Chapter 6
6
SIX MONTHS AGO
Logan’s radio sounded, and Dalton said, “There’s a man on a motorcycle at the gate. Cory Brighton. Said he’d like to talk to you.”
Logan didn’t recognize the name and hadn’t set up any more interviews recently, but he wasn’t so aloof that he wouldn’t talk to someone. “Send him on through with an escort. I’ll meet him at the office.”
“Roger that.”
Logan reached the office just as a motorcycle roared up the lane behind Timothy’s SUV. As soon as the motorcycle came to a stop, Logan watched as a tall man kicked down the stand and pulled off his helmet, hanging it on the handlebars. The dark-haired man waved toward Timothy and then walked toward Logan with his hand extended. “Mr. Bishop? I’m Cory Brighton. It’s an honor to meet you.”
The handshake was firm, and Logan escorted him into the office, inclining his head toward a chair before sitting behind his desk. It still felt odd to be behind a desk when talking to others, but he knew it was expected for the business aspect of LSI. “Mr. Brighton , what can I do for you?”
“We have a mutual friend… Donald Markham.”
At that, Logan had to force his expression to stay the same. Donald Markham belonged to a branch of the Department of Homeland Security that few knew about. Donald would occasionally task Logan with a special assignment—always for Logan to act alone and usually for a target that needed to be eliminated. Remaining silent, he waited.
“I fully expect you to check my claim. But, for now, let’s just say that I served two tours with the Rangers, then was recruited for CIA special ops. I separated from them after an assignment went fubar, and I didn’t receive the support I needed. Mr. Markham first contacted me then, and I agreed to work on occasional assignments at his behest. I take it that you’re familiar with those assignments.”
Logan neither confirmed nor denied, and Cory simply nodded his understanding. “I wanted something different. I’d heard of LSI, but it wasn’t until Mr. Markham suggested I interview for your group that I felt ready.”
“I don’t usually take drop-in interviews, Cory. A vetting process has to occur with referrals, recommendations, and experience. And then I have a video interview to see if you understand what is required, expected, and demanded. Only then do I grant a face-to-face interview.”
Cory nodded, but his lips quirked upward slightly. “Then I guess we’re just doing things backward, sir.”
Logan held the man’s gaze for a long moment, but Cory’s confidence never wavered. He couldn’t define it as cocky, but something in Cory’s demeanor made Logan feel that what he was looking at was exactly what Cory was. Logan pulled his secure phone from his pocket and dialed Donald Markham’s direct line.
“Preacher, what the fuck are you calling me for? I thought you were busy setting up your own shop.”
“Got a man in front of me. Says he knows you.” Logan held the phone up and snapped Cory’s picture, then hit send.
“Hells bells, he took my advice,” Donald said. “That’s Cory Brighton. Former Ranger. Former CIA. And it looks like if he’s in your office, he’ll be a former employee of mine. But if you hire him, then I know I have two of the best to call upon when I need something from LSI.”
“Is that your recommendation?” Logan never took his eyes off Cory while talking privately to Donald. And it didn’t pass his notice that Cory’s cool demeanor never changed. He didn’t look bored, but he sure as hell didn’t look worried.
Donald softened his voice. “Cory reminds me a lot of you, Preacher. Always reliable. Always professional. After military service, he worked alone, but I know he’d work well for you. Personally, I think he misses the team atmosphere more than he admits.”
“Strengths?”
“Sniper. You need someone with aim, accuracy, and experience, you can’t get a better marksman than Cory. He’ll be your weapons expert.”
“Final thoughts?”
Donald sighed. “Preacher, you’re pulling together a whole new crew, which I know hasn’t been in your experience. But from what I gather, you’ll have a helluva team. And Cory Brighton will only make it stronger.” Before Logan had a chance to say anything, Donald added, “You like things planned out… no surprises. But my guess is that one day, you’ll be surprised as hell to find out that there’s more to life than just having every day planned.”
Logan snorted his response. “Yeah, like what?”
