Page 44 of Taming Mika

She’s chomping at the bit as soon as I turn her down the stretch, and I laugh as I get my first taste of the energy Piper always has herhands full with. As talented as Fate is, it’s sometimes easy to forget she’s young, but I feel it now as she jumps from a walk straight into a canter, and I have to reel her back in.

“Easy, girl,” I encourage, leaning back to keep my center of balance and use my body weight to contain her.

She chuffs, hopping before she slows into a trot and then back to a head-swinging walk. I go with her movements, letting her stride open up as much as she wants in that gait, and after maintaining her brisk pace up the stretch and around the corner, she starts to relax. All it takes is a cluck to encourage her into a trot, and I post with the bouncy rhythm, a smile stretching across my lips. I miss this—the deep connection of being on a horse. It’s one thing to have a relationship with them from the ground, but it’s something else entirely to be in the saddle, feeling her movement and knowing her mind. It feels incredibly therapeutic, and spending time alone with Fate is exactly what I need to find a bit of clarity. The workout helps stretch my sore muscles as well as hers, and as I let Fate ease into a lope, I know I don’t want to leave this place. I want to make this work, because I don’t want to give up on Fate or any of the horses I advocate for. With every stride, the throbbing tenderness between my thighs reminds me of Alfie. His absence—made only more noticeable from the hollow ache in my core—makes me realize how much I crave his presence. If only it could come without all the complications—the violence.

But am I just falling for another charming rich asshole?Unfortunately, that seems to be my type, and I’m starting to wonder if falling for someone with a wife is a lot less harmful than what we’ve started. Every time I think of how Alfie cares for Nina, though, I’m less confident about what to make of him. He’s arrogant. He likes to throw his money around to get what he wants. But after watching him with his sister, I’m pretty sure he wanted to buy Fate for her in the first place. He was so careful and protective of her at the racetrack. When Nikolai threatened us, Alfie’s first instinct was to get his sister to safety, and again today, as soon as he heard she was in danger, he put his own needs aside to make sure she was okay. He can’t be all bad ifhe cares that much about his family—and as ashamed as I am to admit it, I am incredibly attracted to him.

Fate twitches beneath me, her ears shifting toward something along the railing, and I take a firmer feel of the reins to guide her attention back to the track as I catch sight of Alfie’s man. He’s good practice for Fate—a distraction she needs to know to ignore on race day—but I make a mental note to tell him and the men they’ll be staying at the barn when I’m working with the yearlings.

We round the bend, and I shift my weight, signaling Fate to do a lead change. She does, her stride opening up on her stronger lead as we pass one of the tree markers. I won’t push her this first time around, but I want to see what her natural speed would be. She feels good, her stride powerful and elastic as her body bunches and snaps beneath me. Her breaths are deep and strong, matching the rhythm of her feet, and the wind whips past my cheeks, pulling at my shirt as it goes.

I let Fate sprint past Hector before I start to rein her back in, and while she’s breathing hard, she still does her best to ignore my request for several strides. Pressing my knuckles into her withers, I let her fight with herself for a moment before she gives in, and her neck arches as she slows into a canter. Bringing her around, I come back to Hector to make note of the time, and I’m glad to hear Fate actually managed to keep a good pace even with a larger rider on her back. She’s getting stronger.

“Let’s do a few more timed laps, but I don’t want to push her too hard; just stretch her legs.”

Hector nods with a smile. “She looks like she’s ready to win another race.”

Frustration washes through me as I think about the races all my horses are missing out on because of what happened yesterday. Fate might not be scheduled to run again for three more weeks, but most of the babies didn’t get a chance to run and won’t for at least a week—if I want to throw off the original schedule I so carefully mapped out on a calendar to best suit their individual needs. But I keep that to myself as I lean down to pat Fate’s silky neck. “Alright, let’s go again.”

I do two more sprints with the prize filly before giving her a good cooldown and we head back to the barn. Lupe has Titan ready and waiting for me next as soon as I hop down from Fate’s back. I give her a carrot and one last pat before handing her off to Hector. Then I take the hot-blooded black stallion’s reins so Lupe can hoist me into the tack. He dances under me, spooking as soon as one of Alfie’s Men in Black shifts his weight, and I cast the bodyguard a dark scowl.

