Chapter 70
Jake didn't want to talk about Cody, but he was all in with the idea to pick our own winners this time.
He also pointed out the big issue with our plan, but I was ok with it.
The judges were still picking, but the way we were doing it, they had to decide what was worse, being a woman or not being straight.
I honestly didn't know which way they'd go, and I knew Austin and his friends would still ride - so one of them would likely be this weekend's winner. But we still had to try. We had to do something, and Jake was completely on board.
But since I went to his room to explain all that, I didn't get the chance to get ready. That put me arriving to the arena a little later than I wanted. I debated parking closer, but when I saw J.D.'s truck under one of the few trees out here, I decided to pull in beside him.
As I turned to claim the space on his passenger side, I saw something under the truck. It looked like a hat. Fuck, one of them would be missing that. I turned off my truck and hopped out, intending to grab it before it blew away, and heard Tanner.
"C'mon, babe!" he was begging.
Shit, that did not sound good at all. Forgetting about everything else - even closing the door to my truck, I rushed around J.D.'s truck to find Tanner knelt over J.D.'s body, patting his face with the man halfway cradled in his lap.
"What the fuck happened?!" I demanded.
Tanner looked up to reveal blood streaming down his face from a busted nose. His knuckles were raw and scraped. I could see a stain on his shirt, but couldn't tell if that was mud, blood, or something worse.
"Austin and Derek jumped us!" he growled.
And damned if I didn't take a step back.
I'd seen J.D. pissed before. I'd seen Cody that way, but in that split second, I realized I'd never once seen Tanner enraged.
That was the only word I had for the feral look in his eyes, and it made me realize J.D.
was no longer the scariest thing I'd ever seen.
But I wouldn't run this time.
"Can you walk?" I demanded.
"Limp," Tanner said as J.D. moaned, proving he was with us, but hurting. "They fucking kicked him in the ribs, Ty!"
"Then you get your hat from under the truck," I ordered, moving in to scoop J.D. from Tanner's arms. "Close the door to mine and get my keys while you're at it. The two of you need to go to Sports Medicine!"
"I can't pick him up," Tanner admitted. "Got hit in the back."
So I lifted J.D. up, shifting him so I could carry him for the long haul. That? It was what made him wake his ass up - and his hand shoved out, coming much too close to my face.
"It's Ty!" Tanner snapped. "J.D., they're gone. That's Ty."
"Fuck!" J.D. groaned even as he tried to curl around his middle.
"Stop that!" I told him. "Enjoy being treated like a damned princess, and let me carry your ass without killing us both."
"I can walk," J.D. demanded.
"Not right now, you can't," I told him.
Thankfully, Tanner was already moving. And that limp he'd mentioned?
It was more like a hunched-over shuffle, but he was working it out.
Yeah, someone had put a hurt on these two, and I couldn't imagine how that was possible.
I also couldn't wait to see what those fuckers looked like, if these two looked this bad.
"Keep up, Tanner!" I yelled, heading to the entrance without him.
"Go!" Tanner called, hurrying around the back of J.D.'s truck to get to mine. "I know where you're going."
But I didn't like leaving him out here alone either.
More than that, J.D. was fucking heavy. This guy wasn't some sweet hundred-pound girl.
Nope, he had to be at least one-seventy, and possibly more.
I could feel my biceps burning, but ignored it.
I was good at that, since it happened almost every ride.
Tanner caught up just as I reached the doors. He wasn't the one who opened them, though. That was Jorge, who'd been passing by inside.
"What the fuck?!" he demanded.
"They got jumped," I growled.
"Which explains why you hadn't got here yet," he said, falling in at Tanner's side to offer a shoulder to lean on. "Thought you may have gotten distracted."
"Did," Tanner agreed. "By Austin."
Jorge didn't stop moving, but the change in his posture? Oh, it was the kind that proved a man had just decided to commit a little murder. For a little too long, he didn't say shit. Neither did Tanner. J.D., on the other hand, was grunting in pain more often than I liked.
