JUMP GIRL (The Go Girls Chronicles Book 2)

by Leigh Hutton

‘Cecile and her parents were very close.’

  ‘Annika?’

  ‘Not so much,’ Ebony said. ‘She played up a lot as a teenager, and throughout school, always chasing a different football player or brainy nerd she knew would end up rich. She’s never been too fussy about who, just as long as they’ve got money, and she’s never wanted to be alone. She got married once, just out of university. It lasted six months, she cheated on him. She’s always had a lot of problems. Strange, considering they came from a perfect, loving home. There’s no reason for it.’

  ‘Everyone has their reasons,’ Dallas said, stroking her hair with his hand.

  ‘I guess so … Cecile, she was amazing. Her parents left her pretty much everything — their stock portfolios, real estate, businesses … Cecile didn’t need to work, but she did — she got her degree and a great job and built her parent’s legacy into an incredible fortune. Her only mistake was marrying Samson.’

  ‘The judge.’

  ‘Yep, he was horrible. Manipulating, mean, aggressive. I guess Cecile wanted to try and save him, but he was beyond help.’

  ‘Wow,’ Dallas said. ‘And Annika?’

  Tears stung at her eyes. Ebony bit her bottom lip, running her tongue over her cool, metal ring, studying the glistening buildings of the city. The clouds were coming in fast, the wind whipping with it the sounds of the city: cars honking and rushing past on the road below them, children playing in a nearby backyard, and the smells, of the freshly cut grass, and the rich oak tree, with its long, reaching limbs and lush, soft leaves. It felt incredible to open up, she realised, about things she’d never discussed before, like releasing a steam valve to keep from bursting. ‘Her jealousy and hatred of Cecile really hit fever pitch when their parents’ Will was announced,’ she continued. ‘She went off it at Cecile and practically stalked her with abusive phone calls and emails and the lot for like a year. She’s always been a psycho. It wasn’t like she didn’t get anything, apparently her parents left her with enough cash to live comfortably, but it was in a trust account that would release a set amount each year for twenty years.’

  ‘So she couldn’t blow the lot at once.’

  Ebony nodded. ‘That really ticked her off. She always had a penchant for everything designer and luxury holidays.’

  ‘Huh.’

  ‘Yeah. And now she’s in control of me and the horses!’

  ‘Hopefully not for much longer,’ Dallas said. ‘We need to find the real Will.’

  Ebony turned to him, her forehead tight and hot with

  confusion.

  ‘I can see why she didn’t trust anyone with the real one,’ Dallas said. ‘With Annika on the war path and Samson as an ex and the bitter divorce dispute …’ He took Ebony by the hand, and helped her up. ‘Which one is Cecile’s?’ he asked, nodding at the gravestones.

  Ebony breathed in deeply, and locked her eyes on the angel. Dallas led her to Cecile’s grave, and kneeled down at its base, where someone had left a glass jar full of fresh lilacs — Cecile’s favourite flowers — which had covered her coffin as she was lowered here, into the ground to rest forever. The strong, gorgeous scent nearly knocked Ebony over and her heart contracted in pain, as she pictured her mother’s beautiful, warm face, and the cold box she’d been forced into too early. Tears spilled through her mascara and eyeliner, rushing down her cheeks. Dallas wrapped his arms around her. ‘It’s okay,’ he said, holding her close. ‘We should go.’

  ‘No.’ Ebony gritted her teeth and took a deep breath, steadying her sobs. It was like a floodgate had opened within her, releasing all of the emotions she had fought so hard to hide, after her mother had been killed. She missed her so much and she was angry beyond control about how she’d been stolen from her. It wasn’t right. And someone needed to pay.

  She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her hoodie. ‘But, where … ?’

  Dallas hugged her tightly, and looked out over the city, now dark — the lights of the buildings and houses shining brightly — beneath the thick cover of cloud. ‘I think you’re probably the only person who knows where the real Will is, Ebony. You were her only real family.’ He looked into her eyes, and lifted her chin with his hand. ‘And I’m gonna help you figure it out.’

