Page 29 of Wrangled
“Is that a Prius?” I mutter. You don’t see many of them around here. Or at least you didn’t. I guess a lot can change in fifteen years.
I watch as a man unfolds himself from the front seat. When I say unfolds, I mean it. Riggs is tall, but this guy is even taller, reminding me of a basketball player. Only he’s so painfully thin I’m worried a stiff breeze might blow him over. It isn’t until he moves closer that I realize how young he is. If he’s a day overtwenty-one, I’d be shocked. Still, I won’t write him off. This guy could be a ninja for all I know.
He looks around and spots me, approaching somewhat cautiously with a nervous smile. “Hi, I’m David. Are you Miss Hart?”
“I am. Please call me Calliope. You here about the guard position?” I ask hesitantly.
His eyes widen a fraction before he shakes his head. “Oh no. I’m sorry. Behind a computer screen, I can kick ass, but in real life, I’m more of a lover than a fighter. I also tend to faint at the sight of blood.”
I chuckle, liking this kid regardless.
“I’m here to talk to you about security via cameras, alarms, panic buttons, that kind of thing. I’ll be brutally honest with you, Miss Hart. I’m new to this business, so I have next to no testimonials I can give you beyond friends and family, but I’m really good at what I do. I just need someone to take a chance on me.”
“Take a seat and tell me a little more about yourself.”
He relaxes and moves up the steps to sit in one of the chairs. He eases his bag from his shoulder, then pulls out his laptop and places it on his lap.
“I was attending MIT until my mom got sick and I had to drop out to look after my younger siblings. So I decided to try and turn what I’m good at into a job that pays enough to support us.”
“I’m sorry about your mom,” I interrupt him. “Is she doing any better?” I ask tentatively.
His face falls as he shakes his head. “She died at the end of last year. She fought hard, but the cancer was relentless.”
“Jesus. How old are you, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Twenty—nineteen, when she died. I have two sisters, eight and six, to look after, so going back to MIT wasn’t even an option. Plus, the medical expenses were a lot.” He flushes.
I reach over and give his arm a quick squeeze. “Please don’t be embarrassed. I think it’s amazing. Your mother must have been so proud that she raised such a wonderful son.”
His eyes take on a watery sheen, but he takes a deep breath and holds it together. Damn, I seriously like this kid. “Tell me what you think this place needs.”
He nods and opens his laptop. He hits a few keys and spins it around. “I’d alarm all the windows, add cameras to each exit and entry point. I could add them to the rooms, including your bedroom and the bathrooms, but that would be entirely up to you. Only you would have access to the footage unless you wanted to have me monitor them externally, which I could do for an additional fee. I could also set up pressure or motion sensors in and around your property, and rig something similar to the acreage itself, again with cameras so you can check on things yourself. Security panels can be as basic or as high-tech as you can afford, from basic PIN information to using biometrics and retinal scanners?—”
“You’re hired.”
“Wait, what? Are you serious?”
“Can you do all the things you say you can?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Then yes, I’m serious, but…”
He freezes, hope fleeing from his face.
“There’s something you need to know about me first.”
As Ryan seemed oblivious to my record, David likely is too. Oh boy. Here goes nothing. “I’m an ex-con.”
When he doesn’t say anything, I tuck my hair behind my ear and hammer the point home. “I was convicted of killing my father.”
Chapter Ten
He looks at me, and when I don’t add any more, he coughs to clear his throat.
“Okay, don’t be mad, but I’m not just good with computers. I’m really good with them. When the chance for an interview came up, it sounded too good to be true. So I did some digging, and what I found made me dig deeper.”
“So you already know I did time and that most people hate me.”
