Chapter Eighteen #3
“Yeah, none of them had smoke inhalation, so that was lucky. He set the fire in the arena,” Forrest said. “By the time it spread to the stable block, we’d got the horses out before the flames could cause them any physical harm.”
“Atticus was furious when I told him,” Felix said. “He’s desperate to come home.”
“There’s no point,” I said. “Plus, I need him out there with Leon to keep an eye on Hallie,” I added. “And Sage.”
Felix nudged my arm. “You know Atticus has a big mouth, don’t you?” My heart started beating faster. My shoulders sagged, but I couldn’t help but laugh.
“He told you all?”
“About Hallie Oakley stealing your heart?” Genny said, sadness clearing from her eyes and a playful glint taking its place.
“Well, he might have started a WhatsApp group, excluding only you, to spill the beans. It’s called Jasper and Hallie Sitting in a Tree.
” Genny laughed, and I loved seeing her this way.
“He even sent pictures of you with her in a cowboy bar in Mexico. And you were dancing?” Genny asked incredulously.
“More like standing completely still and scowling at anyone who dared check Hallie out.” I shook my head. “I’m going to kill that little shit when I see him again. Whenever that may be.”
“Soon. Go back on the tour,” Forrest said. “This place is Fort Knox now. We found a stolen ID card on the assailant that allowed him access to the stud. He told the gate he was delivering some feed. So we have something to go on.”
“I can’t go,” I argued, but I couldn’t deny I longed to get back on my plane and back to Hallie. Forrest was right, this place was as secure as it could possibly be now. Besides hiring the actual SAS, I wasn’t sure how much more it could be guarded.
“You’re better off on tour, making sure they’re protected there too,” Felix said. “Most of our competitions are here in the UK for now.” He gestured to himself and Forrest. “Come home when we’re away.”
Every part of me wanted to refuse. That was what old Jasper would have done, the man who took everything on himself.
“We’re all sharing the load, remember?” Forrest said, and I nodded. It was going to take me a long time to shed the need to be the only one in control.
“I’m staying a few days, at least. I want to make sure things are okay here. I have some meetings too. Then maybe I’ll think about rejoining the tour.”
“Go spend time with Hallie. Watch her compete,” Genny said. “You deserve happiness, Jas. And Hallie is lovely.”
I smiled at my sister. It was actually nice, all my family knowing. A relief, really. These were the closest people I had in my life. Everyone who mattered to me now knew Hallie and I were together. It felt . . . right.
“What’s the tour like this year?” Genny said, and I studied her. There was an air of sadness around her that had been with her ever since her accident.
“The same, I suppose,” I said, but then added, “And not. Us two aren’t there, for one. It’s bothering Atticus.”
“Yeah,” she said. “Maybe one day we’ll have that again,” she said with positivity that I could see was forced.
“How is Dahlia?” I asked, and only silence met me. “That bad?”
“She’s no better, if that’s what you’re asking,” Genny said. “I think her getting trapped in the wire fence has put her progress right back.” She looked to Henry, Sebastian, and Aurelia. I could see that my sister wished Dahlia was back here with the family horses too.
I reached out and held her hand, saying, “I think I’ve found someone who can help us. He was recommended to me by an excellent source. He’s from Denmark. I’m talking to him about coming to help Dahlia heal from her trauma. He thinks he can be of assistance.”
“You have?” Genny asked, her voice a whisper. Tears built in her eyes. I stood and hugged her again. “I just want her happy. I don’t care if I can never ride her again. My wish is for her to be at peace in herself and not so afraid.”
“We’ll do everything we can, I promise,” I said. For you too, I wanted to add, but Genny didn’t like being fussed over. I kissed her head and sat back down.
“Fucking hell,” I said and ran my hand down my face.
“I remember the days we would sneak into these fields with our fathers’ booze and get drunk.
Now, we gather in them to plan how to defend ourselves against an unseen enemy.
” I raised a pretend glass. “Here’s to getting older and having responsibilities. It’s bloody terrible.”
“Dickhead,” Forrest said, joking. Then he got to his feet. He went straight to Aurelia and kissed her on the nose. Sebastian came over and began kicking the gate at the lack of attention, and Felix laughed.
“His majesty is demanding a treat and affection too.” Felix got up to get him one—them all, really. One could not give a Knighton horse a treat in this place without the rest demanding one too.
