Never Say Never by Emily Goodwin

Author:Emily Goodwin [Goodwin, Emily]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Black Ink
Published: 2015-09-26T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

“There’s a shotgun in the back,” she blurts.

“What?” I say, still not used to Americans and their guns.

“Under the seat. It’s loaded. If we need it, it’s there.”

I nod and look in the side mirror. Whoever is coming up behind us is going fast. It can’t possibly be that wanker, but if it is, let him try to stop us. I’ll hit him again and knock him out cold this time. He deserves all that and more.

The car zooms up then passes us. I let out a breath of relief. “We’re good,” I say. The adrenaline starts to wear off, and I’m feeling tired and sore. My chest hurts and a hot shower and a cup of tea sound good right now. I roll my neck and blink a few times, trying to stay awake and alert.

“What are you going to do with the horse?” I ask.

“Clean him up the best we can, give him something for pain, and a little bit of hay. The vet will be out tomorrow to examine him further.”

“I’ve never seen anything so horrible.”

“He’s not even the worst,” she says. “People are cruel. People are animals’ greatest enemies.”

“But people like you are their heroes.”

“I guess so,” she says softly, and I can tell this is emotional for her. I slide my hand onto her leg again. I close my eyes, seeing the torn flesh, the bloody fur, and the infected wounds. She was right. People are cruel.

My eyes flutter open and closed the rest of the way back to her house. I’m tired, and each breath hurts.

“Aiden,” she says softly when she parks the truck and trailer near her barn.

I inhale and turn to her. “Yeah?”

“Go upstairs and go to bed. I might be out here for a while.”

“I’ll help you.”

“Really, I won’t let you. You’ve done enough and you’re sick. I’m demanding that you sleep.” She smiles and opens the truck door. The dome lights turn on, and I can see a slight bruise on her cheek. I should have knocked that motherfucker out sooner.

“I won’t be able to sleep,” I say honestly. “I have really bad insomnia, so I’ll just lie awake for hours. I might as well help you.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that. I’m sorry.”

“Thanks. I’ve learned to deal with it.” I unbuckle. “How can I help?”

“Honestly, Aurelia needs some one-on-one time.”

I raise an eyebrow. “You’re just making me do that because it’s easy.”

“Maybe. But she really does.” She smiles and gets out of the truck. I meet her at the back of the horse trailer. She waits for Judy and Alexis to open the door and bring the horse inside. She gives Judy a look that says it all: they’re not sure what to expect when they open the trailer door.

Haley swallows hard then unlocks the door. She lifts up the latch and hesitates before swinging the large door open. The large horse is leaning against the trailer wall, holding up his injured leg. Haley goes in the trailer and tries to get the horse to back out.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.