Chapter 82
After Austin came a few more riders. Wes was one of them. He'd said he couldn't afford to play Ty's little game, but that didn't stop him from showing off. The moment his bull went out, J.D. was screaming, cheering him on. He also wasn't alone.
Then Cletus took over and we went to a commercial break. That was when the men who'd already ridden all started crowding around the last set of chutes. Jackson came over and held out his hand.
"Rope?" he demanded. "I'm pulling for you, Cody."
"Perfect," I said, handing him my pink thing.
But Jaxon - the American one - moved to J.D.'s chute. "Need a hand?" he asked.
"I want that shit tight," J.D. told him. Then he smiled. "And thanks."
"Yeah, we're good," Jaxon assured him. "I mean, having your..." He paused. "Is boyfriend the right word?"
"Yep," J.D. said. "Tanner's the boyfriend, Cody's the girlfriend, and the orgies are amazing."
Which completely broke any tension that might be remaining between them. "Well, your boyfriend saved my life," Jaxon said. "Least I can do is make sure you don't risk yours again."
I couldn't see that far down the line, but I was pretty sure Renato was pulling for Ty.
Cletus was also working the fans a little differently tonight than usual.
His jokes were still family friendly, but tonight he was making quite a few mentions about fairness, and judgments, and how country folks stuck together.
It wasn't too obvious, but I couldn't be the only one who noticed.
Then we were a go. I saw Ty's bull come out of the chute, but didn't stick around to see how it went. He'd get bucked off. He'd already made that clear. Tonight, I was only competing against J.D. and Derek, and I wanted to make sure one of the "good guys" won.
At the chute beside me, Derek looked smug. I had a feeling he and Austin had something set up, but I didn't have the chance to worry about it. Not right now.
"She rides on her right!" Jackson said as he passed over the rope and crossed over to the far side.
A moment later, he was pulling the tail. I stepped into the chute, but paused to look back at J.D. "Catch me if you can, hot shot," I told him.
"Winner gets to be on bottom tonight," he shot back - and then nodded.
Fuck, I wanted to watch him ride, but I needed to get strapped in. Lowering myself down just enough to reach, I started warming the tail of my rope. The first pull was easy, but the second? Jackson tipped forward.
"Tighter!" I snapped.
"Shit, you scare me sometimes, Cody," he said - but he did hold it.
The next time I ran my glove over the rosin, he didn't budge. Behind the grill of my helmet, I smiled, deciding I did like this kid. He was just sweet enough to work well with me, and a few more years of riding would make him damned good.
I didn't say anything, though. No, I focused on pulling my hand down that rope until the rosin was stringy. Then I moved to the handle. Again, then again - and that was when the crowd cheered.
"I want to know his score," I told Jackson, but I didn't stop working the handle.
"Watching for it," he promised, looking up at the screen behind our chutes.
"Tail!" I ordered.
He leaned in, handing that to me, and then a smile took over. "J.D. got an 80.25."
"Rider score?" I asked.
"Uh... 35.5!" He sounded thrilled.
"That's shit for J.D.," I pointed out.
"Better than he's gotten all weekend, though," Jackson said as he climbed back to the good side. "And you're a go, Cody! Ride 'em, cowgirl."
Yeah, cowgirl was what Jake called me. It was enough to make me smile as I dropped down onto my bull's back. His name was Terribull, he was big, black, and sitting in ninth place overall. Not the best bull out there, but I might be able to get a decent score on him.
The moment my ass hit the hair, I nodded.
The gate clanked, that sweet sound making this bull's head come up, and the rest of him followed, right out into the gap quickly opening before us.
Dust rippled off of his coat. Muscles bunched under my ass, and everything around me shifted as he gained some height.
"Get in there!" Ty yelled from the chutes.
"Keep riding!" Renato was screaming.
"Spur! Spur!"
I couldn't make them all out, but I had this. Terribull landed on his front legs first, then dropped his shoulder and spun to the left. That used to be my good side, but now it was out of my hand. I still had this. This animal's back was so wide, I had acreage to work with.
So I got in a few spurs even as he spun. I also used my right leg harder than my left, and when I could, I gripped with my knees, trying to twist him back the other way - and it worked. Terribull slung his head, kicked up his ass, and doubled back nicely.
Before he got tight on me, I tried to push him forward. I wanted a few big kicks. I needed some of those big plunges, or maybe a kick out to earn me points. Thankfully, the third time I tried, this bad boy obeyed.
He landed hard, making my teeth clank, but I could hear the crowd screaming.
Under that was the music Jake had picked out for me the other day.
The bit about being too loud for this town, and I was gonna make that true.
Each time Terribull kicked, I leaned back, forcing him to push against me.
When he reared up, I leaned in, knowing I had this.
I was smaller, so he didn't have to work as hard.
My center of balance was right on his back, so I didn't either.
