Broken Trouble (Broken Storm Book 1) Read online

  "A party isn't a party without beer," Jayden declared, appearing beside us. Dylan flinched and snapped out of his trance, his face turning red from embarrassment while his eyebrows furrowed in annoyance at the interruption.

  I turned to Jayden, who was watching me with his usual smirk. He sat down in the dirt next to me, passing me a beer.

  "Thank you."

  "Sweetheart, you don't have to thank me. Watching you-" Jayden paused and grimaced, "-is thanks enough," he finished. Though I doubted that was what he’d originally meant. He took a long pull of his beer, as if he needed to drown his unspoken words to keep them from coming out.

  I hesitated. I'd already told myself that I wouldn't get drunk tonight, but if I just sipped it, then I would probably be safe from embarrassing myself. I took a sip of the malty and slightly bitter liquid, feeling the warmth of the alcohol as it hit my stomach. I hoped I wouldn't regret it. Setting my bottle down next to me, I put another marshmallow on my stick, noticing that Dylan was already roasting another over the fire.

  We sat in silence until someone turned on the radio, blasting country music that echoed throughout the canyon. I focused on the lyrics, wondering if I could imagine Dylan singing a song about saving horses and riding cowboys. I couldn't.

  I blinked out of my thoughts when I felt something touch my hand. Looking down, I saw Dylan re-positioning my hand with the stick so the marshmallow was hovering over the fire just so.

  Without speaking, he was trying to show me how to roast marshmallows. He seemed to speak even less in public then he did at the ranch, but I was still grateful for his help. With his help, I might actually be able to make an edible roasted marshmallow. I said another thanks and watching him blush again.

  I smiled and glanced at Jayden. "What were you asking Flint about earlier?"

  Jayden looked confused, then his eyes brightened. I could see his spirits rising by the second.

  "That's something I'd rather show you," he said as he got up and reached for my hand with a wink. "It's time to start having some real fun."

  I gave him an uncertain look, but took his hand. He had been behaving so far, so I could humor him. Dylan took the stick from my hand so I could follow Jayden. As I walked, I noticed people perking up at the sight of us and standing to follow. It was like they all knew what he was doing, or where he was going.

  "Is it time?" Someone shouted.

  Then another person who was following us, shouted back, "It's time!"

  My anticipation grew as we walked. I heard a few trucks start to follow behind us, their headlights casting a glow. I walked hand in hand with Jayden down a short path leading through the canyons until we popped out the other side and out into the open. There was something directly in front of us, but I wasn't able to make out what it was until the lights from the trucks hit it.

  "A mechanical bull," I stated, surprised.

  This was the extremely fun thing that all these people were looking forward to?

  Granted, I’d never rode one, but didn't they have them in bars where they could ride them all the time? What was so special about it?

  "Yeah, we use it to practice before the rodeo and, of course, to show off," Jayden explained with a wink. "You're lucky, Sweetheart, you're about to get a preview of the action you'll see on Wednesday,” he stepped up to the bull, pulling out the controller, "and I'll even let you control

  my ride. Just imagine it's you I'm riding," he smirked as he handed me the remote.

  I stared at him, trying to think of a good comeback, but nothing came to mind. I guess he couldn't hold back his inappropriate comments any longer.

  I inspected the remote, wondering if I should even push any of the buttons after what he had said. It would be like standing up to him. I didn’t want any kind of ride from him.

  "Do you need me to show you how to handle it?" Jayden insinuated.

  I raised an eyebrow. "I think I can manage. All the controls look pretty simple, though this knob is really small,” I pretended to pout, causing him to narrow his eyes as he got on the mechanical bull. He caught my meaning pretty clearly.

  Flint started up a generator. Its loud rumble filled the air along with the engines from the trucks. Lights lit up the mechanical bull, casting a soft light on Jayden.

  "Don't go easy on me. I like a rough ride," Jayden said crudely.

