Firecracker (On Hold)

Chapter Thirty-One

"It's hard, you know?"

"What is?"

"Getting myself back together. Trusting someone else."

"I know, but you've come so far. You and Mike seem to be building something."

"Yeah. You think he's a good guy, J?"

"Most definitely. You won't find many more who will treat you better. Plus, he knows I'll take him out back and sort him out if he hurts you."

She smiles softly at me, "Thanks. You've been very good to me."

"That's what big brothers are for. You want me to give you a lesson now?"

"Maybe later? I want to tidy up the feed room first."

"Sure thing. I guess I should go and check on our resident firecracker, huh?"

She chuckles, "Firecracker? Where did you get that from?"

"Isn't that what she's like? She explodes out of nowhere."

"I suppose you're right. What time is Brad supposed to be coming?"

"He said around 2. I'll give you a lesson before then so you can get out of the way."

"Thanks."

I leave Lou in the barn and head towards the back barn. As I get closer to the building, something doesn't feel right. There's a feeling in my gut that something is wrong in here, so I walk a little quicker, hoping I won't find a sick or dead Ariya inside. When I get to the actual barn door, I see that it's open. I know I shut it last night; in fact, I know I locked it all up. Mike's the only one who knows where Ariya is and he wouldn't dare let her out, not without clearing it with me first.

I notice the snapped padlock on the floor and my stomach drops. Someone has been here. Someone who wasn't supposed to be on the property was here and Ariya was tied up, with no way to defend herself. I prepare myself to find an awful scene, while also trying to figure out how I'm going to explain the situation to the authorities, when I hear groaning and grunting. That does not sound like a girl's voice. In fact, that doesn't sound like a single voice either. What the heck happened last night? Thinking the worst, that some men have broken in and are now taking advantage of a tied up Ariya, I jog into the main section of the barn. I almost laugh with relief when I find three men zip tied to the chair that Ariya was once in. For now, I skip over the fact that she isn't where she's supposed to be and I focus on the scene before me.

The men are awake and struggling to get out of their binds. She's done a good job of restraining them and they won't be getting out anytime soon. So, I scan the room to see if I can figure out what happened.

As my eyes glance over everything, I notice a note on the window of my dad's old truck. She wrote in the dust, which means she's gone. When I read that these guys were going to steal the horses, I'm almost not mad at her for running. She saved my horses, which she didn't have to do. I don't know if that means she doesn't hate me as much as she pretends, or she genuinely didn't want the horses in the hands of these guys. I may never know what really happened last night. I probably won't find out if they tried to hurt her or if they actually did manage to hurt her. She was dehydrated and half starved at the time. I'm sure she won't ever tell me when I do find her. And trust me, I will find her.

She's a cocky little thing, ending her note with 'You're welcome.' I'm not saying I'm not thankful, because I am grateful she didn't let them take my horses. However, she didn't need to be so cocky about it. I grab my cell and call the sheriff before turning my attention to the three guys struggling to get loose in my barn.