The problem was Austin did know, and he wasn't wrong. How he'd found out didn't matter as much as that he had, and now Tanner was suspended. Jorge and Isaac refused to workwithout him. At first, I'd thought it was a way to pressure the PBR into reversing their decision and bringing Tanner back. Now I was starting to believe it was their form of self-preservation.
But Ty could only delay or ignore Kaleb's question for so long. "I knew Austin was going after Cody. Tanner stood up for her. That made Austin go after him, and the next thing we knew, the press was asking about Tanner cheating on Cody."
Which was all but quoting what Cody had told the press. It also proved my suspicions. Well, maybe "proved" was too strong of a word, but I knew Ty well enough to know how he thought. More than that, I could see all the other riders in this room watching him like his opinions actually mattered.
So I casually added, "With J.D. Tanner was supposedly cheating on Cody with J.D. Adkins."
Ty merely gestured at me. "Because J.D. is Cody's mentor, and that man is real protective of her."
"But if he's gay," I said, pushing a little more, "that doesn't really fit the PBR's ideal image of what a man should be."
"Fuck that!" someone grumbled.
I looked over to see Jackson Cloutier, the kid who'd recently begun to idolize Cody. His palm was flat out on his table and quite a few empty bottles were in front of him. He was Canadian, so he could handle our American beer easily, but wait. He wasCanadian.They were supposed to be a bit more accepting, weren't they?
"Which part?" I asked him.
"I don't give a shit who someone's fucking!" Jackson snapped. "I mean, if it's not me, then it's not my business. Shit, look at most of us. We're sticking our dicks in anything we can. How'd any of us like it if the PBR said we couldn't? That's just bullshit!"
Which made a few others murmur in agreement. The problem was one of those new boys. He lifted his chin and asked, "Wait, so J.D. Adkins is gay?"
"Not gay," Ty grumbled.
Which made everyone look over at him again. Yeah, that could be useful. They were seeking out Ty's opinion before making their own. Then again, he was one of the top bull riders on the Tough Enough series. Renato was better, but he'd been fading out of the limelight lately due to his family. Ty? He'd finally started to step up. I had a feeling I could use this.
"You sure J.D.'s not gay?" I asked, convinced Ty's answer would be the right one. It was almost like he knew the playbook those three were using.
Ty just scoffed. "Seriously, do you think J.D. would be this intense about Cody if he wasn't interested in women at all? The fucker took her under his wing, and he's ready to chase off anyone who isn't good enough for her. Trust me on that. I got chased off."
"Not that chased off," Jaxon chuckled. "You're still hovering."
"And being a fucking gentleman," Ty assured him. "There's something about liking my kneecaps that keeps our little chats to nothing more than riding order and making sure she's safe."
"You also talked about," Wes said from his table, "how we're all gentlemen, secure enough to take our scores like men, and willing to stand up for the little lady who's keeping up? I mean, that's about what your little speech in Des Moines said, wasn't it?"
"Because she got fucked on that ride!" Ty snapped. "I was on the same fucking bull, and he made me work for it. Cody? She rode the fuck out of him and the judges screwed her over!"
Bingo. Ty was all in on this, and he didn't even know it. I also was getting the impression he wouldn't be offended, and rightabout now, I needed someone to make these guys listen. If that meant I had to nudge Ty a bit to make it happen, then I'd shove that man just as far as I could.
So I said, "Which means you took home the money."
"That week!" he huffed, just like I'd hoped. "And when J.D. comes back and I'm no longer the favorite? Or now that Renato's here, and his score blew past everyone else's? How the fuck are we supposed to compete if the judging isn't fair?"
"We're not," I said, making the mostly sober riders around me murmur amongst themselves.
"Fuck that," Renato said. "I'm with Ty on this. I worked my ass off to get here. I packed up my shit and came to this country, battled with the immigration system, leased some land, and have plans to settle down. I built my life on this!"
"Same," Wes said softly.
"And that life," Renato went on, "depends on making it out of the arena in one piece. Now, I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't give a shit who gets my ass out of there when things go bad. Man, woman, gay, straight, or anything else. What I want from a bullfighter is someone willing to make the save, turn the bull, and get it the fuck off me. Nothing else."
A few other guys were nodding, but I couldn't help but wonder how much Renato knew. He and Ty had a reputation for sharing a little too much. Well, they used to, up until Renato met his girl. Now, Renato was acting respectable and Ty was spending a lot of time with J.D. And yet, their anger was real, not an act.
Ty kept going. "How can any of us make a living out of this if our entire career is predetermined by the PBR? C'mon, we all know when our ride is amazing - and when it's shit. We're also spending a whole lot of money running across the country to get to each of these events."
"My bar tab's pretty impressive," one of the new rookies, a guy from Australia named Sonny, joked.
"Oh, it'll get worse," I assured him. "From the wear and tear on your truck to buying flights, hotels, meals, and more. Yeah, Ty's got a damned good point."
