And a little piece of tension lifted from my shoulders. "So you're ok with this?" I asked her. "I know you've been worried about them trying to push you out."
"But if no one is riding," she said, "then they can't fuck with me. Ty, I really am a team player. Besides, this isn't exactly my first time to have the powers that be try to fuck me over."
Yeah, I'd forgotten that part. To her, this was pretty normal. Hell, that she'd even qualified for the top level of professional bull riding was more impressive than she knew, but Cody wasn't a quitter. She'd just kept pushing and pushing until she had the points she needed.
But the new guy looked confused. "So you're ok with throwing away points? Aren't you competing for Rookie of the Year?"
"Technically," she said, rocking her head like she didn't think that was possible. "Gustavo's got quite a few points on me still, and the judges have been fucking me on the scores, so it's not like I have a lot to lose. I do, however, have a shitload to gain."
"Like?"
She glanced at me as if checking to make sure she wasn't overstepping. I just tilted my head at the guy, letting her know she could have at it. I hadn't been able to convince him, but Cody? She had a way of disarming these guys.
"You've never ridden with our real bullfighters, have you?" she asked, the question clearly rhetorical. "Well, it's a whole different game when you're confident about taking a risk. Throwing on a suicide wrap for an intense bull because you know Jorge will get you out of it? Or maybe spurring so hard your legs are off the beast's hide?" She shrugged. "I've done both without fearing for my life. That mess yesterday? Casey had are-ride. He should've bailed the moment that bull fouled itself on the chute, but he couldn't. Know why?"
"Because he didn't have the room to get off," I answered. "The bullfighters were letting that bull run the rail instead of blocking it from the wall. And getting your leg crushed between the wall and one ton of beef? That's how the best bull rider in history got pins in his knee."
"Really?" Cody asked. "J.D. didn't tell me that."
"Shit," I grumbled. "Cody, that man has so much metal in him it's not funny. Trust me, Des Moines wasn't the first time he got carried out in an ambulance. It is, however, the first time I've heard him scream."
"Yeah," she said. "But that's what you're risking, Jason. Besides, if we all refuse to ride, the PBR will listen a lot faster."
"How can you be sure?" he asked.
Her eyes darted to me again, then back almost too fast for me to be sure. "Because the press is here."
"Yeah, well, I'll think about it," Jason said as one more person moved in to join us. "Jake."
"Jason," Jake greeted the guy. Then, "Cody. Ty?"
I waited until Jason had left, heading back to his own gear. "He's riding," I grumbled.
Jake waved that off. "Let him. I'm pretty sure at least twenty-nine of us are boycotting this." And he looked at Cody.
She grinned. "Does that make me lucky number thirty?"
"Yep," he said.
"Or so we think," I countered. "Jason says a few are saying they will but still intend to ride. They're hoping for the points to get into finals."
"Shit," Jake drawled. "They're - " And he stopped hard.
"Listen up!"
That was a voice that clearly expected to be listened to. Turning, I found Donald Merrill, the head of the PBR, standing in the middle of our warm-up area. The man was carrying a clipboard like it was supposed to make him look official. But as he scanned the group of riders setting up their ropes, his eyes landed on Cody.
"Miss Jennings," he almost growled, "is your boyfriend here again today?"
"Last time I saw him, he was naked in my hotel room," she replied. "Why? Did you need him?"
Mr. Merrill clenched his jaw. "Well, I thought we could talk about his little stunt yesterday. He's suspended, in case you forgot."
"Trust me, we can't," she told him, somehow sounding so calm and in control. "The dead guy made it hard to miss. You know, the same one who would still be alive if our real bullfighters had been here."
"Enough!" Mr. Merrill snapped. "If you're looking for a fine..."
"I'll pay it," Jake said, his voice as cold as ice.
