Page 9 of Jason's Justice
“Yes, we thought it was best to notify you after you returned, were debriefed to our satisfaction, and could go on leave.”
“Okay, well, as you had heard, our parents perished in the crash. Rin, excuse me, Erin, is my sister. While I finished out my military career, Erin was the one that built up the business that you will see. I’m telling you this because your mind will be blownand I want you to know that whatever papers you leave here, if you decide to use this place and an office, will be perfectly fine. In the last three weeks we’ve been able to install some heavy duty, state-of-the-art security equipment. They don’t live here, but you might meet them if you’re here for long, but we work closely with a group of people out of Fool’s Gold.”
“Who are they?”
“All former military like we are, I think in this room, the only non-military people are you three, Caleb, and Katherine, oh, and Rin. The women you’ll meet later are also former military, except for my girlfriend.”
“Don’t forget Ducky,” Erin laughed at his expression.
“Yes, we have a close friend that did two tours in Vietnam, but the men living with him do not have military experience.”
“Okay, so you’re saying that Katherine, and now Ilsa and myself, will be safe here?”
“Yes, and I’m sure with Kevin’s police experience he can hold his own. Anyway, I failed to mention that the people we work with are also former military, all branches.”
“Are you at liberty to disclose who they are? Or who they work for?”
“Officially, the big boss is Hank Patterson.”
“Brotherhood Protectors.”
“Correct. While Hank is in Montana, Jake Cogburn is in charge of the Fool’s Gold office. Erin started using him years ago to run background checks on new hires, or others in a business she has. There shouldn’t be any problem with that business.”
“May I ask what it is?”
“How versed are you in equine?” At his look Erin laughed and took over the conversation. “Horses.”
“Oh, not at all. I see one occasionally when the mounted police in DC ride by, but other than that, no clue.”
Erin gave them the ten minute run-down of what she did after getting out of the hospital, what they did, what they were still working on, and what was in the works for more. When she finished, she grinned at the three people that had their mouths hanging open.
Kevin was the first one to recover from his shock, “Do you need help with security?”
“What are you saying, Dad?” Caleb asked at the same time Erin nodded and replied.
“Yes.”
“Where?” Clark asked as he turned and frowned at his sister.
“New Double, until we can get some more people hired.”
“Shit, I forgot about that, sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it.” She tapped the side of her head with a grin. “That’s why this is a steel trap. I remember everything. Anyway,” she walked over to the side of the building and pointed to the wall and called the others around. “I have this same map in my office. Let me explain it to you.” She had Reid lift the clear, but colored, film and explained what each ranch was, and what it did. Then she took them to the opposite side of the room. “These were here for years, I just had my guys, which you’ll learn are different from the men. My guys have been with Erin’s Way before either Clark or I was born. They’re in town now getting supplies, but they are older gentlemen, in their mid- to late-sixties. There is Wendel, Floyd, and Virgil. They kept Erin’s Way running when I was in the hospital after the accident. Over the years, I’ve relied on them heavily to take the next step in developing this land. Anyway, they reminded me that there are file cabinets in this area, and they scrubbed them up and painted them. If you don’t know they’re there, then you’ll miss them.” She pointed to a room, and everyone went inside, but they turned around in confusion. Erin laughed as she walked over to the wall and started pushing panels, and drawers popped open.
“Holy shit, Rin, when did you do this?”
“Wendel said Grandma had them installed years ago for when she did the books for Grandpa. The guys spruced them up.”
Jason and Ilsa walked over and looked at them, then at each other before they turned to Erin. “Are there any keys?”
“They’re in my office.” She withdrew her phone and sent a text, and in less than five minutes, a woman walked inside. She handed the keys to Erin, waved and left. “That was my assistant, Julie Monroe, you’ll meet her formally later.”
They made sure the keys worked, and when Jason went to hand them back, Erin shook her head. “Keep them. If you agree, I’ll give you a tour of everything now, and you can have your choice of cabins to stay in. We can go over to the cart barn, and you can have your choice of vehicles to use.” She turned to Kevin. “I noticed Washington plates on the truck you arrived in. Is that your personal vehicle?”
“It is.”
“I don’t know how intense this investigation will be, but I think if you go into town, you should use one of the ranch vehicles.” She paused and pointed to a row of six trucks varying in size from a small, two-door truck, to a ten-wheeler. “The keys are in the ashtray so help yourself.”
