Page 9 of Logan

“A man can get lost out here, sir.” Breathing deeply, Casper added, “And from what I see, a man can find himself, too.”

The two men remained standing for a long moment before Logan lifted his hand. “Welcome to LSI Montana, Casper.”

Almost no emotion had shown on Casper’s face during their entire exchange, but now a breath released from his lungs, and Logan had the feeling he’d just witnessed something profound.

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.”

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