Prologue
The Wilderness
Eli
Driving along the twisting road, I leaned back in the driver’s seat.I’d never explored the countryside rushing past my windows, but after the pity party I’d been enduring, I was ready for an adventure.Two months had passed since I’d been summarily ejected from the only job I’d been trained for, and after weeks of consuming oblivion, I’d finally responded to an advert for something new.
New?
I snorted at the underestimation.‘New’ was one way of expressing it.
As an ex-assassin, I wasn’t qualified for most roles, but the one thing I did know well was the outdoors.I knew how to function in nature.I couldthrivein it.Being paid by the state to eliminate selected targets had ensured I spent many hours alone in the wilderness.I’d be dropped into an unknown and usually isolated location and expected to get myself in and out without being noticed.Over the years, covert operations had helped me develop quite the unique skill set.
That was why the online ad for a park ranger initially caught my eye.Reasonable pay for a life living in and protecting the woods sounded like it was exactly what I needed.An elongated spell in the fresh air to blow away the professional rejection I’d undergone.It still stung, knowing I’d been pushed out to cover someone else’s backside.The familiar hurt ached in my solar plexus as I steered around the latest bending road, but I was ready to move forward.It was like my old boss, Baron, had told me; sitting around feeling sorry for myself wasn’t my style.
I’d applied for the position and heard back from the organization a week ago.It needed someone to start as soon as possible, and they wanted me to attend an interview.That was why I’d packed what few possessions I owned, hired a car, and found myself touring the backcountry.I didn’t yet have the position, but the opportunity seemed aligned, and I had a good feeling about how the interview would go.Afterward, I’d book a room in a local hotel and wait for the decision.All being well, I could return the car and look forward to spending time living in the forest.
Resting my elbow on the edge of my open window, I sensed the warm rays of the sun on my skin, revitalizing me.While my prior occupation had seen me face-first in the mud, it had rarely allowed me the privilege of enjoying the sunlight.Ops tended to be at night, where the cover of darkness was an ally.It had been too long since I’d got enough vitamin D.
“This job could be just what I need.”Adjusting my sunglasses, I allowed myself to smile.“Fresh air, nature, and autonomy.”
It almost sounded too good to be true.
All I had to do was impress the guy who’d responded to my application by playing up my experiences and playing down the prior role that helped me to acquire them.It was going to be difficult to explain the precise nature of my previous employment.The Official Secrets Actprevented me from disclosing the details, but if I kept my information sketchy, I hoped he’d be impressed.Athletic, knowledgeable, and full of initiative, I reasoned I was just the kind of guy the place was looking for.
“In 500 yards, take the next left.”
The voice of the car’s satellite navigation system snapped me back to the present, and easing off from the accelerator, I prepared for the exit.
I was surprised at how much apprehension lurked as I approached the first set of wooden lodges.After so long in such a high-octane and stressful career, an interview for park ranger shouldn’t have been so challenging, but pulling into a parking space and cutting the engine, I was forced to accept that when the court-martial had dismissed me, they’d taken a chunk of my confidence.
Applying the parking brake, that thought settled over me.Eli Rosen was frightened of a little discussion about a potential job—what was the world coming to?
“I’ve got this.”Staring at my face in the rear-view mirror, I assessed the lines evident around my brow.“I might not be as young as I used to be, but I can do this job with my eyes closed.It might just be the making of me.”
Buoyed, I unfastened my safety belt and tugged my collar straight.As I climbed from the vehicle, the final words of advice Baron had offered on that fateful day I’d been pushed out floated back into my mind.
“Chin up,”he told me.“You’ll think of something.You always do.”
Locking the car door, my lips curled.I hadn’t spoken to Baron much since then—he was still embroiled in the politics of the day job and I’d been licking my wounds—but I sensed his faith in me was well-founded.
I had thought of something, and whatever happened with the interview, I liked the idea of working outside and staying close to nature.Trees and animals were a lot easier to deal with than most people, and given time, I suspected I could do my part to protect their ever-decreasing habitat.
“I’ve got this,” I repeated as I turned toward the small office.
I’d smash the interview, get the job, and spend my days looking after the trees.
It was all going to be okay.
Chapter One
The Thick of It
Present Day
Eli
Watching Baron slip out into the dark corridor ahead of me, the sound of my racing heart boomed in my ears.It was as though all other noise had been sucked into an airless vacuum, and all that was left was the relentless rapping of the organ keeping me alive.
