Page 86 of Iron Unicorn

Nothing beat Texan dirt roads,an SUV with enough under the hood to make it fun, and enough choices of routes to confuse just about anybody. With a little help from Eddie, I managed to ditch the RPS within twenty minutes. I approved of Carl’s driving, but an impending train, a lucky dash across the tracks, and a dust cloud won me the victory. As a wise man made miles, I did just that, refueling when the gas tank indicated I only had a quarter left.

“I would have stopped for the train,” Eddie informed me while I worked the pump. “And we would have been busted. You eyed the lowering rail, decided you were faster, and went like you meant it.”

“I could have stopped the mechanism with my talent if needed.” I checked the SUV, grinning at the sight of the Montana princess catching a nap. “Any indigenous shops in the region?”

“Why?”

I nodded at Olivia. “I’ll grab her a blanket. She likes staying warm, and she didn’t budge when we got out, so she’s not going to budge for a while. I want to tour the kingdom a little more before we head to the auction barn. How far is it from here?”

“About twenty minutes. While we’ve been taking the back route, at the speed you’ve been going, we’re not losing any time. The taco joint is down the street from the auction barn.”

Ah. I put that as a tally on Carl’s side, and I admired Eddie’s cunning, a trait learned from his dad. “Well played, Eddie.”

He grinned. “Thank you.”

I paid at the pump with the Montana card, went inside the station to buy snacks and drinks for the road, and gave Eddie the plunder before hitting the road. While confident I’d ditched the RPS, I took a roundabout route to the auction barn, making a pit stop to a store for a pair of matching tribal blankets. Upon our arrival, I lifted my hand to my ear, and said, “You fine folks can have your lunch now. We are at our destination, and we won’t be dodging you for the rest of the day.” I gave the location of the auction barn, put in a request for the address for the nearest available royal ranch to be sent to my phone, and warned them I’d be off the earpiece while we were around the horses.

The place was busy, and I sighed at the evidence of active horse selling. “And this is one with a slaughter pen?”

“Yep. They run different auction types. The horses in the slaughter pen can be taken out for a flat rate. They’re the ones who were abused, have serious behavioral problems, or have injuries. The butchers offer a price per pound, and you have to beat it to take the horses off the lot. If Dad comes, he gets the horses for a set price. The butchers don’t mind; if Dad is coming to take a horse, they’re not responsible for how the horse ended up there. It’s all good. I buy the horses at the regular barn rate and register if it’s an abuse case. If I don’t use the royal loopholes, my acquisitions aren’t tracked.”

I read between the lines: Eddie rescued horses like his dad did and tried to be private about it. “What’s your budget?”

Eddie eyed the barn, and after a moment, he said, “I can probably do four without issue.”

I bet he spent every spare cent on following in his dad’s footprints. Twisting in my seat, I reached out and patted Olivia’s leg. “How many horses are you ready to pluck away from the slaughter pen?”

She held up three fingers. “I’d do four but the import fees and quarantine and stall space are issues, and only if they can be transported or I can find housing.” She hesitated, and then held up three fingers on her other hand. “I can take on three for you if you need some leeway because of Jane.”

Eddie made a satisfied noise. “If you can afford the vetting, I have sixteen stalls right now. My last batch of rescues are headed off to do ranch work. I’m just worried about the money in my account to fund the vet bills. When I got Black Sand, I didn’t appreciate how much Dad spent saving him. Now I get it. And it’s not just about the money. Dad was involved with Black Sand through the entirety of the training process.”

“Good horses are expensive. People think that you can just throw a stallion and a mare into the same pasture and make a profit off breeding.” I rolled my eyes at the absurdity of it. “People don’t want unproven studs. They want to breed their mares to proven stallions. I’m going to have one rule, you two. There will be no public crying over any of the horses, even if there is a downed horse we can’t realistically rescue.”

Both glared at me.

I stared them into submission. “You can wait until we are at the royal ranch to vent out all frustrations, etc. We will go into this auction barn calm and collected, and we will leave the auction barn calm and collected.” Well aware Eddie was a chip off his dad’s block, I waggled my finger at him. “We will not be hitting any idiots with anything today, even if you witness someone being nasty to a horse.”

Eddie turned rather sheepish. “I’d say it’s not my fault, but it really is.”

I raised a brow and eyed Olivia.

“I will behave,” she promised.

“Good. Let’s try to stick to our limits. If we buy the horse, we have to be able to handle all costs of care and transport,” I reminded them, expecting to have to rein both in by the time we escaped the barn. “And Eddie, if you bail on us because you have sickly horses to rescue, you get to take care of our rescues until we’re done toying with your fellow Texans.”

He laughed at that. “You’re ready to start storming the palace, aren’t you?”

I nodded. “I really hope your dad was planning on upgrading his electrical systems because I won’t get another chance at this.”

Well, not with any hope of success.

“You have a plan,” he accused.

“I do not have a plan.” I shrugged. “I’ll make a plan on the way. If I don’t have a plan, my plan can’t go sideways from the start.”

Eddie bowed his head and sighed. “You’re either going to be caught within five minutes or you’re going to be kidnapping one of my parents. Familial obligation states I should be siding with my parents and professional pride states I should be siding with my co-workers. The rest of me wants to see you trounce everyone.”

“If I trounce them, they’ll be able to improve security. I won’t want to be the one paying that repair bill, but it’s always good to do scenarios like this. For now, let’s see what this auction barn has to offer. Remember, there is more to the auction barn than the slaughter pen.”

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