"You're fine, Cody," Renato said, clasping my shoulders to steer me back towards the chutes. "You're alive, you're not injured, and you rode for a full eight. Today, that's enough."
I paused, resisting the way he was driving me so I could look back. "But what about tomorrow?"
Emilio rambled off something in his native language that made Renato tilt his head toward him like the man had just made a good point.
"Tomorrow, you will wake up, show up, and ride again. Whether the judges like it or not, you'll be able to do that. Whether the fans, the management, or even the riders like it, you willstill be here, and that's not something everyone can say."
My shoulders slumped as the truth of it hit me hard. "Yeah," I breathed. "I mean, I know I should be thankful for that..." And I pulled in a deep breath, trying to figure out what this feeling was. The one that wasn't grief or sadness, but still felt dark in a way I wasn't used to. "It's still wrong," I mumbled to myself.
Renato still heard. "It is," he agreed. "And I'm pretty sure it's tearing the PBR apart."
Chapter 6
The event kept going,but with a whole whopping score of 71.25, I didn't stand a chance of placing tonight. I also wasn't in the mood to hang around, since there was nothing at all to celebrate. No, I just wanted to get out of here before anyone realized Tanner was still here, but I had a couple things to do first.
After getting my arm untaped in Sports Med, I headed back behind the chutes to put away my gear. There, I found Kaleb and Jaxon sitting on the ground by my stuff. Both had been bucked off tonight. Kaleb had taken a hit from a bull, but he'd gotten off the dirt in one piece. They were J.D.'s most loyal riders, but to see them there, by my stuff?
"What are you doing?" I asked, braced for the worst.
Jaxon looked up. "How bad was the score?"
I pushed out a breath made from both frustration and relief. "Seventy-one and change."
"Fuck," Kaleb breathed. "Did you deserve it?"
"Fuck no." I stepped between them to put my rope into the proper bag. "I mean, that ride should've been in the eighties. Nothing special, but nothing bad either."
"But why bother?" Jaxon said, making it sound like he was agreeing with me. "Yeah, makes sense."
"Shit bull?" Kaleb wanted to know.
I shrugged. "Middle of the pack."
Zipping my rope bag closed, I moved over for my main gear bag. After unzipping that one, I kicked a leg forward and glanced behind me. There was currently no one but us three back here, and this lump in my boot was getting annoying. So, pulling up my jeans on the right side, I reached down and pulled out the boot sheath and switchblade knife J.D. had convinced me to carry.
"What the fuck?" Jaxon hissed.
I chuckled as I tossed it into my main bag and then zipped it up again. "My mentor didn't want me alone back here without some backup."
"You've got us!" Jaxon insisted.
I gave him a little smile. "Yeah, but he wasn't quite sure who'd be on his side - or mine - when things started going sideways."
"After Austin tried to beat the shit out of her at Cheyenne, I don't blame him," Kaleb pointed out.
"Yeah, but riding with that in your boot?" Jaxon sounded surprised, not offended.
"It's not bad on a bull," I assured him. "Bothers me more when standing around."
"And we do far too much of that," Jaxon agreed, shoving at Kaleb with one hand. "Guess this means we need to step up as protectors, huh? J.D. says we're supposed to be the good guys."
Kaleb huffed out something like a laugh. "Pretty sure Cody doesn't need to be babysat."
"No, she doesn't, but lately we all need some buddies," Jaxon countered. "J.D. always says..." His words trailed off and a smile took over his face. "Speak of the fucking devil!"
"Shit, and Tanner!" Kaleb gasped, jumping to his feet. "The man of the night!"
I turned to see J.D. and Tanner making their way over. I wasn't sure how they'd managed to get back here, but I had a feeling J.D. was how. The staff all knew his face, and he had no problem pushing in, even if he wasn't an official rider this time.
