He was surprised when he glanced at his mother, and she was visibly upset. "What's the matter with you?"
"I think you were right."
"About what?" He didn't mind being right at all, but he would like to know what he was right about.
"I met Percy when I took him food. Something about those people is not right."
"What are you saying?" Drake asked her.
"We're in danger, son. The whole family. And now the pendant showing up just seals our fate."
She was freaking him out. "So, what do we do?"
She held up her hands. "I don't know. But we need to figure it out before it's too late and we have no recourse."
He nodded in agreement. Two more days. Sunday morning, they were out of there. Joey flashed in his mind, and he had no idea what he was going to do about that situation.
Chapter Thirteen: Opening Night
Josephine “Joey” Preston
The opening of the rodeo was amid the regular pomp and circumstance. Joey tried to find Drake in the crowd as she rode around the arena, but with cameras flashing and all the overhead lights, it was hard to make out faces in the bleachers. The last she had seen Drake, he was out directing traffic into the lower fields.
She paced back and forth as she waited for the barrel racing to start. There were ten different barrel racers, including herself, that travelled with Percy, so the competition was stiff. She needed that purse, which was why she purposely didn't get too friendly with the others. She didn't want to hear their sob stories and feel sorry for them when she had her own problems.
Journey nudged her as she paced close to him. She kissed the side of his face. "I know, boy. We always get antsy right about now."
When Percy, acting as the Master of Ceremonies and doing all the announcing, called for the barrel racers, she mounted Journey and patted his neck. "Okay, buddy. It's me and you."
She fell in line with the others as they made their way to the gate. One by one they crept forward until it was their run. Joey took a final glance around, hoping to see Drake before she rode into the ring. She pushed the disappointment from her mind as she was called into position.
For the next several seconds, her mind was blank except for the task at hand. She and Journey flew around the barrels just like they practiced, their movements smooth and unified. They crossed the buzzer without an error, and she resisted the urge to fist pump the air. She was actually more interested in whether or not Drake had watched her.
Her face broke into a smile as she saw him lounging by the fence when she cleared the arena. She hopped off Journey and led him to his stall. "Thank you, baby. You're the best horse I could ask for."
He nuzzled her neck, and she took a moment, as she always did, to rest her face against his.
"That was a great ride."
It wasn't lost on Joey that Drake waited until Journey broke their bond before he spoke. She turned and smiled at him. "Thank you. Hopefully it was good enough."
"Your time puts you in the lead. I watched the board before I came back here."
Relief flooded through her. "I purposely don't look at the board. It makes me more nervous than getting a pleasant surprise later."
Her cell phone rang from the pack hanging in the stall. "Sorry. I have to grab that." It was the ringtone especially for her mom, and there was no way she was missing the call if it was a good moment.
Unfortunately, it was Ms. Jeffers, the director. "I hope I'm not reaching you at a bad time."
"No, not at all. I just finished my run. Is everything okay with Mama?"
"She's fine. It's her bill that I need to talk to you about."
Joey turned and strolled away from Drake. Thankfully, he didn't follow her. "I know I only sent you half. I'll have the other half by the end of the weekend, and I'll transfer it to you as soon as I can."
"Joey, we can't keep doing this."
"Yes," Joey responded with a little temper, "we can. As long as I keep flowing money to you, we can keep doing this. I need my mother to be there, safe and sound."
