Chapter Twenty-Six

 

 

TANK JUMPED back and forth from foot to foot, keeping his muscles warm. He didn’t have to work until the end of the show, save for the mutton bustin’, but he liked to be in the middle of things.

Someone always needed help in the smaller shows.

Buick sidled over to him, concern etched into his face.

“What’s up, buddy?” He knew Buick well enough to know that expression didn’t come along often.

“I got a text today.”

“Did it feature my bare ass prominently?”

“It did seem to be, yes. You had O face.”

“Anonymous?”

“Uh-huh. You killed him yet?”

“No. No, Dalton was really messed-up about him. He needed to deal with it.” Tank gave Buick a look. “He shows up again? I’m gonna kill him.”

“Works for me. That shit’s not cool.”

“No. No, it’s not.” Tank was furious. Not at Dalton. No, he admired his lover for taking that situation and putting it in the ground. Rocket, now, he’d best hope Tank never had to protect him from nothin’.

“I didn’t save the picture, and I don’t want you to let your guy know. I just needed you to know it was a thing.”

“Anyone else said anything?” He needed to know how widespread this was.

“Not a peep.”

Thank you, Lord. “Good deal. Thanks, Buick. Before you go back to the big show, you need to have supper with just me and Dalton. I think he’ll like you.”

“Sure. He’s a great guy. One hell of a safety man, rumor is.”

“He is. He was worried you were trying to get me back.” He winked to soften the underlying message there.

“Honey, you deserve someone that gets jealous of you.”

He clapped Buick on the back. “And you deserve someone who makes you crazy enough to go to war for.”

“There you go.” Buick winked at him. “So long as we keep on keeping on. We’re good friends.”

“We are. I appreciate you.” Today as much as he ever had.

“Let’s go watch the bareback riders. I got money on Chip.”

“Do you? Is that all you got on him?” He winked, and Buick just laughed.

“I got my eyes open, don’t you worry.”

“There you go.” Chip was a good ’un, but he was…. Well, he got around. All the time. Like whoa.

They wandered over to the chutes and climbed up, muscling up between a couple of the young local bucks.

“Mr. Tank! How are you?”

“Good. Good.” He wracked his brain, trying to find a name. “Colt.”

The kid just beamed at him, goofy as all hell.

Go him. Buick gave him a thumbs-up, which made him grunt. He searched the arena, looking for Dalton on his mare. He loved the way Dalton rode, the way he and Strawberry worked together. That ass sat the saddle like it wasn’t work. As if all those muscles were too well trained to do anything else.

He’d heard that the Jakoby kids were in the saddle before they walked. He could believe that.

Two riders went up and down fast, the crowd making that awwww noise.

“How much money you got on Chip, Buick?”

“Two hundred. Why?” Buick had been munching popcorn his brother had brought him, lost in his own world, Tank thought.

“Broncs are winning, so far.”

“Well, don’t count Chip out yet.” Buick held out the popcorn bag.

“Thanks.” He took a bite, eyes on the arena. They announced Chip on the intercom, and they all focused on the far gate. The hat brim dipped and the gate flew open, Chip marking out, no problem.

The ride went well, Chip’s free arm up, if a little stiffer than normal.

Tank frowned. Someone must have hurt his shoulder. Too bad.

Dalton rode up, grabbed hold of Chip and hauled him up and off, jerking suddenly before easing the man to the ground.

“Looks like you made your money, man.” Good on Buick.

“Looks like Chip mighta grabbed your man in a sensitive place.” Buick frowned, and Tank looked up to see Dalton rubbing his ribs.

“Yeah, looks like.”

Chip ran out of the arena with a wave, and Dalton began to ride back to his spot, when Tank felt a clap on his back.

“Hey, y’all. How’s it hanging?”

Chip Frederick in his street clothes, not a chap in sight.

Tank blinked. “Chip? Who was that riding?” Panic began to set in, even if Tank couldn’t pin down why.

“Some cowboy who paid me a thousand bucks to let him wear my hat and chaps. Fucking weird, huh?”

Tank saw the dawning horror on Buick’s face, and he turned back to the arena, jumping down over the fence as fast as he could fucking move.

He saw the blood drip from the tip of Dalton’s boot, the red drop hitting the dirt with a dusty plop before Dalton began to tilt, sliding off the saddle.

