Page 54 of Sinners Reunion

King and I hold our breath as the brindle beast charges toward our Cattle, but our guy leaps out of the way, and the bull snags Kindra and Ezra’s idiot instead. The animal gets the man on the ground and bends its massive legs to bring the horns closer. The pointy end sinks under the soft part of the man’s jaw and tears off the lower mandible. It hangs from his face as he scrambles backward, screaming.

I lean closer to King. “We might have to try out our new arrangement tonight,” I whisper. “All this animalistic retribution is doing something to me.”

Seeing him in blue jeans, a brown cowboy hat, and boots is helping as well.

“Not until I’ve made certain you won’t get hurt again.”

“You really think highly of yourself.” I huff and shake my head. “You were a lot of firsts for me, and when you left, I didn’t know what to do with that. But with time, I realized you had it right. We have fun together, but we never would have worked as a couple. We’re better as . . . fuck friends.”

“Good. I’m glad you see it that way.”

Walking away from him won’t be easy, but I can do it. Again. And this time, it won’t take five years to learn how to breathe.

Our Cattle won’t be walking away from anything, though. I grimace as the bull gives him a bellybutton piercing that travels into his chest cavity. Ouch.

“Damn,” King groans. “I thought we’d chosen a proper winner.”

“Join the loser’s circle,” Maverick says with a sigh.

“Since we’re out, could we go see the horses?” I ask King. “Might as well get ready for the next event.”

King nods, and we excuse ourselves from the bleachers. Our guy isn’t dead yet, but he’s well on his way. We pass him as we head toward the stabled horses, and I give him a scoff.

“Did your mother ever tell you what a disappointment you are?” I say down at him as we keep walking.

King laughs. “You couldn’t go without a parting jab, even as the man lay dying. Haven’t changed a bit.”

That’s where he’s wrong, and one way or another, I’ll show both him and myself.

Sue is a fine horse, and I feel like a goddess on a golden beast as she raises her head and pricks her ears at our targets banging around inside a stall in the distance. I lean forward and give the mare’s neck a stroke. She paws the sawdust, ready to get this show on the road.

The arena stretches before us. At the far end, a wall of weapons waits for the Cattle penned a little further down. When Jim fires his gun, their chute will open, giving them a head start. We’ll have to run them down and take care of them before they reach the wall. If we can’t, we risk taking them on with nothing more than a rope, while they’ll have whatever they chose from the selection of weapons.

“You know, we could turn around and ride out of here,” King says. He sits atop a bay gelding named Slaughter Circus Sam. At least the name isn’t lame. “We don’t have to do the event.”

“And miss getting to take a one-of-a-kind kill?” I shake my head. “No way. We’re doing the event, and then we’re going to dinner, and then we can discuss our arrangement before I possibly let you fuck me raw again.”

“It’ll be more than a possibility,” King grumbles, “or there will be no deal. I’m not only here for your satisfaction. I’d like some of my own.”

I give him my most adorable, pouty face. “Aw, is someone getting a nasty case of blue balls?”

“Just focus on not falling in love with me after each orgasm I give you, hmm?” He straightens out his horse, who’s started turning away from the gate we’re meant to run through.

I roll my eyes and look forward as Jim motions toward us, asking if we’re ready. King isn’t, but I sure as hell am. I give him a nod.

“Think you can do that, my beauty?” King grunts as Sam wedges his leg against the metal railing, but I hardly hear him over the sound of a gunshot and the chute ripping open.

With a wide grin on my face, I hold on tight as Sue shoots forward. The two men in yellow jumpsuits race toward the gleaming wall of weaponry.

I target the man on the right, sparing a glance behind me to be sure King is on his way toward the other guy. When I realize he’s still struggling to get his horse turned around, my stomach drops. I’ll just have to do what I can and trust that King can take the asshole, weapon or not.

With a banshee-like scream and wide eyes, I leap from the horse and collide with a large body. This is the Cattle roping event, so I’m forced to subdue and kill my quarry with nothing more than a lasso. I don’t know how to tie a slipknot, let alone hogtie a man twice my size with nothing more than a stiff rope, but I know how to hang on tight and hope for the best. It’s kind of my life’s motto.

Another war cry blows from my lungs as the man falls to the ground. I straddle his back and pull the rope around his neck. I lack the upper body strength to apply enough pressure to kill him, so I stand and hold the rope as I wait for him to get upright again. The rest of my plan won’t work if he’s on the ground.

King sails past in a rush of wind. My heart sinks again when I realize what a mess he’s in. He jumps off the horse and sends the animal away with a smack on its ass, clearly trying to protect it from whatever comes next.

Because his Cattle has reached the wall of weapons.