[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-2603220ECDF1-647":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},647,89,"Chapter 89: The Mud on His Jeans","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The rearview mirror showed nothing but an abyss.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette stared until her eyes burned, searching for the light Kylan had mentioned, but found only darkness. Just as she opened her mouth to tell him he must have been seeing things, a flicker caught the corner of her eye. A weak beam of light cut through the rain from the slope above.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I think that's it!\" She straightened up.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I told you! Someone’s bound to pass by.\" The car was completely dead—engine unresponsive, windows locked tight. Kylan fumbled with the buttons before realizing they were useless and lunged for the door handle. \"Wait, why is it coming from the mountain side? I thought the road had washed out?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Hey! Over here!\" Kylan shouted into the downpour.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The faint light flared, cutting through the deluge with frantic, searching movements.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette pulled Kylan back into his seat and shoved the door open. Cold rain lashed at her skin, soaking her through in seconds and sending a violent shiver down her spine.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">That was when the beam hit her square in the face.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She squinted, shielding her eyes against the glare. In the harsh white light, her skin looked translucent, drained of all color. She pressed her lips into a thin, trembling line, fighting to keep her teeth from chattering.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">As her eyes adjusted, the light dropped to her feet.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">In a split second, a face emerged from the darkness. A face she knew better than her own. Her breath hitched. Before her mind could catch up, that familiar, jagged voice cut through the roar of the rain.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"It really is you.\" Blake Pierce ground his teeth, his expression icy. \"Violette Ellis, you’re something else.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">A thousand questions flooded her mind, but when she opened her mouth, all that came out was the most useless one of all.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"What are you doing here?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Training.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Blake didn't waste a second. He stripped off his rain poncho and draped it over her head, then swept his flashlight across the car window. Inside, the beam caught the face of a trembling, slight young man.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He pulled the light back. \"What’s wrong with the car?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I don't know. I’m not a mechanic.\" Violette regained her composure. \"My colleague is hurt. Do you have a vehicle?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Yeah. Down at the other end.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The nonchalance in his tone made Violette look instinctively toward the pitch-black wall of rain behind them. That was the site of the landslide; no vehicle from the base could possibly make it up here.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"How did you even get up here?\" she asked.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Blake ignored her, pushing her back into the rear seat before sliding into the driver’s side. He turned the key, but the engine only gave a dying sputter. He didn't speak, but the fresh, thick layers of mud caked onto his clothes told the story.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">That wasn't just a patch of mud. That was a disaster zone.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette felt a surge of frustration. \"When will you stop being so reckless?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"What did you want me to do?\" Blake stayed hunched over the dashboard, refusing to look at her, though the corners of his eyes were rimmed with a raw, angry red. \"I heard you were trapped on the mountain. What was I supposed to do? Pretend I didn't hear it? Pretend I didn't care?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"We could have waited for the rain to let up and found a way to the water plant.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Sure. You’ve always got a plan. I don't. I just have my own way of getting things done.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The tension inside the car was thicker than the storm outside. Kylan, caught in the crossfire, stared straight ahead, pretending to be invisible. He clamped his mouth shut, holding his breath.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Suddenly, Blake looked up, his gaze settling on Kylan. It was cold enough to frost over. \"Where are you hurt?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Uh… my ankle.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Blake gave a short nod, pulled a small tube of sports-grade muscle rub from his hoodie pocket, and tossed it toward him. \"Apply it yourself.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Kylan, having no clue who this man was or why he carried professional sports ointment in a storm, stammered a quiet thank you and went back to being a ghost.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The two of them stopped talking, leaving the cabin filled only with the relentless, drumming rhythm of the rain.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">As Blake prepared to step out to check the engine, Violette reached forward and handed him the rain poncho he’d given her. He didn't say a word, just took it, pulled it on, and stepped back out into the deluge.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The flashlight beam danced across the front of the car.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Kylan leaned toward Violette, whispering, \"Ms. Ellis, your friend is clearly worried about you. Who else would come up this mountain in this weather? That road is practically gone. It’s suicide.