"Then you shouldn't either," he told me. "Use that trump card, Jake." But he paused to lick his lips almost nervously. "And text me her room number so we can send flowers?"
"Or come visit?" I suggested. "I mean, she knows you've been helping."
"We all have," the video guy told me. "We're also not blind, so if Donald wants to pick a fight? Well, he should've realized that he'd catch a lot more with honey than vinegar."
"True that," I agreed, and finally left.
But as I made my way down the stairs, I remembered something the guys had said. Tanner was sugar, J.D. was spice, and Cody was everything nice. I'd taken that as something all girly and pretty, but now I realized they hadn't meant it like that.
She was the smile that made someone feel appreciated. She was the reason to step up when we thought we were too weak.She was someone to lean on when we needed it most. Those were the nice things.
And that? It wasn't something I was going to let my father chase off without a fight. A real big and ugly one. He might knock us down, but we were bull riders.
We wouldalwaysget back up.
Epilogue
Doc endedup giving me something for pain. Anthony called in the cops once everyone else was gone. He's also convinced me to file a report, because if I really was the victim, it was a lot less suspicious if I acted like one. The pair of them had put my story in their notes, making it part of my medical records, and thus a written account while it was still fresh in my mind.
But none of it changed that I was done. Merrill had suspended me. Oddly, I wasn't as sad about that as I should've been. However, I dreaded calling my dad. He'd probably end up making me cry. He might fly out here to check on me - and thatwouldmake me cry. Right now, I just needed to be strong.
So Tanner handled it for me.
Then I rested. After that, I ate. When that was done, J.D. got me stoned. My big plan was to put off all the serious stuff until tomorrow, but the riders had other ideas.
It was ten o'clock at night when someone rapped on my door. J.D answered it, pulling open the door to reveal Jake and another guy who looked a hell of a lot like him. That guy was also holding flowers.
"Cody?" Jake said. "This is Clay, my brother."
"Ma'am," he said, ducking his head.
Where Jake was all country, Clay was more professional-looking. He wore a polo shirt with the PBR logo on it and khakis. His shoes were sneakers, and a little too white to have ever touched dirt. He also wasn't as cute, but I wouldn't tell him that.
"These are from the guys in the production booth," he said, offering the flowers across the gap between us.
"She don't bite and she aint' gettin' up," J.D. told him.
"Yeah..." Clay said, making his way over to pass them to me. "You're also a bit of an icon up there. The way you broke into the scene and then just flew to the top of the rankings?"
"Thirteenth," I reminded him.
But he grinned. "Eleventh now, after this weekend."
"And suspended."
"Yeah," he muttered, realizing his mistake.
"And Ty's coming," Jake said. "I knew you'd still be up - or J.D. would tell us to go fuck off, so there's a chance a few will stop by. We want to make sure you're ok."
"I'm pissed," I told him, gesturing for them to sit.
Clay did, but Jake came closer, reaching out his hand in an offer for me to take it. "But how are you feeling, Cody?"
"She hurts," Tanner told him. "Aches and bumps, but nothing worse. Her voice is also mostly good now."
Jake just shook his head. "The other feeling, Cody."
"Pissed," I said. "Scared. Trying not to think about it, because flipping between the two sucks." And I shrugged.
