Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 26865 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 134(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26865 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 134(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
I watch as Stephen slips inside the guard shack to silence the alarm and scales the fence beside the gate like it’s nothing. He disappears into the darkness and a sick feeling grows in the pit of my stomach as I contemplate what might be waiting for him inside.
Incapable of sitting still, I cross and uncross my legs and slide to the edge of the seat. I unclench my fist and press the button to open the window. I still can’t see anything through the iron gate, so I swallow hard and open the door. I stumble onto the driveway and creep up to the fence. The little lights outlining the driveway are lit, but the manor, which is normally visible from here, is lost to the darkness.
The silence sends shivers up my spine. Even the wind refuses to rustle the trees. Then, I cover my head and drop to my knees as the silence is shattered by a ground-shaking boom and a flash of orange light.
My head darts from side to side, searching for the location of the explosion. The manor is still dark, but a yellow light appears in the area behind the garden. My chest tightens as I realize that the stable is on fire. It’s as if someone braver and stronger has taken control of me, and I bolt to the guard shack, pressing every button and pulling every lever until the gate begins to open. I can’t wait for it. As soon as I can fit, I squeeze through, catching my sweater on the moving gate. I take it off and leave it dangling.
Stephen sees me charging through the grass and calls out to me, “I told you to stay away!”
“The stables. The horses,” I cry back and continue running.
The heat from the roaring blaze assaults my face as I try to open the paddock. Hearing the frantic brays of the horses inside only adds to my desperation. A hand reaches out of the darkness and grabs me, pulling me back. I turn to fight but realize it’s Stephen who has me by the arm.
“Stay back. I’ll get them,” he shouts and nearly rips the paddock rail out of the ground. He enters the burning stable before I can say a word.
The fire cracks, sending embers high in the sky, and the wood structure groans as the flames work to consume it.
“Stephen, please come back. Please, please be alright,” I mutter, chewing on my bottom lip.
Then, the sound of beating hooves rises above the sounds of devastation. Crystal, two regal stallions, the foals, and the other mare all stampede out of the paddock and away from the danger.
“Stephen!” I scream until the smoke makes me heave and cough.
Then I catch a glimpse of him. He’s larger than life, surrounded by flames, and coming toward me. “He’s gonna make it,” I sigh. “He saved them and he’s going to make it.”
My elation lasts only a moment as I feel another set of hands grab me from behind. A large hand covers my mouth and another clings to my waist. I do my best to fight, but the man is much stronger and drags me out to the center of the pasture.
11
STEPHEN
Two lifeless bodies lie bleeding on my kitchen floor.
Gun cocked and ready, I turn them with my foot to see if either of them is my brother. He must not have lost any skill in prison because he took these two out with nothing more than a kitchen knife. The back door is open, and I hear someone groaning just outside. I walk softly to the door and leap out, pointing my weapon in my brother’s face. He’s seated in a heap on the veranda with his hand covering a gunshot wound in his thigh.
“You okay?”
“I will be if I don’t bleed to death.”
“What the fuck happened here?”
“The Morellas. Do you remember them? They found out I was home, and apparently, they don’t like me very much.”
“Just the two?” I lower my weapon.
“No. There are two more. They ran out here. They went through the garden,” he says, pointing past the topiary. “I guess they want to put us out of the horse breeding business.”
I turn to look just as my stables erupt in flames.
“Fuck! The horses.”
“Yeah, they know what racehorses are worth. They’re trying to punish us.”
Movement from the side of the house catches my attention, and I lift my gun again but drop it to my side when I see Samantha running toward the fire.
“Stay here. I have to stop her,” I tell Samuel and run after her.
By the time I reach her, she’s trying to open the molten, heat-scarred latch to the paddock. I don’t want to think about how tormented she’ll be if those horses die. I can’t let that happen, so I pull the paddock gate loose and rush inside the stable.