“Figure you’d find someone special to share that lonely life with. Now? I just hope you find someone special to knock you on your ass.”
“I don’t see that happening. Anyway, thanks for the info.” After goodbyes, Logan disconnected the call, still never taking his eyes off Cory. Pulling in his bottom lip, he pondered the man in front of him and the words of recommendation given by a man he trusted. Finally, nodding slowly, he said, “We still need to go through some of the hiring steps I mentioned above, but you’ve just made it past the first hurdles toward becoming a Keeper.”
At that, Cory grinned while nodding. Leaning forward to shake hands again, he said, “Looking forward to serving with you, sir.”
Two months ago
Logan’s lips quirked upward as he walked out onto his porch. “It’s good to see you again, Landon.”
He eschewed the handshake and offered a back-slapping man-hug to Landon Sommers, an FBI agent he’d met and worked with when he’d flown assistance for one of Carson’s missions. At the time, Landon had talked to Logan, expressing his interest in leaving the FBI and desiring to pursue a career without the constraints of the bureau.
Landon had made a trip out to Montana the previous year. The two of them spent time sipping whiskey while talking about the plans Logan was bringing to life. He’d told Landon then that he’d gotten used to being a loner, but the idea of leading a team again finally took hold, and making LSIMT functional was now his goal.
Landon confessed that as much as he enjoyed the camaraderie he experienced with Carson’s California Keepers, he felt he needed to start over somewhere new. He also talked of his pre-FBI career. Landon had been in the Air Force and then recruited for CIA special ops. After a couple of years of that, he’d come back home to a steadier job while helping elderly parents. Now, with them gone, he was looking to move into something else that gave him more freedom.
When Logan first met Landon, he didn’t think the button-up, suit-wearing FBI agent would settle easily in the wilds of Montana. But the more trips Landon made out, the more rugged he became until the straitlaced man was now in the background. A close bond formed as soon as Logan had seen how easily Landon also slid into a friendship with Sisco and Devil.
Logan offered Landon a job, and for the past few months, Landon had spent time with Carson’s best security system designer-installer team, Fred and Tricia Poole, learning everything he could about security systems designs. Logan didn’t fence in his entire acreage, but he’d fenced around the house, bunker, compound, and hangars. He used contractors that Mace and Carson vetted, but his Keepers, not willing to sit around, jumped in and provided much of the labor.
Poole and Tricia came to Montana to assist with the security installations on the perimeter of the fenced-in area, set up security around the entire acreage, and teach the other new Keepers about security systems.
Logan was reminded daily that when Mace and Carson wanted to partner with him, he truly benefited from the partnership.
“I’m fuckin’ glad to be here.” He jerked his head toward the bunkhouse. “It looks like more trucks and SUVs are here. Is everyone settling in?”
Logan had involved Landon in the decisions for hiring, valuing the other man’s insight. “Everyone is here full-time. Some are in the bunkhouse, and some are renting in town.”
“What do the locals think?”
“It’s no secret that I’ve started a security company and been building on my land. They don’t care as long as money comes their way. The town will welcome the newcomers, especially since only one bar gets our business.” Clapping Landon on the back, he said, “How about we head down where the others are?”
Logan led the way through the house to a hall along the side.
“The house looks good. Fuckin’ huge.”
“I have no idea why I agreed to build it so large. It was Mace and Carson’s idea, and I was eager for their input at the time.”
Landon laughed. “You know, now that they have wives and most of their employees are married, that’s where their minds go. They think everyone will find someone and need a fuckin’ huge house for kids.”
Logan shook his head. “’Fraid that’s not what’ll happen here. If some of my Keepers get married, that’s fine, but it’s not for me. I’ve been alone too long. I can’t even imagine sharing my space with someone.”
“I wouldn’t mind it,” Landon confessed, “but that’s not been in the plans for me.”
Logan stopped at a door where he flipped open a panel, entered a key code, then placed his hand on the fingerprint scanner. The door swung open, and as the two entered another hall, the door closed behind them. This hall led to stairs but had an elevator there as well.