  They made it down to Ebony’s car just as the rain started to fall in heavy, drenching sheets. Dallas drove, and took her to a cozy cafe on the fringe of the CBD, down near the river. Some warm chicken noodle soup and a hot chocolate helped to calm her down, and they were able to discuss their plan, deciding that the first place they needed to look was her old house at Millarville, as the city unit was likely being occupied by Samson and was much too risky to check out. They headed to the property the next morning, just before sunrise — Dallas had practice and Ebony had to get to the barn, so they would have to be quick. They parked on a forest road in the woods just before the driveway and used a stepladder Dallas had packed to jump the front gate. Keeping in the cover of the trees, they ran down to the house, and peered in the front windows. It was locked up tight, and the spare key that had been hidden in a pot plant at the kitchen entrance had been removed.

  Dallas and Ebony crept around the house, peering in all of the windows. All of Cecile’s furniture was still in place, with sheets thrown over the lounges and the beds, covered in a film of dust. Cecile’s office looked untouched, except for her filing cabinet, which was missing.

  ‘Samson?’ Dallas whispered.

  ‘He’d be the only one with keys to the place.’

  They sat down on the lawn to catch their breath, leaning against the wooden siding of the house. ‘Do you really think she’d have hidden it here?’ Dallas asked. ‘Seems a bit too obvious to me.’

  Ebony took a deep breath. ‘Let’s check the barn,’ she said. ‘And have a look around the paddocks.’ They spent another half hour searching, but when the sun rose, and orange light flooded the valley, they needed to make themselves scarce.

  Ebony felt flat and tired, and was quiet and deep in thought as Dallas drove her back to his house, so they could go their separate ways for the day. She hadn’t slept last night, thinking of every possible place it could be. She would go to Jenny Pedrosa’s, to search her old tack room. She’d check with the owner of the sushi restaurant, to see if Cecile had left anything, as it had been such a special place for them. She would go to Cecile’s old gym downtown, to see if her locker had been cleared out. She wanted to visit the building where Cecile used to work, but knew it would be too risky — Cecile’s business partner, who had been one of her best girlfriends, was also a mutual friend of Samson’s.

  Dallas was heading to a hockey camp with his team to prepare for the nationals, and would be gone a week. She was behind at the barn and needed to school Monster, as Marcus had announced that lessons would be starting up in the jumper field and while she couldn’t wait to get out there, she was also nervous for her fragile horse; being released into the open would either make him, or send him back wild to his roots and beyond reach. She desperately needed him to do well at the first major outdoor show of the season; the Spruce Meadows National Tournament.

  She thought of Cecile and how much she missed her, and the image of the stone angel above her gravestone appeared before her eyes. The angel was beautiful, like Cecile herself, and serene. Like she knew what was coming and that everything would be alright.

  Ebony wished she could believe it, and promised to make time in her hectic schedule to continue her search for her last piece of Cecile.

  Ebony nearly fell off the back of Johnny when Annika’s made-up face popped into Marcus’s indoor arena, at the end of the following week. Rain had waylaid use of the outdoor rings, even the sand ring was like a swimming pool.

  ‘Can I help you?’ Ebony asked, resting her hands on the front of her saddle.

  Annika glared, but started across the sand. ‘Yuck!’ She stepped to the side of a pile of manure, sand slipping in the front of her peep toe heels. ‘Oh, great!’ She reached down, to brush th
e sand off of her red, shiny shoes.

  Ebony put a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. She rode Johnny over to Annika, who had taken refuge on Marcus’s viewing platform, short of breath and clinging to her orange Berkin handbag, the very one Ebony had seen a story about online; how it cost a ridiculous $35,000. Annika’s eyes were covered by bug-eye sunglasses, a bright floral silk scarf tied around her head.

  ‘Thought I’d find you here,’ Annika said, tossing her head and straightening her shoulders. ‘Haven’t seen you around home much.’

  ‘Busy looking after your horses.’

  Annika smiled tightly. ‘He looks nice and shiny.’

  ‘Winnie does an excellent job.’

  ‘And it’s a good thing she works for practically nothing, too, isn’t it?’ Annika was the only one who seemed amused by her joke. ‘Money is tight, and you didn’t win as much cash at Florida as we’d hoped.’

  ‘You did just fine out of me and Johnny.’

