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“No, I haven’t. I’ve told you what happens to vermin. I haven’t said a thing about doing anything to you.” Tom shook his head. “You should learn to listen, especially to Wiz.”
“You’ll regret this.” Jeff snarled. “You’ll get what’s coming to you. You’ll all end up dead, but they’ll hurt you first.” Jeff turned and glared at Wiz. “It’ll be worse than downrange.”
Wiz’s hands jerked her weapon up, but she pushed it back down and kept her finger off the trigger. But it took so much effort—she wanted to shut him up. How dare he use her worst day against her?
“You’re done.” Tom turned Strawberry and walked away, dragging Jeff behind him. Jeff screamed obscenities and scrambled to his feet, but Tom kept Strawberry moving fast enough so Jeff couldn’t get the rope off. Wiz holstered her pistol and pulled her phone, opening the main horse fence gate. Tom dragged Jeff to the door of his car, then expertly flipped the lasso off. Pete adjusted his position to keep Jeff in view without risking Tom or Strawberry but kept his rifle pointed at the ground.
Wiz stayed behind the chain link security gate and jogged to the driveway. Tom pointed at Jeff, who yelled more obscenities while climbing into his car and left, gravel flying from his tires. Strawberry stood like a rock.
Wiz holstered her weapon, opened the main security gate, and reset her program, texting the all-clear to her monitoring company and asking them to secure several copies of the video for future legal action. They agreed. Tom and Pete trotted to her, and she closed the gate behind them, the chain link rattling.
Tom peered down. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I think so.” Wiz shuddered. “You were amazing.” Dad rode up behind Tom. “You were both marvelous. The look on his face was priceless.” She shook her head.
“I’d still like to shoot the varmint. He’s going to be trouble, you wait and see.” Pete slid his rifle back into the holster.
Wiz trembled. Shoot—the reaction was hitting.
Tom offered her his hand, taking his foot out of his stirrup. “Come on, jump up behind me. We’ll head up to the house.”
“Okay.” Her voice shook, too, but she was safe with Tom. She’d feel even better inside her house, her sanctuary. She grabbed Tom’s forearm and hopped, getting a toe into the stirrup. He pulled her up and twisted in the saddle, so she slid on to the horse behind him. She gratefully wrapped her arms around him and hung on until they got to the porch. He maneuvered Strawberry next to the porch, and Wiz slid off.
Dad joined her, slinging an arm around her shoulders. “Come on, let’s get inside. Tom’s got the horses.” He led her to the couch, then brought her a Yoo-hoo. Tom joined her, sliding an arm around her and pulling her into his side. She was so lucky to have such a rock. After contemplating the mountains for a while, Wiz stopped trembling.
Pete sipped a soda. “You ready to talk about this, darling?” Wiz nodded. “Good. The problem is, we scared him a bit, but he was still making threats. He’ll be back, and it won’t be a straight forward attack. He’ll try something sneaky and nasty.”
Wiz agreed. “Luckily, he’s not very smart. He was trying to get in the front gate with random four-number codes. He should know I’d use more than four numbers and that I’d have it auto-lock after three tries. He’s always had an exaggerated view of his own intelligence.” She still couldn’t believe she’d fallen for him. She’d been so desperate for love. But she’d learned what real love was.
Pete frowned. “He’ll still try. Are you going to get Sam to file a restraining order for you?”
Wiz sighed. “Yeah, although I hate to do it because I have to file as myself, exposing my personal information, and I’ve been really careful to hide all of that, staying behind a corporate wall. Court records aren’t sealed, unless you can show cause, and I can’t. Not yet. And that worries me because he’s working with other people. Unless his threats were all bravado.” But he wasn’t smart enough to think of that in the heat of the moment, and he’d fallen in with a bad crowd after he’d left the military.
“Can you show me the whole thing? I want to know exactly what he said.” Tom squeezed her shoulder.
“Sure.” She brought up the video on the TV and played the best views of Jeff’s face. Most people didn’t bother recording sound on security cameras, but she’d found it handy in distinguishing wildlife from people. Good thing she had because his words were very clear.
Tom and Dad scowled through the whole thing, although they all chuckled watching Jeff’s butt bump across the rough grass. Pete shook his head. “He’s got friends or he’s working with other people. Maybe someone who doesn’t like you. This guy is nothing, but a group of people might be dangerous.”
He was right. Men could turn savage in groups. She shivered. Tom tightened his hold. “Are you okay, love?”
“Yes, but Dad’s right. There are plenty of people who blame me for their problems. They’re slimeballs, but I outed their behavior and got them fired, so it’s all my fault.” Her fear was changing to anger. It might not be the healthiest response, but she didn’t care. She was tired of being scared.
Pete scowled. “That’s how those kinds of people think.”
Wiz sighed. She had no choice. “I’ve got to file for a restraining order, then. If Jeff found me, anyone can. Or someone did it for him. Eventually, I might have to shoot one of these people, and I’ll need the justification.” She closed her eyes, trying to control the mixture of fear and fury coursing through her. “This sucks. They should leave me alone.”
“Yes, they should. I’m sorry you have to deal with good-for-nothing dirtbags. But I’m glad you’re thinking about it, not just reacting or hiding. I don’t think either of those would work well in this situation.” Tom rubbed her shoulder.
Wiz nodded. “One of my key lessons from the Air Force was to have a plan. It might not survive contact with the enemy, but at least I considered the problem and solutions.” She sighed. “I’ll send the videos off to Sam and make an appointment. In the meantime, I think you two, and probably your ranch hands, should be armed when you’re out. You’ve made yourselves targets, too.”
Pete nodded. “Yes, you’re right. Well, nobody blinks twice at a cowboy with a six-shooter, so we’ll rig up like we’re on the trail every day. One of the hands carries all the time anyway. Let’s get together tonight for dinner and make some plans.”
Wiz smiled. She was so lucky to have these men in her life. “Sure, Dad. I’ll cook. You guys come on up.”
Tom rubbed her shoulder again and kissed her temple. “Are you okay to be alone?”
“Yes. I’m okay.” She was. She’d check all her security, then cook. That would keep her from uselessly stewing about what she should have done.