Descending the stairs, they stopped outside another keypad and retina scanner.
“The outside entrance is secured?”
“Yes, and also one at the back that leads into a passage through the hills. We don’t anticipate needing it, but the entrances give us access to outlets in case we do.”
Through the next door, they entered the cavernous basement that extended beyond the foundation of the house and into the hill beyond.
“Fuck, Logan. Down here, I could easily imagine that I’m back at LSIWC.”
“I took all the assistance from Mace and Carson that I could get. We incorporated everything that worked for them here. And the things they learned they’d wished were different, I made sure to add them at the beginning. Our munitions and equipment rooms are here, but the gym is in a separate building just off to the south.”
They walked into the most significant room that housed all the computer equipment, large screens, and tables where the Keepers sat with their laptops in front of them.
The others had met Landon in person at one time or another, and they all stood to greet him before taking their seats again and looked at Logan. His gaze swept the group. Landon, Frazier, Dalton, Cole, Casper, Cory, Todd, Timothy, Sadie, Sisco, and Devil. Once seated, Logan was filled with a mixture of pride, awe, and a few emotions he’d rather not admit to—a trickle of fear of failure raced down his spine.
He was also struck with the realization that the success of this endeavor rested on all of them. So far, they’d worked well together, but they were untried. They had several small contracts and security assignments, and he could tell they were anxious to get started.
Glancing over at Bert, he grinned. “Everything ready?”
“You got it, boss.”
“Good.” Looking around, he said, “I had you bring PT clothes today. Everyone meet outside in ten minutes. We’ve got some team building planned and a bit of a workout.”
Once everyone was gathered, he pointed at a trail leading into the hills at the mountain base and said, “Three groups of four. Divide up and give the group in front a five-minute lead. Go until you come to the place marked by Bert. Starting now.”
He and Landon held back, and he watched with interest how the ten others quickly formed teams with no sense of egos or deliberation. He liked that they had naturally formed bonds with each of the other members. Sadie was the only female so far, but he intended to add more as soon as he could. She fell into step with the first group, and none of the other three seemed to mind. Casper and Cory held back, joining him and Landon.
The run lasted almost forty minutes, and he had to admit he was sucking air when his group arrived. Bert had energy bars and water at the area where the trail came to a wide space before the climb into the mountains became steeper. They all sat and caught their breaths, with good-natured joking going back and forth between each Keeper.
From that spot, the tall tower at the top of one of the mountain peaks was clearly visible. Logan moved to stand in front of the group, gaining everyone’s attention. Jerking his head upward toward the light tower, he began. “Historically, beacon fires were lit on hills, both for signaling over land and for sea navigation. The term pyres came from ancient Greeks. The Chinese used a sophisticated system of beacon towers on the Great Wall. By the tenth century, hill forts were used throughout Europe as part of beacon networks. In the nineteen hundreds, aerial lighthouses were established to guide aircraft with lighted beacons. Some are made of metal, and others are concrete.”
He noted that all Keepers’ eyes were on the tower above them, then turned to him as he paused. “Today, most of the beacons in the United States have been decommissioned or removed since aircraft have navigational systems. Except for in Montana. This was the last state to maintain aerial towers as lighthouse beacons to assist aircraft in navigation over the mountainous terrain. But as of a few years ago, only six are now part of the National Register of Historic Places.”
He chuckled. “You’re probably wondering why the fuck I had you run all the way up here just to give you a historical lesson on mountain light towers. It’s because of who you now are. You don’t just have employment with Lighthouse Security Investigations Montana. You are part of an elite group known as the Keepers. That name came from Mace Hanover. He once told me of how his grandfather talked of the lighthouse keepers of old who guided others to safety and often faced peril when they rescued those in need. It was a mantra… a calling to him. And it is still true today. The lighthouse tattoo each of you now has on your arm isn’t just a testament to who you work for. It’s a testament to who you are and what we can accomplish.”
Everyone took to their feet, eyes sharp and fierce expressions of determination on their faces.
“So if you’re ready, head back down to the compound. And let’s get to work.”