Chapter 32 #2
At first, I thought the man’s snort was one of derision, but then Anthony burst into laughter. “He’s a dragon?”
“He’s a very angry dragon right now, rather easily provoked, and rather upset over yesterday.
I’ve been given two weeks off because he needs to posture over the whole situation.
In reality, if I can talk you into joining my team, I’m going to take you home with me, get you both into my office, and begin the end of their pathetic operations. ”
“I’m supposed to give them two months,” he muttered, the humor fleeing his voice.
“It’s a courtesy not a requirement unless your employee handbook was different from mine.”
“It’s not. They templated everything.”
“Then it’s a suggestion and not a requirement. Anyway, I have an excellent attorney who can make certain you come out smelling like roses. You’ll be fine financially. I am, and I don’t see Yuless at all skimping on someone who can make his pennies breed into dollars.”
“I’m not paid much more than you were,” he confessed. “My stock package was a little better, but they stopped giving me much years ago. I’m all vested at this stage.”
What bloody fools. “You just wanted to make sure they burned before you left.”
He nodded. “You’re correct.”
“They’ll burn, and we can spend the rest of today getting your resignation prepared, and I’ll even make Lucifer deliver the paperwork. It’s not like they can do anything to him. I’m assuming you have signed an NDA?”
“I have not.”
The level of stupidity flummoxed me. “How? How is that even possible? I mean, I had an NDA, but it died after ninety days away from their employment. Their reasoning for ninety days was so I couldn’t blab about an impending contract agreement. They were always shortsighted.”
“I predated when they started using NDAs, and they felt my loyalty was unshakeable. Until Belinda’s death, it had been.”
I could understand that. We spent the rest of the drive to the feed store in silence, and upon arrival, I hopped out of the SUV, dug out my phone, and sent Lucifer a text, requesting that he bring me my purse so I could handle some retail therapy.
A moment later, my purse appeared on the hood of Anthony’s vehicle. I plucked it off and placed it over my left shoulder to spare myself from enduring extra discomfort.
“How did you do that?” he blurted.
“I didn’t. Lucifer did. He would rather I not go home right this moment, so he teleported my purse over so I can engage in some shopping.
You better hope we don’t find any foals in the pen.
If we find a foal in the pen, we are transporting the poor baby in the back of your SUV.
I don’t handle foals in the pen well at all.
And by that, I mean the foal comes home with me. ”
“I see. Is it common to find thoroughbreds here?”
“No, but you’re going to need your starter kit for caring for a horse, which you can get here, and I can walk you through what you need for your future animals.
It’ll really help you get used to the idea of caring for them.
This time of year there are plenty of horses for sale, especially as owners who are dropping out of the Triple Crown qualifiers are trying private sales or are considering one of the auctions. I’ve had enough auctions for one year.”
“I take it you have bought horses from an auction this year?”
“There’s a video.” I’d been mortified to discover the entire auction had been recorded, and I’d defined what it meant to be determined when bidding on Precious Little Angel.
Worse, I’d be taking her to all the filly races so I could make her rule the thoroughbred empire and become a mare of legend.
“If you want to learn about thoroughbred racing next year, you can accompany me when I race Precious Little Angel. You’ll come along as a groom.
Since I don’t board my horses at the tracks, I’m permitted to bring my own staff with me.
I can even be talked into breeding a horse for you, but you’ll have to tell me if you want a pet to love on or a champion to race with.
I’ll be working on improving the health of horses as a whole, so I’m going to have an odd breeding program. ”
“Belinda loved watching the horse races, and she always wanted an off the track thoroughbred.”
“Well, we can do you one better. You’re too big to race, but I’m not, so you’ll get her dream horse, except the only owner your horse will know during and after their racing career is you.
It still counts, though. You’ll want to create a track on your property, because the champions live to race, and they get truly upset when they can’t.
But if you don’t know how to ride, I’ll teach you—or I’ll recruit Lucifer to have one of the fucking assholes teach you.
