Her attention was focused on Calder as Ray ran behind the truck, momentarily stopping when he saw his friend pinned against the truck by Calder. “You’re dead!” he yelled as he drew closer.
Calder threw the man he was holding at the larger one. Then he shifted on his feet, planting them slightly apart as he raised his fists in the air, preparing to meet the two men who didn’t have the balls to attack him on their own.
Their sarcastic chuckles were cut off when the burly one swung at Calder.
Ducking, Calder swiped his leg out, hitting both the men’s legs and making them stumble. Calder then straightened in one motion, planting one fist in the large man’s face and using his other hand to stop the driver from hitting him, pushing him back.
The man that Calder had struck gave a groan of rage and caught Calder in a bear hug, lifting him off his feet.
Crazy Bitch’s jaw dropped when Calder slapped his hands over the man’s ears so hard that he dropped him. Calder then swung the other man by the hand then grabbed him by the belt. He threw him over the side of the truck into the bed.
She grinned when she heard the slam of the man’s body on the hard metal.
Before the larger man could regain his equilibrium, Calder threw him into the bed on top of the other one.
“You okay?” Calder shouted to the driver who had been beaten.
“Yes, I think so.”
When the men started to raise their heads again, Calder turned his attention back to them.
“You want more?”
“No. We were just kidding around.”
“Then you’re in luck. I like kidding around, too.” Calder climbed into the truck, slamming the door closed.
“What are you doing?” The men started pounding on the back window.
Calder stuck his head out the window. “Having fun,” he answered as he maneuvered the truck into a grassy bank.
She expected to see him brake as it started rolling down the hill. He didn’t.
He opened the door and jumped. Onlookers went to watch the truck come to a stop as Calder came back to his bike.
“Hold on.”
Her smile slipped at his warning as he passed the car then went onto the grass to pass the line of cars.
She had known he was a good rider, but the skill he used to weave on and off the road surprised her.
When the shoulder turned to gravel, she felt the wheels skidding onto the road. He skillfully pulled the bike out of the skid to ride smoothly as he passed vehicles trying to get into the fairgrounds.
She jumped off the bike as soon as he found a spot, filled with unspent adrenaline. Making pretend karate chops, she said, “Those pussies are lucky you made me stay on the bike. I would have”—she gave a swish of her hand in a downward arc—“kicked their asses.”
“Whoa… Bruceina Lee, you don’t even know karate.”
“Those big bullies wouldn’t have known the difference when I was done with them,” she declared, giving another of her swishes that had Calder leaning his head back to avoid getting inadvertently chopped in the throat.
“If I’d known you would get so excited about men getting their asses kicked, I would have done it before.”
“Hot thang”—she jerked him toward her heaving breasts by his T-shirt—“you have no idea how hot it makes me.” She pressed a passionate kiss to his lips, thrusting her tongue into his mouth. She tongue-fucked him as if there weren’t people walking past them.
“Get a room!” one outraged woman yelled scornfully as her family passed.
She tore her mouth away from Calder’s, but didn’t release him from her grasp. “I will when I check out the rides here.” She gave the uppity bitch a brazen wink.
Turning back to Calder, she kissed him again before breaking away. “I’m going to fuck your brains out when we get to the hotel.”
Letting him go, she started in the direction of the entrance. She made it two steps before she found herself swept off her feet and flung over Calder’s shoulder.
“Fuck the clue. Let’s find the hotel.”
She playfully started hitting him on his back, trying to wiggle off his shoulder.
“Need some help?”
Crazy Bitch got a head rush when Calder set her back down at Winter’s offer. She tugged down her T-shirt under her jacket as The Last Riders stared at her in amusement.
“I guess you figured it out.”
At the sarcasm in Calder’s question, she turned as the men eyed each other.
“I guess you did, too.” Viper’s lips quirked in a smile. “I thought you would have beaten us here. We would have already been here, but some asswipe had the traffic stopped.”
She had been so busy watching Calder she hadn’t realized they had been in the line behind them.
“We took the same shortcut you did. Of course, a couple of the newbies are going to have to call Train to come get their bikes out of the ditches.”
They started walking as they talked. Usually, she would fall back and walk with the women. However, still feeling as if she had drunk two shots of espresso, Crazy Bitch bumped Calder with her shoulder until he lifted an arm around it. Content, she walked alongside him.
Once inside the gate, they all stared at each other, trying to determine if one of them knew what to do next. Then they each started to slip away.
Shrugging, Crazy Bitch suggested to Calder, “We might as well just walk around until we see something. The rodeo doesn’t start for another hour.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shade maneuver Lily to the side and into the crowd that was heading toward the arena. Meanwhile, Viper and Winter were practically breathing down their necks as she scanned the amusement rides.
Slipping her arm under Calder’s jacket, she sped up her steps so they could get away from any of The Last Riders following them. “Let’s ride the Ferris wheel.”
“You want to ride the Ferris wheel instead of looking for the clue?”
Raising the volume of her voice so they would be able to hear each other, she looked up, giving him a provocative pout. “Sex Piston and Stud will text us when they find something. So will Fat Louise and T.A. Why not have some fun?”