All my life, I'd been told women couldn't do this, but here I was, doing it just fine.
And Terribull was giving me the kind of performance I'd always dreamed about having the chance to ride.
He kicked out so hard I could feel the fat in his ass shaking behind me. When he slung his head, the muscles were connected all the way to his shoulders. He was power incarnate, and I had complete control of him, making him not only do everything I asked, but also beg for more.
"Good boy," I whispered, running my spurs up him again. "Keep bucking, baby."
But the words were barely out of my mouth before the lights took over. The sound that came with it? In all the years I'd been watching the Pbr, I'd never heard a crowd erupt like that. They were screaming! And right there before me, Tanner was waving his hands to let me know I'd done it.
I flipped the tail of my rope over, but held on. Today, I'd seen exactly how hard the dismounts could be. I waited one more buck, then yanked the end from between my rosined fingers, and tried hard to slide off the side.
But Terribull chose that moment to turn, likely following my weight. Immediately, Jorge was right there, shoving at his shoulder. Tanner moved in behind him to spin me around. A little push got me moving toward the bullpen, and then they took over.
Jorge spun, reversing his direction. Tanner darted across the bull's nose. Isaac came in from the other side, confusing the poor thing. Terribull simply stopped and snorted.
"Let's go," Tanner said, flapping his arms at his sides.
Terribull went. I was waiting, close enough to the bullpen that I could jump up there with Cletus if I had to, but my bull was a gentleman. As the gate closed behind him, I decided I liked this one.
But since I was right by the judges, I also couldn't help myself. I popped off my helmet and leaned down to look through the protective bars. "That," I told them, "was a good ride, but we both know you're going to fuck me on it, right?"
None of the men in there bothered to even look at me. Sure, they were wearing headsets, but I knew they could still hear me. They had no problem hearing anyone else in the arena, after all.
"Cody!" Tanner called, jogging over with my rope. "That was amazing!"
"I know!" I squealed, heading over to hug him. "Fuck the score. I did good and I know it. Tonight, that is all that matters."
"Good, now get out of my arena," he said. "Derek may not wait for you to get clear."
He wasn't wrong, but I still leaned in to steal a kiss on his cheek. That got a reaction from the crowd, and then I jogged over to the gate. I was just about to step through it when the big screens changed. As the attendant opened the steel panel for me, I looked up, checking my score.
84.25!
Ok, that wasn't right for the ride I'd just had, and it might be the lowest of the weekend, but it wasn't bad. It also proved my theory. The better I rode, the lower the score. But was there any way to use that against them?
I made it to the top of the stairs just as Derek came out of his chute. A few feet over, J.D. and the guys were all hovering over the one I'd come out of, so I headed that way, but the color of that bull caught my eye.
"Shit," I breathed. "He's on Speed Bump?"
"Yeah," Ty grumbled.
"Fuck!" I hissed.
Because riding the best bull of the series? Yeah, that meant he was going to win. Everything these guys had done this weekend wouldn't matter. Austin would take this as proof his little plan was working and end up doubling down. Mr. Merrill would say it should teach us a lesson. We were so fucked!
And then Speed Bump proved why he was the number two bull in the Tough Enough Unleash the Beast series. His first bucks had been tests. The next one? That charcoal-and-rust-colored animal put some real effort into them.
Derek slung forward with the force of Speed Bump's kick. Then the bull reared up, knocking him back. Derek's shoulders were slung, but before he could catch himself, Speed Bump kicked again, slamming into him.
Derek immediately crashed into the bull's head.
The clatter of his helmet against horns was loud, ringing out into the arena.
It also stunned the rider. One moment, Derek had been on top of the world, and now he was on top of the bull - the wrong way.
His legs flew up. His body spun around like a pinwheel going sideways, and Speed Bump chose that moment to go into his spins.
Before Derek could even realize he was falling, Speed Bump headbutted him, slamming the man down into the dirt hard. Still bucking, the bull kicked right over his head, then came around to shove him back into the ground with his horns again.
Tanner and the guys were yelling, trying to get the bull to move. Thankfully, it wasn't one of the pissed-off bulls, but Speed Bump wasn't done yet. He turned, tracking the men he could see, and hopped forward. I was sure he was about to leave, but then this bull pulled his trademark move.
As he crossed over Derek for one final time, the bull kicked out, popping Derek right in the center of his chest. The padding took it, but Derek still flipped and rolled, propelled by the power of that animal.
Isaac rushed over to check him. Tanner and Jorge made sure the bull left, but around me, the guys were all cheering.
Then Jackson hugged me from behind. "You did it, Cody! You won!"
Wait, what?
Looking up at the scoreboard, it finally hit me. Derek had been bucked off. He wasn't getting a score. That put me in first place. Not just for the night, but for the entire weekend.
I'd just won Nashville. Wow. Fuck. Yeah, teamwork was definitely overpowered, but tonight I wasn't going to complain at all.