed staged. Like she was trying to mould herself into something she wasn't. With you, she's just Nadine."

My heart warmed, appreciating Nico's words.

In the distance, a lone bike growled over the berm, followed by an even angrier cry. "Hunt!"

I smile, recognizing Bear's faint voice as it carried across the track. "We should get out of here," I said, pushing off my makeshift seat. "Before Bear loses his shit."

Nico nodded, exhaling a breath before reaching for the handles of his KTM.

We pushed our bikes up the hill when I said, "So, Heather?"

Nico shook his head, twisting his neck down the vacant track in a poor attempt at hiding his grin. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Mmm hmm." He pushed ahead, crooked wheel squeaking and leaving me to trail behind. "Is it serious?"

"None of your business."

A/N: Nico 😭😭 My heart is so full!

November 8, 2022: Writing update: I'm going to try and upload as many chapters as I can from now till New Years. I just finished edits for Queen of Thieves (an upper YA fantasy novel my agent is looking to pitch to publishers in January!!). This was my very first story on Wattpad. It started as a Robin Hood fanfic and after several rewrites it became something else. Im so nervously excited! After that I need to get started on the next project. Im trying to decide if I want to start a new fantasy project that's been living in my head rent free for the last five years or if I wanna edit Snowcrossed and pitch it to my agent. I have a few decisions to make. Until then, please feel free to read it for free. I'll be sure to let everyone know in advance if I plan on taking it down.

Follow up to the above writing update: Today (January 1, 2025) marks two years since we put Queen of Thieves on submission. My heart was broken when my agent and I decided to shelve it after a year. The book had no offers and I kind of gave up on myself which is why I never wrote a sequel to this story or any others for that matter. Until August of 2023 that was. I can't share the details of what is to come, but I will say I have some pretty exciting news about one of my projects! Be sure to follow on me on Instagram for more hints and updates.

In gratitude,

Dene