Chapter 22
I'd filled Rhaven in on all the reasons the riders were striking as we rode over.
Once we got to the arena, the pair of us had split at the door.
Getting access ‘behind the scenes’ meant she'd be able to wander around and check out the other riders, but I still had to check in, so I headed for the line to do that.
The guys were trickling in today. I had a feeling it was because most didn't care which bull they drew. We wouldn't be riding them anyway. That meant getting the leftovers wasn't going to cost someone any money.
A few of the men smiled in greeting. Most looked like they'd done a little more partying than preparing. Slowly, we shuffled forward until I finally reached the counter. There, I got my name on the list, was handed the papers with my bull's name, and headed for the warm-up area.
Right about the time I got my rope hung up, deciding I'd at least check to see if yesterday had caused any damage, the casual chatter around me died. For a moment, it felt like everyone in the room was looking at me. So, making a point of finishing up what I was doing, I turned, braced for a fight.
Four feet away, Donald Merrill was standing with his arms crossed like he was not in a good mood. His eyes hung on me, shifting back to examine my rope, then over to my legs - which didn't have chaps on.
"What are you doing, Cody?" he demanded.
"Setting up?" Because I thought that was obvious.
"Does this mean you're going to ride?" It sounded like a dare.
From the side, I saw Jackson shaking his head. Sadly, I couldn't figure out if that meant I was supposed to say I wasn't riding, or that I was.
So I decided to split the difference. "Well, I'd considered it. Why?"
"Because all of you will ride today!" Mr. Merrill snapped, looking around at the others. "Do you hear me?!"
"Nope," Ty said as he pushed around the man. Then he tossed his bag down beside mine. "You might want to say it louder, Mr. Merrill."
"This shit?" Mr. Merrill stabbed his finger down at the ground. "It ends now. I don't know what y'all think you're trying to prove, but if you kill this sport, then what will you do?"
I pulled in a breath, ready to respond, but Jake beat me to it. Sauntering into the room, he stepped around the president of the Pbr like he wasn't intimidated at all by the man, then he patted Mr. Merrill's shoulder cockily.
"Walk," he said before grabbing his gear and heading over to drop it on my other side. "Maybe even run. Have some kids, settle down, and raise the next generation of bull riders to do better than we did."
Mr. Merrill made a noise in his throat that could only be described as a growl. "And your stunt yesterday means the Pbr is bleeding money this weekend." He turned to glare at the men to his side. "Have any of you figured out yet that money doesn't grow on trees?"
"Grows on bulls," Jaxon mumbled.
"And those bulls are paid for by the Pbr!" Mr. Merrill screamed. "This stunt? You've hurt the score of those bulls enough that some stock contractors are reconsidering our contract. Then what? What is professional bull riding without the best bulls?"
"History," Jake said, lifting his chin in a clear taunt. "But see, you're the one asking us to get on those 'best bulls' without any protection."
"No, your gear is all within the acceptable specs," Mr. Merrill shot back.
"I meant the bullfighters," Jake said.
"And I," Ty added, "am real fond of walking. Living too. I think most of these guys are."
"And girl," Mr. Merrill said, glaring at me. "Is this your doing, Cody?"
"No, sir," I assured him. "Believe it or not, these cowboys are pretty smart men. They can figure out shit without needing a woman to tell them what to do."
"Damned straight!" Kaleb barked.
I had to clench my jaw to keep from laughing, but Mr. Merrill's face was turning a rather impressive shade of red. Ty murmured under his breath, making me think he noticed it too, but Jake? That crazy motherfucker began to smile.
"Here's how this is going to go, Mr. Merrill.
" He put a little extra emphasis on the man's name.
"The top-ranked riders in the Pbr will climb back on and risk both our lives and our limbs once we're convinced we're going to have the assistance we were promised.
Now, I don't care if that means training up your new pet bullfighters so they help us out, or bringing back the old ones. "
"Jorge and Isaac took a voluntary leave," Mr. Merrill said.
I scoffed at that. "Yeah, because they don't trust these idiots either."
Mr. Merrill snapped and pointed at me like he was trying to call me out. "That's unprofessional."
"So is this!" I screeched, not caring if my voice came out shrill.
"To have the president of the Pbr stand here, telling us what we will and won't do?
Do you think that makes this sport look fair?
Do you think it instills trust in us? No, so why don't you worry about your half of this bargain, and we'll worry about ours! "
"What she said," Jake added, jerking his thumb at me.
"But now you know the deal. We'll ride when we're safe.
Until then, the Pbr will lose money." Then he raised his voice.
"And today, when the reporters ask why we're throwing rides, we will all tell them it's because the president of the Pbr pulled our safety team, and we feel the risk is too high. "
That made the other guys in the room murmur in agreement.
Clearly, they'd all just taken that one little phrase to heart, and from the look on his face, Mr. Merrill didn't like it at all.
Even worse, none of us were backing down.
Not the veteran riders, nor the rookies. Nope, we'd just become a united front.
"This," Ty said, sounding calm and completely in control, "is a strike, Mr. Merrill. Meet our terms or wait us out. Those are your only two options."
