Page 72 of Unraveling Connections

“Got it,” Rafe replies, and then adds, “I’ll get a few extra supplies in just in case we end up stuck up here, and I’ll check the torches, batteries, and the generator as well.”

“I’ll come and help you,” Riot says as he gets up as well.

“Is it alright if I come with you guys?” Pete asks.

“Of course, we could use an extra set of eyes anyway, just in case we miss something,” Rafe replies with a smile.

Trick get’s up as well, “I’m going to check all the shutters are in good order and don’t need repairing, and anything else on the outside of the house.”

“I think I’ll head up to the stables and do the same thing; the last thing we need is the storm to come early; I don’t want the horses to get spooked,” I add, and look at Atlas, “want to come?”

He nods, “Sure, it beats having to write the report up for yesterday.”

I chuckle, as Trick gives him a look but chooses to let it go, since he is the one that started this conversation and got us all preparing for a storm that may not happen.

Atlas and I head to get our boots and coats, since it is still pretty cold, although thankfully not raining or snowing yet, and then we head out to get the four-wheelers and take them up to the stables.

“Want to race?” Atlas asks, smirking.

“Fuck yeah,” I agree, as I floor it. I have been racing Atlas for as long as I can remember, and he always cheats, leaving before you can properly agree, so either way, he wins.

“You cheated,” he yells after me.

I chuckle, “Like you weren’t about to.”

It doesn’t take us very long at all to get up to the stables, and we are pretty neck and neck for a while, but Atlas takes a risk and whips around me, narrowly missing a tree and making me curse.

When we pull up at the stables, I say, “You nearly hit the tree.”

“But I didn’t,” he grins and then adds, “okay, tell me what to do?”

I shake my head, amused despite myself, as I say, “We need to check that everything is sealed properly, and there’s no loose boards or anything that, and that the generator up here is still working in case the power gets knocked it’s still pretty fuckingcold and we don’t want the heat going out before we can get up here.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Rage

Atlas nods, “Okay, that sounds good. I can do all that.”

“We need to check it now, even though the storm isn’t supposed to be until next week, just in case it’s not working as it should, and we need to get it replacement parts.” I explain.

“Yeah, that makes sense. We will be able to fix it in time if we know about it now.”

“Exactly. We also need to check the horse's food stores while we are up and get them in since they are out at the moment,” Iexplain, and then add, “That’s just the normal things I need to do while I’m up.”

“Got it. I have helped you do that before I can handle it; it has been a while though, so you are probably going to have to remind me of some things.”

I nod, and we get to work. We may only have three horses here, but the barn is set up to hold around ten, just in case we want more in the future. I have had one or two horses up here that needed working with over the years. Jonah told me about some of his friends in town who were having trouble with one of their horses, and I was offering up some tips about how they could help; one thing led to another, and I ended up with the horse up here.

I absolutely loved doing it; the thing is that it requires consistent and daily work, so I didn’t do my usual work with the organization. Trick and Mr R were fine with it, but I hated that they were going out and I wasn’t going with them. Not knowing how the job was going and whether they were in trouble or if there were complications was absolutely horrendous, and I was not fond of it at all. The second time I had a horse, from the same place actually, I made sure that I could take it on when we were on one of our extended breaks, and I had the time to do it without the guys leaving to do jobs.

Ever even helped me, and I think she really enjoyed it. I would love to do more, especially since I have had to turn down several people asking for help because of our normal workload. It is just not the right time for me to do it more regularly, maybe when things calm down a bit, if they ever calm down, maybe then I could do it more regularly but right now, I have no idea when or if that is going to happen. That doesn’t mean that I won't turn down serious cases; I don’t have it in me. I have to help them, especially if I'm their last resort, and I know that I can help them. I just hope that a horse like that doesn’t comeup while we are doing anything to do with Hunt, I can’t leave everyone down a person, not where Hunt’s involved, he is even more dangerous than the majority of our other cases. Primarily because of how well-connected he is and how many friends he has in high places.

Atlas and I work in comfortable silence to make sure that the barn is completely secure for the horses.

“I think these boards are a bit loose, on the left corner,” Atlas says as he walks around the barn and finds me on the other side, “if the wind hits it at the wrong angle the panels could be ripped right off.”

“Yeah, I’ve found a couple on the back that need securing back down,” I reply, “I have got a couple of nail guns in the storeroom that we can use to secure them back in place. Did everything else look good?”

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