Chapter One
Grant “Church” Upchurch knew a setup when he saw one.
Six special operatives sitting around a table pretending this was a routine meeting meant someone was about to drop a problem on the table. And judging by the looks on their faces, it wasn’t going to be small.
What that problem could be was anyone’s guess since the Black Heart Tactical Training Facility wasn’t fully up and running yet. The first wave of military trainees wasn’t scheduled to arrive for another month, and that date kept getting pushed back due to government red tape.
Soon the mountains surrounding the property would be crawling with operators pushing through navigation courses, drills and endurance runs designed to break them.
For now, the facility belonged to the men sitting around the long conference table.
Church leaned back in his chair and took in the room again. The space designated for conferences had been built with the same rugged design as everything else on the ranch. Heavy timber beams arched overhead. A wall of monitors sat dark, while sunlight streamed through the massive window spanning the far wall.
But that was where the lightness ended. The Malone brothers and the rest of the Black Heart Security team circled the table, the air tense from whatever they weren’t saying. Church didn’t know why they’d called the meeting, but whilethey worked out how to drop the impending bomb, his gaze wandered back to the window.
The Wyoming mountains sprawled for miles, rugged and brutal. Pine forests and rocky outcroppings made for unforgiving terrain. In a few weeks, they’d turn those mountains into a place military trainees would prove themselves.
And if Church had anything to say about it, those men wouldn’t leave the same.
They’d be stronger…or they’d break.
Letting his view of the mountains blur, he swung his attention back to the group. Theo Malone leaned forward, forearms planted on the new wood table. Every one of the men wore the same expression, which told Church that his instincts were right. This meeting wasn’t about the training facility.
Theo cleared his throat with a grating noise. “All right. Let’s get to it.”
Church settled his stare on him. “You’ve definitely drawn things out long enough.”
That earned him a few chuckles, and the room seemed to exhale the breath it had been holding.
Theo shot him a crooked grin. “Black Heart Security’s got a problem.”
He eyed him. That wasn’t what he expected to hear. He’d been waiting for news that the government would be screwing around for another six months, which meant Church and Gabe Thorne, who’d been placed in charge of the Black Heart Tactical Training Facility, would be twiddling their thumbs until further notice.
“How bad’s the problem?” he asked.
“Not the worst.” Denver Malone had as much stake in this place as Theo since they landed the government contract.“Security jobs keep rolling in. Personal protection, site security, corporate contracts. It seems our name carries some weight.”
Church raised a brow. “Sounds like a good thing.”
Colt Malone shifted in his seat. “It would be. If we had enough men to cover it all.”
Theo tapped a finger on the tabletop. “Right now we’re stretched thin. Real thin. We’re bouncing from one assignment to the next without a breather. And the calls keep coming. Willow’s in the same boat as we are. She’s so busy on the ranch and with horse therapy too, she’s talking about hiring someone to man the security office full-time.”
The youngest Malone juggled a lot from what Church had seen, from family to providing equine therapy for the veterans on the Black Heart Therapy Ranch. The woman was a machine, and if she was declaring that the workload was becoming too much, it must be.
Colt nodded. “We’re turning work away.”
No one liked losing contracts, but more than that, they were all trained to protect. Turning people away went against everything they stood for.
“So,” Theo continued, fixing his attention on Church, “we’ve been looking for solutions.”
He added his own. “I’d suggest that each of you compile a list of potential candidates to fill the positions. Other agencies, ex-military buddies.”
Theo kept eyeing him in a way that put Church’s senses on alert. He didn’t like where this was heading.
“We figured a solution’s sitting right here.”
Grant narrowed his eyes slightly. “And what solution would that be?”
