Page 91 of The Front Runner
“Where is Stefan?
“On his way.”
“Where is Nadia?”
“She went in.”
A chill starts from the ground, seeping up through my bones. “Excuse me?”
He points at the barn. “Just a couple minutes ago.”
“Fuck, Leo. Has anyone ever mentioned that you’re a pussy?” I storm toward the barn and stop near a fully outfitted firefighter. “There’s someone in there, did you know that?”
“We just got here, ma’am. We’re assessing the situation.”
Not good enough.Nadia is in there. Stefan can’t lose her. It will kill him.
Moments later, Nadia stands at the wide-open doors, eyes wild and searching. My relief is short-lived.
“I need gloves,” she shouts. “I can’t get the stalls open! The metal latches are too hot.”
Then she turns and races back into the building. A firefighter runs to the door, trying to grab her before she disappears back into the smoke.
My stomach sinks as I stare at the barn. Her words haunt me as I watch the flames building on each other. Everything Stefan has worked so hard for. The redemption he’s thrown himself into. His horses that he loves so quietly. Sweet souls who have no hope of helping themselves in this situation.
His sister.
The thought barely crosses my mind before I’m moving. I grab a pair of gloves sitting on the bumper of the firetruck and sprint for the barn before anyone can stop me. No chance I’ll stand here watching a barn full of horses and a friend of mine burn to death while they formulate a plan. It’s simply not an option.
I hear shouts behind me as I shove my hands into the big gloves and charge through the door. It crosses my mind what I’m doing is monumentally stupid, but I don’t linger on that thought. Even if I can save a few horses and get out, I’ll be happy.
Thick smoke fills the dark barn. The whinnies are loud over the crackling of the fire. I can almosttastethe fear. And then I see Nadia, trying to grab a latch but jerking away when it sizzles against her skin.
Her eyes find mine, her voice imploring as she points down the barn alleyway to where the smoke is thickest. “Mira! Loki is down there! They’reallin here.”
She looks down at her hands, and it doesn’t take a medical degree to see that she’s burned them in her failed attempts to open the stalls.
“Nadia. Out. You need medical attention. I’ve got this.”
“Let me help you!” She’s in shock, tears streaming down her face.
“No.”
“Mira. You don’t understand. If he loses Loki, I don’t think he’ll ever forgive himself. That foal is proof that not everything he touches turns to shit. I have to get him out.”
“And if he loses you, Nadia? Then what?” I grab her, sheltering her underneath my arm and walking her toward the open doors. “Go. I’ll get Loki out.”
The look she gives me is full of pleading as the emergency crews descend on her, but I’m back in the barn before they can grab me.
Moving quickly, I pull my coat over my nose and grab the metal latch of the first stall. I step in, slap the horse on its haunches, and watch it run for the door. Horses are flight animals. I just hope someone out there has the good sense to corral them off somewhere. Even if they don’t, running free is better than burning.
I work my way swiftly down the barn, thankful that many of Stefan’s horses live at the track and this is not a full stable.
The smoke thickens the further I get down the alleyway. The heat is intense, but I push on. Luckily, the fire seems to be worse on the outside of the building than on the inside. I feel like I’ve gotten almost all the horses out, but not the ones I desperately want.
I mutter into my jacket, “Fuck my life,” as I trudge to the end of the barn where Loki and Farrah have been living.
I specifically picked the back because it’s less drafty. A choice I now regret. Farrah is pacing nervously when I get to them. Loki huddles by her side, all signs of his spunky personality replaced with pure terror.
