Epilogue
Eagle Rock, Montana
Four months later
Grant stood on the wide wooden porch of White Oak Ranch, staring out at the ladies leaning on the wooden rail of the horse paddock, talking like old friends, laughing and happy. Children played at their feet, chasing a puppy they’d rescued from the shelter days earlier.
Hank Patterson, founder of Brotherhood Protectors, stepped out of the house, carrying three beers. Swede leaned his tall body against the porch rail, a cowboy hat covering his shock of pale blond hair. He turned to accept one of the bottles. Grant took the other and twisted off the cap.
The three men lifted their bottles in a silent salute before they downed a long swallow.
“I’m glad to see Sarah is recovering from her ordeal with her ex-husband,” Hank said.
“She’s bouncing back faster than I expected.” Grant studied Avery’s mother as she smiled and talked with the other women. “She still looks over her shoulder and keeps her head down in public to avoid being seen. At least she isn’t wearing a hat everywhere she goes.”
“Thirty-four years of hiding is hard to shake in a couple of months,” Hank noted. “Thanks for taking the time to meet with me here in Montana. I know you’re busy back in Texas, settling into your home in the Hill Country.”
“It gave us an excuse to avoid some of the noise and dust of the remodel on the fixer-upper we bought in the same neighborhood as Avery’s boss, Paul Fletcher.”
“When’s the big day for the wedding?” Hank asked.
Grant grimaced. “It’s done.”
“What? I thought you were going to have a big shindig to celebrate your getting back together with Avery.”
“That was Bree’s idea.” Grant smiled. “She wanted that for her twin. After their grandfather died a month ago, Avery and I figured a ceremony wasn’t necessary. We marched down to the local justice of the peace, tied the knot and are now happily married for the second time.”
“Was Bree disappointed she didn’t get to plan the whole event?” Hank asked.
“A little.” Grant’s smile broadened. “We told her to save all her ideas for her own wedding. We’d be happy to help her then.”
Hank chuckled. “And how’s that going? Has she met her match since she moved to San Antonio?”
Grant shook his head. “Not yet, but Avery’s sure it’s only a matter of time.”
“Is she adjusting to her new position with the San Antonio Police Department?”
“She is, and she’s glad to be close to her mother and done with Nebraska winters.”
Hank drank more of his beer before he spoke again. “I had ulterior motives for bringing you up here to Montana when you’re settling into life in Texas.”
“I figured as much,” he said. “Are you letting me go from the Brotherhood Protectors? Because if you are, I’ll be fine. I’m sure I can sign on with a local police department or go to work for the feed store as a stock boy.”
Hank’s brow creased. “What are you talking about? I didn’t bring you here to fire you. I brought you here to listen to a proposal.”
It was Grant’s turn to frown. “Proposal?”
A large black SUV pulled into the yard behind the house and parked. Five men then emerged, each dressed in black and wearing sunglasses.
“Ah, perfect timing,” Hank said.
“Were you expecting a visit from the cast of Men in Black?” Grant asked, a little uneasy with the lack of information he had on this proposal.
The men climbed up onto the porch and shook hands with Hank.
“Let’s go to the war room,” Hank said. “We can make introductions there.”
Grant followed Hank into his house to a door on the far side of the great room. He bent to the biometric scanner as it read his retina. A lock clicked, and the door opened.
The men descended into the operational center of the Brotherhood Protectors.
They gathered around the conference table, all taking a seat before Hank began.
“Gentlemen, thank you for coming all the way to Montana for this meeting. We could have conducted it in D.C. or in San Antonio, but I felt more confident of the security we have in place here. Given the current situation in our country’s capital, I felt it best to bring our discussion here.”
Grant leaned his elbows on the table, all ears, his curiosity piqued.
Hank looked around at the men gathered. “Most of you know each other as you’ve worked together in the past.” He nodded toward Swede.
“Axel Svenson is my right-hand man, jack of all trades and our go-to person for anything related to computers, the internet and mining critical data. He’s prior service Navy SEAL, has served with valor and I’d take a bullet for the man. ”
“Back atcha,” Swede said.
Hank turned to Grant. “Grant Hayes is a highly decorated Navy SEAL who worked for the FBI as a profiler for several years and is now working for the Brotherhood Protectors. His combat skills are as impressive as his investigative acumen. You can count on him to have your back in any situation.”
Hank drew in a breath and launched into the next portion of his introduction. “The other men at this table are former members of a secret government organization established by a previous president called Stealth Operations Specialists or SOS.”
