Because yes, the lines had been drawn. What surprised me was that somehow, Cody had ended up right in the middle.
And damn, did it look good on her.
Chapter 17
Mr. Merrill was barely outof the room before I turned for my bag to get my phone. First, I needed to let J.D. and Tanner know it was safe to come back here. I wasn't winning tonight, so I wouldn't be out there getting the awards. I also had a funny feeling I needed to stay here until the ceremony was over. Mr. Merrill sounded like he was looking for any excuse to punish us, and that man would find some fine in his rulebook he could use.
But once the text was sent to my guys, I shifted away a bit, scrolling through my contacts. His threats had me a little worried, but I knew the one man who'd make sure I was covered. Scrolling down, I found Max's contact and dialed, not caring what time it was.
He picked up on the second ring. "Cody, is everything ok?" he answered.
"So, I didn't ride tonight."
"Saw that," he assured me. "I was going to call you tomorrow to find out what's going on. Didn't want to bother you after the event. I know how you bull riders are."
I nodded, not even caring that my rep couldn't see it, and meandered a little further away, seeking some semblance of privacy. "Max, the riders are striking. Ty and Renato convincedmost of them to stop riding until we get the regular bullfighters back."
"Not you?" he asked.
I chuckled at that. "No, I actually had nothing to do with this."
"That's not what it looked like on the news." Which meant he'd been watching everything tonight. "You also walked that line nicely, Cody."
"Yeah, but what will my sponsors think about this?" I asked.
"Well," Max said, "Grace called me the moment you were on the news. She's actually the reason I saw it, and she says Under Armour is happy with the placement of their logo. Yeah, it was perfectly visible."
"And Tillman?"
He murmured a noise I couldn't quite make out. "Tillman won't care. I don't think they'd expect anything else. Cody, they sponsored J.D., and he didn't just throw words. Tillman's policy is that any media attention is good for us." And again, he murmured. "But your main sponsor?"
"I thought Tillman was my main," I countered.
"No, Cody," Max said, sounding slightly amused. "Deviant Games now owns more space on you than anyone else. I spoke to one of the co-owners of the company tonight, and she's sending your rep out there to keep an eye on things."
"Shit," I breathed.
"The other way around," he assured me. "Deviant's coming to see the shitshow. This? It's the exact sort of thing they support. Destiny said 'player interaction' and that 'teamwork is overpowered,' but I'm not exactly sure what she means by that. Gamer slang, I think."
"So, Rhaven's coming to North Carolina?" I asked.
"Mhm," he agreed. "And no, she won't get in your way. Do I need to catch a flight in the morning?"
"No," I assured him. "Max, I'm good. I just wasn't sure if I needed to start counting pennies to make sure I have enough money to make it through this strike."
"You're getting paid," Max assured me. "You were there, you were even on the main screen with a very nice close-up, and they have nothing to complain about. Now, if you want to start throwing out your sponsors names in those interviews, and giving them a little credit for having your back?"
"Mike's Hard Drinks too?" I asked.
"I'll get in touch with Troy and check," Max said. "Tillman, Under Armour, and Deviant Games are definites."
"Ok, can you send me Rhaven's number again?" I asked. "I didn't put it in my phone..." And I paused as another concern hit me. "Wait, does this mean she's my main rep? How does that even work, Max?"
"Well..." His normally comforting voice had just gotten a little softer. Worried, almost. "So, the reason I haven't been to the events lately? Cody, Monday morning I intend to give my notice to Tillman."
"What?" I gasped. "No! Max, I need you!"
"And I'm not leaving you," he promised. "J.D. has been trying to convince me to go independent for a while now." And a breathless laugh came across the line. "Your deal with Deviant Games made it possible, Cody. My bonus for that? I can finally afford to set up my own company. I'm getting the business side of this in place, and by Nashville, I will be looking for bull riders to represent as their manager. Similar to how most sports have someone to handle all the business stuff for them."