He ran, digging his shoes into the dirt as if a bull was headed right at a rider’s head with a horn. He got there just in time to keep Dalton’s head from hitting the dirt as hard as the rest of him did.

“Buick! Get the EMTs in here!” His bellow filled the arena, the sound ringing out like a whip.

The crowd went silent, and Tank felt the people hold their breath like they always did when someone was hurt on the arena floor.

Dustin skidded in next to him like a baseball player sliding into third. “What—”

Dalton blinked up at him. “Rocket. It was….” Dalton coughed and blood sprayed.

“Jesus!” Tank knew a lung injury after all his years in bull riding. He pulled open Dalton’s shirt as gently as he could, hunting the injury. “Where the hell is that EMT?” There was at least one guy at every rodeo, even the ones too small for sports medicine.

“Here. Here. What happened? Can you tell me where you’re hurt, sir?”

“Get him off the dirt,” Dustin snapped.

“What?” Tank and the EMT spoke together.

“Don’t you give that motherfucker a show to watch. Let’s get him off the goddamned dirt. This is our rodeo, our show.”

Tank glared, but Dustin stared his ass right down. He wasn’t waiting for a stretcher or a backboard. Dalton could bleed right out. Instead, he lifted Dalton up, supporting all his weight, but making it look as if he was walking. “Get his other side, Dustin.”

“On it.” Dustin grabbed Dalton’s arm, faking a wave, and the crowd went wild. They muscled their way out, and Deb was waiting right there, her mouth in a thin line.

“What the ever-loving fuck?”

“Not now,” Dustin snapped. “In the fucking bus. Now. I want you to work on him and your partner to drive without the sirens until the crowd can’t hear him. Deb, the rest of you, get back to work. Now.”

Tank shook his head. “I need to go with him, Dustin. The boys can work it without me.” He helped get Dalton in the ambulance and onto the stretcher.

The EMT immediately started Dalton on oxygen and placed an enormous, heavy-looking bandage over Dalton’s wound, which was obvious now, blood coming from it too damn fast.

“I’ll tell the guys what’s up, Tank. No worries.” Buick took off on a run.

“Should I call Pops?” Deb asked.

“Yeah. Tell him to watch the babies. Tell him someone’s fixin’ to die tonight and it ain’t going to be a Jakoby.”

“Keep me posted.” Deb was pale but composed. Rodeo people understood disasters.

“Always.” Dustin turned to the EMT. “Drive. Shut the fucking doors and drive. Now.”

“Let’s go, Beau!” The kid slammed shut the doors, jerking his head to a bench seat that Tank and Dustin would both fit on. “I need you out of the way.”

They moved as one man, their fingers twining together as they both stared at the most important person in their lives. The EMT hooked Dalton up to a blood pressure cuff and some kind of electrodes, and things began to boop and beep.

Then the guy started calling things out to the driver. “Call it in, Beau. We got a stab wound to the rib cage. Possible punctured lung. They need to be ready for him.”

“You’re going to be okay, Dee. I’m going to make that motherfucker pay. Do you hear me? I’ll stake his dick into a fire ant hill and watch him squirm.”

“Dustin.” Tank snapped it out, but he couldn’t help it. “Not now.” No threats where there was a witness.

Dustin turned on him, and for a second the youngest Jakoby twin was just a terrified boy worried he was fixin’ to lose his big brother.

Tank squeezed his hand. “He’s going to make it and be fine. We ain’t giving him a choice.”

“Of course he is. He has to be. Has to.”

“Yep. You hear that, Dalton? Dustin is talking to you.” Tank was just as terrified. Dalton was so gray and still.

“Y’all are twins, huh? You can donate blood if you need to, then. Good. That’s good.”

“I can donate anything he needs.” Dustin stared at Dalton as if willing him to be okay.

It fucking broke Tank’s heart to see, and his heart was damn shaky on his own behalf right now.

“His BP is falling. Get a move on, man.” The EMT bent to Dalton. “Stay with me. Can you open your eyes?”

Chips of blue ice appeared, Dalton just cracking his eyes open. His lips moved, but nothing came out but blood.

“Good. Hang in there, man. Your people are right here, just a few feet away.”

“That’s right. I got Tank here. You don’t want me to steal him, you’d best stay with me.”

Tank laughed, the sound more of a croak than anything. “I got your back, Dalton. All the time. You stay with us.”