“I’m game if you are.” He turned them toward the line for the Ferris wheel.
Pretending to stare up at Calder as if she wanted to fuck him there, she watched The Last Riders move away.
“You know, this is a side of you I haven’t seen before; I’m digging it.” Calder lowering his head to nuzzle the side of her neck had her absently going on her tiptoes to look over his shoulders, relieved when she saw Viper and Winter backtracking to go in the direction Shade and Lily had gone.
“Mmhmm, later, hot thang. Let’s go before they come back.” Her attitude changed in the blink of an eye. “Let’s find the barn where they’re keeping the horses and bulls.”
She didn’t miss the crestfallen expression that crossed his handsome face.
Crazy Bitch toned down her excitement at the thrill of trying to beat so many to the clue while keeping them moving briskly through the crowd.
“After we find the clue, I’ll fuck you all night. But first, we need to find it.”
“I don’t need all night. Right now, I’d feel pretty good with ten minutes.”
“Ten minutes wouldn’t get me started.”
“Try.”
Crazy Bitch saw the roped-off area she was looking for, ignoring the smoldering flames in Calder’s eyes. Ducking underneath the rope, she raised it for Calder so he wouldn’t have to bend down so far.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” Grinning, she took off before they could be stopped by any of the workers.
When she nearly stepped in a pile of horse shit, she mentally cursed Greer. If she wrecked her boots, he would be the one cleaning the crap off, right after she used one to kick his ass.
“Watch where you step,” she warned Calder.
He wasn’t any happier than she was at the sight and
smells of the animals that had been brought to the fair for the rodeo.
“How in the fuck are we supposed to know what we’re looking for?” His nostrils flared as a horse on the side of the fence crapped. He hurried away so fast she had trouble keeping up with him.
“Slow down,” she laughingly called after him.
Indignantly, he turned around to face her. “I’m about ready to call it quits and build myself another bike. And if I hadn’t bet my jacket, I would.”
“Calm down. It’s only a little shit and piss.” She sniggered.
As they turned a corner, her laughter died. Shade and Lily were walking in front of them.
“Hide.” His whisper had them searching for a place to keep from being seen.
“There.” Crazy Bitch pointed at a stack of hay.
The two of them managed to hide before Shade or Lily were able to see them.
“Excuse me, do you have a pass? This area is off limits.” A tall man wearing a hat stopped Shade and Lily.
“I just wanted to see the horses.”
Crazy Bitch rolled her eyes heavenward at the man’s face when Lily smiled up at him.
“Would you like me to show you around?”
“I wouldn’t want to take up your time.”
“No trouble. I have twenty minutes before I need to get ready. My name’s Reno.”
“I would have bet a twenty on that being his name,” Crazy Bitch muttered.
“Shh… Shade will hear you.” Calder pushed her head down when Shade turned to look toward them.
“He’s probably trying to find a place to stuff Reno’s body.”
“My name’s Lily, and this is Shade, my husband.”
The man’s face had Crazy Bitch putting a hand over her mouth. Poor Reno couldn’t hide his disappointment.
Neither man made a move to shake each other’s hand.
“Like I said, no one is supposed to be back here without a pass.” The cowboy gave a shrill whistle that had several men coming toward them with bright yellow shirts.
Shade went taut. “My wife just wanted a chance to get a look at the horses. Horses frighten her, and I was trying to show her there wasn’t any reason to be afraid.” The protective arm that went around Lily’s shoulder had the security hesitating. “I promised her when my unit was no longer on call that I’d take a vacation out west.”
Reno gave Shade a speculative glance. “You’re in the service?”
“Yes, I’m in the Navy.”
“Why would you have to take her out west to see horses? Kentucky is known for their horses.”
“Kentucky doesn’t have cowboys.”
Shade’s response had Lily blushing and trying to tug her husband away.
“No, they don’t.” The cowboy’s laughter had Lily turning violet, stormy eyes on her husband, promising him retribution when she got him alone.
“Clint, give Lily and Shade a quick tour.” Reno touched the brim of his hat. “Ma’am, nice meeting you both.”
As Reno and the rest of the security walked past them, Crazy Bitch didn’t miss the look Lily gave the cowboy. Neither did Shade.
Crazy Bitch wished she could be invisible in their bedroom that night. Both of them would be out for payback.
A lanky young man introduced himself before leading the couple down the long row of horses.
“These are the horses that are used for the trick roping. That’s Sunset, Blaze, and Sapphire. These two horses are used for the barrel racing.” Clint ran a gentle hand over a brown nuzzle. “This is Buster and Dusty.”
They moved farther away so it became difficult to hear him. Crazy Bitch was about to tell Calder they were wasting their time when Lily and Shade’s guide stopped at a solid black horse.
“And this is the star of the show. He’s Reno’s Cactus.”
Crazy Bitch and Calder sharply turned toward each other. She was so excited she wanted to jump up and down. Calder, seeing her reaction, grabbed her arm, holding her in place.
“Hurry. They aren’t watching.” He jerked her up from their hiding spot.
They were so intent on getting away before Shade and Lily saw them that they almost ran into Sex Piston and Stud. The couple took one look at their excited faces and turned back in the direction they had come from.
