“You sound like my five-year-old.”
I clamped my mouth shut. Anything that came out now would sound like an idiotic denial.
Young grinned. “Now you’re giving me the silent treatment, huh?”
“She’s a good woman. And I’m going to leave it at that.”
“Fine. I’ll let you off the hook for now. Give me the rundown on what we’re driving up on.”
I rolled my shoulders back. “Samuel Miller. We’ve gotten a few calls on him now for animal abuse and neglect. He’s had animals removed from his care before. He’s on parole. If we’ve got enough evidence this time, he’ll see the inside of a prison.”
Young tightened her grip on the handle above her head. “God, I hope so. There’s a special place in hell for people who hurt animals and children.”
“I agree with you there.”
The drive out to Miller’s place wasn’t a quick one. He lived thirty miles outside of town on a five-acre plot. When we drove up, a number of sheriff’s department vehicles were already on scene, and I recognized Miles Taylor’s truck. I nodded in the vehicle’s direction. “Vet’s here, so that’s good.”
“At least, there’s that.”
I pulled into a makeshift spot next to a cruiser and hopped out of my SUV. My gaze immediately went to the scrawny man sitting on a stump with his arms behind his back. He might have been restrained, but he was still cursing up a storm.
Sergeant Ruiz met my gaze. “Well, he took a swing at me, so we can arrest him for assaulting a law enforcement officer, at least.”
“Small mercies,” I muttered. My entire team was beyond frustrated that we were still dealing with this asshole. But animal abuse cases were hard to prove and even harder to get a decent sentence for. I strode forward, meeting Samuel’s angry gaze. “You’re on probation, Mr. Miller.”
“Trumped-up charges. I ain’t did nothing wrong.”
My gaze traveled to the paddock behind him. A paint mare who would’ve been gorgeous if she wasn’t skin and bones was behind the fence, along with a miniature donkey who limped away from Miles. Then I caught sight of another figure. This one moved with practiced ease, her hair piled up in a messy bun. Everly looked my way for just a moment before turning her attention back to the horse. And I turned my focus back to the man in front of me.
He didn’t even deserve to be called a man. He was the lowest of the low. I took a step closer. “Praying on innocent animals doesn’t make you strong. It makes you lower than dirt.”
“Hey! You heard that. He insulted me. Told lies. I’m gonna sue.”
Ruiz let out a low whistle. “You know, I didn’t hear a thing. Did you, Young?”
“Just the wind. And maybe the phantom sound of a jail cell locking.”
“I’m not going to fucking jail,” Samuel blustered. “They’re my animals. I can do whatever I want with them.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. And I’m going to make sure the judge throws the book at you this time.”
His eyes narrowed on me. “You already told a bunch of lies about me. Said I was an animal beater. I had to go to Idaho to get those two useless fucks.”
I’d done everything I could to keep Samuel from hurting another creature. But apparently, not even spreading the word around the county had been enough. “Good thing you won’t be able to buy any more while you’re sitting in a cell.” I looked at Ruiz. “Keep an eye on him. I need to talk to Miles.”
“Happy to, boss.”
I left Young with Ruiz and moved towards the paddock. My steps were slow and measured, not wanting to spook the paint. Everly’s were the same as she spoke to and stroked the horse. “You’re okay now. No one’s going to hurt you ever again. Hayes will make it so. He might be overbearing, but he’s a great defender.”
“Is that so?”
Everly didn’t jump, but when she turned to glance at me, it was with a scowl on her face. “You might have a few redeemable qualities.”
I couldn’t help the fact that my mouth started to kick up at the corners. But that smile died when I took in the wound on the mare’s neck. “What the hell happened?”
“Keep your voice easy, Hayes. This beautiful girl doesn’t like the sound of anger. I’m not sure how it happened, but it was never treated, and now it’s infected.” Everly moved a gauze pad with some sort of antiseptic gently over the wound. “That’s it, girl. We’re going to get you fixed up.”
The mare rested her head on Everly’s shoulder as if exhausted to the bone. Everly used her free hand to rub soothing circles on the unmarred side of the horse’s neck. “We’ll have to get her on antibiotics and a high-calorie diet so she can get back some of the weight she needs. Miles said he’d take them both to his barn for a while.”