"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 rememberrealgood 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.
Chapter 71
When J.D. didn't showup in line with me, I started getting worried. Wes moved to my side to ask if everything was ok. I lied and said yes, but now I was starting to worry that maybe my guys were having a more serious talk than I'd expected.
I made it to the window to check in without seeing him, so I checked him in and drew his bull. The woman behind the counter gave me a knowing smile, then made some comment about how I was a good friend to him. Yeah, that meant she had the wrong impression about our relationship, but I was too distracted to worry about that.
When I reached the warm-up area, I set up in the same spot as yesterday, and started warming my rope. Around me, the other guys were laughing, looking more relaxed than usual, but I had a feeling that was just my paranoia.
Then Jake dropped his bag down on my other side. "Morning, Cody. Where's J.D.?"
"Yeah..." I said, turning to look behind me. "That's the problem. I'm not actually sure. He and Tanner were having a talk."
"Shit," Jake breathed.
And now he had my full attention. "Why? What's going on?"
He bent to pull out his own rope, and it took him a little too long to answer. "Yeah, so when I left this morning." He paused to look up with those dimples showing again. "Well, I wasn't sure if Tanner was pissed or not."
"He didn't sound pissed to me."
"Hope not," Jake said, standing so he could hang his rope before him. "Because I had a damned good night, Cody. I'm also not doing that again if those two aren't ok with it."
