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She shivered and walked to the window again. The horse was still munching away. She didn’t know anything about them, but she figured it would be okay for the night. She would have to program in an exception for the detection systems. Hmm, maybe she could modify the deer program, without the bounding and bouncing. Either way, that was a potentially valuable addition. Plenty of wealthy folks had horses, although they probably didn’t allow them around their houses. Maybe racehorse stable owners? She’d have a whole new demographic. She made a note to include that in her next report to the installers she worked with.
Well, that could be done later. Time for some food and blowing away zombies. Then she’d get back to work and forget all about Thomas Borde.
But his kind expression lingered.
Chapter 3
Tom released his jaw. “Yes, Dad, as you’ve now said for about the tenth time, it was stupid to take a new horse out on the trail by myself. You are right. I was stupid. Can we move on?” Despite the drugs, his ankle throbbed. Not enough room in the old truck to stretch out and raise his foot.
Dad grimaced. “Sorry, son, but I worry.”
“Yeah. I got that.” He clenched his teeth to keep from saying more.
“How’d you get to the hospital anyway?” He glanced at Tom’s foot, propped on top of his other knee, then checked his mirrors.
“Now he asks.” Tom held up his hand. If he didn’t want to be treated like a child, he shouldn’t act like one. “Sorry. Anyway, our new neighbor, believe it or not.”
“The one with the big fence?”
“Yep.”
“Hmm. Nobody’s seen him.” Dad pushed his hat back.
“Her.” He wouldn’t forget that worried, pretty, elfin face anytime soon.
“Really?”
“Yep.”
Dad shot him an annoyed glance. “Am I going to have to drag it out of you one word at a time, or are you just going to tell me?”
Tom chuckled. “All right, I’ll tell you.” He shifted in his seat. The ankle pulsed painfully. “So, there I was, resting with my feet up on a rock, hoping that you would miss me before dark, and I see my horse being led by someone short and slim. As she got closer, my first thought was that I wished she hadn’t found me.”
“Oh?”
He shook his head, still unable to believe how much the compact woman was packing. “You wouldn’t believe the hardware.” He described Wiz’s appearance. “Even though she’s tiny, she was pretty intimidating. At first, I thought she was a short man or boy. Even her voice was kind of low, so I wasn’t sure until she got closer.” He shrugged. “Anyway, she’s a smart one. Brought Strawberry around for me to mount on the right, because of my ankle, so of course I asked her to turn her to the left, and then I figured out I couldn’t mount that way. When I said that, she just said, ‘I know. Do you want the ankle splinted?’ No laughing at me or teasing like I would have expected.”
“Huh.”
He told his father the rest of the story.
“She does seem like a smart cookie.” Dad nodded thoughtfully.
“Yeah, and she told me she didn’t know anything about horses. Which became crystal clear on the way to her house. She kept glancing back at me, whipping her head back. She really didn’t like the fact that I was behind her. Even though I hated to, I had to tell her she was making the horse nervous. Once I told her that, she quit moving so quickly, but she still couldn’t stop looking back at me. Oh, and she took the rifle off the saddle and carried it the whole way.” He scowled for a moment. “Somebody hurt that girl badly at some point.”
“What’s her name, anyway?”
“Wiz.” It didn’t sound right to him.
“Wiz?” Dad sounded a little incredulous.
“Yeah. She told me she’d been in the Air Force but wouldn’t tell me anything about it, not even what she did while she was in. Which seems strange. Most military folks seem to be okay talking about their careers once it’s clear you’re actually interested.”
“No last name?”
“Nope. She did give me her card. The business name is Victory Cyber Security.”
“Maybe she did a bunch of super-secret stuff and that’s why she wouldn’t tell you what she did. Easier to just not answer questions from the get-go.” He shrugged.