"He's not gonna ride," I realized.
"I'm fuckin' riding!" J.D. managed to get out. "Mama's here. Can't worry Isa'."
"And I think they'd rather you healed up," I told him, turning to use my back to push open the door for Sports Medicine. "Doc!"
But it wasn't the doctor who answered. It was Anthony. The giant of a man hurried into the icing area, paused long enough for his brain to realize what he was seeing, and then he rushed over to take J.D. from my arms.
"What happened?" he demanded.
"Austin and Derek," I said, hoping he knew about the beef they had. "Tanner's hurting too."
"Come," Anthony told Tanner. "You two stay."
And I watched them leave. Halfway down the hall, Anthony called out for Doc again, but the big guy didn't slow down.
Yeah, that had me worried. I also wasn't gonna leave, so I dropped down onto the closest chair, then bent over to shove my head into my hands.
How bad was this? What the fuck had happened, and where was Cody?
"I need to tell Isaac," Jorge said.
"And Cody." I looked up to make the point. "I need to get my shit from my truck, but I'll stay while you do that."
"Cody can wait," Jorge assured me. "No need to make her worry before we know anything. Worse, she'll probably do something stupid because she can."
Yeah, that was a good point. "Ok, then get Isaac. When you're back, I'll go out and grab my shit. That way one of us is here if they need anything. And no opiates for J.D."
"I know," Jorge promised. "Tanner told us."
Then he left. I sat there for far too long. Once, J.D. cried out, loud enough for me to hear it out here, but that was all. I still didn't feel right about keeping this from Cody, but what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. I also needed someone to make sure she was safe, so I texted Jake.
Ty:
Hey. Keep an eye on Cody. Distract her if you can?
Jake:
She's checking in. Why? What's up?
Ty:
Austin.
That was when Isaac burst through the door. "How bad are they?" he demanded.
"Tanner was walking. J.D.'s hurting."
"Fuck!" He spun like he was about to punch something, but the only things in here to hit were all padded. Then he pushed out a heavy sigh. "Jorge said you need to grab your shit. He's gonna make sure Cody knows to draw for J.D."
"Isaac, there's no way he's riding."
He canted his head and lifted a shoulder. "Ty, it's J.D. I'd rather he has a bull if he needs one than we screw it up for him."
"Good point," I agreed.
Then I got my chance to head back out. That involved knocking on the door where I heard voices so I could ask for keys. Tanner passed over both, so when I grabbed my gear, I picked up theirs as well. Cody's was gone, which meant she already had it - or so I hoped. But the rest?
J.D.'s hat was still in the backseat. Tanner's was tossed on the floorboard haphazardly now.
That was the one that had been under the truck.
Their bags were side by side. After gathering all that up, I went to my truck and repeated the juggling act.
Mostly because of the hats, but somehow I made it work.
Then I went back to Sports Medicine and waited. Eventually, Tanner came out. His shirt had a wet spot on it where that stain had been. His hands had been cleaned and a few band-aids applied, but when he saw his gear bag, the man sighed in relief.
"I need his vape."
"Is it in here?" I asked, reaching for J.D.'s bag, unzipping the top, and rummaging. "He usually leaves it in the room."
"And he wanted it after his ride last night," Tanner explained. "I told him to bring it, that he didn't need to use it, and now I'm fucking glad I did."
I found the thing in a side pocket, and passed it over. Tanner took that back, then returned to sigh one more time.
"Do we need to call Peter?" Isaac asked. "No bullshit, bro."
"No, I'm good," Tanner promised. "Got some anti-inflammatories. No narcotics. Worst off are my hands, but it'll be fine."
"Let him know he might be up," I suggested. "Then, if Tanner starts feeling it halfway through..."
"I agree," Isaac told Tanner. "But it's your call."
"Yeah, that works," Tanner relented. Then he turned to me. "I have to get ready. I'm not going to let those fuckers think they won."
"Tanner..."
"No," he snapped, cutting me off. "J.D. and I agree. Told him you were waiting, and he told me to make it clear I'm not fucking scared. And I'm not, Ty. I'm pissed."
