Wild Horses (27 page)

On the way back, he noted the tray on his bedside table. There was water and grapefruit juice, saltine crackers, and a bottle of Advil. It looked… good. Better than before. He felt clammy from all the sweating he had done, and resolved to take a brief shower while Kai was asleep.

Being fussed over felt unpleasant. Dependent. He hated the feeling of people hovering, asking him to do things he didn’t want to do, monitoring his actions and his state of being. It had taken him a good bit of work to rely on himself alone after all he’d been through in the past, and now Kai was ruining all his efforts by making him tea, calling his doctor, and changing the sheets when the old pair was sweated through.

Back when Kai showed up on his doorstep, dehydrated and homeless, he had predicted that living with another person again would be nigh impossible. The sense of structure other humans demanded bound him. Their constant fussing irritated him, and he didn’t know how he ever thought that Kai making dinner was a relief, or why he thought that his smile lightened his heart so much. Today, everything felt dark. A good horse died, and he himself caved to some bizarre and irrational disease, and… realizing his train of thought had no useful destination, he forced himself off the bed. Perhaps a shower would help restore a more balanced mindset.

The warm water pounding on his skin refreshed him and allowed his stiff legs to limber up, although his body didn’t like his customary rinse at the end, so he cut the water stream off before he began to shiver again. With his teeth and wet hair brushed, he began to feel remotely human again despite the unexplained aches and pains and a bit of neck stiffness. The headache had receded somewhat, but he took another two Advil and chased them with grapefruit juice anyway.

Settling down on what had become “his side” of the bed, he had to admit that leaving a tray by his side had been nice—considerate, even—of Kai, especially considering Attila’s outrage regarding the younger man’s actions.

The memory just about killed his appetite, but even so, he tried to nibble the corner of a saltine cracker.

Attila’s eyes wandered over to Kai’s form, curled away from the light, hugging a pillow. Filled with an uncomfortable mixture of curiosity and gratitude, Attila got up and padded around the bed to have a closer look at this invader into his solitary life. He knelt on the bedroom area rug, his wide-awake eyes examining Kai’s sleeping features. He was surprised to see the deep circles under Kai’s eyes. His stubble was tough and sure to scratch, his lips were pressed into tight, thin lines even in repose, and Attila noted the way his jaw muscle tensed, bulging over his jawbone.

Kai’s words came back to him just then.

Losing a horse is bad enough, but I don’t think I could stand losing you.”

Is that why he had worried so? Would losing him—grumpy old Attila—really be such a blow? He thought back, searching his memory for an indication of Kai’s feelings for him. His true feelings—not just a mutual physical release for the sake of convenience.

It was not merely a convenience.

The younger man saw too much in him—an illusion, surely. Attila could not explain why Kai would ever attach feelings to one such as he. He only gave him a place to live, a job to perform—and Kai was exceptionally gifted with the horses, but so was Attila, and in his own self-deprecating way, he saw the skill as common and of limited value. They did feel mutual attraction, and they did have a good time together. Attila relaxed and smiled at the memories of their stolen kisses. Then, noticing his own response, he frowned. His defenses had been weakening around the spitfire redhead, making him feel intensely vulnerable. He needed to shelter his heart against the inevitable time when Kai would come to his senses and leave. Nobody really
liked
Attila. People respected him and admired his knowledge and skill, but very few actually liked him. There was no reason for Kai to be any different.

He saw the way Kai’s coppery eyebrows drew together in his sleep. The frown was on that adorable, freckled face because Attila had chewed him out, letting sharp sarcasm rip even before his sister saw fit to interfere before she finally cleared the field.

Kai shouldn’t have called the doctor.

Still, he meant well.

But I don’t think I could stand losing you.

Suppose Kai actually meant it and his feelings were now hurt? Attila’s feelings were almost never hurt; he made sure to keep them locked away, protected, shielded from the sharp-witted insults of the world. He felt remorse now, though. Kai’s emotions were out in the open, almost too much to bear. And where Attila’s juvenile anger shielded him before, he was laid open to Kai’s hurt now. Kai had the power to make him feel regret and apologize even now, while deep asleep. Sighing, Attila got up, shuffled off to his side of the bed, and turned off his reading light. He then snuggled Kai from behind, enveloping him in a tender embrace and breathing into his shoulder.