You’ll be surprised what the rehabilitating souls are willing to do to avoid a round in the dungeons.
I’ve made mistakes that cost me first place, but I’ve still ended up top three every race after learning from the fucking assholes.
The next time I go down for a lesson, I’m expecting to be praised. I got shot and still won.”
“If you don’t mind me saying, you do not look like you were shot.”
“I have two bosses: Lucifer and the Destroyer of Georgia. To make certain there was still a planet left after those two were finished, several archangels made certain I wouldn’t bleed to death and handled the majority of the injuries.
I am healing from some bone bruising, but that’s it.
And I’m pretty sure they left the bone bruising to keep my future husband from losing his shit more than he’s already losing his shit.
He literally proposed in the aftermath of the race, and the only reason I wasn’t completely covered in blood was thanks to an archangel showing some mercy and cleaning my silks so I could take the pictures and not completely disrupt the winning circle ceremonies.
” I giggled at the memory, and I took a moment to admire the pretty ring around my finger.
“And yes, you can come with us when we take Belinda’s ashes to Everest. Honestly, we were already planning on bringing you with us, you just hadn’t known it. ”
“I really appreciate it. How… how did you become the executor of her estate?”
“Lucifer made the arrangements. I knew what she wanted for her funeral. I know it doesn’t really help anything, but she rests in peace. I asked.”
“It helps,” he assured me. “Do you think I’m being stupid for pursuing her dream of racing horses?”
“No, I don’t. If raising and racing horses is what you need to keep her memory alive, then you should raise and race horses. And while none of the horses will ever be her, they’ll love you, keep you company, and let you know if you’re even five minutes late with their breakfast.”
He laughed, albeit weakly, at my comment. “Thank you, Crystal.”
“I’m glad to help. Let’s start your empire, shall we? I recommend that we pay a visit to a kill pen. It’s important to go in with your eyes wide open.”
* * *
I lost three hours in the feed store, making the mistake of showing Anthony the latest batch of chicks.
Much like me, he fell head over heels for their feathery charms, resulting in us loading his SUV with the coop setup I used and six babies.
Isaac, who teleported over to join us, confirmed they were all females so Anthony wouldn’t have to worry about roosters just yet.
To keep the babies warm and happy, I used my magic, and I layered on some charms so they’d stay docile for the entirety of the trip, which would involve an hour drive to one of the local livestock auctions with a kill pen.
For the most part, we stayed quiet, but as we arrived at the market, he asked, “Do you think Belinda would still be alive if I had done something differently?”
One day, I hoped he was able to conquer his inner demons, the ones whispering blame to him.
“No, I don’t think so. She hid a lot of what bothered her, and she loved making others happy.
She cracked under the strain, and then she shattered.
It’s not your fault. More importantly, it’s not her fault.
Mr. Mortani and his gang of pathetic assholes carry the full blame.
They made the cracks, and when they appeared, they chiseled away at her to make certain she broke under the strain.
We can’t change that. If anything, it’s far more my fault than yours or hers.
Had I not left, she wouldn’t have been cracked or broken in the first place. ”
“But you very probably saved yourself from being cracked and broken.”
However much I disliked admitting it, I nodded. “You’re right. In reality, I hope to never discover what my breaking point is.”
Since leaving my previous employer, I’d grown to have too much to lose. I could, when I stared back in the past and acknowledged my weaknesses, understand how I might have fallen prey to them. Leaving had spared me but had destroyed her.
One day, I would forgive myself.
“How are we going to buy horses out of the kill pen? Why would anyone kill a horse at a market?”
“For food, exported to other countries. Honestly, I don’t begrudge people for eating horse meat.
I will have all my animals evaluated at time of death to see if the meat is safe for human consumption.
If it is, into the freezer they go. I have a few exceptions, but food is food, and if an animal dies of old age, I see no problem with making certain nothing goes to waste.
