It wasn't often that Reese was the last one to come to work. She'd had a late night and mostly because her arrogant, selfish brother decided to stop in without much notice. Her dark eyes flashed at the figure that trailed behind in her wake. Her brother was a downright PITA to say the least. He was as handsome as he was intelligent, brutally honest as his hands were rough. He was a working man and he'd come to see how his sister had made the big bucks just riding horses all day long. She loathed him for bringing himself to the States, for stirring up the reasons why she'd left Brazil so long ago. "Stay back there. I have work to do." The man shrugged, dark eyes flashing with defiance, but he casually leaned against the stall as his sister disappeared into the one opposite him. His dark eyes moved from one end of the barn to the other. Normal. That's what this barn looked like. It was just normal. Triple Crown winners? Legends? Out of this place. There were far finer places in Brazil to race out of. This was nothing but an American barn set in hills that far outclassed the place in terms of looks. Justin peered out of Noc's stall to take in the morose figure that leaned against it. So this was Reese's brother. He looked hard to say the least. Justin stroked a hand down Noc's satiny neck, apologizing for his future actions. Without regret, the kid flung the stall sideways, nearly knocking the man off his feet as the door collided with him. Angry eyes met Justin's dark brown ones. But he wisely stepped away before Noc took him down. Justin hated how the man's gaze swept over Noc's sleek body, but he took pride in the awe he saw come in them. Typical European. Frown upon the American way until you noticed the talent. Night Stalker had thrown a looker in Noc. She was lean, gorgeous and the color of molten silver. She gleamed and looked every inch the beauty she was bred to be. Justin did not wait for Ripley's instructions before mounting his coin-colored filly. Noc was not the best creature, per say, right now, but he wouldn't dare mention it to Reese's brother, Cross and Ripley did not have to be told twice that there was something going on in the barn. As soon as the pair stepped into the two year old barn, they were hit with waves of tension and irritability. Not surprising. Reese had warned her last night, that the infamous Cane was in town. Cross danced beneath Ripley, her black eyes gleaming with more fear and fury than they had since her two year old season. Ripley frowned as the smallish mare plummeted beneath her, threatening to lift in a rear. With careful craft, Ripley spun the black around and sent her away from the barn. "Sorry Tabby cat," Reese murmured as she led the smart gray filly out of the stall. The filly's topaz colored eyes settled on Cane two seconds after his scent had filled her nostrils. Her soft velvet body tensed immensely, nostrils flaring. She dashed around him, shoed hooves beating erratically on the cement floor. "Fine start to the morning,' Reese grumbled, wasting no time climbing into the saddle. Tabz bowed her neck, touching her chin to her chest and shying when Cane emerged from the barn. Cane could be glad looks couldn't kill because the looks Ripley and Reese shot him would have been as effective as bullets. Ripley reined Cross in between Taboo and Noc, not bothering to settle Cross. The black mare was furious to say the least. "Let's go seven furlongs today. Time to up the ante and get them ready for the next race." Ripley led the way down the hill, switching it up a bit with a workout over the dirt track. Cross' ears pricked immediately, stranger momentarily forgotten. The black mare loved a good bit of speed and it'd been a long, long time since she'd had a run on the flat dirt. Mare could get down and dirty just as well as the next dirt specialist. Without surprise, Cross bolted away, kicking up dust and dirt into the chests of Tabz and Noc. Noc had handled the excitement pretty well until that point. The silver filly bolted then full speed ahead after Cross. Reese allowed Tabz to linger back before sending her after the more precocious types. It wasn't that Tabz didn't like to run. She just wasn't so keenly tuned to bolt at the shot of a gun. The satiny gray filly settled in behind her contemporaries with commanding strides, ears pricked. Tabz was getting better and better with every race. It was only a matter of time until she got her big break. The gray filly tracked Noc into the first turn with catlike attention. The silver filly had never worked with Tabz and the gray was more than interested in keeping tabs, no pun intended, on her. But they would both have to come running because Cross My Heart was not stopping. Ripley had felt the fury in the black mare the moment she'd hit the track. She used to outrun her fear because that was something she was in control of. She'd settled down enough to run for the joy of it, but now things were sliding back into place. Cross surged over the track, mouth agape around the bit, legs blurred beneath her. There was no doubt in Ripley's mind that the mare would last the seven furlongs at this blazing pace. She'd done it before. Ripley wrapped her hands in the wild black mane, took deep breaths and prepared to hang on for the ride. Nocturnal Runaway and Taboo settled side by side through the backstretch at a strong run. It was not enough to keep with Cross' runaway train. She ran as though her life was at stake and she was a dominating 12 lengths ahead of the two year olds. It was as though they hadn't even been in the same workout set. The silver filly beneath Justin was coiled like a snake. She was so interested in picking apart Taboo. Her brown eyes were wide and her inside ear was glued to Tabz. The gray filly cruised alongside them as though they weren't even there. Reese thought the filly was moving like silk. She strolled over the course as though she owned it. She wasn't even a dirt horse like Noc. Justin knew what was coming on the far turn and he reminded himself to bide his time. It was a long stretch drive. While Nocturnal Runaway did most of her work in late stretch, Taboo knew how to separate herself from the pack. She put on the rockets and exploded on the final turn, peppering Noc with dirt. The silver filly did not back down though. She shook off the debris, switched leads and flew after her rival in pursuit. Ripley let out a long steady breath as Cross cruised the wire, definitely more settled, but not tired. The black horse skipped into the far turn, blowing smartly through her nostrils. 'Crazy creature, Cross." Ripley breathed. "Bloody crazy creature." The woman pulled the mare up in time to catch the impressive duel down the stretch. Reese hadn't expected Noc to be able to catch up so quickly, but the silver filly had. She was grinding Taboo down with ferocious strides. Her eyes were blazing and she was giving Tabz a dose of her own medicine. Reese remained silent as Taboo battled against Noc's onslaught. She hadn't banked on being run down. But she was fighting courageously, toughing it out as the wire drew ever closer. Noc pinned her ears, gave one last burst and edged Taboo out for victory. But she didn't stop after that. Justin was left clinging to the beautiful filly's neck as she blasted away back into the first turn. Reese watched the filly go from the back of her elegant horse. Tabz snorted, 'Good Riddance," turned tail and started heading back to the barn. Reese laughed, patted the filly's neck "You're something little lady." Justin was thinking Noc was something special as she knocked it out of the ball park with her eighth furlong in :11 seconds. "That's it baby. You're exactly what I've been waiting for."
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