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The RV was a great setup. His bench obviously met the fold-down on the other side to make a bed. A dorm-size refrigerator nestled below the sink. A tall enclosure at the end of his bench probably held a bathroom. A folding partition was secured between the camper area and the front seats. It was perfect for one or two people, although the benches were barely long enough for him.
Before long, they reached the hospital. Wiz stood, moving behind the seat, and unstrapped her weapon holsters. Kneeling, she opened a cupboard below his bench and metal snicked. The door blocked his view, but the gun and the knives were gone when she got back up. Then she edged past him and opened the doors at the back.
“Hey, Wiz, did you do the work on this?”
“No.”
“Somebody local?”
“The design, I got online. Erin at Coffee and Cars did the metal work. Wait here. Please don’t touch anything, and I’ll get a wheelchair.” She hopped down and disappeared before he could say anything, and returned with a woman in scrubs pushing a wheelchair.
He hopped down the steps on his right foot and ungracefully squeezed into the chair, which was too short for his frame. “Wiz, thanks very much. I really appreciate you doing all of this. If you’ll give me a number, I’ll have someone from the ranch call and get Strawberry. And my rifle.”
She pulled a wallet out of her pocket, opened it, and handed him a card. Without another word, she hopped in the van, closed the van doors, and was gone before he made it through the hospital doors. She didn’t waste time, that was for sure.
The aide wheeled him into the lobby. The card read Victory Cyber Security, with an email address and a phone number. There wasn’t anything else, not even a website, which seemed odd for a cyber security company. But then, she was odd.
After a few minutes, the aide wheeled him into the business area. “Can I get your name and insurance information?”
He grabbed his wallet, pulling cards and reeling off information on auto-pilot. His mind was on Wiz and the puzzle she presented. Now that he had a little time to think, he was reminded of abused horses they’d fostered. While she’d obviously acted from a sense of duty, he got the impression of someone who cared deeply and wanted to show compassion but couldn’t leave herself vulnerable. Somebody had hurt that woman badly, and he’d sure like to hurt them back.
Hopefully, she’d let him say thanks in more than words, but he’d have to think carefully about how and what. He obviously made her very nervous, especially when he stood. Not surprising, since he was a giant next to her—she was easily a foot shorter, thin and wiry. Well, thinking about an appropriate gift would keep him busy while he waited for x-rays. He sighed. And while he tried to call Dad.
Chapter 2
Wiz locked the doors and pulled out of the hospital parking lot as fast as she safely could, relief coursing through her entire body like a waterfall. Finally, nobody lurked behind her. Finally, she could get away from him and all these people. Her relief was tempered by vulnerability; she’d forgotten to rearm. She pulled into the back of a grocery store parking lot, retrieving her pistol and knives from the hidden safe. Once she strapped on her forty-five, she breathed another sigh of relief. Much better. Not that she’d been naked; her backup pistol was on her ankle, and she kept a fighting knife under her long sleeve, but those were emergency fail-safes. She stared out the windshield and breathed, blanking her mind, regaining her equilibrium. Then she let herself remember the hike.
It had started so well. A beautiful fall weekday, with no one on the trails. Once she got above the tree line, no one could lie in wait or sneak up on her, and she could enjoy the colors, the bright sun, and the cool breeze. Then she found the horse; a saddled horse with no rider. She had to find the rider; she’d never abandon someone in need. Not when she’d been left behind so many times. But the rider, the man she’d found, was huge. She shuddered. The man, no, wait, what was his name? Tom. Thomas Borde, of the Rocking B Ranch, the working cattle ranch bordering her property. Before she bought the place, she’d checked all the neighboring ranches and found nothing suspicious or even odd.
But local cattle ranchers didn’t buy fancy custom cowboy boots. And he’d worn designer jeans, not work wear. Plus, he’d said he came back to help his dad, which implied he’d been somewhere else. She’d have to do a little more research. She shivered and realized her shirt was drenched with sweat. She unbuckled, returned to the back, and slipped a fresh one on. Then she put the van in drive and got on the highway north.
Tom was clearly an intelligent man and maybe a kind one. He’d noticed right away that she was nervous and had done his best to put her at ease. But there were a lot of evil people who were good at hiding what they were. Facades were easy. Predators were good at them, especially sexual predators. Look at how many hid in the military, masquerading as upstanding members. She knew, for a fact, that at least one of those deployed with her was as rotten as they come.
No, it was better to just avoid people, unless you knew for sure that they weren’t a risk. She probably shouldn’t have given him her business card, either. But she’d wanted to get away so badly, she had done the fastest thing, if not the wisest.
The bright orange, pink, and teal of Ryan and Erin’s Coffee & Cars sign stood out among the green and beige along the highway. They were safe, and she had this strange need to share her story. Maybe an iced mocha would be refreshing after the unexpected drama. She pulled into the parking lot, and her shoulders relaxed. No other cars were parked in front. That didn’t mean the shop was empty, but the chances were better. She backed the van in, parked, locked, and entered the coffee shop, stepping to the side of the door and surveying the room, the scent of dark roasted coffee overwhelming her for a moment.
Ryan stood behind the espresso machine, his long, caramel-colored hair pulled back from his slightly scarred face. “Wiz! Surprised to see you here!” His eyebrows rose, then he grinned.
No one sat at any of the tables in the long room. “Ryan. How are you?” She sat at the table in the corner farthest from the front door, where she could see the door into the garage behind Ryan.
“I’m good. What can I get you and how are you?” He lifted an espresso cup in his grasping prosthesis.
The dining room was just a little too long to watch everything without turning her head. “I’m okay. Can I get a medium iced mocha?”
“Sure. Whatcha doing today?” He flicked a lever and packed espresso into the filter.
“I was out hiking earlier.”
“Really? Great day for it. Where?” The espresso machine squealed.
“Sapphires. Crest Trail.”
“Cool. Haven’t been up there recently.” Ryan turned away when the door to the garage opened. “Hey, babe. Look who came to visit.”
Wiz rose slightly. Erin entered, her long, curly red hair bobbing in a ponytail. She squeezed Ryan’s shoulder. “Wiz! Been a while. How are you settling in?” Smiling, she walked closer and sat on a stool behind the counter halfway between Ryan and Wiz.
Wiz relaxed into the chair. Erin understood how she felt without needing tedious explanations. Or digging into her psyche. “Good. Everything is finally done and in place.” It was such a relief to have all the construction finished, the furnishings delivered, the security measures completely activated, and all those strangers out of her house. “Thanks again for your help with everything.”
