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CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Studying the perimeter of the field and looking for a way to escape, Big John tried to control his panic. The horses were antsy, he’d seen several more cops run down from the hills, and now security guards had arrived. Looking towards the three armed deputies drawing closer, he knew he was running out of time.
He could see only one way out.
Jump on one of the big horses and gallop across the field.
He had no doubt he could ride one of them.
He used to compete on bucking broncos,
But it was risky as hell.
Their size was the issue.
He was tall and strong, but they were huge, and he didn’t know if he’d be able to make the leap. If he missed and fell to the ground, their giant hooves would be perilously close to his head.
“John, give it up,” one of the deputies called, snatching his attention. “It’s over. There’s no gettin’ away.”
“That’s what you think,” he yelled back, grabbing the mane of the horse closes to him.
But the horse jerked his head around and sank its teeth into John’s shoulder. As its powerful jaws closed, the excruciating pain traveled through John’s torso like white hot lightning, then reverberated through his entire being. He could hear himself screaming and voices yelling, then he was toppling to the ground and a massive weight was pressing against his chest…
* * *
Trevor was about to fire his gun in the air to scare away the horses, but bolting of their own accord, their heavy hooves pounded out a deep drum beat as they galloped away. While one of the deputies called for an ambulance, Trevor knelt beside Big John and stared at his broken body. Blood gushed from his misshaped shoulder, and where the horse had trampled on his chest, Trevor could almost see the many broken ribs.
“John, can you hear me?”
But as the words left his lips, he knew the man was unconscious with life-threatening injuries. Slowly rising to his feet, he turned around and saw his fellow deputies trying to move Rick, Bailey, Duke and his parents, away from the fence.
* * *
“Is he dead, is he dead?” Bailey asked urgently as Trevor walked quickly towards her.
“No, but it will be a miracle if he survives, and I’ll be praying he makes it.”
“Why?”
“We might be able to get him talking and reunite some of the horses he stole with their rightful owners. You don’t have to worry. If he does he’ll be spending a long time behind bars, but you all have to get away from the scene. It needs to be cordoned off.”
“Sorry, but those horses need to be brought in,” Marge said firmly. “I’ve already called the grooms. They’re on their way.”
“Is there another gate you can use?”
“Oh, now that you mention it, there is. That’s a much better idea. All these cars…and now a siren,” she exclaimed as the ambulance announced its arrival. “That’s the last thing those horses need. Excuse me while I send a text.”
As she hurried away with Carl at her side, Rick put his arm around Bailey and guided her back toward the trees. But Duke stayed to watch the activity, though he stepped to the side and out of the way.
“That horrible man got exactly what he deserved,” Bailey managed, fighting an unexpected surge of emotion.
“Yeah, he did, and his justice was meted out by those he harmed. It’s almost as if that horse saw the evil in John’s heart and knew the terrible things he’d done.”
“Maybe he did. Horses have amazing instincts. They know so much more than humans give them credit for.”
“Hey, you’re preachin’ to the choir,” he replied as they reached the spot they’d been using and sat back down.
“Rick, why don’t you have one?”
