Page 94 of Rough Ride

The bodyguard’s face twisted in rage, and he took a step forward.

Salmon blocked him with a hand. “As I said. We’re just here to talk.”

“So fucking talk,” I barked. The longer this went on, the more wary I felt. Eli and I were unarmed, and the bodyguards were open-carrying pistols on their hips. I didn’tthinkthey would actually hurt us…

…but I had lost a lot of my faith in societal norms in the past day.

“You know, people come to this rodeo, toss back a few beers, and think they’re part of something.” Salmon adjusted his cufflinks, letting the harsh locker room lighting catch the gold engraving. “They watch the bronc riders, cheer the bullfighters,and convince themselves they understand Texas. But they don’t. Notreally.”

He let the words settle, measuring our discomfort before continuing.

“Doyouknow the history of the rodeo?” He didn’t wait for us to answer before launching into a lecturing tone. “It goes all the way back to 1896. Of course, back then it was called the Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show, and was established to promote the cattle industry and showcase livestock in our great state of Texas. It was the first of its kind. A gathering of the finest cattle, the best breeding stock, and the sharpest men in the business. It wasn’t some cheap entertainment act—it was about commerce, about power. The men who ran this show? They builtdynasties.

“By 1908, they had the firstindoorrodeo in the world, right over there in the North Side Coliseum. You ever think about that? Before Las Vegas, before Cheyenne, even before Houston, our fine city was setting the damn standard. And it only got bigger—it survived wars, prohibition, depressions. By the time our boys came back from Europe in ‘45, the rodeo wasn’t just a sideshow. It was the main event. And cowboys like you weren’t just ranch hands: they were thestars.”

He rested a hand on a nearby sink, then took his hand away in disgust. “People forget that,” he continued, pulling out an embroidered handkerchief and wiping his hand. “They think this place—” he gestured around us, “—is all beer and blue jeans, but the truth? It’smoney. The right kind of money. Old money. And the ones who understand that? They don’t just ride in the arena. They. Own. It.”

“Is there a point to this history lesson?” I asked. “Or do you just like to hear yourself talk?”

“No question aboutthat,” Eli muttered.

Salmon folded the handkerchief and tucked it back into his pocket. “The point, if your generation had enough patience tolisten, is that this rodeo is bigger than you. It’s bigger than the animals over at your rodeo camp. Hell, it’s bigger than me, if you can believe it!”

“That’s saying somethin’,” Eli said with a smirk. “On account of there’s not a lot of things bigger’nyou, Teddy.”

Fury flashed in the bodyguards’ eyes, and for a moment I was certain that Eli had made a fatal mistake. But Salmon didn’t seem offended. He only laughed.

“The rodeo’s more popular than ever. We got this new arena built. The television rights are earning more money than you could ever imagine. Shows like Yellowstone are partly the reason, but it’s mostly because we’ve finally figured out how to market it. Chris Appleton has become the face of the rodeo. We’ve spent millions of dollars worth of ads to promote him. He’s in his prime. The peoplelovehim. He’s good for ratings in a way that neither of you will ever be.”

“Well that’s a cryin’ shame,” Eli sneered. “After what Sawyer did to his mug? I doubt he should be thefaceof anything right now.”

I gave him a pointed look. His mouth was going to get us killed.

“All this is to say that Chris needs to keep his crown for as long as possible,” Salmon said. “And anyone who threatens that? Well, they’re a threat to the rodeo itself.”

“What are you suggesting?” I demanded.

Salmon flashed white teeth at me. “Are you really so thick-headed that I have to spell it out for you?”

“Wait one goddamn second,” Eli said. “You want us to take a dive? Is that it? You want us to lose on purpose?”

“Of course not!” Salmon replied. “I just want you two to hold back a little. You can still make the podium… as long as Chris is the one with gold around his neck. Bull Riding is the main event. Friday night, prime time. High school football isn’t in season, so this is what people will tune into. The advertisers are paying a fine penny for their slots—they’re expecting quite the show. They’re expecting Chris to win. Surely you two can see the big picture.”

“And if we refuse?” I forced out. “You’ll have these two lumps break our legs?”

“Of course not!” Salmon said, as if theyweren’ttrying to intimidate us. “These boys are the stick, but I came here today to show you thecarrot.” He reached into his pocket and came out with two rectangular pieces of paper. “And what a fine carrot it is.”

He handed them to one of the bodyguards, who stepped forward and gave one to each of us. Eli gasped when he saw what it was. But I was already expecting it.

It was a check from the Theodore Salmon Charitable Foundation, made out to me.

And it was worth one-point-onemilliondollars.

I had never been offered that much money before. Not even close. Just holding the check made my hand tremble.

“That’s an amount equal to the Bull Riding prize money, plus ten percent because I’m such a generous man,” Salmon explained.

Eli made a choking noise as he continued staring at the check.

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