The horse stood in the darkness of the trailer, shifting his weight with a sharp, panicked whinny.

The metal walls rattled as he kicked out.

I knew that sound; it was the sound of an animal that felt trapped and hunted.

I couldn’t just sit there while he broke his leg trying to escape his own fear.

I unbuckled my seatbelt and opened the passenger door.

The wind tasted of salt, pine needles, and wet earth.

“Boss!” one of the guards shouted, pointing toward the side entrance of the stables. “The lock on the utility door was bypassed. Someone was inside.”

Dante moved toward the door like a shadow, his gun raised.

“Where is Marco?” Dante asked, his voice steady but lethal.

“He was patrolling the south perimeter,” the guard replied. “We haven’t heard from his radio in ten minutes.”

I walked quickly to the back of the trailer and unlatched the heavy ramp.

It dropped to the gravel with a dull thud.

“Hey,” I murmured, stepping into the narrow, dark trailer. “Easy, boy. Easy.”

Vesper was sweating, his black coat slick and burning hot to the touch.