Page 1 of Hung Up (Shadow Ridge #1)

SAN FRANCISCO

what the hell have I gotten myself into?

“I’m not sure what gave you the impression that I care about your feelings, but just so we’re clear? I don’t.” I spin on my heel, slamming my notebook onto the conference room table as I narrow my eyes on Adam, my ex, and unfortunately, the cameraman here at All In Sports News.

“And you wonder why I broke up with you.” He scoffs, leaning back in his chair and crosses his ankles together as he stares at me with those infuriatingly judgmental pale blue eyes.

A laugh of disbelief escapes my lips, my hands resting on my hips. “Is that really what you’ve made yourself believe? I ended things with you after I walked in on you sleeping with someone else.”

“Maybe if you were around more and didn’t care about your job more than you did about me, I wouldn’t have done what I did.

” My entire body goes rigid, my hands fisting at my sides.

Is this motherfucker for real? “What did you expect me to do, Faith? Just sit around and be a doormat? If you weren’t so closed off, maybe it would’ve been easier to love you. ”

The door flies open, and I force my shoulders back in an attempt to appear stronger than I feel.

I refuse to let him see the physical impact his words have on me.

Never again will I let him influence me—at least, that’s what I try to convince myself.

Pretending I’m unbothered? Acting aloof? I can do that.

“Am I interrupting?” Rylie, a fellow reporter and friend of mine, pops her head in, her brows furrowed as she glances between us. Her brown hair is freshly cut and styled, stopping just above her shoulders, and she’s wearing a simple, black long-sleeved top with bright pink dress pants.

“No,” I say at the same time Adam replies, “Yes.”

She claps her hands together as her lips form into a thin line. “Perfect, thanks for clearing that up. Faith, Alicia has called an impromptu meeting with all the reporters.”

“I’ll be right there.” Rylie doesn’t leave the room, instead leaning against the doorframe as she stares Adam down. “Or I’m coming now.” I turn to the bane of my existence. “We’re done here.”

Grabbing my notebook, I keep my head held high as I walk past Rylie, making a beeline for the largest conference room in the building. I hear her heels clicking on the floor behind me as she rushes to catch up, reaching for my wrist and looping our arms together once she’s by my side.

“If you’d just tell Alicia what happened, you know she’d put you on a different team,” she whispers as we make our way past the offices.

“I don’t want to be on a different team.” I sigh as we turn the corner. “I’m a professional. I’ll be fine.”

Rylie tugs me to a stop before we reach the door, a concerned expression on her face. “Faith, we have to do something. He can’t just get away with what he did to you.”

“What do you want to do, Ry? Go tee-pee his house?” She narrows her eyes at me. “We’re not teenagers, this isn’t high school. We’re adults, and I believe in cosmic karma.”

“Well, karma needs to hurry her ass up,” Rylie mumbles as I reach for the handle. “I’m tired of watching that smug prick walk around here like he’s better than you.”

“You and me both.”

I swing the door open, and Rylie files in behind me, the two of us the last to arrive.

Our boss, also the owner of this sports news outlet, stands at the head of the table, flashing a small smile as we take our seats.

Pulling the pen out from behind my ear that I always keep there while working, I lean back in my chair and cross my ankles together as everyone else stares at her, waiting for her to speak.

Alicia has eight different news teams here at the studio.

Most teams consist of five people: reporter, camera operator, photographer, audio operator, and journalist. Some teams have a video editor who travels with them to make changes on the fly, while others have two reporters or journalists to keep up with the stats and background of whichever team or person we are reporting on.

My team is one of the few that consistently contains the same four people: Adam, my camera operator; Evyn, my audio operator; Laila, my photographer; and me, the reporter.

Sometimes, if I have to cover large teams, Jade, one of the journalists, comes to help me with research prior to the interviews.

Two brains are better than one, or something like that.

Once in a blue moon, Alicia sends Rylie to help me cover the teams. Two reporters interviewing at once helps the day go by a lot faster.

And, according to my boss, she’s the only other reporter willing to join me.

Something about me being too bossy and always wanting to take control.

Supposedly, that makes the others uncomfortable.

Not my fault they aren’t driven enough to fight for the best assignments.

