Black Hills

go back to New York and say I’ve fed a lion. I can dine out on that for a long time.”
    “Then you’re on. I’ll walk you through that, then you can walk us through the system.” She turned back toward the habitat. “Even though I saw the design, I was afraid it was going to look intrusive, high-techy, and well, institutional. It doesn’t. Everything’s nicely camouflaged. It doesn’t intrude.”
    “Aesthetics count, but so does efficiency. I think you’re going to find we delivered both.”
    “I already do. Let me take you to the commissary.”
     
     
     
    AFTER FEEDING, AFTER closing, Lil worked through the controls of the security system, under Brad’s tutelage. For the late staff meeting, she’d broken out the beer, provided a bucket of chicken and some sides. It might’ve been serious business, but there was no reason her people shouldn’t enjoy it.
    There’d been enough stress.
    She went through sectors, then elements, switching on lights, alarms, locks, cutting them again, varying the camera view on the monitor.
    “Aced it,” Brad told her. “Not as fast as Lucius. He still holds the record.”
    “Geek,” Tansy accused.
    “And proud of it. Split screen, Lil, four views.” Lucius bit into a drumstick, pushed his glasses back up his nose. “Let’s see what you’re made of.”
    “You think I can’t do it?”
    “I’ve got a buck says you can’t first time out.”
    “I’ve got two she can,” Tansy countered.
    Lil rubbed her hands together, and quickly ran over the codes and sequence in her head. When four images appeared on-screen, she took a bow.
    “Luck. I’ll put five down Mary can’t run the sequence.”
    Mary only sighed at Lucius. “I’d bet against me. Key cards, security codes. Next thing it’ll be retinal scans.” But she stepped up gamely. Inside thirty seconds, she had the alarms shrilling. “Damn it!”
    “Thank God.” Matt swiped a hand over his forehead. “That takes the pressure off me.”
    As Brad walked a frustrated Mary back through the drill, Lil eased over to Tansy. “You’ve got it. You can cut out any time.”
    “I want to run through it one more time. Besides”—she held up her paper plate—“potato salad. I’m not in a rush. What?” she said when Lil frowned at her.
    “Nothing. Sorry. I was thinking of something else.” Which would be the ring burning a hole in Farley’s pocket. “You know, it’s going to be quiet around here tonight. No guard duty.”
    “Well.” Tansy wiggled her eyebrows when Coop came in. “In a manner of speaking. Maybe you should break out the sexy lingerie and give it one more wear.”
    Lil gave her an elbow bump. “Quiet.”
    She muffled a laugh as Mary managed to shut down the monitor. “It’s going to be a while.”
    “If he could put the security on a spreadsheet, she’d kick ass.”
    “Meanwhile . . .” Lil eased a hip onto Lucius’s desk, and nursed her beer.
    It was full dark, with the three-quarter moon on the rise, when she saw off the last of her staff. She hoped they all managed the key card on the gate in the morning, but for now, she wanted a quick pass at some of the work she’d had to neglect during the day.
    “I’ll be by tomorrow,” Brad told her. He lingered on the porch while Coop sat on the rail. “Work with Mary a little more, and make sure we don’t have any glitches.”
    “I appreciate all you’ve done.” She looked out toward the habitats, the streams of lights, the red blink of motion detectors. “It’s a relief to know the animals are secure.”
    “You’ve got the local number if you have any problems. And you’ve got mine.”
    “I hope you’ll come back, even if there aren’t any problems.”
    “You can count on it.”
    “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
    She went to her own cabin. Considering the time, she opted to make a pot of tea to get her through the hour or so of work she hoped to put in.
    In the kitchen, on her rugged table, stood a vase of painted daisies. Pretty as a rainbow.
    “Damn it.”
    Was she weak, was she simple, for going a little gooey inside? But really, was there any more direct hit than flowers on a woman’s table put there by a man?
    Just enjoy them, she ordered herself, as she put the kettle on. Just accept them for what they are. A nice gesture.
    She made the tea, got a couple of cookies from her stash, then sat at the table with her laptop and the flowers.
    She brought up her refuge e-mail first, as always amused by the letters