Page 120 of Lost Trust

Then she disappears into the crowd.

I take another drink of my beer and look toward the dance floor.

Where the hell did Rina go?

Marina

Harleigh finds me in the bathroom and proceeds to drag me back out into the bar and toward a table before I can even finish washing my hands.

“I was wondering where you’d disappeared to,” she says, hooking her arm through mine.

“I needed a minute.”

“Well, are you done? The bull riding is about to start.”

When we step back into the crowd, I immediately spot Royce.

He’s watching me.

His eyes follow us as Harleigh steers me toward the table, and before I can decide where I’m sitting, she shamelessly maneuvers me into the empty chair beside him.

I glance at her, and she gives me an innocent smile.

The band finishes their song, and the lead singer steps up to the microphone.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we’re taking a short break, but the bull riding is about to begin!”

The crowd erupts.

He points toward the enormous monitors mounted above the center of the bar. “Let’s see what our hometown boy has got for us tonight!”

The music cuts, and surprisingly, the entire place settles down.

Not quiet exactly. But quiet enough that I can hear the announcers coming through the speakers.

My stomach tightens. I reach across the table and squeeze Jovie’s hand.

She looks at me, and I know she understands.

There’s nothing quite like watching someone you care about climb onto a bull.

You’re excited. Proud. Terrified. All at the same time.

She gives me an appreciative smile, and I squeeze her fingers once more.

Suddenly, a pair of hands wraps around my shoulders, and I look up to see Shelby standing behind me, slightly breathless.

“Did we make it?” she asks.

“Just in time,” Royce says. He immediately stands, giving Shelby his chair.

“Thanks,” she says as she settles in.

Harleigh slides her sister her glass, and Shelby downs what’s left.

Royce steps back and ends up standing with Waylon directly behind me.

And, annoyingly, I’m far too aware of where he is.