Like a blinding flash of lightning, a thought came to him in the silence of the night. Attila couldn’t stand the idea of losing Kai, either. The terrifying thought hurt even more than watching Bubbles die. He did his best to suppress it, but it kept percolating to the forefront of his consciousness. The fever came again, and the headache, and only after Kai rolled over and gathered him in his arms did he manage to fall asleep.

K
AI
woke two minutes before his alarm was due to go off. He reached for his cell phone and canceled it so as not to wake Attila, who needed his sleep. It was time to go feed the horses. Attila’s arms were wrapped around him and he felt something hard wedged between his cheeks from behind. His feelings of annoyance at his lowered chances of making a clean getaway were banished in favor of a languorous smile. Even after Attila’s failed efforts of the previous night to engage Kai in their first-ever quarrel, he still reached for him in the middle of the night. He could have done without being poked down there—the unexpected sensation had brought back unwelcome thoughts of ruthless moments best forgotten—but the warmth of Attila’s chest against his back and the tickle of his hot, moist breath on Kai’s neck threatened to put him to sleep again.

With painful slowness, Kai manipulated his warm pillow into Attila’s arms. Once off the bed, he took his pair of jeans off the floor and tiptoed out of the bedroom, closing the door. He slipped the jeans on, and then he pulled on his sneakers and braved the morning chill on his trek up to the barn. His arms were covered with goose bumps before he reached the warm sanctuary, walking right through it and on to the arena to use the toilet in the viewing room. He washed his hands and splashed cold water in his face. The image that stared at him from the mirror was alarming: tangled hair warred for attention with a constellation of love bites on his neck and shoulders. It was just as well nobody was around to see him in his disheveled state.

Kai filled the mangers with hay, dosed out the grain in all the feed buckets, and topped off the water buckets for the day. Unlike yesterday, he took his time feeding the barn dogs and scratching their ears before he turned his attention to the horses. Every single one was scrutinized for signs of illness. They were all eating, not wanting to be disturbed, and that was a good sign. There were no weaving bodies, no hanging heads, no weakened limbs. Satisfied and relieved, Kai headed out of the barn. His own stomach started to demand its rights, and his head began to ache in want of coffee.

His progress was halted by the arrival of a red Mercedes that had just turned into the driveway. It looked as if the driver was going to knock on the door of the house below, but having spotted him, decided to drive up to the barn instead.

Mona. How unfortunate. Yet, in Attila’s absence, Kai felt obliged to stay and greet her before he headed off in search of breakfast.

Her lithe blonde figure exited the car. Her elegant clothing was hardly fit for barn work—Kai’s spirits rose in hope that she did not intend to stay very long.

“Good morning!” he said, nodding.

“Aaaah, Kai,” she said, and Kai couldn’t help but envision a large, predatory cat. “You certainly look… different… today.”

“You’re early.” He forced a smile. “You look like you’re going somewhere important.”

“Why, yes I am,” she said in a grave voice. “I just thought I’d stop and check on my horses before I head off on my errands. Won’t you join me?”

“I was just going down to the house,” Kai said in an offhanded manner, not wanting to negate her openly.

“I sure hope none of my other horses got sick while being boarded here,” she said, her tone full of significance.

“I’ll show you. They are fine—I just checked up on everyone. They’re eating.” He led the way to the stalls that housed her remaining five steeds. “Effie was worked just yesterday, and so was Mimosa and Brandy.”

“Not Zorro?” Mona inquired.

“No. Lindsey is scheduled to ride him today.” Kai observed the woman’s eyes dart from the horses to their stalls, the swept floor, their full water buckets.

“The stalls are filthy,” she said, pursing her lips.

“Sure. They get cleaned later in the day.”

She turned to him, reacting to his indifferent tone of voice. “And where is Attila?”

Kai shrugged. “He’s still in bed.”

Mona frowned. “That is highly atypical of him. How come?”

“He’s sick.” Kai shrugged again. “I snuck out on my own. He can use the rest.”

