Damon pulled his pistol as the stallion charged, the horse knocking him backward into the side of the car. The pistol fired as it sailed out of Damon’s hand and he went down hard, his hands coming up to ward off the big black horse bearing down on him.
“Get him off me!” Damon screamed. Rearing up on his hind legs, Star brought his sharp hooves slamming down, landing with twelve hundred pounds of force on the man on the concrete floor.
Star reared again. Tory ran for the pistol, picked it up, whirled, and pointed the gun at Damon, but it was too late. The horse pounded down, a crushing, killing blow that exposed gore, flesh, and bits of skull. The bile rose in Tory’s throat and she glanced away from the grisly scene.
She was trembling, barely able to breathe, her heart thundering. When she looked back, Star stood over Damon’s body, legs braced apart, shaking all over, dark eyes wild. Blood oozed from a bullet hole in the horse’s left shoulder.
The sound of slow, careful footsteps reached her. “It’s okay, honey,” Josh said softly. “Put the pistol down and just take it nice and easy.” His deep voice echoed through the barn, calming her as nothing else could. She hadn’t heard a vehicle drive in.
Her hand shook as she set the pistol down on the floor and the tears she’d been holding back flooded into her eyes.
“Everything’s going to be okay,” Josh said, closer now, soothing her as much as the horse. “Just take it easy.”
“Ivy’s . . . Ivy’s in the house.”
“Noah went inside to find her. She’ll be okay. He’s calling the sheriff.”
“Damon drugged Clara.”
“Noah will take care of her. You need to focus on Star.”
Tory swallowed, turned back to the stallion, who stood over Damon’s limp, blood-soaked body. Star nickered wildly, tossed his head, and stomped his front hoof, sending a rush of blood down his injured leg.
“It’s . . . it’s okay, boy. It’s all right, Star.”
“Star’s just afraid,” Josh said softly. “He needs you to stay calm, show him everything’s okay.”
She took a deep breath. “It’s all right, boy. Everything’s okay.” Moving slowly, she made her way up next to the stallion, ran her hands along his sleek neck, felt him trembling. “Easy, boy. You don’t have to be afraid.”
“See if you can get him to follow you.”
She kept talking to him, soothing him. Just standing next to the horse eased his trembling, seemed to ease his fear.
“Can you lead him away from Bridger?” Josh asked.
Tory wiped tears from her cheeks. “I think Damon’s dead.” She knew he was. She just couldn’t make herself say it. She pressed her lips together and tried to hold on. “He shot Star.”
“We’ll take care of Star. Can you get him back in his stall?”
It was dangerous and both of them knew it. She silently thanked Josh for having enough confidence in her to let her handle the stallion.
She returned her attention to the horse, rubbed his topknot, rubbed his ears, spoke to him and stroked his neck. Star took a big, deep breath and let it out slowly. When his head drooped down, she took hold of his mane and backed him away from Damon, very slowly turned him around, and led him back into his stall.
Fresh blood oozed down the stallion’s front leg, but the shot had gone wild. A piece of torn flesh hung down, but the injury didn’t look too serious.
“The vet’s on his way,” Josh said, ending the call he’d just made and stuffing the phone back into his pocket.
Tory closed the stall door and walked toward Josh and he enclosed her in his arms. His jaw clenched as he took in the bruise on her face and her swollen lip. He gently wiped a trace of blood from the corner of her mouth.
“Bridger’s dead. If he wasn’t, I’d kill him myself.”
A sound escaped from her throat. There was no doubt Damon was dead. His skull had been crushed into bloody bits and pieces.
She wanted to grab onto Josh, hold on for all she was worth, but she knew he had to be hurting.
“Everything’s going to be okay,” he said, his arms still around her. “You’re safe. Ivy and Clara are with Noah.”
She managed to swallow. “What . . . what about Star?”
“Nunez is bringing something to sedate him. He’s still pretty shook up. We don’t want to take any chances.”
No. Though she didn’t believe the horse would hurt her or Josh, he was injured and upset. They couldn’t afford to take chances.
“Why don’t you go on inside, honey? Ivy needs you. Let me take care of this.”
The lump in her throat ached. She had to go into the house. Her little girl needed her. She looked at Damon and couldn’t make herself move.
She watched Josh disappear into the tack room. He brought out a blue plastic tarp and spread it over Damon’s lifeless body.
He returned to her, eased her back into his arms. “Come on, honey. Let’s go inside.” He glanced over at the lump beneath the tarp. “It’s over, baby. You’ll never have to be afraid of Damon Bridger again.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Noah had called the sheriff and freed a groggy Mrs. Thompson. She sat next to Ivy on the sofa. Noah was on his way out to the barn when Josh led Tory into the house.
“Mama!” The reunion was tearful. Josh was just grateful that everyone was going to be okay.
Dr. Alejandro Nunez showed up right away and for once Josh was glad to see him. The vet gave the stallion something to calm him, then cleaned and stitched up the wound in the horse’s front leg.
Josh still had a hard time believing what he had seen in the barn. The stallion had been willing to die for Tory. Josh thought that he and Star shared something in common.
The sheriff arrived with the medical examiner and an ambulance. Josh gave Howler his statement, then made phone calls while the sheriff spoke to Tory and Clara Thompson. Josh called Detective Larson and Hamilton Brown in Phoenix, then phoned his brother.
“It’s over,” he said to Linc. “Bridger’s dead out in my barn.”
Linc’s voice roughened with worry. “You kill him?”
“Star killed him. The stallion didn’t take kindly to Bridger manhandling Tory.”
“Christ.”
“Hard to believe, I know.”
“Suzy Solomon will be relieved. Maybe the Shane girl, too, if he’s the one who abducted her.”
“For Lisa’s sake, I hope the cops find the connection they’ve been looking for so she won’t have to be afraid anymore.” Standing on the front porch with the phone pressed against his ear, Josh looked up as Howler walked out of the house.
“Sheriff’s still here. I gotta go.”
“Be sure to give the good sheriff my regards,” Linc said dryly.
“Yeah, I’ll do that.” Josh hung up the phone.
“I got what I need from the Bradford girl and Clara Thompson,” the sheriff said. “EMTs checked everyone out and they all seem okay. Little girl’s fine and Clara refused to go to the hospital. Anything you want to add before I leave?”
“If you’re interested, there’s a chance this guy tortured and killed a woman in Phoenix. A detective named Jeremy Larson handled the case.”
“I’ll give him a call. You got that horse locked up good and tight?”
“He’s in the barn,” Josh said.
“I’ll be out with the vet in the morning. I saw a skip loader parked out back. Ought to do to bury the animal.”
Josh froze. “What are you talking about?”
“That horse is a killer. He’s got to be put down.”
“No way,” Josh said. “That horse saved Tory’s life. He killed a man who likely meant to torture and murder her. The stallion’s a hero. No way are you putting him down.”
Something that resembled payback gleamed in the sheriff’s eyes. “I’ll get a court order if I have to, Cain. That horse is a menace. He’s got to be dealt with.”
“Try it and I’ll fight you all the way.”
The door opened just then and Tory walked out on the porch. She took in the sheriff’s puffed-up posture and Josh’s angry stance.
“What’s going on?”
“Why don’t you explain it to her, Cain? As soon as I get that court order, I’ll be back.” The sheriff swaggered off to his truck, climbed in, and slammed the door. The vehicle rolled off down the road. The ambulance would be leaving with Bridger’s body as soon as the medical examiner was done.
“What’s going on?” Tory repeated.