Page 184 of Revv

“That’s because it is.”

“I’ll have you know I’ve been responsible lately.”

Echo pauses halfway through pulling the zipper up on her leathers and looks over at me, one brow climbing slowly.

“Responsible?” she repeats, like the word personally offended her. “Didn’t you convince Cece to jump out of a fucking plane while you two were in Miami?”

Talon lets out a sharp laugh from beside the bikes.

Sayshen points at me. “Oh, shit. Yeah. Forgot about that.”

“I didn’t convince her,” I say. “She agreed.”

Echo gives me a dead stare while tugging one glove tighter around her wrist. “Right. Because you’re known for calmly presenting safe, reasonable options.”

Thorne snorts into his drink. “Man probably went, ‘Go on then, Mama, jump out the fuckin’ plane with me,’ flashed that stupid grin of his, and kept at her till she finally caved.”

“Worked, didn’t it?”

That gets a few laughs.

Echo shakes her head and bends to adjust the cuff of her boot, but when she straightens again, there’s this look on her face like she’s been holding onto something way better.

“And don’t even get me started on what happened between the jump and you two actually landing.”

The garage goes quiet for half a second.

Then Sayshen nearly chokes.

Talon’s head snaps toward me. “Wait, what happened?”

Thorne lowers his drink, eyes narrowing with immediate interest. “Oi. Now we’re gettin’ somewhere.”

I drag a hand over my mouth, already knowing exactly what Echo’s about to do.

“Echo.”

Her grin turns feral.

“Oh, now he wants privacy.”

A few of the guys laugh, but Andre cuts through it before Echo can make my life any worse, moving on to Thorne and finishing the rest of his notes.

Thank fuck.

This time, I actually listen.

Mostly.

By the time Andre wraps up, the whole paddock shifts with him. The bullshit dies down, tire pressures get checked one last time, gloves get pulled on, helmets come off the shelves. Everyone settles into that quieter, locked-in version of themselves that always shows up right before we race.

I grab my gloves from the bench and start tugging the first one on.

“Revel.”

Cece’s voice cuts through everything else.

I turn toward her.