Page 1 of ELITE Protection
CHAPTER1
Isaac Snow shiftedhis weight so the tails of his skis were perpendicular to Lone Mountain. Digging the inside edges into the groomed snow, he expertly glided to a stop. Slowly, he inhaled the freezing Montana air, reducing his heart rate as he’d been taught as a SEAL.
He smiled.
Once again, he had mastered the mountain. He gazed at the peak and traced the path he’d skied from 11,166 feet down to 7,400 feet at the Madison Base Area. Dropping into Stillwater Bowl through the longest of the double black diamond entries, he’d dodged trees through Sundance Hollow before shooting across the intermediate slopes to finish on Pine Marten. He preferred the less crowded side of Big Sky Resort.
Damn, it had been an invigorating ride.
Isaac burrowed through several layers of clothing and gloves to check the large face of his military watch. He had just enough time to peel off his ski gear and drive to the locals’ bar on the outskirts of the high-priced resort town. He couldn’t wait to see Peter “Pipes” Eastwood again.
They’d grown up together in the same small mountain town, playing football in the fall and baseball in the spring together. They’d hunted everything from elk to rabbits but agreed that nothing tasted better than fresh-caught trout fried in a cast iron pan over an open fire. When the Navy recruiter showed up their senior year, they both decided to see the world. Their scores on the range and agility on the obstacle course made them candidates for SEAL training. Together, they’d made it through BUD/S training but were separated once they’d reached Virginia Beach.
The SEAL community was quite small and closed to outsiders, even after they left the Navy.
Fifteen minutes later, Isaac hit the lock button on the key fob to the brand-new Land Rover provided to him for this assignment. He scanned the parking lot filled with well-worn four-wheel-drive vehicles a decade old and grimaced. Guardian Security was a first-class company all the way, and he loved working for them, but the vehicle screamed,Rob me. I’m a tourist. Thankfully, the heavily tinted windows hid all the new gear he’d purchased the day before for this assignment. He groaned when he thought about shopping tomorrow to outfit a pampered princess with the equipment she’d need for Plan B.
But first, a beer and some good food with an old friend.
Isaac loved Buck’s Place. He and his buddies had been regulars his junior and senior years of high school, stopping in after a long, cold day of running ski lifts for minimum wage at the popular winter destination.
Employees weren’t allowed to mingle with resort guests, not that they ever wanted to spend time with the rich and famous or their over-indulged children. The dingy bar had been one of the few places they could get a hot meal without accusing glances.
Crossing the snow-covered gravel parking lot, Isaac automatically scanned for threats and then chastised himself. He was no longer in the desert, and this was snow, not sand. Isaac held the door open wide, allowing the bright sunshine to illuminate the small, enclosed porch. His gaze immediately swept the area for threats before he stepped inside. Given his new job, perhaps some cautious habits should be kept.
Scuffing the soles of his boots on the thick wiry mat to remove any remnant of snow embedded in the deep tread gave his eyes a few seconds to adjust to the faint light before he closed them. The bar would be darker yet.
Entering a dimly lit room could temporarily blind a man…and get him killed. Some lessons were learned the hard way.
Isaac shoved the memories of house-to-house searches in war-torn countries aside. This was Buck’s Place. He was safe and back in Montana.
His first thought as he stepped through the well-worn door was that not much had changed in the eight years he’d been gone. The menagerie of elk, sheep, and deer trophies that filled every square foot of wall space to the fourteen-foot open beam ceiling had expanded. All had been locally shot, most by regular patrons. Interspersed throughout were prize-worthy fish expertly restored by a local taxidermist.
In the middle of the afternoon, there weren’t many people in the bar. Pete was easy to spot. He sat with another dark-haired man at a table in the back, both wearing the dark green uniform of national forest rangers. Their table was close to an emergency exit, where they could see everything and everyone. It was where Isaac would have chosen to sit had he arrived first.
Both men rose as Isaac approached. Pete immediately pulled him in for a smack on the back and a bro hug.
“So damned good to see you.” He pointed to the man next to him but extended his hand. “Isaac, I’d like you to meet my partner, Mark Hamner. Call him Grinch.”
“You hate Christmas?” Isaac asked as they shook.
“Not anymore since my boots now live on U.S. soil.” The man who stood an inch taller than Isaac shrugged. “Spending my third Christmas in Fuckastan, I was not a happy camper. My Green Beret Alpha team gave me the new name and it stuck.”
“Army.” Isaac grinned at Peter.
“Yeah, but we don’t hold that against him.”
All three men sat down at the old scarred wooden table.
The middle-aged waitress showed up, and Isaac eyed the beers sitting in front of the others. He wasn’t going to be on duty for several hours, so he ordered his favorite local brew and a small pizza. When she was gone, they all sat back in the sturdy wooden chairs.
“Looks like you two are settling into civilian life.” Isaac’s gaze bounced between his old friend and new acquaintance.
When Mark’s eyes met Pete’s, they both grinned as though they knew a secret.
“A good job and a hot woman in a soft bed to come home to every night, what’s not to like?” Mark picked up his bottle of beer and took a sip.
“Hey, asshole, that’s my sister you’re talking about.” Pete glared at the slightly larger man.