The men Grant hadn’t recognized all gave a silent nod.
Hank continued. “They too come with impressive records, to include spec ops deployments, Federal assignments like FBI, CIA, DEA and more. They believe in our country and the constitution but aren’t afraid to bend rules if innocent lives are at stake.
Like the Brotherhood Protectors, they’re loyal, skilled and you can count on them to have your backs.
” He looked to the men at the table. “Did I describe it right?”
The oldest of the men, with a square jaw and short, salt and pepper hair, gave a brief nod. “That’s right.”
Hank dipped his head. “Thank you. And folks, this is Royce Fontaine, the leader of SOS. He’s agreed to stay on as the lead should you decide to join forces with us. Brotherhood Protectors will provide the technical support you need and backup if more resources are required.”
He nodded to the man on his right, who had dark hair and even darker eyes.
“Nicolas St. Claire has been with SOS for two and a half years, having been recruited from service with the FBI.” Moving around the table, Hank waved toward the next man.
“Logan Rourke, aka Rogue, former Delta Force Sniper with a number of high-value targets both in the Army and as a member of SOS.”
Grant read that as assassinations. Okay, he didn’t want to get on the wrong side of that man.
“Don’t worry, you can trust him to have your back,” Royce said, “not shoot you in the back.”
The other men on the SOS team chuckled.
Hank tipped his head toward the next man. “Drake Thornton, aka Draco. One of the NYC Thorntons.”
“The billionaires who own entire blocks in the city?” Grant asked.
Hank nodded. “He walked away from his family’s wealth to forge his own path as a Navy SEAL. I served with him and can vouch for his character.”
Draco nodded without responding.
“Jack ‘Crusher’ Bailey,” Hank nodded toward the man. “Highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat, is known for being silent and lethal.”
The man didn’t bat an eye.
Grant wanted this guy on his side in a barroom fight.
“Last but not least,” Hank said, “is Brett Taggert aka Phantom, prior service, Marine Force Recon. He has been with SOS for a year and a half.”
“Why are you introducing me to this team of SOS agents?” Grant asked.
Hank’s lips pressed together. “With the new administration in place, gutting programs they deem superfluous or that they don’t quite understand, the men of SOS have decided to do what they do best and fade to black.
To disconnect from the federal government and either disband altogether or set up shop as an independent organization. ”
Royce Fontaine nodded.
Hank met his gaze and went on. “When I got wind of their potential disbanding, I realized there’s still a great need for their services.
What I’d like to propose is that they join the Brotherhood Protectors.
Not as a service to be hired out to people who need bodyguards, but to maintain their anonymity and be tasked with secret missions anywhere in this country or around the world. ”
He leaned toward the table and made eye contact with each man one at a time. “What I need from all of you is the green light to make the move happen. You can take a few days to make up your minds.”
“I’m in,” Draco said.
“And me,” Rogue added.
“Count me in,” Crusher said in a deep voice that reverberated through the room.
Phantom nodded. “I’m on board.”
“We have discussed this in depth,” Royce said. “It’s the right thing to do. We don’t want the current administration to weaponize us. We fight for the country, for good, not a politician’s agenda.”
“That’s why I wanted to bring you over, intact.” He turned to Grant.
Grant’s lips twitched. “You all are part of the team already. Are you in agreement to include a new guy in the mix?”
Royce nodded. “Hank speaks highly of you, and your record stands as proof of your dedication to our country and constitution. We’d be honored to have you join SOS.”
“Then I’m in,” Grant said with a grin.
“There are others in SOS who couldn’t be here today,” Hank said. “We’ll extend the offer and bring them on board.”
“When do we start?” Grant asked.
“You can start immediately,” Hank said. “The others will have to untangle themselves from the government payroll by resigning. As soon as that’s done, we’re in business.”
“Will the SOS headquarters remain in D.C.?” Grant asked.
Hank met Royce’s gaze. “No. It’ll operate out of the Texas Hill Country north of San Antonio.”
Grant’s grin broadened. “Perfect.”
“Several of us—me, Nick and Draco— have already resigned. We can help set up our operations center, starting immediately,” Royce said.
“We can iron out details later,” Hank pushed back from the table. “Right now, we need to fire up the grill and celebrate the new beginning of SOS.”
Be sure to preorder SAINT NICK, the first book in the Stealth Operations Specialist Series.
Saint Nick (#1)