  All thoughts of not pressing the buttons flew off into the hot night breeze. I'd give him a rough ride all right. I pressed the start button and the mechanical bull started moving. Pressing buttons and moving the stick around, I watched as it moved and bucked. Jayden stayed on, gripping the sides of the mechanical bull with his heels and rocking on the bull with ease.

  This was going to be tougher than I thought.

  "Come on, Cowgirl," Wyatt encouraged. I hadn’t noticed he was there. Everyone was watching and waiting to see if the city girl, who had never run a mechanical bull in her life, let alone ridden one, could buck off the best bull rider around.

  The crowd started counting out loud. Yelling out the seconds as they passed.

  Talk about a stressful situation.

  I wanted Jayden to get bucked off even more and I wouldn't mind stooping to the level of cheating to do it.

  "You can turn that knob all the way around again," Landon said, surprising me by offering help. He motioned to the controller.

  I turned the knob like he suggested, and watched the mechanical bull turned into a bull-nado, spinning so fast it blurred.

  "What's his weakness?" I asked, continuing to move knobs and press buttons as the crowd chanted out the sixth second.

  "Speed changes."

  My head spun around and I peered at Gavin, shocked he’d decided to help me as well.

  I jerked the speed knob around, and twisted the direction knob like crazy, but it was too late.

  Jayden had made it to the eighth second.

  Damn it.

  Jayden leaped from the still spinning mechanical bull, his eyes latching onto mine as a cocky smirk spread across his face.

  I would never hear the end of this. I could hear the collection of sighs from the guys behind me, all of them disappointed that he had rode it for the full eight seconds.

  Jayden approached me, but a guy moving forward into the empty area surrounding the mechanical bull caused him to stop in his tracks. The way his eyes darkened with hatred told me all I needed to know. The attractive Native American guy, with long black hair tied back, earrings hanging from his pierced ears with a chiseled jawline and plush lips, was Sike.

  Gavin moved past me to stand beside Jayden and I moved forward to stand on his other side, sensing the rest of the guys and Starre following close behind.

  "That was pathetic," Sike's face twisted in disgust. When his eyes landed on mine, they were cold and vengeful. Throughout my life, I’d learned how to look at someone and know if they were good or bad. People might be good at hiding their darkness, but staring into this man’s eyes; I know I’d come to the right conclusion.

  Sike was not a good man.

  He snorted, raking his eyes over me in disgust, "I’d say staying on the bull with her in control was easy, but I know how you ride. So my guess? That was a real challenge.”

  "Why don't you take a turn on it?" Gavin growled, "We'll take it easy on you."

  "You two want to prove you're better at riding bull, then let's up the ante," Sike snarled.

  "When and where?" Jayden said, stepping forward to go nose to nose to Sike.

  "Now, Barett's old place. Let's see who can ride Otoktay."

  "You're on," Jayden agreed.

  Sike turned and headed to his truck, while Jayden and Gavin headed to their truck.

  "Shit," Wyatt muttered, jogging to catch up to them. I stared after Wyatt stunned. I don't remember ever hearing Wyatt curse.

  "What's going on? Who's Otoktay?" I turned to Starre, who was the only one left standing beside me. The rest of the guys were already striding after them.

  "
Otoktay’s an old retired bull," Starre explained, her face pale.

  "What's so bad about that? Won't that just mean he's old and slow?" I asked, completely confused.

  "Otoktay is Sioux for ‘kills many’. He was retired after he killed three riders during the rodeo."

  Chapter 18

  Jayden and Gavin were going to ride a bull that would try to kill them. Not only that, they were doing it in the middle of the night, out in the middle of nowhere, with no hospitals close by. If something was to happen to one of them, they would be dead long before we could get them help.

  I was freaking out, and by the expressions on everyone's faces, I should be worried.

  It was insane to do bull riding as it was, but this? This was just plain stupid.