Dalton tilted his head, searching for them, hunting them.

“Right here.” Tank scooted a few inches so Dalton could see him. He didn’t dare get in the way of all those tubes and stuff. “Right here, cowboy. I got your back. Just stay with me.”

Dalton nodded, blinking like a sun-warmed lizard.

Dustin made a low noise, one that ripped at his gut. Still, Dalton was hanging on, and they were pulling up at the emergency room.

The guys zoomed Dalton in, and then Dustin had to answer a zillion medical questions from blood type to previous injuries to allergies. By the time they were done with that, there had to be two hundred texts and phone calls to deal with. Maybe three hundred.

Tank called Buick to check in on his guys once he’d helped Dustin text all of the family.

“What do you need?” That was the first thing out of Buick’s mouth.

“How are the bullfighters?”

“Fine. Worried. They’ll be there once they’re done.”

“Okay. Did Chip see the guy again?” He knew the answer, but he had to ask.

“No, but he’s a little pissed at me. How’s Dalton?”

“In surgery.” The lung had been collapsing, and they were gonna try some kind of repair to the wall between the body and lung by tube if they could. A lot of it had just been words at that point.

“I’m praying. We all are. You need me to come up or bring Miss Deb after the show is done?”

“Can you bring my truck up? I don’t like us all being stranded.” Buick was a good man.

“Totally. I’ll make sure y’all are set up.”

“Thanks, buddy. I owe you.”

“Tell that to your twin. We’ll see what he says.”

“I will.” Tank hung up, and he started pacing again.

Dustin was sitting perfectly still, eyes closed, face pale. It was fucking creepy. He wasn’t sure whether or not Dustin was trying to give Dalton energy, or if he was communing, or what. It sure didn’t help his anxiety one bit.

“Dustin, man? Can you talk to me? Are you okay?” He sat down with a plop.

“I’m just…. I want to know he’s okay, you know?”

“I know. I get it. We’re action types.” He gave Dustin the best smile he had at the moment. “We want to fix it.”

“Need to. I totally need to.” Dustin’s blue eyes burned in his head. “I’m going to kill him.”

“I would let you. Anyone else, including Deb, and I would tell them to wait in line.” He wanted Dustin to understand that he got it. Twins were special. Came from the same egg, those two. He couldn’t and wouldn’t fight that.

“Yeah. Yeah, he tried to break… us.” Dustin began to shake, tiny little tremors that hurt Tank’s soul.

He took Dustin’s hand, because the man needed contact. Reassurance. “He’s not gonna win.”

“No. No, he isn’t. Not then. Not now. Not tomorrow.”

“Nope. Dalton is strong, and he’s got us.” Rocket was going to pay no matter what, but that could wait.

Dustin nodded and sighed as his phone started to ring again. “Everyone is going to show up like avenging angels. Rocket’s never going to be able to show his face at a rodeo again.”

“Good. I want more, though. I want him in jail or—” He waved a hand, and Dustin nodded before answering his phone.

“Yeah, Pops? Yeah, just the go bag in my truck. Is someone dealing with the horses? The babies? Well, I know, but…. Okay. Okay, just come on. Bring me a Coke. Dr Pepper.” Dustin looked over. “Tank, you want anything?”

“Same for me, please.” Tank’s stomach was in knots, but he knew a fizzy drink would help.

“Two of those, please. We’re in the surgery waiting room deal. Thanks, Pops. Love you too.” Dustin hung up. “Momma and Pops are at the rodeo grounds. They say Buick will bring your truck, and they’ll bring Deb.” Then he got a wild-eyed look. “The babies are settling everything down.”

Tank blinked. “Trial by fire, huh? The boys will help.” His bullfighters knew the ins and outs of the show.

“It’s not like they haven’t seen it all their lives, I guess.”

“They got to grow up sometime.”

They looked at each other grimly, then snorted at the same time.

“They’re Jakobys,” Tank said. “They’ll be fine.”

“Yessir. That’s what we do.”

He stood, stretching up tall toward the ceiling. “How long you think this will take?”

“The surgery? I got nothing. I ain’t never been stabbed.”

“Me either. My knee took hours.” Damn. He wasn’t a good waiter. “They need a gym.”

“Yeah. There’s cards in my go bag. That’ll help.”

“Good deal.” He was going to lose his shit. He could feel it.

