I fought the memories.
I ignored the whisper of trauma coaxing my soul.
Finally, the bell tolled, marking the end of the ride. Declan jumped off the beast, his eyes triumphant.
The crowd went wild, their cheers and applause providing the perfect backdrop for his victory.
Yet despite the thrill, my thoughts lingered on my father’s last ride.
His lifeless form in the dirt.
The paramedics that rushed to his side.
The gasps that ripped through the crowd as he was thrown.
I remembered with painful clarity how my father’s body lay sprawled in the dirt. The once vibrant and imposing figure, so full of life and authority, now lay six feet under, discarded by the harsh rodeo arena like a broken prop.
From across the arena, Declan’s intense gaze met mine again, making my heart stutter. His eyes seemed to see into my very soul, reading my every thought and desire.
It should have been exhilarating.
Maybe it should have been fun. Or exciting.
But the smell of dust and manure, the relentless buzzing of the crowd, the painful memories of my father’s accident—it was too much. I felt like I was going to be sick.
I retreated toward the back of the arena, a sour taste of dread creeping up my throat, enhancing the nervous thrumming of my heart. The incessant buzz of the crowd became a grim soundtrack to the memories of my father’s death.
“Where the hell are you, Avery?” I said out loud. Focusing on finding her was the only way my brain would survive being here.
Avery’s familiar blonde tresses caught my eye across the way, her silhouette framed against the fence as she watched the riders in the ring. But before her name could escape my lips, a forceful grip clamped down on my shoulder, halting my steps.
A voice sneered into my ear, “Where do you think you’re going, little lady?”
The pit of my stomach dropped as I turned to face the one who had spoken. I recognized him, though we had never formally met.
Hank, the notorious leader of the Dust Devils, towered over me.
Everyone knew to fear Hank. He was a modern outlaw. A dangerous mafia man running our small town.
His eyes, fierce and penetrating, and his breath, a nauseating mix of stale tobacco and cheap liquor, made me stumble.
“I’m just trying to find my sister,” I replied, clinging to the remnants of my determination.
“And who is your sister?”
I nodded nervously, not wanting to bring Avery more into this than she already was. “I’m not here to cause any trouble.”
“I’m not sure I believe you.”
Before I could answer, the sudden, jarring sound of a bull’s roar sliced through the tension. A frantic scramble of riders made us both snap our heads toward the arena as a massive beast broke free from its enclosure, charging toward spectators with terrifying momentum.
“Fuck!” Hank yelled before storming toward one of his men.
The bull’s wild eyes scanned the crowd, looking for a target, and in its wake, it left a mass of scattered people.
Hank, like everyone else, was momentarily distracted by the unfolding disarray. Sensing an opportunity to get the hell away from him, I darted into action. My heart hammered in my chest as I launched myself over the fence and toward the commotion, hoping to slip away unnoticed.
Straight toward the bull.
Straight toward trouble.
The ground beneath me shook with the bull’s charge, its hot breath practically burning into my back. I stumbled, a sharp rock nearly throwing me off balance, as I felt its monstrous horns come dangerously close.
Just as I was about to get trampled, a hand yanked me out of the bull’s path.
Declan.
His urgent shout pierced through the screams, “Come on, let’s get out of here!”
His grip was a lifeline as we ran from the bull, the boom of the rampage receding behind us. He helped me through a crumpled portion of the fence, and we both sprinted toward the parking area.
Once we were far enough away, I took a moment to calm myself and look for Avery. Did she get trampled? Did she escape?
Declan’s laugh made me pause. “You probably shouldn’t run toward the bull.”
I looked up at him with a scowl. “I was trying to get away!”
“Sure,” he replied. “If by getting away you mean practically sprinting toward the bull.”
In the distance, the bull was finally roped in and the crowd dispersed, leaving behind a palpable wave of adrenaline. Declan’s proximity sent my heart into a reckless movement, a tantalizing cocktail of fear and desire swirling within me.
“Thank you,” I murmured, my voice barely a whisper against the lingering dust and the frenzied cadence of hooves and boots.
A devious glint twinkled in his eyes as a smirk played on his lips. “Just couldn’t let a wildflower like you get trampled, now could I? This world could do with more delicate things.”
I blushed, then started scanning the dispersing crowd, looking for Avery’s blonde hair in the mass of people leaving.
But my eyes landed on a familiar figure in the distance, and the curious look on his face froze my blood in its veins.
Hank stared at me like I was a problem.
Fear constricted my chest as I tried to make a run for it. But Declan’s grip on my hand, once comforting, now felt like a vise, grounding me to the spot.
His voice, low and laced with concern, punctured my spiraling thoughts, “What’s the rush?”
“I . . . I can’t be here,” I stammered, each breath a struggle.
His gaze intensified, his brilliant blue eyes narrowing. “Why not?”
Avery. I needed to find Avery. The mere thought of her in the company of the Dust Devils was unbearable. “I should go,” I mumbled hastily. “Thank you . . . for everything.” The words tumbled out in a rush as I released myself from his hold and darted toward the parking lot.
This rodeo, this whole place, was a nightmare.
CLOVER
Worry twisted in my gut as hours ticked by. After the rodeo called it quits for fence repairs, I finally got Avery to reply to one of my texts, and she hurriedly promised to be home soon. I couldn’t find her in the rowdy crowd and decided to meet her at home, but with the break of dawn, there was still no sign of Avery.
The damn girl was going to give me a heart attack one of these days. I was pretty sure she’d already given me a stress ulcer.
Avery liked to party. She liked to live life to the fullest. She loved to make me worry.
The creak of the front door snapped me out of my thoughts. My sister, smiling like an idiot, waltzed through the door without a care. Seeing Avery brought a wave of relief, quickly replaced by a surge of anger. “Where have you been?” I demanded, my voice filled with tension.
A mix of chill and excitement colored her cheeks, and her eyes sparkled as she spoke. “It was wild,” she said, waving her arms and making her old plaid shirt lift up. “A bull broke loose and turned the arena upside down!”
I felt my anger spike again. “I know, Avery, I was there!” I shot back.
Her eyes widened. “You were there?!”
“Yes. I found the damn flier in your room and showed up. Was looking for you when the damn bull got loose. It was fucking terrifying—”
She grinned. “It was so much fun!”