“Reardon?” Her eyes widened. “I didn’t notice either of you.”

“You were busy.” He was scowling. “When you got Chaos to run, he took off like a lightning bolt with Nightshade right behind him. He might have broken a record today.”

“No, he didn’t.” She frowned, puzzled, as she got off Chaos. “He’s always fast, but I deliberately kept his pace slower than usual today. I wanted to keep both him and Nightshade rested and fresh for the race tomorrow.”

“That’s not how it looked to me,” he said shortly. “And it’s sure as hell not how it looked to Reardon. It would have been better if you’d tried harder to make him look a little less enthusiastic today.” When she opened her lips to answer, he waved his hand impatiently. “I don’t want to hear it. It’s done now. Just get Chaos into the stable and get him settled like you usually do.”

She didn’t have to be told twice. She was already leading Chaos into the stable. She didn’t like anything about Davidow’s attitude or Reardon showing up today. “I’ll be back in a few minutes to put Nightshade into her stall.”

“Don’t bother. Reardon has a few questions for Nightshade’s jockey.” He turned to Lee Chan, the jockey who had been riding Nightshade all day. “Get down. I’ll call him and tell him you’ve brought her back.”

Sasha glanced back in bewilderment. Lee Chan was hurriedly getting off the thoroughbred, his expression uneasy. She hoped the jockey hadn’t done anything to displease Reardon. It was difficult to have any real feeling for him, because he’d been so stoic and without personality any time she’d had him ride Nightshade when Sasha had her on the same track with Chaos. But he’d obeyed everything she’d told him to do and didn’t deserve a confrontation with Reardon.

No one deserved that. She could feel her own heart beating hard, her palms cold with sweat as she took off Chaos’s saddle and put him in his stall. But she would probably have to face a confrontation herself, and she had to brace herself. She bent down to pick up Chaos’s water bucket. She had escaped it all day but after last night she didn’t think that she’d be lucky enough to—

A scream!

High. Shrill. Agony.

A whip.

She heard it lash against flesh. Again and again.

Another scream.

The jockey?

She dropped the bucket and ran toward the door.

She stopped in shock.

That was not the jockey screaming.

It was the horse. It was Nightshade!

She threw open the stable door and stared in disbelief. The jockey was standing holding the horse’s reins to keep her still.