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I heard my teeth clack together at the impact. That was gonna hurt later. But it seemed that explosion was his last, because Disco Breakout began to spin to the right. This was my good side. This was where I could start spurring, getting my legs up enough to leave some air between me and the cowhide I was hanging onto.
"Ride 'em!" Jake yelled at me.
Yep, that was what I was doing. I was riding the fuck out of this bull. I was also chasing a rookie and knew it. Cody had made this look easy, but it sure as shit wasn't. Every impact of the bull's feet with the ground tried to snap my head up. Every kick threatened to shove my face into his horns. I could feel my ab muscles burning with the effort.
Just as I was sure I couldn't take any more, the lights went off and the buzzer sounded. Frantically, I yanked at the tail of my rope. The tension vanished, my palm was free, so I rolled off the outside while Disco Breakout just kept bucking his heart out.
But I came down hard. My face dug into the dirt, the grill of my helmet sending a bit into my eyes. Around me, the bullfighters moved in, but I was half blinded. Blinking hard, trying to get my bearings, I wasn't sure which way to go.
A hand shoved, propelling me forward. Yep, I ran with it. The crowd was screaming in enthusiasm. A second later, I heard a groan, which meant someone had just taken a hit. Leather flapped around my legs as I ran, refusing to stop until I reached the arena wall and was halfway up the side.
Then I dared to look back. Jorge was pushing himself to his feet. Isaac was on the side of the chutes. Tanner was in the middle like the crazy bastard he was, and the outrider was moving his horse in and swinging the lasso over his head.
That was what Disco Breakout needed to convince him it was time to go. Still, I waited until he was through the gate - with it closed behind him - before I jumped back down. Then, peeling off my helmet, I made my way back to collect my gear, yet it was Tanner I was aiming for.
"Isaac's got your rope," he called to me.
I nodded and didn't stop until we were close enough to talk without yelling. "Hey, how pissed is Cody about that score?"
"Pissed," he admitted. "She's consistently riding nineties and getting low eighties."
"Yeah," I panted, struggling to catch my breath after that workout. "I just don't know what to do about it."
"Make it clear there's nothing wrong with a woman in this sport," Tanner said.
Isaac and Jorge were converging as well. I jerked my chin at the closest, making it clear I wasn't starting shit. "Good work, guys. Hope that bull wasn't too hard on either of you, eh?"
Jorge laughed. "No worse than normal. Just gotta do a little tuck and roll, right?"
"Something like that," I said. "I'm also sorry about last weekend." And I held up my fist.
One by one, they all bumped it with their own. I figured that was the best I was going to get. I hadn't made friends with them lately. I'd been a dick when I'd gotten pissed at Tanner for calling sports med. Hell, they should be giving me the one-second treatment, and I knew it, so this was my version of sucking up.
I turned to head out and Isaac fell in beside me. His yellow jersey made him a hard man to miss. When he reached my side and patted my shoulder, I slowed just a bit.
"Yeah?" I asked, guessing he wanted something.
"J.D.'s gonna have a shit ride."
"Uh..." I gave him a confused look.
"Without Ado is back this weekend. He doesn't want Cody to know."
"Fuck!" Because that bull was a man eater. "Yeah, ok. I'll stick close."
"Tanner told me not to say anything."
I just nodded, making it clear I got the message loud and clear. "Just watching the best of the best, right? That'll give me an excuse to be over on that side."
"Yeah," Isaac said. "And this is why we're not pissed at you, Ty. You've been a dipshit lately, but I'm willing to forgive and forget."
"And I saw that second you gave Austin," I assured him. "Threat heard loud and clear. I'm pretty sure all the guys up there will say the same thing."
"Good." Isaac flashed me a smile and skipped backwards a step. "Because we're done fucking around too. Time to close ranks."
Yep, those guys were crazy. The problem was that I was starting to think the crazy ones were in the right. J.D., the bullfighters, and even Cody. They were the ones who had this shit figured out.
So maybe I needed to work on finding a little crazy of my own.
