Scorch (The MacKenzie Family Book 17) (3 page)

She laughed and shook her head. “This has to be a weird dream. Things like this don’t happen to normal people.”

“Who said you were normal?” he asked. “We don’t do normal at MacKenzie Security. We do extraordinary.”

He watched as she thought through all the variables, and felt confident in her answer, so he took another swig of beer and checked his watch. In another half hour Cade and Bayleigh would be on their way and he could escape to get some work done.

“All right, MacKenzie,” she finally said. “I’ll have your answer…after I get back from Aruba.”

He smiled. “That’s what I thought you’d say. And the offer will still be available when you say yes.”

“I don’t think I like being so predictable,” she said.

“Wouldn’t you be disappointed if the head of MacKenzie Security wasn’t more extraordinary that everyone else?”

“I guess when you put it that way…”

E
ight Years Later
…

Shane MacKenzie sped along the winding dirt road, the top and doors off his Jeep so the wind whipped around him. Brady Scott stood in the passenger seat beside him, bracing himself on the roll bar and howling like a maniac every time Shane skidded around a corner and spewed mud from the tires.

It was a hell of a day. The sun was out after a night of rain, the air was fresh, and they were on leave for the next two weeks. It was going to be a glorious two weeks of sleep, sun, and sex, in no particular order, though sleep was probably going to have to come first. Their last mission had just been completed—successfully—and they’d been awake for thirty-six hours straight. Eventually, they’d crash hard, but a second wind had taken over the moment the plane had landed on the private airstrip owned by his brother.

Montana was home. No matter how far and wide a mission took him—from the deserts to the jungles—there was nothing quite like home.

The Jeep had been parked exactly where he’d left it six weeks before—in one of the hangars Declan used to store maintenance vehicles. They’d tossed their duffle bags in the back and taken off for Surrender. Cresting over the hill that looked down over the sleepy town was one of his greatest pleasures in life, and he paused for a second at the top and took in the sight.

He wasn’t good at being still. Staying in one place too long made him antsy. But the sight of Surrender always calmed him. And he knew he’d always be welcome there.

It wasn’t much in the way of cities, and little had changed since the late-1800s. There was only one way in and one way out of Surrender. The main street was as long as a football field and paved in brick. The city council had passed an ordinance several years before requiring cars to be parked behind the buildings instead of along the street for beautification purposes. There were no stoplights to be found.

The buildings on each side of the street mirrored one another. They were the original clapboard structures, painted a fresh bright white, and connected by thick brick walls. Black awnings hung in front of each store, and the sidewalks were wooden. Little pots of blooming flowers flanked the doorways and gas lights hung from above. It was a quaint, postcard of a town.

Shane had known early on he wasn’t meant to stay in Surrender forever. His soul had always craved adventure, and as picturesque as Surrender was, there wasn’t a lot of adventure to be found unless he’d wanted to be a professional outdoorsman and take vacationers on extreme camping trips. Being a SEAL had always been his dream.

He’d sweated and struggled and bled through BUD/S and the horrendous Hell Week, just like his brothers-in-arms, and he’d worked his way up to command his own team. He’d traveled the world, fought beside his men, and gone on missions that made the adventures he’d once sought seem like child’s play.

He was also single and free to indulge in the hordes of women who got their own adrenaline rush by taking a SEAL to their bed. The frog hogs were good for a night or two after a long stretch out of country, but a night or two was all they got. He had no intention of settling down like his brothers and sister and cousins. His career as a SEAL had no room for a wife or children—people who would depend on him and then be left alone if he were killed in action. And there was nothing that would keep him from being a SEAL. The only thing he loved more than being a SEAL was his family.

The Jeep started down the hill into the town and they passed Charlie’s Automotive on the left. It belonged to his cousin Dane’s wife, Charlotte, but everyone called her Charlie. It was a blue metal building with three bays for the cars to be worked on. He didn’t see Charlie anywhere, but he waved at Deacon Thomas, who’d graduated a couple of years behind him.

Main Street had all the staples. There was a florist, ice cream parlor, mercantile, diner, feed and western store, and a bakery. His brother Grant’s wife, Annabeth, owned a fancy clothing boutique, and Marnie Whitlock, who was practically an adopted MacKenzie owned the photography studio directly across the street from Annabeth. The sheriff’s office was in the corner building, where his cousin Cooper had run things for more than a decade.