  Everyone jumped in their trucks and packed up the party, but I ignored them, running alongside Starre to catch up with the guys. I spotted Gavin, Jayden, and Wyatt through the crowd of people, getting into the truck. Wyatt was trying to talk to them, but they were in such a stubborn rush that they weren't paying him much attention. Wyatt caught my eye while I was approaching and held the door open. He didn't say anything to me, just gave a quick jerk of his head telling me to get in.

  When I ran up to the door, Wyatt wrapped one of his arms around me and tugged me until I was half sitting on his lap. Gavin revved the truck's engine and peeled away from the bonfire.

  I was sitting on Wyatt's lap.

  Which became even more distracting when he pulled me completely on his lap to yank to door shut.

  Now was not the time to pay attention to the feel of his muscular legs, and other body parts, beneath my butt. The truck lurched across the uneven ground and my head brushed the ceiling. The only thing keeping my head from being cracked was Wyatt's strong arms wrapped around my waist, holding me down and against him like a seat-belt.

  "I don't want you guys doing this," I spoke, wondering how I was going to get through Jayden and Gavin's thick skulls this time. Polly would know what to do, but she wasn't here and I had no way to contact her. Plus, wouldn't contacting their mother make me a narc? I didn't want the guys to think that I would tattle on them every time they did something stupid. I needed to find a way to stop this.

  "You're not from around here, you don't know the way things are." Gavin turned the wheel, speeding down the main road.

  "What kind of bull rider would I be if I couldn't ride Otoktay better than that bastard?" Jayden smirked, moving to open up the glove compartment, then digging around in it like he was trying to find something.

  "A smart one?" I blurted out, using my knee to slam the glove compartment closed.

  "You can't tell me you've never done something dangerous just to prove someone wrong."

  "Nothing this dangerous," I insisted, trying to catch his eye. "It won't ruin your badass reputation if you don't do this."

  "We've already said we're riding the bull," Gavin argued.

  "Then I'll come up with an excuse and you all can take me home. Save the fight for another day. I don't want to see you all get killed," I paused, swallowing hard before whispering, "I can't." My voice was drowned out by the sound of the truck, so I highly doubt that they had heard my last words.

  "We're not backing out just because you're fucking squeamish," Gavin growled.

  "Then back out because you could be killed," Wyatt reasoned.

  "We face death every time we get on a bull. We wouldn't do it if we were scared of death. Bronc riding is a lot more dangerous than bull riding," Jayden shot back, his expression darkening.

  I felt my anger rising inside me, my face heating up from it. They weren't going to back down from this no matter what we said.

  "Broncs don't have horns to gore you with," Wyatt said, his normally calm and even voice turning into a low rumble. His anger at the situation, and how idiotic Jayden and his twin were being, had finally worn out his patience.

  We swerved down a dirt road, past an old house, and then on down the road until our headlights shone on a fenced-in area. Gavin and Jayden got out quickly, striding towards the fencing as if they were on a mission. Wyatt opened the door and I hopped out of the truck, and his arms, just as Starre's truck was pulling beside us.

  She jumped out, looking anxious. "Any luck?"

  "No. Their egos are so big it must be clogging their ears and their common sense," I replied loudly, shooting a look at the guys.

  I felt a hand brush across my back as Wyatt walked past me and followed the other guys to the fencing. Starre and I following close behind. When we reached the fence, we paused and peered into the darkness.

  "They're being complete idiots and I think Polly's the only one who can stop them right now. My cell phone has no bars or I'd call. I'm going to get her," Starre stated firmly. I nodded, watching her hop into her truck and speed off back down the road. I hoped she would get back with Polly in time.

  I knew by the way everyone was staring into the field that we were searching for the bull, but it was like looking into a black hole. Even when more people arrived. They parked their trucks to point their headlights into it, but there was still plenty of field shrouded in darkness.

  Finally, movement caught my eye.

  The head and horns became visible first, making the bull appear like a demon as it lumbered forward. I knew something horrible was going to happen. Otoktay emerged looking like a demon. Maybe it was the gleam of his eyes in the headlights, or maybe it was the sheer muscles underneath his dappled black and white fur, but I could tell I was looking at something that operated purely on instinct.