  ‘But Monster didn’t win a dime. He’d better improve at the National, or he’ll be the next one to go.’

  ‘How dare you?’ Ebony said, glaring down at the woman in her thousand-dollar outfit — her impossible-to-get Berkin would have cost more than it would to stable Monster for a year. She hopped down from Johnny, led him up to the platform and leapt up the steps, so she could look Annika in the eye.

  Annika adjusted her sunglasses and tilted her silk-clad head to the side. ‘I’m still paying barn fees for that horse, you know.’

  ‘Marcus isn’t charging us for Monster’s training, or feed.’

  ‘I still pay for some feed and that stuff ain’t cheap! Ebony, look,’ she took off her sunglasses with a huff, revealing her icy, flat blue eyes, ‘I don’t expect you to understand any of this, but money doesn’t grow on trees—’

  ‘Stop!’ Ebony took a step forward, so she was close enough to slap Annika in the face, if she wanted to. She glared her down. ‘I know, Annika! So drop the act.’

  ‘Know?’ Annika shifted her weight onto one narrow hip. ‘Know what?’

  Anger spiked within her and Ebony had to take a deep breath, look down at the toes of her boots, and count to ten, so that when she spoke, her tone was even and controlled. She needed to be careful about what she said, and be as cool as possible … ‘I know that you’re in control of Appassionata Enterprises, obviously Cecile left it to you that’s why you call them your horses. Cecile always talked to me about the money and I know that there must have been a great deal in the accounts when she died to look after the horses and to build our business.’

  Annika took a step back, slipping her sunglasses back over her eyes.

  Ebony crossed her arms, and stepped forward. ‘You won’t complain again about how much money you are having to spend on the horses and you’d better hope that you haven’t spent too much on yourself, because if I find out — and I will — that you’ve wasted and ruined this business that Cecile and I worked so hard to build —’

  ‘You’re just upset that she didn’t leave it to you!’ Annika smiled smugly, but her forehead was glossy with sweat. ‘It’s mine, and now this is none of your business!’

  ‘It’s only my business, and Cecile’s,’ Ebony said. ‘I’ll let you play horsey and continue to be involved, but if you say one more thing or ever turn up here trying to tell me how to look after these horses, I’ll make sure the whole thing comes crashing down around those designer shoes.’

  ‘Well!’ Annika took another step backwards, her narrow butt hitting Marcus’s Director chair and knocking it to the ground with a thud. ‘Cecile left it to me!’

  ‘So you could look after us. Now do your job.’

  Annika opened her mouth, but quickly shut it again, darting to the side as Johnny had jumped up on to the platform and was making for her scarf, teeth bared. She slapped him sharply on the nose, before tottering off the platform, and down the stairs.

  ‘See you at home, Annika!’ Ebony yelled. She patted Johnny on the neck, watching as Annika tripped in the sand and nearly hit the deck. She swore and smoothed at her skirt, before disappearing into the walkway to the barn.

  ‘Nice one, buddy.’ Ebony gave Johnny a treat from the pocket of her breeches, smiled, and led him down from the platform, swinging herself back up into the saddle. And the wicked witch is dead, she chimed to herself, pleased she’d finally had the guts to say her piece. ‘She left it to you’, my ass … Now all she needed was to find the real Will, and, hopefully, rid Annika from their lives forever.

  Annika indeed stayed away from the barn, and Ebony was even able to avoid seeing her at home as preparations for the Spruce Meadows National hit top gear.

  One night in mid-May, Ebony came home from watching the final game of Dallas’s national tournament on the big screen at a local sports bar with Winnie and Clancy — who were now ‘going steady’ — to find a note taped to the back of her bedroom door.

  Pre-nominations are in for the National for Johnny and Monster. Stable fees also paid. Annika

  Ebony smiled and fell onto her bed. She grabbed her mobile to call Dallas, and congratulate him on his team’s second place finish and his miraculous goal just minutes before the end of the second half. She was sad when it was time to say goodnight, as she wouldn’t be seeing him again until the National, as he and his team were staying on in Eastern Canada for training. She couldn’t wait to see him. It was unbelievable how much she missed Dallas Cash.