“He’ll wake up. I know he will.”

“I know. I’m just sucky at waiting.” He rolled his shoulders, then his neck.

“Uh-huh. I should have brought my laptop.”

“Yeah, well, you forgot. You were busy.”

“A little bit, yeah.”

Dalton had been pretty involved in bleeding to death. But he was gonna be okay. Tank turned too sharply and damn near lost his bad knee out from under him.

“Careful!” Dustin moved fast as lightning, grabbed him up.

“Thanks. Sorry. Sorry, the damn thing has been sore as a boil, and I think I wrenched it jumping down in the arena.”

“Dalton can rub it for you when he wakes up.”

“That’s it.” He called up the feeling of Dalton’s hands and the hot towels and smiled a little.

“He loves you, you know? I mean, he really loves you.”

“I know. I’m starting to figure that out.” And he wasn’t ready to lose this now. Not one bit.

“Good. I knew you were a smart man, for all you get banged around.”

“I am.” He nodded and chuckled. The door to the waiting area opened, and he saw Denver and Linda walk in.

“How is he?” Denver asked.

“Where the fuck is the sheriff’s department?” That was momma bear. “Have they caught the bastard yet?”

“We haven’t heard on either side.”

“Momma.” Dustin’s face crumpled, and he reached for his mom, who went right to him.

“Buck up. He’ll be fine. I know it.” She held on tight, her face hard as nails. “No tears. Where is Sister?”

“She’s not with you?”

“No.”

“Pops said you were picking her up.” Dustin looked at Tank, panicked.

He dialed Buick right away.

“’Lo?”

“You got Miss Deb?”

“I do. Don’t you worry.”

“Oh, thank God. We thought her folks were bringing her.”

“She wanted to stop at the store and get some stuff, so we left early. Don’t you worry. We’ll be there after a bit. Y’all focus on Dalton.”

“Thanks, buddy.” He hung up, relief making him weak. “She’s with Buick in my truck.”

“Good deal. You don’t think he’s sticking around, do you?” Linda pinned Tank with a glare. “My babies are there.”

“No. No, Chip found his chaps in the bathroom. I think he’s a damn coward.”

“Dustin?”

“He wanted Dalton to pay. He doesn’t care about the rest of us.”

“Okay. They have to text me every twenty minutes.” Linda was amazing.

A surgeon came out, all robed up. “Jakoby?”

They all stood as one.

“He’s going to be fine. Lung is reinflated. He’s healthy as a horse. He’ll need to take it easy for a few months, but he’s going to be just fine. I took photos of the wound for the sheriff’s department.”

“Oh, thank you, sir.” Denver bounded over to clap the doc on the shoulder.

“When can we see him?” Linda asked. “I need to see my baby. Now.”

“He’s in recovery, but… come on, ma’am. Let’s get you in.”

“Thank you.” She was a force of nature. “Dustin, you’ll be next, I promise, baby.”

“Tank next.”

He looked at Dustin, wide-eyed, and Dustin shrugged. “I know he’s okay. I can wait. We share the same blood.”

Tank enveloped Dustin in a hard hug. “You’re a good egg, man.”

“I’m going to be a problem for you for years. You might as well owe me one.”

“You’re right.” He wanted to melt now he knew Dalton would be okay, just dribble down on the couch and breathe.

Linda left with the doctor, and Denver started texting.

Deb showed up maybe two minutes later, hands full of bags. “Buick is parking. Tell me what’s happening.”

“He’s going to be fine. Sore. Off the circuit for a while, but fine.”

“Blowing up balloons, huh?” They all knew guys that had punctured a lung.

“Yes, ma’am. Doc says he’s like an ox.”

“Okay.” She looked at Denver. “You okay, Pops?”

“Fine.”

“I’m not.” Tank winked at her, and she laughed out loud, her relief a palpable thing.

“What I want to know is where the hell is the sheriff’s man?” Denver scowled. “Half the rodeo is out looking for that Rocket feller. They’re gonna kill him, and I want him to go to jail instead.”

“I vote y’all let me and Dustin go find him.” Buick’s voice was dry as dust.

“Let’s go.”

“Dustin!” Denver glared. “He will want you here when he wakes up.”

“He’ll understand. You think he wouldn’t be out there hunting in my stead?”

“Buick, please man.” Don’t make this worse.