"Same," I assured him. "So go. I got this."
Those two left, and I ended up waiting some more. Eventually, Doc told me to come back. There, J.D. was sprawled out on one of those tiltable medical beds Doc had. That was fine, but the wrap around his ribs? I didn't like that at all.
"You gonna be ok?" I asked J.D. as I made my way over.
"They're not broken," Anthony assured me.
"Just hurting," J.D. said. "My head's the worst. Prolly not gonna be a good ride, but don't matter none. They ain't gonna score me anyway."
"Yeah..." I breathed, reaching up to scrub at my mouth.
I'd said we shouldn't tell these two, but this? It changed everything. Yeah, Doc and Anthony were listening in, but I had a feeling they wouldn't say shit. But J.D. needed to know what the big plan was. More than that, he needed to wrap his mind around why we had to do this, and why he had to help.
"After you left the bar last night," I said, taking the plastic chair along the sidewall, "the guys decided that if they're not gonna judge fair, then we're picking the winners."
"How's that work?" J.D. asked.
"No one rides but the choice of the night," I told him.
"And those dumb fucks," J.D. growled.
"Less talking," Doc told him. "More sucking on that vape. J.D., you take something for the pain, or I will give you something."
Obediently, J.D. sucked on his vape, the musky scent of his cannabis oil stark in the medically clean room. When he blew out the fog, I waved it away, but neither Doc nor Anthony seemed to care at all.
"So, we all know those three are probably going to ride," I told him. "We can't change that, but the only other riders? You and Cody."
"Naw, let her have it," he said.
"Can't," I told him. "See, this? We're letting the ones who get fucked ride.
They have Friday night to be fair. Otherwise, every single week, we will pull this shit, choosing who gets to win.
And while I haven't seen them, I'm willing to bet Austin and Derek won't be feeling that great right about now.
Not with the way Tanner's hands looked."
"I turned him loose," J.D. said. "Took a fuckin' tire iron to the temple, but I turned Tanner all the way loose on 'em. I bet those fuckers ran."
Which made Doc chuckle under his breath. "Yeah, and not the first time they've had him lose it on them."
"Naw," J.D. said. "But them shits can't learn, it seems."
"True that," Anthony agreed. "How you feeling now, J.D.?"
"Like a goddamed pussy after a real wild night," J.D. said. "Ya know, loose, sloppy, and real fuckin' happy."
"Which means you're good to go," Doc told him. Then he passed a bottle of pills to me. "And these are for those two to take tonight."
"What are they?" I demanded. "J.D. doesn't do narcotics."
"Opiates," Doc corrected, "and those aren't. Just super-powered Advil, Ty. Enough to keep the swelling down. I'd rather they kept vaping their weed. So if you want to be a good friend, buy him some munchies."
"Yep," I agreed. "I saw a vending machine out there. All the Cheetos you want, bud. You just gotta promise you're going to at least try to ride."
Anthony made a noise like I was out of line, but J.D. waved him down. "I'm gonna," he assured me. "Need to make sure my girl wins, Ty. Gotta make it clear they can't come after Tanner. I also know my man ain't gonna let me eat dirt too bad, so I'll be fine."
"And you shouldn't be pressured into riding," Anthony said, giving me a pointed - and warning - look.
"Ain't," J.D. promised. "Ty's being a bro. He's also right. This? Anthony, this shit is bigger than me having a concussion. Besides, I remember real good what happened. Means my brain ain't scrambled yet."
"Only because you got lucky," Doc told him. "Helmet, J.D."
"Always," he said. "See, that's the thing. I know all about the risks I'm taking. I'm also getting a damned front row seat to how many friends I didn't know I still had." And he looked at me.
I couldn't call the expression on his face a smile, but it was deep. The sort of thing that punched me right in the gut. The type of expression I wasn't used to getting from a man, but there wasn't a damned thing romantic about it.
The only word I had for it? Friends. The sort with a capital letter.