“Based on the ratings this last month, I have already given five teams their assignments. Do you have any questions regarding the details?” Alicia takes a seat in her usual white leather chair.

I pull out my phone to check the assignment sheet so I can prepare for what’s up for grabs when I see a text from Rylie.

Rylie

My name can be karma if you want.

Me

I said no, Ry.

Rylie

You’re no fun.

Rylie

I promise it’ll be worth it.

Me

I don’t doubt that, but believing in karma means I believe in both bad and good. I don’t need any more bad karma than I already have.

Rylie

Alright, fine.

Rylie

I’m still gonna plot, though.

“Yes, it’s four months of exclusive access,” Alicia is saying once I tune back into the conversation. “The events are every weekend from now until about the middle of May. Lodging and travel will be covered?—”

Four months of exclusive access? This is the kind of assignment every reporter dreams of.

The relationship you can cultivate with the players in that time only amplifies the content of the interviews, which, in turn, only helps your viewership and ratings.

I glance across the table at Rylie to see her staring at me with a raised brow.

The corner of my mouth tilts and she starts to shake her head at me, but I’m already turning back to my boss.

“I know this isn’t what we normally cover?—”

“I’ll take it.”

All the eyes in the room turn to me with a mix of surprise and contempt. Alicia, however, looks the most taken aback. “I always appreciate your initiative, Faith, but I don’t think?—”

“I can guarantee there’s no other assignment on that list I’d want more than this.” I lean forward, resting my hands on my notepad. “I know I can knock this one out of the park.”

“I don’t doubt that, Faith, but I’m not sure that?—”

I push back and stand, looking my boss in the eye as I muster all the determination I have within me. “I want this assignment, Alicia. Please.”

She sighs as she leans back in her chair, folding her arms over her chest as she studies me carefully. I refuse to look away, even when I see Rylie trying to get my attention out of my peripheral vision. No one and nothing will get in the way of me and this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“Okay, Faith,” Alicia says, breaking the silence and tension that was beginning to fill the room.

“You want this assignment? It’s yours.” I have to bite the corner of my lip to contain my triumphant smile.

“First event is tonight in Sacramento. You have three hours until they’re expecting you.

I’ll send you the address and the schedule. ”

Three hours later, I’m showing my credentials to the security guard in the ticket booth, and he grants me entrance into the reserved lot at the Golden 1 Center arena.

Once I’m parked, I grab my work bag with my laptop, notepad, and folder containing all the notes with important information Alicia had given me before I left the office that I haven’t had the chance to look at yet.

Glancing in the side mirror of my car, I quickly fluff my curly, honey-blonde hair and check my makeup.

I set my bag down and grab my lip gloss, reapplying a coat to my lips before I’m satisfied.

Brushing down the front of my white pantsuit, I put my bag on my shoulder and head into the arena.

My heels clicking on the pavement and the cars driving are the only sounds reaching my ears, since fans don’t arrive for at least another hour and a half.

“Hello,” I greet the man at the desk once I enter the building. “My name is Faith Thompson and I’m a reporter from All In Sports News. I was wondering if you could show me where the media room is.”

“Of course,” he says, giving me a smile. As he walks around the desk, I don’t miss the way he scans my outfit with what appears to be a very judgmental glance. My brows furrow as I follow behind him. What the fuck is his problem? I’m about to question him about it when I get a whiff of…dirt?

Before I can speak up, he stops outside an elevator and turns to me. “Just go down to the basement level. There should be someone at the end of the hall when you step out to tell you where you need to go.”

“Basement?” I ponder, brows furrowing. “Not up in the press box?”

“Not if you’re interviewing them, no.” He turns on his heel without another word.

“Okay, then,” I murmur to myself as I hit the button for the elevator. I’m in the basement a minute later, walking down the narrow, dimly lit hallway. Once I reach the end and turn the corner, I’m met with a burly man sitting on his phone behind a podium labeled ‘checkpoint’.

I clear my throat to get his attention. He holds a finger up to me as he continues to type away on his phone, making me wait as he finishes his text message.

Tapping my foot impatiently, I fidget with the green emerald ring I wear on my middle finger and roll my neck.

He finally glances up and does a double-take, his eyes going wide slightly as he bites his lip.

