Once, a long time ago, he’d been on a first-name basis with two different presidents. Once he was the man the government called on to do things no other man could do. He was so good at what he did he had a trunkful of hardware. Medals for this, medals for that. Then, when the unthinkable had happened and his deep cover had been compromised, his very own government disavowed him, and he’d been hung out to dry. But he had known going in that that might happen someday. He wasn’t bitter. He’d had his days of being in the sun and being known as the best of the best. Presidents still sent him Christmas cards with personal messages inside. He’d licked his wounds and moved on to try to make sense of what had happened to him. In time, he accepted it because he’d had no other choice, but it didn’t make it any easier. What he’d never been able to accept was Adrian’s death several years later. Adrian had been his partner and the love of his life. Samantha Rainford looked so much like her it was hard to believe Adrian hadn’t come back from the dead. While he’d been grieving over his loss, the consortium he now worked for had approached him through a high-level White House staffer and brought him to the mountain. He’d accepted their proposal and never left.

He knew every tree, every stone, every little creek and puddle on the thousand-acre mountain. He could close his eyes and bring up any patch of clear forest, every trickle of water. He could pinpoint the exact spot where he’d killed snakes and wild animals. It was the only way he was able to handle his grief. And suddenly he was right back where he had been ten years ago emotionally. The pain of his loss was so raw, so brutal, he felt light-headed.

Pappy stripped down and pulled on pajama bottoms before he brushed his teeth. He should send Samantha Rainford away, he thought as he climbed between the sheets. Before it was too late.

He rolled over. It was no mistake that his bed was positioned under the window that had a full view of the compound. He blinked, then blinked again when he saw Alpha sitting on the top step of the building that housed Team Three. He knew the big dog would sit there all night and not leave until it was time to lead the pack of patrol dogs back to their kennel.

He slept only because he was too tired and weary to do anything else.