Free Road to Victory (Dogs of Fire Book 5) by Piper Davenport Page A

antibiotics. I’m concerned about her fetlock, but I think it’s all connected. I’d bind her leg and watch her.”
    Doc patted his shoulder. “Well done, son.”
    Knight smiled and lowered the horse’s foot gently to the ground, patting her side. She bumped him with her nose and Knight chuckled, reaching in his pocket for a peppermint. “You just want me for my candy.”
    With Doc’s supervision, Knight treated the horse, then handed him off to her owner, packing up his bag and disposing of his trash.
    “I’m gonna head out,” Doc said. “Good job today.”
    “Thanks, Doc.” Knight gave him a chin lift and watched the vet walk back toward the cars. As his gaze hit the barn, he recognized Kim standing outside a stall talking to Fozzie. An older man Knight thought he knew, but wasn’t sure from where, approached Kim and her entire demeanor changed. Her body went stiff and she moved to stand in front of the horse as though to protect it.
    Knight started toward her. He was almost to the barn when the man turned and walked away and Kim let herself into the stall. Her head disappeared below the side and Knight sped up. Something wasn’t right.
    Arriving at the stall door, he dropped his bag and peered over the side. “Shit!” he whispered, and stepped inside. Kim was in the corner in the fetal position, hands over her head, regardless of what looked like piss close to her, chanting to herself. For a sick and twisted second, he thought how beautiful she was even amongst filth.
    “Kimmie?” He knelt beside her and touched her shoulder, awarded with a kick in the side by her swift and elegantly booted foot. “Fuck!” he snapped, holding his side.
    Kim went back to her chanting, seemingly unaware that the she’d even kicked him. Her horse was growing agitated, so Knight took a minute to calm him, deciding that leading him out of the stall would be the safest plan of action. “Good boy. I’m gonna take care of her. Just gotta keep you from tearing up the stall.”
    He tied him to the side of the barn and stepped back inside. He approached Kim differently this time, kneeling beside her, not touching her. “Kim?”
    “He doesn’t own me, he doesn’t own my body. It is mine, I am me, he has no power,” she chanted in a whisper.
    “Kimmie?”
    “He doesn’t own me, he doesn’t own my body. It is mine, I am me, he has no power.”
    Fuck! His heart twisted as he watched this beautiful woman try to beat back the demons.
    “Sugar,” he whispered.
    “He doesn’t own me, he doesn’t own my body. It is mine, I am me, he has no power.”
    Knight shook his head. “Fuck me,” he whispered, reaching out to pull her arms away from her head and moving into the strike zone. “Kim!” he snapped.
    She let out a scream and went on the offensive, kicking, scratching, punching, anything to get him to release her.
    “Kim, sugar, it’s me. It’s Aidan.”
    She fought for a few more seconds as he continued to talk to her and then her body went limp and she opened her eyes, seeing him for the first time. “Knight?”
    “Yeah, sugar.”
    Now she was pissed.
    “What the hell are you doing here?” she snapped, pulling away from him.
    He knew he had to handle this very carefully.
    She jumped to her feet. “And what the fuck did you do with Fozzie?”
    “He’s fine, Kim. He’s outside,” Knight said, and stood slowly. Kim rarely swore, at least around him, but there was something unbelievably sexy about her lips wrapping around the word “fuck.”
    Kim rushed out of the stall, Knight following, to her horse. He whinnied as soon as he saw her. “Aw, buddy.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and took a deep breath. “I’m here.”
    “Kim?” Knight prompted.
    She whirled to face him. “If you say anything to anyone about any of this, I will cut you.”
    “Are you shittin’ me right now?”
    “Not one thing, Knight.” She crossed her arms, leaning against her horse. “Ohmigod, what the hell are you