Winning the Sandpiper Classic had been great. Winning it on Wildfire had been even better. It was good to be able to give something back to Raintree Farms, and to do it while riding her best friend
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Eliot had woken up in a large, empty banquet hall. He'd been laid out on one of the tables just as if he'd gone to sleep there. He knew good and damn well that he had been in his own bed when he went to sleep, so this was not a pleasant awakening. Although, to be fair, he'd had a lot worse.
He cautiously exited the building, trying to figure out where he was. And why.
When he saw a woman on a horse, he blinked. "Err... hello?"
"I was asleep in Italy when I closed my eyes. Now, I'm here. And I've been all over Italy... this ain't it." He wasn't put off by her tone. He didn't much care for new people, either. Still, he needed information and she was all he had. "Nice horse."
"He's a beauty. Used to help train racehorses in Kentucky... well, a lifetime ago." He stepped forward slowly and held out a hand to Wildfire for examination. "Looks like a real runner."
Wildfire snuffled a bit, then dropped his nose to Elliot's hand.
"Like the wind," she smiled, a twinkle in her eye now that they were talking about wildfire and not her. "We just won the Sandpiper Classic, didn't we, boy? And you were the fastest horse out there."
Eliot stroked the horse's nose gently. It had been a long time since he'd been this close to a horse. Man, he so needed to start making some time for riding. If he ever got home from wherever the hell he was right now.
"Congratulations. As competitive as horse racing is, that's a damn fine accomplishment." He patted Wildfire's flank and smiled. "Congrats, big guy."
"I do ride. It's been a fair few months since I have, but I try to as often as I can." He rubbed down Wildfire's neck, relaxing at the familiar horse feel. "I live in Italy part of the year, when I'm not working. I work on Boston, so that's where I am most of the time."
"I've never been to Boston. Never been much of anywhere, really. Just California. Grew up in the city, but I really like being in the country, at Raintree. What do you do in Boston?"
"I work for a consulting firm. We specialize in helping people who've been hurt or wronged by people who're too rich and powerful for the law to touch." Nate was right. That sounded much better than Hardison's suggested, Ass Kicking For Great Justice. "We were originally based in Los Angeles, but we relocated to Boston a couple years ago. My boss's home town."
It was only illegal if you got caught. His crew never got caught. Well, except that one time, but Nate was drunk and an idiot.
"Every winter. It's really beautiful. Pain to drive in, though." He took a step back and looked up with an apologetic smile. "Much as I'd love to keep chatting with you, I really think we ought'a think about looking around for some clue to where we are. And how we got here. If you've never left California and I was in Italy last night... something weird as hell is going on here."
He cautiously exited the building, trying to figure out where he was. And why.
When he saw a woman on a horse, he blinked. "Err... hello?"
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She'd never seen this man before, that was for sure.
"Who are you?"
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Her tone was a little defensive, as it often was when she was meeting new people. She didn't do that well.
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"This is Wildfire," she said, leaning over to scratch the horse's neck. He flipped his ears a bit, obviously appreciative.
"We've been through a lot together."
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"Like the wind," she smiled, a twinkle in her eye now that they were talking about wildfire and not her. "We just won the Sandpiper Classic, didn't we, boy? And you were the fastest horse out there."
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"Congratulations. As competitive as horse racing is, that's a damn fine accomplishment." He patted Wildfire's flank and smiled. "Congrats, big guy."
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He seemed rather comfortable around horses, after all.
"And what were you doing in Italy?"
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"Is it cold there? Do you get snow?"
Kris had never seen snow, except in the movies.
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"Every winter. It's really beautiful. Pain to drive in, though." He took a step back and looked up with an apologetic smile. "Much as I'd love to keep chatting with you, I really think we ought'a think about looking around for some clue to where we are. And how we got here. If you've never left California and I was in Italy last night... something weird as hell is going on here."
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"Yeah, you're right. Sorry. It looks...I don't know. Abandoned."
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