It doesn’t.
I keep moving, fast. Maggie is kneeling at Knox’s head now.
Sweet Christ!
“Get up!” I holler.
“He can’t!” she yells back.
“You, Maggie,you get up!”
Her eyes narrow as a frown drops over her face. The bull’s hot breath washes across my back as I make a grab for Knox. Hauling his heavy ass from the dirt, I drag him toward the rail. Maggie gets under one arm, and he starts coming to.
“The hell...” He sways, and we all but push him up the rails. I send Maggie up the rails with one hand before taking a few rungs myself.
“Hup! Hup!” Logan is waving his hat at the bull. It spins, bolting after the clown-faced man, who legs it back toward the return chute before high-stepping dramatically, making the audience laugh, and jumps up the rails, clambering to the top and over.
Kadence disappears through the gate, and the crowd stands with a roar.
“Nowthat, ladies and gentlefolk, is entertainment!” the announcer drawls.
The crowd whistles, cheering, hats tossed high in the air as Knox finds his bearings and steps down the rails with a wave. I jump down and take his arm in my grip as he sways a little on his feet.
“Get your goddamn hand off me, Jones.”
He gives me a strange look, as if trying to figure out why I’m the one helping and not the bullfighters. Maggie steps off the rail and his gaze flickers to her.
“Figures,” he grunts and limps toward the return chute. He plucks his hat from his head and holds it in the air. The crowd cheers for him all the way back to the chutes.
“That was close,” Maggie breathes, now beside me.
“Yeah, it was.”
I stalk my way back across the arena. Rounding the chutes, I run into Levi lecturing Knox, telling him it’s either a visit to Willow the circuit doc or he’s out for the rest of the season.
Like Levi has that power, but you never know. Hell, if he has sway over scouts, who’s to say he can’t influence the team managers? Especially with Knox’s attitude this year. Wouldn’t take much to drop the shithead.
“All good, man?” I ask Levi as he stands watching Knox to make sure he does, in fact, go see the doctor.
“That little shit will be the death of me.”
“We know, old man. We’re more trouble than we’re worth.”
He throws me the ‘shut the hell up, will you’ look. “Nice save, Jonesy. Next time, let Logan handle it.”
“Stop putting the photographer in the danger zone and I will.”
He steps closer, folding his arms over his chest. “Telling me how to do my job?”
“No, sir.”
He tilts his head, his eyes narrowing. “For your information, it was her idea. Something about getting more action shots to bring in a bigger audience to the website. She’s got a good head on her, that girl.”
That girl.
“Yep” is all I can manage.
Levi leaves me with a wink, and I study his back as he walks back to the chutes. Shaking the feeling he knows more than he lets on, I grab my gear and wander to the locker room. The team space is empty when I get there. It’s the first time I’ve been in ateam locker room for any sport, so I don’t really know what to expect, but it’s clean and white. And my bag is right where I left it when we showed up hours ago.
