Page 32 of Home for Justice
Logan nodded and moved behind a simple desk. The office was compact, but every detail was sharp. Comfortable chairs. No clutter. A wall-mounted monitor, a filing cabinet, and framed photos that hinted at the years it took to build this place.
Tyler took a seat facing him, his spine straight, his breathing even. The room had the quiet tension of a briefing tent. In truth, it made him feel right at home.
He wasn’t nervous. This wasn’t a job interview in a suit with a stranger behind a massive desk purchased for show. This was something that pulsed with practicality and efficiency. And for the first time since stepping off the plane back in Montana, he realized he wanted something. Not just to exist, but to belong.
“For full disclosure,” Logan began, folding his hands over the desk, “Cory came to me after seeing you the other day. Told me you might be settling in the area. He said if that was the case, you’d make an excellent Keeper. Based on that, I ran a preliminary background check.”
Tyler raised a brow. “Keeper?”
Logan’s lips twitched into a smile, one that hinted at pride and history. “The original Lighthouse Security Investigations is based in Maine. Founded by a friend, a former Army Special Forces and CIA operations officer. When he left government work, he wanted to recreate the kind of team you only get whentrust is earned in fire. He owned a decommissioned lighthouse and turned it into his headquarters. The name just made sense. Lighthouse Security Investigations.”
Logan leaned back in his chair, his voice even but resonant. “Just like the old lighthouse keepers guided ships through storms, the idea behind LSI is guiding people to safety. That’s where the name ‘Keepers’ came from.”
Tyler’s interest sharpened, drawn not just to the practical aspects but also to the symbolism of the mission behind it. He nodded slowly. Guiding people to safety. There was something about that that stuck.
“There’s a California division too,” Logan continued. “LSI West Coast. Another guy he’d served with. Wanted to build the same thing. He’s got a solid team out there.”
Tyler couldn’t help himself. “Let me guess… near a lighthouse?”
Logan grinned. “Right again. I know what you’re about to ask. What about Montana?”
Tyler glanced out the window, his eyes drawn to the wide-open sky, the jagged horizon of mountains that had framed so many of his childhood memories. A faint smile lifted the corner of his mouth. “Well… not a lighthouse, exactly. But my grandfather used to talk about the old light towers out here. Decommissioned now, but they served the same purpose. Guiding someone safely across the mountains in the dark.”
Logan’s laughter cracked across the room, full and genuine. “You’re the first person to ever guess that correctly.”
Tyler chuckled, heat creeping into his chest. He knew that wasn’t a job offer, but it was a connection. Mutual understanding. And maybe, just maybe, a foot in the door.
“The mission’s the same,” Logan continued. “We do high-end security installations. Estates. Compounds. Safehouses. Some of our clients are well-known, while others are quiet yet powerful.They don’t want their names out there, and we make sure it stays that way.”
He leaned forward slightly, eyes focused. “But part of the LSI code has always been to give back. The original team in Maine started some pro bono work for people who needed protection but couldn’t afford it. We’ve done the same. Sometimes it’s installing cameras in a domestic abuse survivor’s house. Sometimes it’s monitoring a property when law enforcement’s hands are tied. We make room for that kind of work.”
Tyler listened, his respect deepening. His gut told him this was the kind of team where purpose still mattered. Where mission came before ego.
“As for investigations,” Logan continued, “we’re sometimes contacted by the FBI. Not officially, of course. But when they need eyes and ears that don’t have to follow their red tape, they bring us in. Any intel we find, we hand over. No credit. No press releases. That’s not what we’re here for.”
Tyler nodded slowly. “I get that. I never took any mission looking for glory, and I wouldn’t expect that now.”
Their eyes met across the desk, something steady passing between them. It was the mutual recognition of men who had seen enough, done enough, and were still standing because they hadn’t chased the spotlight. They had chased the outcome.
Logan didn’t speak right away. He just gave a slight, approving nod, as if Tyler had passed a test without knowing he was taking one. “I know you’ve had a change with leaving the Army at the same time your grandfather passed. Take your time to decide what you’d like to do, but if you’re interested, give me a call.”
Tyler stood as Logan did, and they shook hands. “I can already tell you that I’m interested. I need to attend to a few matters at home and ensure that the attorney has transferred allof Gramps’s estate into my name. Give me a week or so, and I’ll be ready to meet with you again.”
Logan clapped him on the back, a broad smile on his face. “Sounds good. I look forward to it.”
Outside, the Montana wind stirred the trees, brushing against the windows. The quiet inside the small office wasn’t awkward but felt earned. And for the first time in a long while, Tyler didn’t feel like a soldier out of place. He felt like a man exactly where he was supposed to be.
15
Justice pulled into the driveway and angled the SUV as close to the front steps as she could manage. The early afternoon sun slanted through the trees, casting golden light over the yard, dappling the porch railings and the now dormant flower beds she’d planted back in the spring. The house looked peaceful, familiar… safe. Just the way she wanted it to feel.
She turned off the ignition and looked toward the passenger seat, where her father sat in his gray sweatpants and another Go Army sweatshirt, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“Glad to be home?” she asked, her voice a mix of relief and quiet joy.
“Absolutely,” he said, his gaze sweeping the front of the house like he was seeing it for the first time in a long while. “Looks better than I remember. Amazing how much you appreciate a place after being away.”
She grinned. “You look good, but I don’t want you to overdo it.”
