His hands unclenched, and I sucked in a gasping breath, pivoting around, the world swaying and blinking as I faced the man whose face was scrunched into a grimace, his hand holding his head as he let out a wild howl.

I turned back toward Emily, the wind whipping my face, buggy shaking and tilting and rocking side to side, Charlie’s sobs increasing in volume from inside the compartment. Emily was on her knees now, leaned forward as she tried to grasp the reins that had fallen forward and were draped over the side of the out-of-control horse.

Oh, shit! There was a car in our path ahead, and my horse was going to have to veer left into the horse Emily was currently draped over as she tried to catch hold of the reins, or right where there was—hopefully—just enough room for the horse and buggy to fit between the car and a large brick building. My eyes darted between the man—now leaning toward me, hands reaching for my neck again—to the upcoming car and building.

Instead of leaning away from the man, I leaned toward him, but ducked so his hands came up empty, throwing my body down so that both of our weights were on the right side of the buggy. The horse followed the tilt, racing right around the car, and then with a mighty roar, I stood and used all my strength to sweep the man’s legs out from under him and then push him off the buggy, grabbing on the side as the man was flung out, his yell cutting off abruptly as he hit the side of the building with a loud crunch.

I cringed even as I pulled myself back and quickly clambered into the driver’s seat and grabbed the reins.

I didn’t slow, not yet, but instead steered the horse around another car and then came up on Emily’s right just as she pulled herself up onto the horse, the reins clenched in her fist. Holy fuck. “Hold on!” I shouted. Emily scooted backward as carefully as she was able on a galloping horse attached to a careening buggy.

I looked ahead to see that this street dead-ended in a grouping of trees, and my heart lurched. Come on, Em. I kept pace with her, and if the horses saw the trees ahead, they didn’t make any attempt to slow. They’d likely turn at the last minute and the buggies would tip, all of us smashing into the trees in a heap of splintered wood and cracked bones.

Four hundred feet…

Emily lifted her head to look in front of her, her eyes widening as she began moving more quickly now, losing her grip once and freezing as she gripped the horse and got her bearings.

Three hundred feet…