She chuckled. "Claudia Watson. I'd even go so far as to say you can trust her, Cody."
"But not me?" I asked, aware of her phrasing.
Rhaven made a face. "Maybe? But nothing against you, Tanner. I just know she has strong opinions about women's issues and sexism. It's her personal cause."
J.D. lifted his hand, pausing our chat as the waitress showed back up. "Can I get all of you something?" she asked.
"Margarita," J.D. said, pointing at me. "Whiskey for the man here. Another beer for me, and whatever the boss wants."
"Boss?" Rhaven asked, thrusting out her lower lip and nodding. "I'll take it. And I'd love something fruity with vodka."
"Oh!" J.D. said, leaning to see behind the waitress. "Those three will probably want some too." Then he raised his voice to whoever was headed our way. "Drinks? My tab!"
"Beer," Ty called back. I twisted to see him entering the room - and he wasn't alone.
"Same, Renato said. "Corona for me."
Ty made a gagging noise. "Bud."
"Coke," Jake said. "Extra ice."
J.D. just waved around us. "Pull up chairs."
Ty grabbed the first one, angling it beside me. Renato got another, pulling it up by Cody. That left Jake to make his way around, then drag a chair over on that side of the booth. They'd all just gotten comfortable when the waitress was back, setting out our drinks.
"Enjoy," she said, then wandered off.
"First off," Cody said, gesturing to Rhaven. "For those who don't know, this is Rhaven Moore, the representative for Deviant Games and my sponsor."
"She made the press conference happen," Jake said.
"Which we appreciate, ma'am," Ty told her.
Renato just nodded. "But did it make a difference?"
I jerked my chin at Rhaven. "Do you think it did? I mean, if Mr. Merrill was trotting out all the legalese, it sounds like he at least noticed."
"Oh, don't worry, Tanner. He noticed," Rhaven assured us. "But what I found interesting was that when Claudia asked about Austin, he looked pissed. Nothing big, mind. But he did that thing guys do when they're trying to be all stoic. You know, with their jaw?"
"Oh, clenching," Cody said, nodding.
I looked over at J.D. "Is that a thing?"
"Shit," Renato said. "Yeah, it's a thing. Lets me know when the fuck to keep my mouth shut. I know Ty does it."
"And men have that muscle that jumps," Cody explained, gesturing along her chin.
Yeah, I'd seen that. J.D. did it a lot, but I hadn't ever thought about it before. Clearly, the ladies had.
Rhaven kept going, ignoring that little interruption. "But the President did his best to avoid saying Tanner had been suspended. He mentioned that yes, there had been a change in the safety team recently. He said the PBR respected the time off those men deserved, and so on. Basically, he made it sound like they're on vacation and the riders were acting like spoiled brats, but without pointing any fingers."
"Fuck," Jake grumbled.
And I agreed with him, but couldn't figure out what to say. This felt like I was caught too deep in the middle. If I pushed for anything, it felt wrong somehow. Worse, I couldn't quite figure out why. J.D. and Cody needed us. I hated thinking of the risks Cody had been taking with the alternates out there. But nothing came out. Instead, I simply kept watching.
"Which means we need to keep doing this," Ty said, looking at Renato first, then over to Jake. "We all know it's getting to them."
"Shit," Renato drawled, "the stadium was almost empty for awards. The flow of bodies heading out almost made us late to the press conference."
