Free By Chance by Sasha Kay Riley Page B

Vince was stunned.
    “What exactly happened?” Wes demanded from the driver’s seat.
    “I had just finished the last of the stalls, Star’s, and went to get her. Joe and I were the only ones in the barn. I didn’t think much of it because Mia was riding Foxy in the indoor ring and I assumed Dustin and Chris were there watching. You know how wild that horse gets in the indoor ring; she always has someone spot her in case Foxy flips her shit and bucks her off. I went outside to get Star and found her tacked up in the outdoor ring. Dustin and Chris were both there, and all I saw was Chris haul off and slug Dustin. By the time I ran over, he was practically beating the shit out of him. Joe helped me pull them apart—he must have heard me yelling from inside. And Dustin’s not seriously hurt, to be clear.”
    “What the hell?” Wes’s hands were gripping the steering wheel so tightly that Vince could see his knuckles turning white. “How did this start?”
    Vince had a feeling he knew, but he waited for Anna to answer.
    “Well, I guess he tried to get Dustin to ride Star, and Dustin told him flat out that he wasn’t going to. He said he didn’t ride anyone Vince or myself hasn’t told him to because he’s not that experienced a rider yet, and neither of us told him to ride her. Dustin didn’t want to tell me everything, but Chris informed me that Dustin is, in his words, ‘a fucking faggot’ if he wouldn’t ride her and that, again, in his words, ‘faggots get beat.’ Apparently, Dustin didn’t give in to prove his manhood, so Chris beat the shit out of him.” She took a deep breath and asked, “Did you know that’s why Dustin was kicked out of his house?”
    “Yes,” Vince answered.
    “I didn’t,” Wes added. “But what concerns me right now isn’t his sexual preferences. I want to know what the hell is wrong with Chris. I’ve never known him to be violent.”
    “He’s been developing a drinking problem,” Anna admitted. “It started when Alex left. I think he’s pissed because Alex was his gambling buddy. None of the rest of us care that much for him.”
    “Why didn’t I know about this?” Vince demanded. His jaw hurt from being clenched so tightly, but he was angrier than he thought he’d ever been in his life.
    “This is the first time he’s ever done anything worth telling you about,” she explained carefully. “Everything else was just little things I figured we could deal with unless it got worse. And it got worse. I guess I should have said something sooner, then maybe Dustin wouldn’t have gone through that this morning.”
    Vince forced himself to unclench his jaw and his hand that wasn’t holding the phone—apparently he’d formed a fist without thinking about it. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it; just keep an eye on him for now. How is Dustin?”
    “Like I said, no serious injuries. He’s got a black eye and some bruised ribs, plenty of other bruises too. Nothing broken, no blood except that he bit his lip. Jane took him to the ER, but no stitches or casts. I told him to take the afternoon off. Jane’s sitting with him, last I knew. He’s a little shook up is all. I made Chris take over all of Dustin’s work for the day. Except taking care of Justin. I’ll do that.”
    “I can,” Vince assured her. “And I’ll deal with Chris as soon as I get back.”
    “Okay, I’ll see you guys soon.”
    “I can’t believe this,” Vince grumbled as he put his phone back into his pocket.
    Wes shook his head. “Me neither. I don’t know if this is a drunken bout of idiocy or a calculated hate crime.”
    “Sounds like he planned to hurt him,” Vince replied, running a hand through his hair. “Why else would he try to get him on Star? Everyone knows he’s a novice rider and rides western. Star is ridden English, and she’s a handful. He was trying to hurt him either physically or emotionally. Maybe trying to make him leave because he took Alex’s spot? I