Buick just stared him down. “You’re my best friend. You think I don’t have a stake in this?”

“I know, but….”

“No buts.”

Dustin nodded. “Sorry, Pops. I’ll be back soon.”

“No, sir.” Denver stood up, and suddenly Denver Jakoby was a man in his prime, a cowboy who had raised five cowboys of his own and was the head of the Jakoby Rodeo Company. “You will sit y’all’s asses down, and you will wait on the sheriff. You will make a report, or I will beat all y’all down. I will not lose a man to jail because he’s having a dick-measuring contest, not when my oldest boy is laying in a hospital bed!”

Dustin sat back down with a thud. Buick moved over to sit next to him, looking kinda stunned.

Tank breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God.

“That goes for you triple, Deborah Leanne. You so much as twitch, I will beat your butt.”

“I’m right here. I got snacks, soap, and deodorant and all that.”

“Good girl. Does anyone have a Tylenol?”

“Yessir.” Deb dug into one of her bags. “Do you need a drink?”

“Shit. We left the drinks in the car. Please and thank you, honey.”

“I’ll come help lug. You got my go bag, right?” He was still in uniform.

Buick nodded. “In the truck. I’ll get it, man. You stay here.” Buick hopped up, but bobbed his head at Denver. “No funny business, I swear.”

“You’d better mean it.”

“Yes, sir.” Buick looked properly cowed.

Linda came out with a nurse. “She’ll take you back, Tank.”

“How does he look?”

“Pale. Pissed off. Where is the sheriff?”

“I don’t know.” Denver was getting stone-cold pissed.

“You sure, Dustin?” Tank asked.

“Go. I’ll be next.”

Tank didn’t argue. He just went. He followed the nurse back to recovery, his heart pounding.

“He’s doing very well. A little dopey, but he’s good.”

“We were all super worried.” Tank knew from long weeks in the hospital over time that the nurses were the patients’ and families’ lifelines.

“Sure. He was stabbed? How messed-up is that? Does he need, like, police protection?”

“We’re waiting for the sheriff, but the guy is still at large, yes.” Rage clouded his vision for a moment. “Don’t you worry. Protecting cowboys is my job. Protecting this one is my calling.”

“He’s a lucky guy, then. I need you to stop here and wash up, please.”

“You got it.” Tank scrubbed up to his elbows.

Dalton was muttering, talking to himself restlessly, when he walked in.

“Hey, baby.” He kept his voice low so he didn’t bother anyone, but he knew Dalton heard him because his lover stilled.

“Tank. Tank, it’s not Chip.”

“I know, baby. I know. The law is looking for Rocket, and Chip is just fine.” He knew the goofy-mind feeling of anesthetic. All he had to do was repeat stuff until it got through.

Those blue eyes popped open. “Tank.”

“Hey. Do you remember your momma coming in?”

“I do. I think so. Tired, huh?”

“Sure you are. Doc says you’re healthy as a horse.”

“Strawberry. Did someone put her away? She’s safe?”

“Darius and Dakota took care of everyone.” He knew no one would have let Strawberry go untended.

“The babies?”

Lord have mercy, someone was going to have to let those kids grow up. Thank goodness for Denver and Linda.

“They’ve got all the help in the world. Julio is there, and so are my boys.”

“Right. Stay? I don’t understand what happened. I just don’t get it.”

“I think I have the whole picture, but you’re safe now, and we can just let you rest.” He pulled up a chair, because there was one, and had a sit.

“You still got your makeup on.”

“My bag is still out in the truck. I’ll run change when they come take you to your room.”

“I don’t mind. I know it’s you under there.” Goofy man.

“Good. Some kids are scared of me just on sight.” He picked a spot with no needles or anything so he could touch Dalton’s arm.

“I know. I mean, that sucks.” Dalton blinked, the action getting slower and slower.

“Shhh. You ain’t gonna bother me if you sleep. You need it.”

“Need you. Stay. Please.”

“I’ll be right here, baby. Right here.” He would let Dustin have his time too, but he would stay as long as he could.

“’Kay.” Dalton’s eyes closed, the drugs taking the sweet body over.

Poor man was exhausted, but he was alive and strong enough to be breathing on his own, just a wee oxygen dealie in his nose helping him along. Tank wanted to sit there and bawl.

He didn’t, though. He held on to Dalton and listened to his lover breathe.