Page 9 of Rough Ride

“Great work back there, Elijah.”

He groaned when he saw me. “I would’ve done better if you weren’t sitting there, ruining my game.”

“I didn’t see any game back there. Just desperation.”

“Whatever you say.” He shoved his phone in his pocket and turned to me. “You’re just upset because you know I’m going to win.”

“She’s not going out with you, even if you win the rodeo,” I said. “She wasn’t serious.”

“Probably,” he admitted. “But it will give me aninwith her. I can joke about it. She’ll be laughing so much that she’ll forget whether or not she was serious in the first place.”

“She’s not like the other women you seduce.”

“First of all, I don’tseducewomen,” he argued. “I’m a lover, not a fighter.”

“Well, youlovea lot of women at the rodeo.”

He frowned at me. “That’s not fair. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were callin’ me a man-slut.”

“I am, indeed, calling you a man-slut,” I said dryly.

“And I know she’s not like the others. She’s…” He got a faraway look in his eyes. “She’s not the kind of girl you have a rodeo hookup with. She’s something special.”

I blinked at Eli. “Yeah. That’s what I was going to say.”

“Then we’re in agreement. Whoever wins the rodeo wins her heart.”

“She wasn’t serious…” I began, but he was already walking away. “Where are you going?”

“To tell Sawyer.”

I groaned, but followed him across the room to the ax throwing area. There were three lanes separated by walls, with wooden targets at one end and baskets of axes at the other. A Billy Bob’s employee stood watch to make sure nobody got hurt.

That employee was currently arguing with Sawyer.

“I told you,” the black-clad man growled, “I don’t need axes. I brought my own.”

“But you don’t have axes!” the employee insisted.

“I have something better.” Sawyer’s hands flashed across his belt and inside his coat, and in the blink of an eye he was holding four throwing knives. He fanned them out like a deck of cards. “I’m using these.”

The employee looked like he wanted to argue more, but then Sawyer tossed one knife to his free hand and then flicked it across the lane with alarming casualness. He repeated the motion three more times, throwing the final knife with his left hand. Across the lane, all four knives were stuck into the wooden target at the bullseye.

“Knives are fine,” the employee said with a gulp.

Sawyer was already ignoring him, striding down the lane to retrieve his knives.

“Hey!” Eli went running over to him. “I can see you’re already making friends.”

Sawyer gave him a glare that could peel paint, then walked back to the throwing spot.

“Maybe we shouldn’t bother him while he’s…” I warned.

Sawyer’s head snapped in my direction. “While I’m what?”

“While you’re busy,” I replied.

“Iambusy,” he replied gruffly. “In case you two were wondering when to fuck off.”

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