"We'll see about that," Mr. Merrill snapped, spinning around and storming off like he'd somehow won the argument.
I just sighed and turned back to my own rope.
"You ok?" Ty asked.
I nodded my head slowly. "Yeah. In truth, it's kinda nice to not be the problem for once. Part of it, sure, but not the only problem."
"Cody," Jake said, leaning in so he could keep his voice down, "you've never been the problem. You're just the catalyst that made half these guys pull their heads out of their asses." And he not-so-subtly pointed over at Ty.
"Fuck off," Ty said around a chuckle.
"You saw a pretty little blonde," Jake teased, "and went full stupid."
"Entirely possible," Ty admitted. "I also had that pretty little blonde make me aware of it. Believe it or not, I can be taught."
So Jake bumped my shoulder. "See? He can be taught. Just something to keep in mind for later, hm?"
I gave Jake a tired look. "What are you doing?"
"Helping out my arch neblesis." And Jake grinned.
On my other side, Ty groaned, sounding like that phrase meant something to him. "Why don't I hate you, Jake?"
"Because I'm right," Jake said.
"Yeah, ok," I agreed, just to shut him up. "But what I want to know is if we're really going to start riding again if those guys get trained up?"
"Because you want Tanner back?" Ty asked.
"Well, of course!"
Jake simply reached up to rub my shoulder reassuringly. "Cody, it's harder to train them up than to bring back the wolf pack. It will cost the Pbr more money to train them, and while they're out, who will work the shows?" He winked. "The wolf pack."
"That name's going to stick, isn't it?" I asked.
"Has for a while," Jake assured me. "They're fast, they're feral, and they do work like a pack. And yes, Cody, we want them back too."
"Most of the guys do," Ty added.
I turned to find him watching me. "Yeah?"
Holding my eyes, he nodded. "Yeah, I've been asking. Rumors or not, quite a few of these guys have eaten enough dirt to make them not care about any of that bullshit."
"And it's no one's business," Jake said from my other side. "We've been saying that too. So you pass that along, ok?"
I nodded. "Yeah, because I think coming back from that kind of rumor is harder than most of y'all realize."
"Mhm," Ty said. "But I miss my friends." Then he grabbed his rope and tossed it over his shoulder. "Jake, keep an eye on her today? Austin's pissed. Even with the rides we threw, he still didn't win yesterday."
"Can do," Jake assured him. "Don't do anything stupid?"
"No promises," Ty said before wandering away, leaving me there alone with Jake.
I pulled out my helmet, glove, and tape.
Those were put together, just in case I needed them, but for a moment, silence hung between us.
Beside me, Jake was doing the same. I wanted to look over and check.
I wanted to ask him about Ty, because those two hadn't been friends a few weeks ago.
Instead, I focused on organizing my shit.
"He misses you," Jake said softly.
"Good."
"And he's fighting for you, Cody." Jake dropped his own shit down on the top of his bag, then sat beside it. "All three of you, if I'm honest. And since I'm being honest, I'll admit I'm not completely sure how he fits in things."
"He doesn't."
Jake's eyes narrowed. "That sounds like a pissed off ex."
Shoving my bag over, I dropped down beside him so I wouldn't need to raise my voice. "Jake, Ty was a sweetie my first weekend. The second, he was sexy. In Cheyenne, he decided he owned me, and I'm not ok with that. Helping me, he said. Since Tanner wasn't around, he tried to tell me."
"Because he was trying to win the girl."
"I'm not here to get ridden," I hissed, wanting to scream that to the world.
"How many fucking times do I have to say it?
I came here to ride bulls and win money.
To earn the prize, not be one! If that means I stay single, then I'm ok with it.
I really am! But most importantly, I'm not going to be handing out pussy like it's a reward for the bare minimum, ok? That's not how it works!"
"Then how does it work?" His grey eyes watched me knowingly.
"Relationships and bull riding are not related at all. I pick who I fuck because I like them, not because of how they score." That was the safest answer I could give.
Jake just nodded. "I see. And how does Tanner feel about that?"
"He's the one who got picked."
Pressing his lips together, Jake nodded. "Yeah, I can see that. I also just proved something."
"What's that?"
"You, Cody Jennings, are very good at this.
" He leaned a bit to bump my shoulder with his.
"I know enough to read between the lines.
I don't know enough to be sure if I'm reading it right.
Either way, one thing keeps coming across loud and clear.
You have the media savvy of a veteran rider, the balls of a pro, and the ability to go all the way. "
I found myself wanting to smile at that. "Yeah?" And I looked up, meeting his eyes.
His warm, pretty, slate-colored eyes. They should've been the color of a storm, but everything about Jake was much too controlled for that. Instead, concrete was the thing that fit best. This shade was solid, stable, and unflinching - and I liked how it felt to look into those eyes.
But he pulled them away even as a smile took over his lips. "But you're wrong about one thing."
"Do tell."
His eyes found mine again. "You are a prize. Maybe not the kind that can be won, but rather the sort that should be earned. The type of prize a man would hate to let slip through his fingers."