  It was finally dry enough to hit the jumper field for practice, just a week before the horses would be moved to Spruce Meadows for the first show in the world-class Summer Series. Ebony headed to the barn even earlier than normal, and arrived just before sunrise. It was still dark outside, with just a rail of yellow light breaking on the mountains, when she pulled up in front of Marcus’s and made her way inside, to be greeted by a quiet barn and sleeping horses. She’d always loved getting to the barn early, to help with the morning feed, and before most of the other riders and the hectic pace of the day could get underway. But her eyes were open and her brain in top gear even before her alarm this morning, and it was only five am when she arrived at the barn, a full hour before they would feed up. She couldn’t wait for this day to get started. Today, she and her horses would get a shot at Marcus’s infamous jumper field.

  She switched on the light for her tack room, and got to cleaning her saddles, bridles, girths, black-tasseled ear bonnet (to keep any flies from buzzing into the horses’ ears) and the rest of the gear she would need for riding Monster and Johnny today. She even cleaned her half chaps, which were starting to look more like quarter chaps, they were so worn and torn. She found her trusty roll of silver duct tape in the top of her trunk, and ran a strip down either side of her chaps to keep the seams from completely unraveling.

  Winnie had already dug out her box of metal grass studs (also known as corks), which they would screw into the horses’ shoes for traction on the slippery grass course, and had left them on the table beside the trunks, soaking in a clear container of white vinegar to remove the rust. Corks were expensive to buy, so they would have to be very careful with the ones they had and hope she didn’t lose too many while jumping.

  Ebony picked out eight of her largest ones, for the outsides of their back feet, four smaller, spiky ones for the front of their back and decent-sized corks, too, for their front feet, and arranged them on the table. A quick wipe of her gloves and helmet with a wet rag, and she set them on the trunk, ready to go. She and Marcus had decided that both horses would need a lunge to calm them down and take the edge off their excitement, before being released into the huge, wilderness expanse of his jumper field. She found the lunge line coiled neatly and hung on a hook beside her saddle racks; Winnie had put it away after using it on Johnny before their jump school in the outdoor sand ring two days earlier. She’d only flatted them yesterday, giving their legs time to rest before the big debut on the grass.

  By the time the horses were fed, groomed, and Johnny was ta
cked up ready for his lunge, Ebony was starving and ready for a coffee and a bagel from the groom’s kitchen. She ate quickly, and sprinted out to the sand ring, to watch Johnny finishing his lunge with Winnie.

  ‘He hot today, Señorita Ebony!’ Winnie yelled from the centre of the ring, as Johnny bucked and pranced on the spot, pulling on the lunge line. She cracked the long lunge whip, and Johnny tossed his head with distaste. Another crack and he got moving forward and in the desired circle around her.

  ‘Keep him going for another ten!’ Marcus yelled out, as he past the ring aboard Saudi Sahara. Ebony assumed he was on his way back from the jumper field. The bright, morning light glistened on the mare’s magnificent buckskin coat, now dark with sweat.

  ‘Sure you’re up for it?’ Marcus asked. He grinned, stopping Saudi beside her at the rail. ‘It’s still slick out there and a bit sticky for the horses—’ He didn’t wait for Ebony to answer — ‘All corked up?’

  Ebony nodded; she and Winnie had packed the corks in their show bag and brought them down to the sand ring, to fit to the horses’ shoes once they had done their lunge. Marcus would’ve had his grooms fit his in the barn — it didn’t matter to him how many of the things he went through. Ebony needed to get all the life out of her gear that she could.

  A sleek blonde groom came scooting up in Marcus’s golf cart, parking it at the rail as he dismounted Saudi. He accepted a water bottle from her, taking a few slugs as he looked her over quickly, gave Saudi a pat on the neck, then tossed her the bottle and the reins.

  ‘See you down there.’ He winked at Ebony, before hopping into his golf cart and roosting down the gravel road to the jumper field.

  Ebony’s stomached churned with nerves. This field had claimed its fair share of victims, and it would be only her second ride outside with her boys. Monster and Johnny had torn around like wild mustangs when she rode them in the sand ring for the first time, just a few days before. She’d gotten them over the practice fences, but Marcus’s jumper field was a whole other ball game.