Chapter 24 #2
He took a bite of his brownie, then stood and wandered to another table.
Kaylani returned with her dessert and paused as she noticed Dylan’s empty seat.
“Was it something you said,” she asked lightly, “or was it me?”
“Might have been me.”
She rolled her eyes and took a bite of her cherry cheesecake.
“I see.”
“Don’t worry, I was polite.”
She laughed softly and nudged my arm.
The night progressed, and when the dancing started, Corey excused herself.
“Night check,” she said brightly. “I’ll be back.”
Kaylani and I were alone at the table. There was a hint of cherry topping at the corner of her mouth. I gently wiped it away, bringing my thumb to my lips.
Her breath hitched.
“Have I told you yet today that—” Kaylani was mid-sentence when Corey ran into the room. She was gasping for air, her face drained of color, as if she had seen a ghost.
Cold dread ran down my spine.
“What’s wrong,” I asked, already rising to my feet. My voice came out harsher than intended.
“Atlas—” She choked out as tears ran down her cheeks.
Coach Ehren crossed the room quickly. “What’s going on?”
“What is it?” I demanded. “Spit it out.”
Corey’s voice shook. “He’s gone. Atlas is gone.”
Silence.
I blinked once, looked at Kaylani, and then at Ehren.
The room didn’t stop. The music still played, glasses clinked, and laughter carried across the dance floor.
“No.” Kaylani shook her head. “That can’t be. Who was last at the stall?”
We were on the move, heading for the door.
Corey swallowed. “Me. I checked him. And I made sure the door was locked. I even put the extra chain on like always. I swear I did.”
Terror laced every word, obviously terrified that she was going to get blamed.
The stable lights were on, casting long white beams down the aisle. Atlas’s stall door was open. Empty. His halter was gone as well.
“Oh my god…no,” Kaylani said, staring into the stall and then around into the darkness. “Atlas,” she yelled. “Atlas,” she called again, panic had her voice wavering.
“I’m so sorry.” Corey sobbed behind us.
Kaylani grabbed a lead shank from the hook.
“I have to go find him.”
I caught her arm before she ran off.
“He didn’t escape. He was taken.”
Her eyes went wide, and she stopped breathing.
“No. That’s not possible. There is security everywhere.”
I nodded. “Think about it. Even if Corey had left the door unlocked, she wouldn’t have put his leather halter on him. And he certainly wouldn’t have done it himself. Where’s his stallion shank?”
Kaylani looked around.
“He was taken,” I repeated.
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I’m calling the police.”
She pulled her phone out just as it rang. She stared at the glowing screen that clearly showed her father calling. After a second, she hit talk and put him on speaker.
“Father?”
“Hello, daughter.”
“Dad, I can’t talk. I have to call the police.”
“The police?” His voice was calm. “Whatever for?”
“Someone took Atlas.”
He chuckled.
The sound made the hackles on the back of my neck rise.
“Kaylani, if you insist on acting like a spoiled child and humiliating this family, I will take away the toys that I bought for you. One at a time, until you grow up.”
She shook with rage and fear as she locked eyes with me.
“Dad, don’t, please.”
I fucking hated that he reduced her to begging by ripping out her heart. That horse was part of her soul.
“You think I don’t know how much that horse means to you?” Dimitri continued lightly. “You think I don’t know how close you are to achieving your dream? Of course I do. But you refused to see reason, and I needed to get through to you.”
Kaylani covered her mouth as tears spilled over.
“You will not compete until I say so. You will not return to the stable until further notice. And if you continue to defy me, I will sell Atlas to the highest bidder.”
Kaylani gasped.
My heart cracked in two as something far darker ignited in my gut.
Dimitri hadn’t just taken a horse. He’d taken her center.
“You know what you must do,” Dimitri finished, unable to hide how much he loved blackmailing his daughter.
The line went dead, and Kaylani slowly lowered the phone. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, but she took off running.
“Lani,” I called, following her to the parking lot. I knew what she was looking for and what she would find.
Sure enough, Atlas’s trailer was gone. She dropped to her knees, her head in her hands as she wept.
“Goran…he took Atlas. He took Atlas.”
I kneeled and wrapped my arms around her, rocking her as she cried.
I should have known those fuckers were up to more than just watching. Dimitri thought this was a warning to Kaylani, a nudge in the direction he wanted. He had no idea he had just declared war and tested where my loyalty truly lay.
Kaylani stood, her eyes filled with fire. “We need to go after them. We have to stop him. They couldn’t have gotten that far.”
“And then do what?”
“What do you mean,” she asked, angrily.
“I saw your father’s men earlier. There are at least three of them, maybe more. I thought they were here for you, not Atlas. The point is we can’t force them to stop and even if we do, we’re out gunned and it just puts Atlas in more danger.”
Kaylani stomped away, fuming, her hands balled into fists as she swore.
Ehren and Corey, who was still drying her tears, walked up to us. Kaylani wheeled on them and pointed.
“Leave now, take the SUV and try to catch up to the trailer. Don’t do anything, just make sure they make it back to the stable safely.”
“What are we going to do?”
Kaylani hit me with a stare as hard as steel.
“We’re flying home. It’s time that my father and I had a serious conversation.”
I nodded. “Alright. Let’s go.”