“You found the clue?” Sex Piston shuffled forward, trying to keep up with them in her high heels.
“Let’s go. We can talk about it outside in the parking lot. I don’t want any of The Last Riders overhearing us.”
“There are thousands of people here. They aren’t going to hear anything over these loud speakers.”
“We need to go to the parking lot, anyway.” Crazy Bitch didn’t break her stride, forcing the other three to follow behind her. “We need to hurry. Shade and Lily will be behind us, and when they introduce Reno and his horse, all three clubs will be going there, too. If we’re lucky, we’ll get there first.”
Once they were outside, they took a second to catch their breaths.
“The star of the show is a horse named Cactus. Look around at the names of the sections of the parking lot.” The one closest to them was a wooden barrel, the next over was a cowgirl grinning down at the parking lot with a lasso swinging over her head.
Sex Piston and Stud grinned back at them.
“Guess which section we parked in?” Crazy Bitch proudly beamed as if they had planned it that way.
“Quit bragging. It’s not like you knew that when you parked.” Sex Piston reached down to take her heels off so she could keep up with them.
“It’s a lucky charm. We’re going to win this son of a fucking game!” Her jubilation came to an abrupt halt when they reached the section where Calder’s bike was parked.
“What now?” Stud looked around the rows of vehicles.
“I don’t know.” Crazy Bitch started to walk down the row then stopped. Gazing around, she went to the lamppost. “Calder, lift me up.”
“What?”
“Lift me up. I’ll shimmy up and see if I can spot anything.”
He looked like he was going to argue.
“You might as well. If she doesn’t do it, they’ll make one of us, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to get my balls burned sliding down that pole.”
Calder lifted her up at Stud’s reasoning. He had plans for when they got to their hotel room, and that didn’t include getting an ice pack.
She would have made a joke about it, but she was too busy climbing up the pole.
Staring around their section, not knowing what she was searching for, she was about to slide back down when she saw it.
Sliding down, she felt Calder’s hands circle her waist when she came within reach.
“There are construction barrels at the end of the rows that have little different-colored flags tied to another light pole. I don’t know if that’s what we’re looking for, but we should check it out.”
When they reached the construction barrel, they saw it was flat on top so no clue could be hidden inside. She and Sex Piston stepped back as Calder and Stud tried to turn it over without success.
“Fuck!” Calder groaned when the barrel couldn’t be moved.
“It’s filled with water,” Crazy Bitch informed them.
The others turned to look at her.
Calder tried to move it again, exasperated. “How in the fuck do you know that?”
“Road crews fill them with water so the wind from passing motorists won’t send the barrels flying.”
“Who told you that?”
Crazy Bitch stared down at her fingernails to avoid the curious gazes of her friends. “Remember when I used to have that sweet little firecracker red Jetta that I bought used? Saved four months for that ride.”
Sex Piston’s brow furrowed. “I thought you said you totaled it when you hit a deer on the way to work.”
“I might have lied about that.” Shrugging, she circled the barrel, thoughtfully trying to figure out where Greer could have hid
den the clue. If Greer’s wife hadn’t told Diamond about how diabolical he was about hiding his pot, she would have started over to look somewhere else.
“Maybe we should spread out and see if he spray-painted something under one of the cars,” Sex Piston suggested.
“He could want us to look at the numbers of the parking spots.” Stud bent down to peer at the number next to them.
“I don’t think so. Greer isn’t smart enough to add past ten,” Crazy Bitch said, only half-joking. She was becoming frustrated as she tried to shove the barrel herself.
Just then, a gust of wind sent the small plastic flags waving, one hitting her cheek. Irritated, she smacked it away. Lifting her eyes, she pulled her head back so she wouldn’t be hit again. Then she narrowed her eyes at the one closest to her.
Each one of the flags was a different color. Crazy Bitch had thought the flags were there to draw attention to the barrel. However, as she reached out to grab one, examining it carefully, she saw the flags had a strip of Velcro keeping them attached to the thin rope.
Ripping the flag off, she used her finger to trace the seam of the nylon fabric, pulling it apart. As it did, a slip of paper fell out into her hand. She read it aloud.
“The ground beneath me is frozen. No kings or queens live here. You can enter my gates, but unless you have an invitation, you won’t be allowed to stay and rescue the damsel.”
As soon as she was finished reading it, she put the flag and the clue in her pocket.
“You’re not going to put it back for the others to find?” Stud gave her a disappointed glare.
“Chill.” She reached out, pulling off another flag and giving it to Sex Piston. “I was wrong. Greer can count. There’s a flag for each of the teams. Who knew the fucker could count that high?”
“I did.” Shade came from behind a truck to take the red flag. Lily came out of hiding, giving them a guilty expression.
“How long have you been listening?” Crazy Bitch drilled with accusation as Viper and Winter also came out.
“Since you climbed the pole.” Viper tore one off for him and Winter. “Didn’t see the need for all of us having to do it.”
“I see how you are—doing sneaky shit to try to win. It’s just a game…” Feeling self-righteous, she was about to read them the riot act when Shade cut her off at the knees.