I draw lines, though. I don’t eat other people, and I don’t eat pets that share my bed with me. ”
“Those are good rules. How many pets share your bed with you?”
“One chicken, four cats, and a dragon.”
He laughed. “You call your fiancé a pet?”
“Yep. He’d probably protest if he heard me doing it.
He’s definitely going to protest when I bring home another horse.
Also, I’m going to impose on the Devil, as he has a serious horse trailer and can teleport it here.
He likes driving it. If he didn’t want to play shipper, he wouldn’t have made certain I was prepared to accept an invitation on an unexpected outing.
” As it was the same market I’d gotten Alligator Bait from, I wasted no time guiding him through the chaotic building.
To my dismay, there were numerous horses, and they were a mix of breeds, types, and ages.
A mare with a foal, who suffered from some form of leg deformity, would be my targets, and I went to the kill pen operator, pointed at the pair, and offered a thousand for both.
“You don’t want to know what’s wrong with the foal?”
“Nope. I don’t even care what breed they are. Pull them out of the pen, and I’ll worry about getting a trailer here after my friend finishes picking his new best friend. Do we have any good horses in here?”
The man, who had seen more than a few years and would likely outlive just about everyone, gnawed on a piece of straw while looking over the animals. “We got a batch of thoroughbreds in that look decent, yearlings. I’m guessing they didn’t make the cut.”
I scowled. “Registered?”
“Yep.”
I would become a demon of the jockey club, and if I had my way, no owner would be selling straight to the kill pen on my watch. “Can I see the papers? I’m going to tip off the jockey club and breeder organization, because while sales are allowed, sales to the kill pen are not.”
“Sure. You want me to give you a call whenever I get a thoroughbred in slated for the pen?”
“I would absolutely love if you gave me a call.” I scrounged through my memories of the man, who had sold me Alligator Bait. “Douggie, right?”
“Right you are, ma’am. How are those fillies treating you?”
“We’re headed to the Triple Crown, and another horse from the same breeder just bagged the Breeder’s Cup for me.”
“Who rode?”
I smirked. “I did. How many thoroughbreds for how much each?”
“Seven fifty each, and I got a batch of six, all fillies.”
“There you go, Anthony. That’s an entire herd of thoroughbreds you can take home with you, get settled, and turn into pasture princesses. If any of them look good for next year, I’ll train and ride in any races I’m not angling for myself.”
At my comment, Anthony came over, looking over the horses. He pointed at a tiny horse on the far side. “What is that?”
Douggie checked, and he chuckled. “Miniature horse, show registered, poor performer. Dump sale. He’s got a temper, but that’s from poor training. He’s still got his balls, though, which might cause you some problems.”
“Gelding is always an option, and if you’re not game to fix his temperament, we can send him to a horse boot camp for training,” I promised. “A good stallion makes an even better gelding, and if you’re looking for a pet, you want to geld.”
“Belinda would have loved him. She loved horses with a lot of white.”
Well, the miniature horse delivered in the white department, as he was a chestnut pinto with more white than chestnut.
“I’m sure we can handle transporting a miniature demon with little difficulty.
Douggie, why don’t you talk to Anthony about what good horses you got while I get on the phone with my shipper?
I’ll also see about vetting for that foal while I’m at it. How long have you had that pair?”
“I got them this morning; the owner couldn’t afford the vetting for something that severe.”
“But why put the mare in the kill pen, too? She didn’t do anything wrong.”
Douggie shrugged. “I’ve learned to stop asking why people want to sell to the meat markets.
Usually, they just want something for their animals, and I’ll buy for two hundred with no questions asked, and the slaughterhouses will pay me five hundred.
But I’ll do you a favor, Crystal. I’ll sell you the pair at even; I haven’t even fed them yet, so it’s no skin off my back. ”
“Only if you point me in the direction of the best horse you’ve got that Anthony doesn’t buy,” I countered.
“Sold.”