Page 46 of The Undercover Cowboy

“I know you’re not on the roster for Laredo, but I wanted to give you a heads-up, just in case you get Dolly to sweet-talk them into getting you back on the lists.”

Nash hoped it didn’t come to that. His back still ached from riding. “What’s the heads-up?”

“I just heard from a guy I know about the bulls coming up next week. They’ve got a seventy-five percent success rate.”

Nash whistled. Out of one hundred rides, only twenty-five bull riders went the eight seconds. “Damn.”

“That’s not all. Ten of them are from a different stock contractor.”

“Wait,” Nash said, grabbing a pen so he could take notes on a crumpled napkin that had been on the floor. “I thought the UPRC could only use the three stock contractors now.”

“Well, I think Jaripeo is accepting a commission to put other stock contractors’ bulls in their shipment.”

“Anyone going to tell the bosses about this outsourcing?”

“Not unless you want to be labeled a snitch.”

Nash clenched his jaw. Yeah, that was exactly what he didn’t want to be labeled as. Not here too. “A snitch?” He had to remind himself that Finn didn’t know his past as a whistle-blower, and wouldn’t understand how much that word stung.

“The other guys aren’t thrilled about the unknowns, but what can you do? I’m calling to just give you the heads-up that you might want to sit this rodeo out. Just in case they’re too much to handle. No offense.”

“Thanks for letting me know,” Nash said. This made this shipment even more interesting. “But I’ll be there, one way or another. Count on it.”

Finn hesitated before responding, clearly worried. “You sure about that? You’re not exactly the best bull rider around here, and these bulls are no joke.”

“I know,” Nash admitted. “But I’m all in.” All in investigating these bulls, that was.

“You’re crazy, son. That’s what I like about you. Hey, how are things with you and Dolly?”

“None of your business,” he said, but Nash made sure his tone was lighthearted.

“All righty then. See you in a few days.”

The drive was long, but Nash made good time. When he pulled into the large parking lot of the office building, however, he hadn’t been expecting an ambulance to be idling by the front doors. He called Dolly again. To his relief, she answered on the first ring this time.

“What’s going on in there? There’s an ambulance out front.”

“Why are you here?” she said.

“Shelby called me in. Said she needed to talk to me. Do you know why?”

“No, but someone just beat the shit out of Blevins,” she whispered. “I walked into his office a few moments ago, and he was on the ground bleeding all over the place.”

“Are you all right?” Nash got out of the truck. “I’m coming up.”

“I’m fine. Hold off for a few until things die down. You don’t want anyone to recognize you from the rodeo.”

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea. I’ll talk to you later.” He hung up and called Shelby. If Blevins had just gotten his bell rung, that couldn’t have been the reason why Shelby had wanted to have a meeting with him. “Hey, I’m going to need a copy of your security footage from this morning,” he said when she answered.

“Where are you?” Shelby’s voice was high and nervous.

“Right outside.”

“Come in through side door B and meet me in my office.”

Dolly had a good point about the danger of him being recognized now that everyone in the building would be on high alert for a new face coming into the building. He was dressed business casual, so it was possible that if there was anyone around from the rodeo, they might not recognize him on a first glance. It wouldn’t hold up if one of the bull riders or anyone he worked closely with saw him. No one should be near the headquarters on a Tuesday afternoon. The professional cowboys were either still sleeping in, back at home, or on their way to Laredo to get settled in to work their remote jobs while waiting for the weekend.

He supposed if worse came to worst, Dolly would find a way to put a spin on things.

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