Page 11 of Deceit & Desire

Sucking in a deep breath, I ran and vaulted over the fence into the pasture. The asshole was so busy cussing the colt for a sorry bastard and whipping it while it whinnied and roared in protest to hear or see me coming.

With grim satisfaction, I grabbed the man by the back of his polo shirt, hauled him away from the frightened colt, and body-slammed him on the ground back-first. Baring my teeth at the bastard in a feral smile, I wrenched the whip he’d been using right out of his hand.

The man glared up at me, wild-eyed and reeking of cheap whiskey, his bloodshot gaze darting back and forth between my smiling face and the whip in my hand. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”

I eyed his black polo shirt and the red embroidery above the breast pocket.Michaelson Inc.“Don’t you worry about who I am. It’s what I am that should concern you.”

“Oh, yeah? Well, what are you then?”

Rolling my shoulders to loosen them up, I cracked my neck and flicked the whip a little, getting a feel for it.

“What I am is a reckoning... your reckoning.”

“Fuck you, cowboy.” The polo-wearing prick staggered to his feet, then tried to take a swing at me.

I dodged the punch with ease and snorted. Raising the whip, I gave it a warning crack near his feet, forcing him to stagger back a couple of steps.

“Watch it, asshole.” The man spat, the wad of spit barely missing the toe of my boot.

I sighed and shook my head. “You’ve got two options here. Option one: be smart, keep your damn hands to yourself, and let my fiancee buy this horse off you right now. Option two: you can be a dumb son of a bitch and hit me. If you hit me, I’m going to use this whip and beat you like you beat that horse, and then I’m going to take the horse, anyway. Pick your poison.”

“Like I said, fuck you. This here is Mr. Michaelson’s horse.” Dickwad growled, lunging toward me and taking another wild swing.

The drunk asshole was quicker than I anticipated, and too close for the whip to be effective, so I jumped back instead, leaving him to fall flat on his face in the dirt. “Son of a bitch!”

The man bellowed and thumped the ground with his fist as I backed up and readied the whip. When he stood, I was ready and waiting for his next move.

“You want to re-think your course of action, I promise.” I cracked the whip once, lashing it across his thighs to stress my point. “Hurts, doesn’t it? Let that be a lesson to you about how not to treat animals. Give me another excuse to show you how that horse felt while you were beating it. I’m begging you.”

The man doubled over, grabbing his thighs, howling in agony. “And what if I call the cops on you?”

I shrugged and drew back the whip, prepared to strike again if he felt compelled to push me. “Try me, asshole. When they get here, I’ll show them what you did to this horse, and they’ll lock you up for animal cruelty.”

The man held his hands up in surrender, his unblinking gaze locked on the whip. “Take the goddamn horse, then. Bastard’s more trouble than he’s worth, anyway.”

Victory always tastes sweet, but knowing I saved the horse from a lifetime of cruelty makes it that much sweeter.

I couldn’t help grinning. “Good choice. Have your boss send the bill for him to Twisted Creek Ranch and I’ll have my fiancee mail you a check for him.”

The drunk asshole staggered away, muttering to himself under his breath, and I jogged over to the fence where my truck was parked. I tossed the whip into the bed of my truck.

“What’re you taking the whip for?” Zoe called out of her open window.

“I just don’t want that bastard to have it. Do me a favor and open up the trailer so we can get him home.”

Zoe nodded and hopped out of the truck as I turned and approached the still-frightened colt, slow and gentle as I could be, taking my time and talking to him in low, soothing tones.

“Easy, fella. It’s all gonna be all right now. Shh.”

I reached up, stroking his neck and murmuring to him until he was calm enough for me to un-hitch the reins from the fencepost and lead him out of the gate and into the waiting horse trailer.

“Let’s go home, big guy. I’m gonna make damn sure nothing like that ever happens to you again.”

As I climbed back behind the wheel of the truck, Zoe reached over and squeezed my hand. “Thank you for saving him.”

Without thinking, I lifted her hand to my lips, pressing a kiss against her knuckles. “I told him to have his boss send the bill for the horse to Twisted Creek Ranch, and we’d pay for him. I hope that’s okay?”

Zoe’s cheeks flushed a pretty shade of pink, but she gave a firm nod. “Absolutely. Whatever it takes to make sure he’s never abused again, I’ll pay it.”

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