Shane didn’t mind the curious stares from the people who saw him drive through town. He and his brothers and cousins had always gotten stares, usually from the older folks because they’d caused some kind of mischief. But as adults, they got looks from the single women, and a few of the married ones. He had enough of an ego to know that they’d all inherited excellent genes. And he—and his brothers, when they’d been single—had taken full advantage.

They passed the library and Duffey’s Bar before taking the long road that led to MacKenzie land. And then Shane pressed all the way down on the pedal and Brady let out another
whoop
beside him.

Brady Scott was his best friend in the world. He also happened to be family—kind of—because his sister was married to Shane’s brother, Cade. They’d been in the same BUD/S class and had pushed each other when most of their classmates rang the bell and washed out. Brady had moved up the ranks with him and was the other junior officer in their platoon. He was as much his brother as Cade, Declan, and Grant were.

They were opposites in looks. Shane had inherited the same coloring as his great-grandfather, Cole MacKenzie. Dark hair, olive skin, and cobalt blue eyes. Brady was his exact opposite, though they were almost the same height and weight. Brady was fair-skinned and ruddy-complected. His hair was blond and his eyes an unusual shade of army-green with golden flecks. Where Shane had tattoos that covered both his arms and shoulders, Brady only had one tattoo—the trident insignia of the Navy SEALs. After BUD/S graduation they’d all gotten drunk and got the same tattoo. It was tradition. And tradition meant everything.

“How much time do we have before the rest of the guys gets here?” Brady asked as they skidded around another corner.

“A couple of hours,” Shane said. “Declan was pretty insistent we get here as soon as possible. All I know is what I told you on the plane after we got the summons. He said his woman was in danger and if I didn’t get my ass back to Surrender and bring some backup then he’d make me regret it. I’m thinking by his tone he’s pretty serious about her.”

Brady stared at him and shook his head in bafflement. “It sometimes amazes me how you’re so astute when it comes to our missions, but you miss things that are happening in everyday life. I’ve known you for almost fifteen years, and even
I
know that Declan’s been in love with Sophia Huxley for at least half of that time.”

“Really?” Shane asked. He tried to think back and remember if Declan had ever mentioned her or brought her around, but he was coming up with a blank. “I don’t know, man. Declan’s a weird one. I can’t see him pining after a woman for that many years. Besides, she was married. And Kane Huxley and Dec were good friends. At least before Kane turned out to be a traitorous bastard.”

“All I’m saying is there’s a story there. Dec loved this woman a decade ago, she goes and marries another man, the man dies on a mission in Central America, proof surfaces that Kane Huxley was a traitor to his country, then we find out he faked his death, and he sends a hit squad after his wife because she knows too much. Then Declan shows up to protect her and threatens his favorite brother if he doesn’t protect her too. It’s a hell of a love story, if you ask me.”

“It’s fucked up, if you ask me. And I didn’t realize you were so interested in love stories. I bet you’ve seen
The Notebook
a dozen times,” Shane taunted his friend.

“Only once,” Brady said. “I’m secure in my masculinity. Besides, I’m not opposed to romance. You should try it sometime.”

“Hell, I’m the king of romance. I fucking
love
romance. In fact, after I get a solid eight hours, I’m going to look through my phone and see who wants a piece of my romance.”

Brady snorted out a laugh. “You’re a jackass. You’re the king of one-night-stands. Believe me, it’s not the same as romance. Some woman is going to knock you on your ass one day, and you’re going to fall head first.”

“I have no illusions of white picket fences in my future. I’ve got everything I want and need. You’re the one looking for Mrs. Right to share that monstrosity of a house you’re building. I’m perfectly content to be your best man once you find her and bounce your kids on my knee.”

“You can’t command the team forever. Age is going to kick you in the ass one day. Haven’t you thought about what you’re going to do then?”

“Hell, no,” Shane said. Even thinking the word retirement gave him an uneasy feeling. He knew he’d always have a place at MacKenzie Security. Declan had set it up so they all owned a small percentage of the company. But being a SEAL was what he lived for. “I’m going to be the Bullfrog,” he said, referring to the SEAL that has the longest active duty. “I’d rather them bring me home in a body bag than have to give it up. You saw what happened to Jenkins when he retired.”

