Page 34 of Leading the Blind
Jesus, had it always been so fucking loud? Jason didn’t remember the unrelenting noise at a host hotel, the press of people that never let up for a second.
And he had to start back up in Dallas, didn’t he?
Damn.
Dallas was where every Tom, Dick and waiter knew bull riders by name, where fans hung out at the buffet line to try to invite the pick-up men and bullfighters to sit with them.
Bax was right there next to him, while Cotton’s girl was on his other side, giggling and carrying on like a buckle bunny, all the while directing him.
Emmy was a natural wonder, with subtle arm taps and shit, and announcing each newcomer so he knew who they were and what direction to smile. “Why, Mrs. Detmiller. Nice to see you here.”
He smiled and nodded, thanking the good Lord for the ten-thousandth time that he wasn’t known for being friendly and chatty with the fans…just polite.
“Good ride tonight, Jason,” she said.
“Thank you, ma’am.”
“We need to get on,” Bax murmured. “Good to see you.”
He tipped his hat and they got to the elevator.
Emmy was a sweet-smelling and solid beside him, holding his arm. “I got adjoining rooms for y’all, Dillon and Gramps, me and Cotton, Nattie.”
“Got us battened down, did you?” Bax sounded tickled. Jason got it. It was nice to know who was around.
“Yep. Reduce exposure, increase the joy.” Emmy cackled, the sound bright and smart. Could a laugh be smart? “And you can disappear, if you need to.”
“Thanks, lady. You’re amazing.” He stood, waiting for Bax to let him in. He did a lot of standing around.
“I try. I brought this game—you follow the sounds, follow the pattern. I know it’s silly, but I love it, and it’s fun. You and Andy can play for blow jobs.”
“Emmy!” Bax sounded so shocked, but Jason just hooted, his shoulders coming down from around his ears.
God.God, he howled with his laughter, tickled shitless. He’d needed that, something to release the tension, ease the fear that was growing on him like kudzu on a South Carolina road.
Emmy hugged him. “I’ll leave you to it. Y’all holler if you need anything. I’m on the job.”
“Thank you, ma’am. We’ll have a powwow tonight.”
“You got it. I left your earphones here. Dillon has theirs.”
“Good deal.” When the door closed behind her, Jason pulled in a deep breath. “Dallas, man.”
Why couldn’t he have chosen an event like…hell, Mars? New Jersey? Somewhere that no one would know him but the people he needed to help him. This was like being thrown into the ocean without knowing how to swim in the lake.
“Yeah.” Bax blew out a breath. “We can do this.”
“We ain’t got much choice, Bax.”
“Nope.” Bax laughed a bit. “I guess that means we’ve got desperation on our side.”
“Well shit, we ought to be right as rain then, ain’t we?” He rolled his eyes, but damn if he wasn’t excited and more than ready.
They were fixin’ to do this…in the big show. And he had Andy Baxter with him, all the way.
Jason groped out with one hand, and Bax took it, settling his jangling nerves in a heartbeat. “We’re gonna ride, cowboy.”
“If you keep your goddamn eyes open, yes.”