I squeezed Genny’s hand, then made my way to Henry. Genny came with me. “He misses you,” she said.
“Way to make me feel even guiltier for not being here, Gen.”
She hit me on the arm. “I didn’t mean it like that,” she said. Then she watched Henry. “It’s as though he knows there’s a competition happening out in the world and he’s not there to show his prowess. He keeps jumping the fences between the paddocks as if to remind us how impressive he is.”
I laughed, but it broke my heart. I was dog tired, strung out, and wished I could teleport Hallie here from France just to hold her.
“You really like her, don’t you?” Genny asked, reading my mind.
I glanced down to my sister, leaning against the paddock’s gate. “That’s an understatement, Gen,” I confessed.
Genny held my hand and squeezed my fingers. “Finally,” she said, smiling. “It’s about time you let someone open that caged heart of yours. You deserve to have someone care for you in the way that you have cared for us all for so many years.”
Guilt consumed me. “I couldn’t protect you all, though, when it mattered. I failed. What if I fail her too?”
Genny’s expression hardened. “You’re not omnipotent, Jas.
You can’t prevent bad things in life from happening.
Even when we seem to get hit from all sides.
” Genny shrugged. “We are blessed in life. Always have been. We can’t be happy for those blessings, then moan when we experience the bad.
It’s a balance, Jas. We’re British, and we must keep calm and carry on, regardless,” she joked, but it was the truth too.
I was so proud of my little sister in that moment. I kissed her on the cheek. “Mum would be so proud of you, Gen. And we know Dad was.”
“Thank you,” she said. “Now, will you take me back to the house? I’m exhausted and want to stress-eat chocolate until I’m sick.”
“We’ll come back with you,” Forrest said, and Felix followed behind him.
We walked down the path to the house. I pushed Genny, and she told us all about her progress in rehab.
I truly was proud of her. She was so strong, and so positive where I feared most people would crumble.
The scent of smoke lingered in the air, a heavy reminder of how close we came to disaster.
With every step that it invaded my lungs, I vowed to double down on looking for who was hurting us.
Humans were one thing to injure. But our horses?
Those evil fuckers had just declared war.
Paris
One week later
I ran into the venue, passing hundreds of women dressed to the nines and men decked out in suits, all drinking champagne.
The sun was shining, the air warm. It was a great day for riding.
I pulled out my phone and called Benjamin, flashing the security guard my pass as I rushed down to meet Jean Pierre, who had invited me to watch the competition from his private box.
“Hey, Jasper,” Benjamin, my groom, said.
“Hey, Ben. How is he?”
Ben laughed. “I promise he’s good, Jas. I’ve just ridden him and he’s great, not shying or spooking.
Jumped well. He seems back to normal. A true professional.
” I relaxed, exhaling in relief. Ben had been with me for years at this point.
Henry loved him, and I didn’t trust anyone else to take care of him.
Henry and the other horses had been shaken up for a few days after the attack.
I’d decided to stay the week at home to help settle him back down and be there if the police or Phillip needed anything.
I felt immense guilt about leaving him right now, but Hallie, Sage, and Atticus had swept again in the individual competition yesterday here in Paris, and I was going to make it just in time to see Hallie jump in the team event with Huxley.
“Perfect,” I said to Ben. “Keep checking in. Let me know if he’s safe.”
“I will, I promise,” he replied.
“The extra security is with him, yeah?” I asked.
“Yes,” Ben said. “All ten of them.” There was a note of dry humor in Ben’s voice, but I knew he would keep Henry as safe as I would.
“Okay, talk to you later,” I said and hung up.
I searched for Box Ten, all the time thinking about home.
The fucker that had been caught committing arson had been arrested and was going to be charged, but he still wasn’t talking.
Phillip was working on the burner phone.
He’d indicated last night that he might have something, a lead, finally, but he wasn’t telling us more until he knew it was concrete.
As bad as the entire situation was, a lead would at least bring hope that this shit show was about to be blown wide open.
Reaching Box Ten, I knocked and let myself inside. Jean Pierre was stood against the rail, watching whoever was jumping. “Jasper!” he said and came over to shake my hand. He put a glass of champagne in my hand and gestured to the balcony. “You’re just in time to watch your new superstar.”
I sipped at the champagne and looked out to the arena. The venue was at the Champ de Mars, and every time I came here, I would look up to the Eiffel Tower, the arena at its feet, and think how bloody lucky we were in this industry to jump at such an epic place.