Page 42 of Home for Justice
Cory snagged a yellow one and held it up. “You’re stuck with me,” he said, tossing Tyler a matching shirt. Tyler caught it, chuckling under his breath.
The two teams started off in different directions, each taking a separate trail that would wind around and converge at the top. Tyler fell in step with Cory, Sadie, Casper, Todd, and Frazier. Their pace was comfortable at first, enough to chat as they moved. Cory gave a running commentary, informal but informative.
“You’ll meet Bert at the summit,” he said, nodding ahead. “He’s the compound manager. Keeps the place running like clockwork. Mary runs the inside comms, logistics, and coordination. If Bert’s the engine, she’s the wiring.”
The terrain gradually shifted from a soft incline to sharp gravel switchbacks. Conversation dropped off as breathing picked up. Tyler welcomed the silence. It was the kind of quiet work that didn’t need to be explained—just legs pumping and lungs burning as their eyes scanned the trail.
His body remembered this. The discipline. The push. The way his muscles argued with him, and he shut them up with grit. He hadn’t been out of the Army long enough to lose the edge, but being an instructor, he hadn’t been forced on long runs in a while.
Around the forty-minute mark, the trail curved tighter, and the trees began to thin. Sunlight filtered through, bathing the mountain ridge in a soft gold. Tyler glanced at Cory, who smirked and shouted, “We’re almost there!”
Tyler raised an eyebrow. “And the other team?”
“East trail. Rougher at the end, but a longer warm-up. If they beat us, it’ll be barely.”
As if on cue, they heard distant laughter and cheers echoing off the rocks above. They pushed harder, rounding a final outcropping, and there they were. The other team, cresting from the opposite side, led by Sisco, muscled and grinning like he’d just stolen something.
Ahead, Frazier let out a holler and surged forward, barreling toward a flagpole staked into the mountaintop. From the other direction, Sisco did the same. They collided at the pole in a chaotic, laughing tangle, arms grappling over the red flag fluttering in the breeze.
Both emerged holding it above their heads in mock victory.
“Looks like everybody’s buying their own beer,” said a broad, thickly built man with a buzzed head and a grin as wide as the sky. He passed out water bottles, handing one to Tyler last.
“I’m Bert,” the man said, gripping Tyler’s hand in a firm shake. “Good to have you with us this morning.”
Tyler nodded, grateful but grounded. “Good to be here.”
He caught the wording—this morning—and understood the implication. He hadn’t been offered a position yet and wasn’t officially one of them. But he’d been here long enough to know that trust wasn’t given on promises. It had to be earned, and he respected the hell out of that.
As he stood among the group, breathing heavily, a water bottle in hand, laughter echoing over the mountain ridge, he soaked it in and smiled at the camaraderie, the mutual respect, and the sense of purpose. He wanted this.
Whatever Logan decided, Tyler knew one thing with absolute clarity… he was ready to be a Keeper. Once they made their way back to the compound, the others peeled off toward the low-slung, concrete building that blended into the Montana landscape, its modest exterior belying the weight of the work conducted within. Logan veered in another direction, leading Tyler toward the smaller structure he’d been in before.
The second Tyler stepped inside, a strange flutter of nerves stirred in his gut. It was a sensation he hadn’t felt in years… wanting something that wasn’t guaranteed.
Logan didn’t bother with ceremony. Instead of taking the chair behind the desk, he pulled the other one around, turned it to face Tyler, and sat with the kind of casual authority that didn’t need to be announced. “I know you’ve had a lot to think about,” he began, his voice steady and unreadable.
Tyler met his gaze and nodded once. “I have.”
“Where do you see your future?”
That question hit harder than he expected. For a beat, he let the silence settle. Then he leaned forward, forearms resting on his thighs, the ache of the past few weeks pressing down on his shoulders.
“While I was born and raised in Colorado, there’s nothing left for me there. My parents died when I was still in the Army. I didn’t want to keep pushing paper or riding out the clock at a sniper instructor post, so I retired.” He exhaled. “When I got the call about Gramps, I thought I was coming to take care of him. Thought I’d have time to figure things out while he kept living his life. But he was gone right after I got here.” His voice dipped, tight with the grief that still caught him off guard. “Now… I look at his place, the memories tied to it, and for the first time in a long time, I feel like I’m standing on ground that could be mine. Montana feels like home.”
Logan nodded slowly, his gaze never leaving Tyler’s. “I told you before, not everyone who wears a uniform is cut out to be a Keeper. Some are in it for the adrenaline. Others chase the ghost of their past accolades, trying to be something they already were.”
Tyler let out a dry chuckle, shaking his head. “I’ve spent years being the guy who never needed praise. I did my job. Kept my team safe. That was enough then. It’s still enough now.”
Logan’s mouth tugged into a hint of a grin. “Good to hear. What questions do you have about LSI Montana?”
“I know I won’t be behind a scope anymore.” A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. “But you mentioned security installs, running high-risk missions, and handling contract investigations for the government.”
“That’s right.”
“I’d have a lot to learn. To be completely honest, I’ve never worked on investigations before, but I’d bring everything I have to the job. I’m a team player. I don’t shy away from hard work. And I wouldn’t turn down any mission you handed me.”
Logan leaned forward and held out his hand. “How would you like to see more of the compound?”