“Are you here to cover the event?” he asks, laughter lacing his voice.

“I am.” I cross my arms over my chest. “If you could just point me in the direction of where you’re placing your media, that would be great.”

He chuckles and tries to cover it up with a cough, and my gaze narrows at him.

Shaking his head, he gestures behind him.

“Just follow this hallway. You’ll pass three other checkpoints that aren’t currently occupied before you hit any of the gathering rooms. One of them will be labeled media. I suggest you make yourself at home.”

Before I can ask him what the hell he means by that, his phone starts to ring and he doesn’t bother giving me anymore of his attention as he answers it.

I roll my eyes as I walk past him, following his directions.

Once I find the rooms he was speaking of, I see a piece of paper taped to a door that simply reads ‘media’, scrawled with what appears to be black Sharpie.

Just as I reach for the handle, the door flies open and I startle back a few steps.

A girl a few inches shorter than me looks around frantically before her gaze falls to me, scanning my outfit as I do the same to her.

She’s wearing a red and black checkered flannel with a pair of dark jeans and a bandana wrapped around her neck.

Once we make eye contact again, she gives me a shaky smile, smoothing down her red hair.

“I’m so sorry, my boss is riding my ass and needs me to—” She trails off, shaking her head and squaring her shoulders. “Hi, I’m Maxine, but everyone calls me Max.”

“Faith,” I say, readjusting my bag on my shoulders.

“Are you here for the Pbr?” she asks, her brows furrowing as she glances down at my pantsuit.

I release a frustrated sigh, placing a hand on my hip. “I’m here covering the event, yes. Why does everyone keep looking at me like that?”

“It’s just—” She clears her throat. “It’s just that you’re not what we normally see around here.”

“What do you mean?”

Maxine smiles and surprises me as she reaches for my hand.

I allow her to lead me down the hallway, toward the sound of voices.

As we turn another corner, I spot a group of about five men standing in a circle, their laughter echoing off the walls.

They’re all wearing jeans, cowboy boots, and hats, but only one is wearing a flannel.

The other four wear long-sleeved shirts of various colors with patches on the sleeves and the fronts.

“Why hello there, Max,” one of the men says before we can walk past them. His eyebrows lift as he turns to me. “Who is your friend?”

“This is Faith,” she informs him, looking up at me with a soft smile. “She’s covering the tour, so be nice.”

The man chuckles. “I’m always a gentleman.”

“ Always is a bit of a stretch.” Maxine tugs my hand. “Just like you always stay on ‘til the buzzer.”

The other four men laugh loudly, jostling his shoulders as she drags me away. Stay on ‘til the buzzer? What the hell have I gotten myself into?

We exit the hallway and enter a large open area underneath the stadium seating, and my eyes widen.

Horses are being led through the area by rope, and off to my left is a weird-looking corral-type thing holding tiny cows.

I look down at Maxine, but she stares straight ahead as she leads me toward the tunnel.

“This is what I mean,” she says once my eyes adjust to the light. The arena floor is covered in dirt, and there’s two men riding horses as they face off against a cow. I look up at the scoreboard in the middle of the arena, my brows furrowing as I read the sign.

Pbr: Unleash the Beast

“What does Pbr stand for?”

Maxine bites the corner of her lip. “Professional Bull-Riding.”

“Excuse me?” I sputter, my mouth falling open slightly as I turn back to the arena.

“When they said we were getting a new reporter to cover the race to the championships, we weren’t expecting a city girl.” I turn to her, and she immediately starts to backtrack. “I didn’t mean it like that, we just… Well, I guess I kind of did. I’m sorry, that’s rude of me.”

My shoulders slump. “You aren’t wrong, though. I don’t know shit about bull-riding.”

“How’d you get this assignment? Did you piss someone off?”

“No,” I say through my surprised laughter. “I just didn’t bother to ask any questions when I volunteered. I heard four months of exclusive access and blacked out.”

She bumps her shoulder into mine. “Well, I can help you. I can teach you everything you need to know about bull-riding and get you familiar with the riders currently leading the standings. Those are the only ones you’d be talking to this weekend, anyway.”

“In two and a half hours?”

“Don’t worry,” Maxine tells me as she links our arms together and leads me away from the arena. “I talk fast.”