So I called out to the bar, "Drinks on me for anyone joining the cause!" I called out.
"A second on me!" Renato added.
Which made the bull riders cheer even more. Hands went into the air as men volunteered, and these men were starting to sound excited. Hell,Iactually felt excited. It was as if, for the first time in far too long, we were finally headed down the right path.
Yet as the wait staff began taking orders and getting everyone their two free drinks, Jake left the table where he'd been sitting alone, and moved to pull up a chair between me and Renato. Smiling, he patted my arm as if congratulating me, but I wasn't falling for that.
"What are you doing?" I asked softly.
He laughed once. "I'm not doing shit, Ty. You are."
"Why are we doing it?" Renato asked for me.
And Jake smiled just a little too big. "Because you two? You're big names. You're heroes. These men want to be like you, or maybe be you. I don't know which, and I don't really care."
"And?" I pressed.
"And people tend to listen to their idols," Jake said, turning to look at me with completely serious eyes. "We need our bullfighters back, and that's not going to happen unless the PBR has no other choice. This? It'll force their hand."
"What happens if it forces them in a way that doesn't work out for us?" Renato asked.
Jake shrugged. "Then we're fucked. But see, that's the interesting part of Ty's plan."
"Your plan," I corrected. "I just ran with it."
Murmuring, he nodded a few times. "Ok, so you're not as oblivious as I thought. Yeah, it was my plan to start. You get the credit for it, and they're listening to you. They wouldn't listen to me. I don't matter enough. I kept my head down, thinking that being all serious would give me an edge. Spoiler, Ty: it didn't."
"What do you mean?"
He just tilted his head to the men toasting about living another day. "Them? They need someone to lead them." Then he wagged a finger between me and Renato. "This weekend, it's you two."
"And Cody," I pointed out.
Jake made a face. "I don't know. I think she's getting there, but with J.D. out, you two are the stars the rest will look up to. Maybe it's time you use that for good, hm?"
"He's got a point," Renato told me.
Yeah, I knew he did. Fuck, these men had just proven it, but it still felt weird. It felt like some kind of trap, like I was jumping into the deep end of something I didn't understand.
"Why?" I asked next, trying to figure this feeling out. "Why do you want this so bad, Jake?"
And for a moment, the quiet cowboy's face changed into pure rage. "Because I'm fucking tired of being used, Ty. We're the ones making the money. We're the stars of this show, and I'll be damned if I let Donald Merrill use and abuse us to make himself even more money on our backs. Fuck that, fuck the shit he's trying, and fuck ignoring it because it's easier."
"Ok," I breathed, realizing he clearly had his own demons he was using this to fight. "But if you want to be the brains andmake us the spokesmen of this, then you figure out how we're going to keep this going if the PBR doesn't cave quickly. We need a pool, and you, Jake Cunningham, are going to run it."
"I can do that," he promised. "You get Cody on board, and I'll handle the rest."
"Just like Bodacious," I said. Then I did the craziest thing ever. "Pleasure working with you, Jake." And I offered my hand over the table.
He looked at it for a moment, then slapped his against it. "Better than being your arch neblesis, hm?"
All I could do was groan - because he was right.
Chapter 11
I wokeup the next morning curled up against Tanner's chest, with J.D. pressed up against my back. There was no room for me to move, and yet I loved it. What I didn't love was my alarm blaring, reminding me I had to get up so I could make it to the arena on time.
Because for the first time, I didn't want to do this.