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette gave a noncommittal hum.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">When the hood slammed shut and Blake returned, the silence returned with him.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"It’s likely the spark plugs, but I can't be sure.\" Blake pulled the door shut, his dark hair dripping rivulets of water down his face. He glanced at both of them. \"What’s the plan for the night?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"The water plant is about a twenty-minute hike from here,\" Violette said.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Fine. I’ll carry him.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Blake’s tone was so flat, so businesslike, that Kylan actually gasped in surprise.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Something wrong?\" Blake snapped. \"You think you can walk?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"...\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Without waiting for an answer, Blake stripped off his rain poncho. It was already soaked through, so he tossed it aside. He reached for his hoodie, pulling it over his head. It was the only dry thing left. He tossed it backward, right over Violette’s head.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The scent of dry, warm fabric enveloped her, instantly shielding her from the biting dampness. For the first time, her lips stopped trembling.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Keep it on,\" Blake commanded.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He was down to his thin, quick-dry training gear now, but he didn't hesitate. He stepped back out into the rain.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Getting Kylan on his back took seconds. Blake had the build of a professional athlete; carrying Kylan was no effort. Kylan looked profoundly uncomfortable being carried by another man, but he instinctively held the other rain poncho over their heads as best he could.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette didn't waste time with polite protests. She pulled the hoodie tight and wrapped the rain poncho over it.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">As she stepped out of the car, the mud and water rose to the platforms of her sneakers. She steadied herself against the car frame, catching Blake’s gaze for a fleeting second.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She waved a hand to signal she was fine. He didn't respond, just gestured with his chin toward the trail.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He wanted her in front.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette picked her way through the mud, holding the flashlight Blake had brought. Her shoes were already ruined, the water seeping into her socks, but the hoodie kept her upper body warm. She buried her face into the collar to block the wind.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Every few steps, she’d turn the light back to check on the path behind her, then shine it forward again.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">When the light caught his legs, she noticed the jagged, muddy tears in his pants, clearly ripped by rocks or debris in the landslide.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She felt a strange lump in her throat. \"Is your club having a training camp up here?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Yeah.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He shouted over the thunder of the rain to ensure she heard him.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Kylan remained silent, a mute, umbrella-holding machine.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"How did you even know we were here?\" Violette asked after a few steps.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"The people from the station were waiting for you in the lobby. I overheard,\" Blake said. \"There’s only one road up the mountain. I knew I’d find you eventually.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Oh,\" she replied, her voice sounding hollow in the storm.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The flashlight beam swung over his feet again.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Focus the light on your own path,\" he reminded her. \"I can see fine.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette had terrible night vision. Back when they were together, she was always tripping in the dark. He would always reach out and grab her hand, turning it into a game. *Turn left forty-five degrees. One step. Two steps. Three. Good. Stop right there.*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Every time he had her stop, she’d find a surprise waiting for her. A bouquet of flowers, a classic novel, a beautiful seashell, a butterfly specimen, or a handwritten poem.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She had received so many strange, wonderful things from him in the dark.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She took a deep breath, moving carefully step by step. With the rain drowning out everything else, she kept talking just to ensure he was still behind her.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"No tournaments lately?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">There was a pause behind her, followed by a sound like a cold, sharp laugh. \"So, you really did block me.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Caught red-handed, Violette awkwardly pursed her lips.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The day her phone had pinged with their three-year anniversary notification, she had wiped his existence from her digital life. Everything that could be deleted, was; everything that could be blocked, went silent.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Now, the only trace of him in her contacts was a single phone number.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Just a generic ex-boyfriend. Not someone important enough to keep, but not someone worth the effort of burning the bridge.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Violette kept her mouth shut. Blake’s voice returned to its usual steady cadence.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"The tournament is over,\" he said. \"I brought the trophy home.\"\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272920469]