“It seems you have made yourself very much at home in this place,” Mona commented in a tone that boded ill for anyone in her path. She leaned over in the dim light of the barn. “And whatever happened to you?”

Kai reddened under her gaze, which was focused on his throat and shoulder. Dark marks bore evidence of Attila’s passion, and that’s when he realized it was rather obvious he was wearing very little, his hair attesting to the way he rolled out of bed.

“I see.” She grabbed Kai’s arm and yanked, leading him out of the barn. “Come along.”

Kai went along with it—he had no idea what to do when being manhandled by a woman. She was taking him in the right direction, but he couldn’t shake her off or push her without courting an accusation of assault. Her manicured fingernails dug into his flesh. “Oww. You’re hurting me.”

“Good.” Her grip tightened.

The morning sun almost blinded him as Mona yanked him out of doors and examined the love bites in the bright morning sunshine. Resigned, Kai stood still, hoping for her to get back into her vehicle and storm off the property. That, however, was too much to ask.

“You,” she hissed, letting go of his arm only to dig her painted fingernail into his chest. “You are the reason why he lost interest in me!”

Kai’s eyes widened. “He was interested in
you
?”

“Without a doubt. He was quite taken with me before he saw fit to pound your unworthy ass.”

Kai frowned, suppressing a momentary impulse to correct the woman’s assumptions, but bit his tongue. What he and Attila did behind closed doors was none of her business.

“You don’t deny it!” Her voice shrieked up an octave.

“Personally, I doubt he’d ever be interested in someone of your reputation,” Kai stated, launching a counterattack.

“And what might that be?” she hissed.

“Well,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck, doing his best to appear sheepish, “everybody says you’ll screw anything on two legs… sometimes, even on four.”

Her eyes widened and her hair bristled like a cat’s. She slapped Kai’s face so hard, he took one step back.

“Mrs. Putney, you know very well I am never going to hit you back. You know what that makes you? That makes you a bully and a coward.”

She stood rooted to the ground, speechless. Then, a very ugly little smirk twisted her face. “You know what, Kai, I have no use for you whatsoever. Why… Bubbles probably died because you didn’t take very good care of her, which is only to be expected from a bit of street trash like you.”

“Had you only vaccinated—”

“Shut up! I am not done here. You are going down, boy, and I’ll make it happen. I’ll have Attila make do without you.”

Kai shrugged. “I don’t think he’d fire me.”

“He won’t have to. You’re going to leave by yourself. You will clear the field and I will take Attila out to dinner, and all will be the way it was before. Am I making myself clear?”

He had seen bullies before, but never of the female variety. The game was different, and Kai wasn’t sure of the rules. “No.”

Mona sighed. “If you fail to disappear by the end of the month, I will take my horses to another stable. And, in case you’re too ignorant to know what that means, other horse owners will follow my lead. Nobody will have confidence in the failed, down-on-his luck Attila Keleman, no matter how many championship awards he might have won a long time ago.”

Kai’s thought processes ground to a painful crawl. He tried to run the numbers through his head but, lacking enough information, could not tell whether Mona’s defection would really have that big an impact. “Okay… I’ll discuss it with him.”

“No, you won’t.” The ugly smirk was back. “You’ll just go. Because if you don’t, there won’t be enough cash flow, and if there isn’t enough cash, then your precious horses will suffer. The stallion you like messing around with will get auctioned off along with most of the others. That’s just how the numbers will work out. Unless, of course….” She gave him a calculating look. “You could prevent all that unnecessary suffering. Attila’s destiny is in your hands.”

Kai watched her get inside her car and leave. Only after she had disappeared from his sight did he realize his shoulders were tense, his fists were clenched, and he was hyperventilating.

Still in a state of shock as he entered the house, Kai rushed to answer the ringing landline. “Hi, Dr. Russo! Oh… sure, let me wake him up.”

He tiptoed into the bedroom to find Attila showered and dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, reading a book in bed. He looked miserable; his silky midnight hair made his pale face seem ghostlike.

“Hey….” Kai gave him a pained smile. “Dr. Russo for you.” He handed the cordless phone over and left the bedroom, giving him privacy.