“You guys are staying here this time,” I state, pointing to the three who followed me to the arena.

“Ma’am, our orders were?—”

“Your orders were to protect this barn, and if you go stalking around the track, carrying your guns like that again, this horse just might throw me off and break my neck, so you’re staying put. You can see the track just fine from here. I’ll be back as soon as his workout is finished.”

The three guards share a glance, but I don’t wait around for a response, and Hector appears with the stopwatch just in time to join me as I head out for my next ride.

23

MIKA

Javier is waiting for me with a bottle of water at the barn door, and I smile gratefully as I pull Titan to a halt. Sliding out of the saddle, I give the young colt a carrot and a pat on the neck before handing the reins to Lupe and watching the duo walk inside. As Javier holds out the water to me, I gladly take it and crack the lid to guzzle the refrigerated liquid. It’s been a long time since I’ve ridden a horse, let alone two babies in a row who require a lot of patience, strength, and attention. It doesn’t help that my body was already exhausted when the day began, thanks to Alfie’s insatiable appetite. Not to mention, I’m ravenous after only a quick breakfast of scrambled eggs that I’m sure I burned through before the end of Fate’s workout.

“Javi, I’m taking a ten-minute break,” I say.

“Si, señorita.”

The barn manager flashes me a white-toothed smile, and I do my best not to hobble as I head toward my office. Alfie’s men start to follow, but at the door, I stop and turn to glare at them.

“You have enough men securing this property that I’m sure I can enjoy a few minutes of peace and quiet without your protection,” I state, and I step inside my office, closing the door firmly behind me.

I don’t know how Alfie does it. Admittedly, he usually only has two guards following him, and they seem to have some unspoken understanding of his boundaries because they’ve never tried to follow Alfie into my office. But it’s driving me crazy, and I can tell it’s bothering the horses, too. The grooms seem much more comfortable with the presence of an armed guard, at least now that Alfie’s men don’t appear to be holding them hostage or acting like slave drivers. Even Francisco has calmed down and gotten back to work.

After what happened yesterday, I imagine most of the grooms are grateful to be under Alfie’s protection. He did save their lives when he made the call to stop unloading supplies from the trailer, and I suspect, because of that, they trust him more when he says we need protection. But I feel like a caged animal after having men with guns prowling the grounds all morning, and I was grateful to get a break from them while I rode Titan. That horse is high-strung enough as it is. I did not need them freaking him out around every turn.

I groan as I ease into the chair behind my desk, aware of every tired muscle as I slowly lean back and prop my feet up on the corner. I’m sorely tempted to take a nap, but I don’t have time for that. Instead, I unlatch my helmet and set it on my desk, and then I untie my hair, shaking it loose to let the sweaty curls air dry for a minute.

Sighing heavily, I close my eyes.What am I doing with my life?I went from a proper horse trainer to Alfie Bonetti’s new obsession in the span of a week, and it feels like I had absolutely no say in the matter.

Oddly enough, I feel more content than I have in a long time, in some ways. I’m less alone, less determined to keep the world at arm’s length—and yet, at the same time, I feel like that’s exactly what I should be doing if I want to survive Alfie’s crazy world.

I glance down at my watch, surprised that my ten minutes are almost up. I’m so tired, I lost track of time. With monumental effort, I lower my feet back to the floor and try not to sound like an old lady as I push against the desk to stand. But I pause, and my heart jolts as I hear raised voices down the alley. My pulse quickens as I rush acrossthe room and snatch the handle, wrenching the door open to see what’s wrong this time.

“Where is she?”

I recognize the deep, commanding voice right away—before I see Alfie’s tall, lean figure silhouetted by brilliant sunshine as he stands in the barn doorway. My breath catches as he strides toward me. A few locks of his usually perfectly styled dark hair fall across his brow, and his hazel eyes blaze as they meet mine. He’s angry with me. This time, I’m confident about it as he grasps my arm and steers me back toward my office.

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