Framed by Her Ruthless Boss to Euthanize a $45,000,000 Champion Racehorse, Caretaker Maya Uncovers a Hidden Will and Triggers a Deadly Syndicate War for Control of Holbrook Thoroughbred Holdings
The security guards held me tight, their heavy breathing audible over Red Diamond’s anxious snorts. Their hands were rough, pressing into my arms and back.
My head thumped against the wood. My eyes scanned the stall, desperate for anything.
I saw the latch. A simple, heavy metal bar that slid across a staple.
It was just inches from my right hand.
With a sudden surge of adrenaline, I jerked my body, throwing one of the guards off balance. It wasn’t much, but it was enough.
My fingers scraped against the rough wood, then found the cool, smooth metal of the latch. I yanked it hard.
The latch clanged, sliding back with a sharp, echoing *thwack*.
Red Diamond, already on edge, took a step back, then another. He snorted loudly, his powerful body tensing.
Victoria gasped, reaching out. “No! Get him!”
But it was too late. The stall door swung open, and Red Diamond, startled and agitated, bolted.
He burst out of the stall, hooves pounding against the concrete aisle. The guards, momentarily stunned by my unexpected move, scrambled after him, shouting.
In his panicked rush, Red Diamond veered sharply. His powerful hind legs struck the barn wall structural beam with a sickening crack.
Splinters flew. A cloud of dust and ancient straw exploded from the impact point.
Victoria, caught off guard and too close, was thrown backward by the force of the stallion’s rampage. She tumbled ungracefully into a towering stack of antique straw bales, a muffled cry escaping her lips.
A rusted metal box, dislodged by the impact, clattered to the floor from a hidden cavity within the damaged beam. It lay partially buried in the loose straw, glinting dully in the dim light.
Everyone’s attention was on the champion stallion, now circling frantically in the barn aisle, his whinnies echoing.
My eyes locked onto the box. It was my only chance.
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