Chapter 1
Ian "Hawkeye"Elliott stood from the rocking chair on his front porch as his boss, Hank Patterson, came up the steps of his cabin facing the Crazy Mountains in Eagle Rock, Montana.
Hank motioned him back. "No need to stand up. We're casual here."
Ian sat, setting the rocker in motion. "Old habits die hard for me." He said.
Hank smiled. "Totally understood. You were in the military for a while. Like all of us. Takes a bit of getting used to out here in the civilian world again." Sitting in the other rocker on the porch, he motioned toward the mountains in the distance. "Pretty view you've got here."
"Yes." Ian responded, wondering what brought the boss out to his cabin on the edge of town. The view of the snow-capped mountains in the distance with pasture land dotted with horses and cattle between was truly beautiful; but he doubted that was the reason Hank had dropped in. The view from Hank's home was even better.
"Bit different from the view back in Mississippi." Hank observed, as though reading his mind.
Ian's muscles tightened, but he kept his expression, and his voice, casual. "Sure is. You don't see mountains in the distance there. Although, you do often see open pasture land."
Hank rocked in silence while Ian's tension ratcheted up.
At last Hank said, "When was the last time you visited there?"
"Not since high school graduation." Ian said.
"That's a long time to not go home." Hank gave him an appraising look. "You still have family there. Right?"
"My daddy's gone, but my mama still lives there. She always preferred to visit me where ever I was stationed when I was in the Navy. It was a treat for her to travel." Ian answered, not willing to admit that the girl he'd left behind was the reason he never went back.
Hank looked as though he might be having a bit of trouble swallowing that explanation. "I have a special mission. One that you are the only person who can handle."
Ian's curiosity peaked against his will. Hank let him stew a bit. Rocking in silence, looking out across the open land. Ian followed his gaze. He'd come to love this place in year he'd been here. He wasn't sure he wanted to go back to Mercy, Mississippi. Even for a short mission. Even for Hank and the Brotherhood Protectors.
Hank went on rocking and looking into the distance, apparently content to sit in companionable silence. But the more it stretched, the less comfortable Ian felt. At last, he couldn’t take it anymore and he broke the silence. “Hank, you know I love the Brotherhood and my job here. And you have to admit I’ve been a good employee.”
Hank nodded in agreement; but remained silent.
Ian plowed on. “I’m not saying I want to go back to Mercy, but I admit you’ve stirred my curiosity.”
Hank had the courtesy not to grin or make any move that looked like he’d won a wager with himself, but Ian wasn’t fooled. Hank had come here with a plan and Ian had just stepped into the middle of it. No matter how much he protested he wasn’t interested in a trip back home he knew he’d just committed himself.
“Did you know Matt MacKenzie when you lived in Mercy?”
Inwardly Ian groaned. It could not have been any worse in his most vivid imagination. “Yes.” He replied, cautiously. “He was the mayor when I was growing up.”
Hank glanced at him. “He’s still the mayor. And it seems he’s gotten himself in a world of trouble.”
Ian frowned. He couldn’t imagine the gentlemanly Matt MacKenzie in any kind of trouble. He was a lawyer who loved the law and conveyed that love to the citizens of Mercy; and Barkley County. Honest as the day was long. That was Matt MacKenzie. He’d been the most loved man in Mercy. At least when Ian lived there. And a great mayor.
“I can’t imagine what kind of trouble he’s gotten into that would merit someone from the Brotherhood coming to his rescue.”
Hank rubbed his hand over his chin. “I did some background investigating on him when the request came in and he’s well loved by the citizens of Mercy. It’s some citizens in the wider state of Mississippi who don’t love him quite so much.” He paused, watching Ian. “He’s got a mob hit out on him.”
“Mob hit!” Ian couldn’t conceal his shock.
“Yes.” Hank reiterated. “Mob hit. Seems that the honorable Mr. MacKenzie has been spying on state officials for a lot of years and reporting the information to the FBI.”
Ian goggled. In his wildest imagining he could not picture Matt MacKenzie working as a government informant.
“I can see you’re having a hard time believing this, but I assure you it’s true. There have been a couple of attempts on him already and he’s managed to survive them. But now he’s asking for protection from us.”
“How on earth did he hear about us?” Ian wondered aloud.
“I don’t know for sure, but I suspect it might have been your mother.”
“Mymother?” Ian repeated, feeling like a fool for parroting every statement back to Hank. He must have fallen into some kind of alternate universe. His mother was the last person who would put him in a situation like this. She knew his real reason for never visiting Mercy. It was the elephant in the room each time she visited him at a duty station. There, but never discussed. “I think you may have gotten some bad intel there, Hank.”
Hank leaned toward Ian. “You could be right. I wasn’t able to get Mr. MacKenzie to tell me who’d told him about us. And I doubt a lot of people in Mississippi have heard of us. I just extrapolated that since your mother lives there it must have been her.” Hank laughed. “Maybe Mr. MacKenzie has been keeping track of you all these years and knew about us that way.”
Ian felt a bead of sweat slide down his back. He would bet every penny he had that he was thelastperson Matt MacKenzie would be wanting back in Mercy after what had happened all those years ago on graduation night at Mercy High School. The night he’d left Mercy behind. Along with Matt’s daughter, Piper.
