Ambrose stared at the words on the screen. Waymaker didn’t just disappear. He was meant to disappear.
And I think someone died that night because of it. Levi let out a slow breath, his fingers tapping against the table. Halston didn’t just cover up a missing horse.
He covered up a crime. Ambrose’s jaw tightened. And if someone died, it means there’s proof somewhere.
We just have to find it before they find us. A sudden knock at the door made them both freeze. It wasn’t frantic, but it wasn’t friendly either.
Levi moved first, hand instinctively reaching for the rifle leaning against the wall. Ambrose peered through the small window. A young woman stood on the porch, her dark jacket soaked from the misty morning air.
She looked nervous, shifting from foot to foot. But when she saw Ambrose watching, she lifted her chin with quiet determination. Ambrose hesitated before pulling the door open.
Who are you? The woman swallowed hard. My name is Claire Lawson. The name hit him like a punch to the gut.
Levi stiffened beside him. Claire’s voice was firm but urgent. I know about Waymaker.
And I know why Halston wants him dead. Ambrose exchanged a glance with Levi, then stepped aside. You better come in.
Claire sat at the kitchen table, gripping a mug of coffee as if it were the only thing keeping her grounded. Ray Lawson was my father, she said, her voice quieter now. He worked for Halston Stables for years.
But five years ago, something changed. He found out something he wasn’t supposed to. And then one night, he never came home.
Levi exhaled sharply. The same night Waymaker disappeared. Claire nodded, eyes dark with grief.
Halston said it was an accident. That my father was drunk and fell from the hayloft. But my dad didn’t drink.
And he sure as hell didn’t fall. Her hands trembled as she pulled a small flash drive from her jacket and placed it on the table. This has security footage from that night.
My father must have known something was coming, because he hid this before they got to him. It shows everything. Halston arguing with my dad, the fight, and what happened after.
Ambrose stared at the tiny piece of plastic and metal, knowing it held the key to everything. Proof, Levi muttered. This could bring Halston down.
But before anyone could move, the sound of tires on gravel. Levi rushed to the window, his face darkening. Black SUV.
Same as before. Claire’s breath hitched. They found me.
A gunshot shattered the front window, glass spraying across the room. Move, Levi yelled, grabbing Claire by the arm and pulling her toward the back door. Ambrose didn’t think.
He just acted. Get to the barn. We ride.
Another shot rang out as they ran. But Ambrose wasn’t worried about himself anymore. They weren’t just coming for them.
They were coming to finish what they started. Gunfire shattered the night as Ambrose, Levi, and Claire bolted toward the barn, their breaths ragged. A bullet struck the truck’s windshield, glass raining onto the mud, but Ambrose didn’t slow.
Waymaker was their only way out. He threw open the stall door, locking eyes with the horse. The fire was still there, the heart of a champion.
No saddle, no time. Ambrose swung onto his back, Claire scrambling up behind him. Levi mounted another horse just as Halston’s men rushed toward the barn, guns raised.
Go! Ambrose kicked Waymaker’s sides, and the old racehorse exploded forward as if he had never stopped running. Hooves thundered against the rain-soaked earth, his muscles working in perfect rhythm. The SUVs skidded through the mud, headlights bouncing wildly as they struggled to keep up.
But they had no chance. Waymaker was built for this. Ahead, the railway bridge loomed, a death-trap of rotting wood and rusted rails.
It was their only shot. Waymaker lunged onto the bridge, hooves landing firm on the unstable planks. Ambrose held his breath as the boards groaned and splintered beneath them.
Levi’s horse followed, just as the first SUV screeched to a halt at the edge. Then—crack!—a massive section of the bridge collapsed into the raging river below. Halston’s men stood stranded, their path destroyed.
They couldn’t follow. Ambrose pulled Waymaker to a stop, his hands trembling as he patted the horse’s damp neck. Levi’s breath was heavy beside him, Clare still gripping his waist.
They turned back to the wreckage, the bridge now nothing but debris. Clare exhaled shakily. We made it.
Ambrose looked down at Waymaker, the horse standing tall, unshaken. A slow smile crossed his face. Hell of a run, old man.
The world had forgotten him once. Now, they would remember.