  It was hardwired in me to know when something or someone was much stronger than me. In foster home after foster home, I’d found out the difference between acting tough, enough to seriously physically hurt someone and actually being tough enough to do it.

  This bull not only acted tough, but was also mean enough to maim or kill anyone who tried to ride him. And Jayden and Gavin would be on the receiving end of that.

  ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

  By the time they rounded up the bull from the field and quickly moved him to a corral, I was full of dread. There was nothing I could do to stop them, with the exception of tying them up, and dragging them back to the ranch in the back of the truck.

  Actually, that was a pretty good idea.

  I had no roping skills, so I would need some help in the form of Landon and Dylan. They could rope calves, so roping two stubborn guys should be easy.

  I walked over where they stood murmuring to each other, tossing nervous glances at the bull. Wyatt and Trevor were helping to prepare everything for the bull ride. If they couldn’t stop the idiots, they could at least make sure they were as safe as possible.

  "Can't we hog tie them and take them home?" I asked, glancing between Landon and Dylan.

  "That would work great, but every time we’ve roped Jayden in the past, he cuts the ropes with his pocket knife that he carries," Landon said dismissively, telling me he’d already thought of it.

  "Then can we at least take out Gavin?"

  "Gavin would be like taking down Otoktay himself, and it still wouldn't keep Jayden from following through."

  "Can we at least try?" I begged. "I could distract them enough for you both to rope them."

  Landon sighed and ran his hand through his hair as he thought it over, exchanging a look with Dylan, who didn’t seem so convinced.

  "Starre went after Polly. All we can do is stall them until they get here. Please guys? I haven't even been here for a week, and look how things are turning out."

  "You're not to blame here," Dylan reassured softly.

  "No, but I feel like I am."

  "Fine. Distract them and we'll give it a shot, okay?" Landon agreed. They both weaved their way through the crowd to find some rope.

  I sighed in relief. Now that I had their help, all I had to do was distract two guys who were dead set on getting themselves killed. The only problem was, I had no idea how to do that.

  Could I run th
rough the bull pen and risk getting gored? That wouldn't work, my goal was to distract, not to die.

  There was only one fool-proof way I knew to distract guys, but I didn't like the idea of doing it in front of all these people. I looked at the bull again as it stomped its hoof and charged a few people standing too close to the corral. I knew I had to do something, but this would be embarrassing and would destroy anything good these people thought of me. Who was I kidding? I would end up doing something stupid to ruin it anyway, so I might as well make it count.

  I strode up to Gavin's truck and snatched his beer that he’d left inside and chugged the contents of the almost full bottle, hoping it turned into liquid courage. I turned up the radio before hopping into the back of the truck. The headlights put me in a spotlight, which, along with the music, made everyone to take notice of me.

  Before I could second guess what I was about to do, I started swaying my hips from side to side. I trailed my hands down my stomach, trying to get into the beat and letting the lyrics take over my thoughts. It was the perfect song for this, as it kept going on about saving a horse and riding a cowboy.

  I hoped people would think that I was just drunk, and not a slut.

  I found Jayden's eyes through the crowd of people and locked my gaze on his, linking my fingers under my shirt and lifting it slowly inch by inch.

  I really wished Starre was here. Or Polly, because it would mean I wouldn't have to continue this.

  Even with the distance, I could see Jayden's eyes darken as he narrowed in on the space between my shirt and leggings and the bare skin residing there. He moved forward through the crowd, his lips pulling upward into a smirk.

  I caught sight of Wyatt out of the corner of my eye, approaching me quickly, no doubt to stop me from embarrassing myself, even though it was a bit too late for that. Landon and Dylan appeared beside him, stopping him, and explaining the plan.

  The closer Jayden got, the higher I dragged my shirt upward, and by the time he arrived at the truck, I had the shirt up right underneath my bra.

  Men let out hoots and catcalls, the bull in the corral was completely forgotten.