“What kind of medical supplies do you guys have on hand in the barn?” Hadley asked as she rode shotgun in the ATV across one of the fields. The dirt road was a little bumpy but fairly smooth given that it wasn’t paved.
Her dad glanced behind him as they pulled up to the barn. “Axel, grab that bag back there.”
Axel picked it up as they parked and her dad took it from his hands before giving it to her. “I’d planned to give this to you later today as an early birthday gift. I know you won’t technically need it for a few years, but it’s yours.”
She took the custom-made, dark brown leather doctor’s bag filled with instruments and supplies and when she peered inside she realized this had cost a lot of money. “Thank you so much,” she said. She would thank her dad again later because this was incredible, but now they needed to get to that horse. “What’s the horse’s name?” she asked as they hurried toward the opening of the barn.
“Nelly. She’s young, new to our stable, and not quite trained yet. She got spooked by something. The fence was sturdy though so I know it’s not shoddy workmanship. She’s just a strong thing.”
Hadley heard the horse before they saw it and her dad’s foreman stepped out of one of the stalls, his expression dark. “Did y’all get ahold of the vet?”
Her dad shook his head. “No, but I got the next best thing.”
It warmed her heart that her dad had so much faith in her. She just hoped she could help. She’d watched so many surgeries over the years and she’d been lucky enough to shadow the vet she’d worked for before. But taking responsibility for an animal’s life by herself was something else entirely.
Her dad squeezed her shoulder once. “You got this.”
His confidence in her, even if it was based on nothing other than fatherly love, gave her the shot of self-assurance she needed as she headed toward the stall with her dad. It was time to get to work.
Chapter 22
—The moment I met her, I knew I was looking at my future.—
Hadley stepped out of the stall an hour later covered in grime, hay and a little blood. Still, she was so happy because she was fairly certain that Nelly was going to make it. The plank hadn’t gone nearly as deep as they’d feared. It had penetrated her pec muscle but hadn’t broken any ribs. She’d pulled the plank out and sewed her up, first the layer of muscle, then the skin. She’d seen the same injury before on different horses and was confident she’d done everything right. The vet would be here in an hour once her own emergency was over to check on the horse regardless. The foreman had already left so he could meet her at the front gate. Because of the security restrictions in place right now the vet was going to be escorted onto this part of the property.
“You did a great job,” her dad said, pulling her into a hug. “I’m going to go grab you some water,” he said, stepping back and heading for the exit. She knew there was a cooler in the ATV and even though the water wouldn’t be cold she didn’t care. As long as it was wet.
“You can go with him,” she said to Axel. “I just need a minute alone to decompress.”
He frowned, but nodded and she was glad he didn’t push. The emotional toll of seeing an animal in pain was always draining. There was no way around it for her. Her former boss and mentor had warned her that getting into this profession wasn’t for the faint of heart and she’d been right.
It was usually the worst when an animal had been injured intentionally by a human, whether it was their owner or not. But days like this still sucked too. There was no bad guy in this scenario, just an injured horse in a lot of pain and afraid. The fear from the animals was awful because she wanted to take all of it away.
Running a hand over her face, she leaned back against a neighboring stall and simply took a deep breath. In and out. It helped to calm the riot of emotions inside her. Once she felt ready, she headed outside into the bright sunlight—and froze when she saw a man holding a gun on her father and Axel.
“Get in the ATV or I kill your father.” The man’s voice was neutral, but ice cold. He had on a mask which made him even creepier. But it also meant that he might let her father and Axel live.
Both men looked beyond pissed, like caged tigers ready to pounce. Their phones were on the ground next to them, smashed to bits.
She was numb as she stared at the man with the gun. Getting into that ATV with this masked man would certainly mean death for her, but…she had to do it. She couldn’t risk him shooting her father or Axel. She simply couldn’t allow it.
“Now. Or I’ll start with his knees.” He gestured the gun at her father. “It’s a painful way to die.”
Axel’s face tightened. “Don’t—”
The man cut Axel off and fired a shot into the ground. She nearly jumped a foot, her heart rate kicking up a thousand beats a minute. Because of the suppressor on the weapon, the sound didn’t carry. But it was all the motivation she needed. Still clutching her bag as if it was a lifeline she started for the ATV, her movements stiff. She didn’t look at her father or Axel because if she did, she’d break down.
She was supposed to have been safe. Everything was supposed to have been over. But it wasn’t. This man was somehow here on her father’s secure property. Holding a gun on two people she loved.
Heart racing out of control, she forced her legs to obey her as she slid into the passenger seat. As she sat, she slipped a small scalpel out of her bag before dropping the bag to the floor at her feet.
“No. You’re gonna drive.” Ice coated the masked man’s words as he moved toward the vehicle. “And if you try anything, I’ll shoot you. Contract only says you have to be alive.”
Instead of getting out again, she just slid over into the driver’s seat. Her palms were sweaty despite the chill in the air. And her chest hurt with each breath she dragged in as she fought the panic swelling inside her.
“The guy who hired you, Fuller, he’s dead.” Her dad’s voice was dark, angry, a tone she’d never heard from him before.
The man with the mask paused once as he moved toward the ATV, though his gun hand never wavered. “If that ends up being true, I’ll ransom her back to you.”
“I’ll pay you double what Fuller offered you. Just let her go.”
“You’ll pay quadruple.” The man grinned once, his white teeth and lips visible even with the mask. His smile was like a shark. “Even if Fuller’s not dead, I’ll be in touch. Get your money ready, old man.”
As he slid into the passenger seat, she glared at him. “You’ll never get away with this. Even if you kill me, they’ll hunt you to the ends of the earth.” Something she intrinsically knew to be true.
She saw the hand coming, knew he planned to backhand her either for her words or to send a message to her father and Axel. This was her only chance. She lashed out with the scalpel, stabbing at his leg and aiming for the femoral artery.
The man screamed in pain as his hand went wild, grazing her forehead instead of her face. From there, everything was a blur of motion.
Axel moved faster than should be humanly possible, attacking the man like an animal. His fist connected with the man’s jaw before he dragged him out of the passenger seat. The gun fell to the floorboard so she scooped it up even if she had no idea how to use it.
Her dad was suddenly there, taking it from her hands as Axel pounded his fists into the man’s face. Over and over, the guy’s head slammed into the hard earth beneath them.
“Axel.” She didn’t scream or raise her voice but somehow he must have heard her. He stopped, his hand around the throat of the now unconscious man. “Please don’t kill him,” she whispered. She didn’t want him to have any more scars on his soul or for him to go to jail. Even if this guy probably deserved it, she simply couldn’t stand the thought of Axel being the one to end his life.
“Take her back to the main house, now,” her dad ordered Axel, tucking the gun in the back of his pants. “Do it.” A not so subtle order.
“Dad—”
“No. Go with Axel.” He gave Axel a hard look without even glancing at her.