Page 130 of Knot Her Cowboys
I let him hoist me to my feet, refusing to let go of his arm so he couldn’t go back on his word. With Darrell untouchable, Grizzy took out her ire on Darlene, chasing her screaming into the trees.
What the hell was I going to do? I should’ve sprinted into the woods instead of the paddock. I should’ve tried to outrun him like I had in the past. The odds of his cardio having improved in the last decade were slim, so I probably would’ve gotten away.
With me hanging onto his wrist, he grabbed a handful of my hair and navigated us, shoving me in Grizzy’s direction when she came barreling toward us. Grizzy let out a distressed bray, edging to one side and back, trying to get around me to Darrell. He dragged me to where his truck had busted through the security fence. That explained the siren, at least.
My whole body heaved with sobs.
Darrell wrenched open the passenger door. “Get in.”
I forced my shaking limbs to obey.
“Don’t even try to open the door. It’s busted anyway and can’t be opened from the inside.” Darrell slammed it shut and circled the truck at a sprint when Grizzy broke free from her paddock to follow us. He shot into the driver’s seat and slammed the door before he got bitten.
From where I sat, I could see the barn still blazing. Were Buttons and Bluebell okay? Was my pack safe? How long would it take them to notice I was missing?
Darrell started up the truck and whipped backward, narrowly avoiding Grizzy, who danced away with another panicked bray. A cloud of dust kicked up as we spun around and headed for the road. I pressed my hands to the window, as if I could will the glass to vanish so I could tumble out into the gravel.
Grizzy charged after us. She wouldn’t be able to keep up forever, but I was glad she was here for now, that I had someone who cared nearby as I was dragged to this horrible fate.
“I like you better when you’re quiet.”
“I’d like you better if you were dead.”
Darrell barked a sharp laugh. “I’ll give you to Paul after we’re bonded. He’s good at training out a smart mouth.”
I shuddered.
Either I was going to die in the compound or Cooper would storm it and thenhewould die, and I’d never survive being the reason he was taken from this world. My pack wouldn’t just let me go. They’d follow. They’d fight for me, and that would be the end of them.
I needed them to survive this.
I’d gone twelve years without Cooper and Cash, and I’d made my way home eventually. If I did it once, I could do it again. Darrell couldn’t be vigilant all the time. One day he’d let hisguard down and I’d take the chance it offered. It might be the equivalent of crawling through hell over broken glass to get out of that compound, but I’d get back to my pack one way or another.
With my arms full of foal, I cussed my way through the smoke, carting Bluebell to safety. She was dense as a brick and a couple hundred pounds already. Thank god I got enough exercise here on the daily that I could manage her weight without hurting either of us. Buttons raced past me, running frantic circles around me and Bluebell before Dakota and Levi were able to push her through an open gate and away from thebarn. These horses were the only two using this particular barn, so all the other animals were safe and we just needed to get the fire under control.
The staff were already working with the hoses we used to fill the troughs, doing their best to combat the flames.
Cash came running over. “Fire department’s on their way. I’ve already got a staff team heading to the river to fill up the water tanks.”
“Good.” I wheezed, setting Bluebell on her feet next to her mama, well away from the flames.
“Where’s Riley?” Cash asked.
I swung my gaze around, finding her nowhere within sight. I called her name, but with the roar of the fire she probably wouldn’t be able to hear me if she was that far away. Leaving Bluebell with Cash, I bolted, sprinting a circuit around the barn in search of Riley, but found no sign of her.
The siren was going off, and I’d thought maybe Cash had triggered it to alert the property of the fire, but with no Riley, dread filled my chest. I detoured quickly to our stable, whistling sharply. Ranger popped his head over the gate to look at me. I didn’t have time to saddle or bridle him, but this horse was practically an extension of me, and I was willing to take the risk if it meant getting to Riley a few minutes sooner. I grabbed a set of ropes, hooking it over my arm.
“Our girl is missing,” I told him as I whipped open the gate and used my momentum to get on his back. I almost never took him out this late, the low lighting a risk for everyone, but it wasn’t completely dark just yet.
With a squeeze of my thighs, Ranger took off. We passed Cash, and I used the pressure of my legs to guide Ranger.
“What’s happening?” Cash called after me. “Fucking fuck.”
I spared a quick glance back to see him dash into the stable as well.
Ranger galloped down the road, past our fire crew and toward the entrance gate. It was busted open, rough tire tracks in the dirt. Red tail lights gleamed in the distance.
Absolutely not.
