Page 11

Memphis and Ghost went in first, charging through the front doors like they were an unspoken warning. Me and Creed followed close behind. To everyone else, it was just a regular night. The bass was booming, deep and steady, and there was a low murmur of conversation and hoots and hollers from the crowd.

I barely noticed.

My eyes were already locked on Nikolai Volkov.

I’d recognized him right away. He was the youngest of the Volkov brothers, but he had an edge to him that his brothers didn’t have.

He sat at one of the side tables, leaning back like he didn’t have a care in the world. He was wearing a white, long-sleeve button-down and black slacks, and he showed no emotion as he sipped on his beer.

He was acting like it was just another night, but I knew better.

He was waiting.

He was waiting for me.

I held up a hand to the others. “Give me a minute.”

Memphis scowled but didn’t argue. Ghost and Creed just folded their arms and watched with a protective stance. I walked over, and Nikolai’s eyes locked on mine as I pulled out the chair and sat down without a word. I let the silence sit between us for a beat before I finally spoke.

“Alright, you got my attention. Now, why don’t you tell me what the hell you’re doing here.”

4

TABITHA

"I’ll start with the mare.”

“Her name is Faith.”

“Well, Faith is farther along than you mentioned.” Dr Lewis flipped through his notes as he continued, “Best I can tell, she looks to be more like eight and a half months along. Her body is in poor condition. She’s underweight and malnourished which means the foal is, too. And the front left hoof is a concern.”

“Yes, I knew it would be an issue. What are we dealing with?”

“Looks like an old abscess that was never treated properly.” I could hear the horses shifting in their stalls. If I didn’t know better, I’d say they sensed my unease as I listened to him say, “It’s left her with some deep scarring in the hoof wall, and there’s some rotation in the coffin bone.”

I nodded, trying to absorb it all. “So, what’s the plan?”

“Well, she’s gonna need corrective trimming, likely for the rest of her life. Might need special shoes, depending on how she responds. We can manage the pain with anti-inflammatories, but she won’t be much more than a pasture horse.” He hesitated before adding, “It’s gonna take time and money, Tabitha.”

I already knew that but hearing it didn’t make it any easier.

Before I could even form a response, he flipped the page and kept going. “She’s extremely underweight, especially for being with foal. You’ll need to monitor her closely. Plenty of high-quality feed and supplements. If we don’t see improvement in the next few weeks, we may need to run some tests.”

I barely had time to nod before he moved on.

“Now, the tall bay.” He shook his head. “As you know, he’s in rough shape. Severely malnourished. He has some muscle atrophy and some rain rot starting on his back. Poor fella’s been neglected for a long time.”

“Yes, and it’s a real shame. He’s such a beautiful, sweet horse.”

“I think he will come around, but he’s gonna take patience.” His voice softened a little. “Slow refeeding and a whole lot of hands-on care.”

It was a lot, but nothing I hadn’t expected. I knew what I’d signed up for, and I was going to do whatever it took to get these horses back on their feet. So, I lifted my chin and met Dr. Lewis’s gaze as I told him, “Alright. Let’s get started.”

Dr. Lewis let out a quiet sigh as he crouched beside the mare. He gently ran his hand down her leg before lifting her hoof. She flinched but didn’t fight him. She just let out a deep, tired breath that said she was done fighting. I slowly stroked her neck as I whispered, “Easy girl.”

Her coat was dull and patchy, and I could feel the sharp outline of her ribs beneath my palm. She’d known hunger, neglect, and pain. And still, she stood there, trusting me to help her. I was working my fingers gently through the tangled strands of her mane when Dr. Lewis said, “This girl is tough. Not many who could withstand this kind of torment.”

Tough.