“He retired from active duty,” Brady said. “Not life. He was forty-two years old. The shit we do doesn’t get easier as you get older. And Jenkins is fine. He’s still in shape and he’s got that construction business now.”

“He’s twitchy.”

“Twitchy?” Brady asked, straight-faced.

“I heard from Bartell that the last time he went to visit him, Jenkins rappelled out the second story window and tried to take him out because he thought he was a terrorist.”

“He probably tried to take him out because it was Bartell. Bartell is an idiot.”

“What I’m saying is that Jenkins misses the adventure. He has that look in his eyes of a man whose adrenaline is building inside of him with no outlet. I’m telling you, he’s going to explode one day, and it’s not going to be pretty.”

“I’ll tell you what,” Brady said. “If I notice that you’re starting to get close to retirement age or are in danger of falling in love, I’ll just shoot you and put you out of your misery.”

“I’d expect no less.” Shane grinned and slowed down as they approached the MacKenzie compound.

The compound was fairly new, and Shane regretted that it had to be built in the first place. But MacKenzie Security didn’t allow them to take any chances with their safety. Especially the safety of the family.

The MacKenzies owned hundreds of acres of land. His Uncle John was the oldest, so the family homestead had passed on to him. It was a sprawling, patchwork-quilt of a house that had been added onto with each generation. When John passed away, the house had gone to Cooper as the oldest son, but though Cooper had lived there awhile, he wasn’t a fan of the number of people that were constantly coming in and out of the house since the family was quite large, so he’d built a little place farther down the road that lent his family more privacy. Since Cooper’s brother, Thomas, was the town doctor, and he ran his practice out of the house, Cooper had deeded it over to him.

Shane’s father, James, was the younger of the two sons, so he’d been given the property on the other side of the small lake. The home Shane had grown up in had plenty of room for five children to run and play in, and some of his best memories were in that farmhouse or the big red barn behind it.

With five kids growing up in his house, and four more growing up in his aunt and uncle’s house across the lake, each of them were given a piece of the MacKenzie land so they could build their own home. Only MacKenzies could build on MacKenzie land, so it was preserved for future generations as well. So far, he was the only one of his generation who hadn’t built anything. He would, eventually, but having his own home was serious business. It was something that needed time and maintenance.

He had laid claim to his piece of the land though. It was at the farthest corner of their property and didn’t have the lake view like his siblings and cousins had chosen. For the moment, it was nothing but a field of tall grass blowing in the breeze. But it was the mountains behind it that had made him want that particular spot. There was something about the mountains he’d always been drawn to. Maybe their strength. The ability to stand still and strong when the storms raged around them.

Shane missed being able to see the houses and lake, framed by the mountains, as he came over the last hill. Now there was a twelve-foot concrete fence that enclosed the property and the gate to enter needed a numerical code and a fingerprint, so only family could enter unless they were expecting company.

Shane would give Declan credit, though. Once inside the wall, he’d done a good job of making it seem like the wall wasn’t there. Somehow, the design didn’t impede the views or give it a closed-in feeling. They could see the lakes and mountains as clearly as ever. The only changes had been the small cabins Declan had built around the perimeter of the fence, away from the main houses. They were lookout points and guest quarters all-in-one. Because there were oftentimes important government officials from various countries who might be staying on the property.

The other change was the home Declan had built for himself and the massive barn-like structure in the back of it. It wasn’t really a barn—though it was the same red as the barn across the lake—but a place for business and negotiations. Inside, there were several offices, a command center, and a large conference room. There was also a fully equipped gym, a pool, a kitchen, and five apartments in case they had to go into lockdown mode. Declan was always prepared for everything. There was also an underground bunker that held several surprises. Shane had helped his brother set it up, so they were the only two who knew about it. There hadn’t been need for it. Yet.

“I can’t believe four members of the team volunteered to take leave to do this job. I had to turn a couple of them away. Between us and them, six SEALs should be more than enough to guard the compound. Easiest damned money they’ve probably ever made. My brother can be a convincing son of a bitch.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Brady said. “He pays us enough in two weeks to live on half the year. Doing details for MacKenzie Security has seriously padded my bank account. And Dec never calls us in unless it’s something good. There’s nothing like going into a job knowing the chance of survival is low.”