Samantha Amethyst Silverstone watched in fascination as a tall lean cowboy
climbed the wall into her home; the security camera clearly showed a large dark
horse on the other side of the wall, probably an Arabian. What did he think he
was doing? It was odd, he didn’t look menacing, but then not many people who
committed crimes did. Looks were apparently no way to judge since most people
looked like they were posing for mug shots on their ID cards. She grinned
glancing at the wall bearing the panel of photographs identifying her security
staff, in looks alone, it would appear she was being guarded by a crew of humorless
dour faced inmates. She highly doubted they’d appreciate the sentiment.
Oliver, her butler,
had called her into the security room the instant the silent alarm had gone off
as the man approached the perimeter. They’d told the security team to hold off
for a while, they could handle it themselves.
“Shall we release the
dogs, Sam?” he asked, arching a dark eyebrow.
“Hmm,” she thought for
a moment, “Yes, Oliver, I think we will. I want to see his reaction.”
“Very well.”
Samantha watched the
screen, with a push of a button she zoomed in on the face of her uninvited
guest. The sudden ferocious sounds of barking dogs and animals running through
the undergrowth didn’t seem to faze him particularly. He looked around
cautiously, and then grinned, he obviously knew very well there were no dogs,
and she’d thought the sound effects were quite convincing! They had always
worked in the past to deter any intruders, sending them scurrying away in a
hurry and negating the need for her security to staff to intervene and the
local cops to be called.
Pushing a small yellow
button on the panel, she turned on the sprinklers; the cowboy stood stock still
as a sudden cascade of icy water gushed over him. Taking off his hat, he
slapped it against his knee, wiped the water from his eyes with the sleeve of
his denim jacket, and then calmly replacing the hat, glared toward the house
and purposefully resumed his approach.
The doorbell rang
loudly.
“And now, Sam?” Oliver
asked, curious as to their next move.
“I think he deserves
an audience, as he’s made it this far,” she smiled. “At least he had the
courtesy to ring the bell. But don’t make it too easy on him. I want to see
what he’s made of.” And to get some idea of how determined he was about
whatever he needed, she thought. It must be something important for him to be
so resolved.
Samantha Silverstone
had more requests for donations and help each day than she could count. She
couldn’t help them all or she would be bankrupt, and some turned out to be
quite false. Every request was checked out, and nothing got by her
investigative team. She grinned, some team, herself and Oliver! Oliver had come
to work for her when she had first come to the United States; he’d showed up at
her door, briefcase in hand asking for a job. Lips twitching, she remembered
well how his brows had risen perceptibly, when after reviewing his very varied
and accomplished resume and checking his references, she’d offered him the job
as her butler! But it was more, much more than that. He was her personal
bodyguard, her security specialist, her pilot, and her friend. He was old
enough and protective enough to be her father, and acted almost like he was,
without ever quite crossing the line of employer/employee. He was a real
treasure and her right arm.
My Amazon Pages:
