Black Hills

enclosure, yes.”
    “That would be a little trouble, all right. Maybe you could walk me around, give me a feel for the place. And what you have in mind.”
    He asked questions, made notes on a PDA, and showed no particular nerves when he walked up to the enclosures to study the doors, the locks.
    “That’s a big boy there,” he said when Boris rolled over to stretch in front of his den.
    “Yes. All four hundred and eighty-six pounds of him.”
    “It took a lot of balls or stupidity to open that cage, middle of the night, gamble that big boy’s going to go after the bait and not the live meal.”
    “It would, but the fresh kill would be more appealing. Boris was trapped, illegally from what I can dig up, when he was around a year old. He’s been in captivity ever since, and he’s used to the scent of human. He’s fed in the evening, to continue to stimulate the hunt by night instincts, but he’s used to being fed.”
    “And he didn’t go far.”
    “No, fortunately. He followed the blood trail to the bait and settled in for his unexpected predawn snack.”
    “Takes some balls to come out here and shoot a mickey into him.”
    “Necessity is often the mother of balls, so to speak.”
    He smiled, stepped back. “I don’t mind saying I’m glad he’s in there and I’m out here. So that’s four gates, including the one for public access during operating hours. And a lot of open land.”
    “I can’t fence off the entire property. Even if I could, it would be a logistical nightmare. There are trails running through the hills that cross this land, my father’s, others’. We’re posted private around the perimeter, and the gates tend to stop people. My priority is securing the compound, the habitats. I need to keep my animals safe, Mr. Dromburg, and keep everyone safe from my animals.”
    “That’s Brad. I’ve got some ideas on that, and I’m going to work something up. One of the things I’m going to recommend are motion sensors set outside the enclosures. Far enough that the animals won’t set them off, but anyone approaching the enclosure would.”
    She felt her budget wince in pain. “How many would I need?”
    “I’ll figure that for you. You want more lights. Sensor goes off, alarm kicks on, lights flood this place. An intruder’s going to think twice about trying for a cage at that point. Then there’s the locks themselves, and that goes for your gates as well as your cages. Interesting situation,” he added. “Challenging.”
    “And—sorry I have to be crass here—expensive.”
    “I’m going to work out two or three systems I think would work for you, and I’ll give you an estimate on each. It’ll be a chunk of change, I won’t lie to you, but getting it at cost’s going to save you some serious moolah.”
    “At cost? I’m confused.”
    “It’s for Coop.”
    “No, it’s for me.”
    “Coop made the call. He wants this place wired up, we wire it up. At cost.”
    “Brad, this place runs on donations, funding, charity, generosity. I’m not going to turn yours down, but why would you do all this and not make a profit?”
    “I wouldn’t have a business if it wasn’t for Coop. He calls, it’s cost. And speak of the devil.” Brad’s face lit up as Coop started down the path toward them.
    They didn’t shake hands. Instead they greeted each other with the one-armed, backslapping hug men favored. “I wanted to be here sooner, but I got hung up. How was the flight?”
    “It’s a long one. Jesus, Coop, it’s good to see you.”
    “And I have to give you a job before you come out. Have you been around?”
    “Yeah, your lady gave me the tour.”
    Lil opened her mouth, then shut it. No point in breaking up the reunion by pointing out she wasn’t Coop’s “lady.”
    “You’ll have to excuse me. It’s feeding time.”
    “Seriously?” Brad asked.
    He looked like a kid, she thought, who’d just been shown the biggest cookie in the jar. “Why don’t I get you both a beer, and you can watch the show?”
    Brad rocked on his heels as Lil walked away. “She’s sexier than her picture.”
    “It was an old picture.”
    “Seeing her in the flesh, I’d say the chances of you coming back to New York are slim to none.”
    “They started out slim to none, and she wasn’t why I moved here.”
    “Maybe not, but I haven’t seen many better reasons to stay.” Brad looked over the habitats, up to the hills. “Hell of a long way from New York.”
    “How long can