Mitch Everlock stared at the message written on butcher paper and taped across the chemistry classroom’s high-tech SMART Board. Its red letters were dripping as if they’d been drawn with blood. Judging from the unmistakable scarlet hue and the metallic tang permeating his classroom, it was blood. His arms were full as he held his travel coffee mug in one hand, his laptop bag slung over his shoulder, and a pile of heavy books in the other hand. All of which he wanted to hurl at the red-lettered message. As former Special Forces and a current Trail Hikers secret operative, he wasn’t afraid of or shocked by the grisly message meant for him.

He was annoyed as all get-out.

The boldness of the blood writing, in the midst of the buildup to the holiday season, infuriated Mitch. He didn’t care about his Christmas, but if his students saw the message it’d scare the Santa Claus out of them.

Dropping his armload on the laboratory counter, he ignored the beaker of candy canes he’d knocked over and pulled his cell phone out of his back pocket to take a few snapshots of the message before he used speed dial to call his second place of employment.

The Trail Hikers was a clandestine government shadow agency that officially didn’t exist, except for those who worked for it.

“This is Claudia.” Claudia Michaels, the CEO of Trail Hikers and his sister-in-arms, answered, her voice strong and commanding over the connection. She, too, was a war veteran; a retired US Marine Corps General.

“Good morning, Claudia. Mitch here. Our Rainbow Hater’s raised the ante. Now he’s threatening to kill me.” He told her about the fifth message from the entity they’d named the Rainbow Hater. So far there wasn’t conclusive evidence linking the hate crimes to the cult that had formed in Silver Valley last year, but several law-enforcement agencies, to include the FBI and more locally, Silver Valley PD, believed the crimes and cult were connected. The cult, known as the True Believers and originally based in Upstate New York, had regrouped in Silver Valley after prison sentences had forced its leaders into hibernation for two decades. The threats at Mitch’s school had a definite True Believers Cult “feel” to them. The cult had become a most unwelcome presence in otherwise serene Silver Valley, a quintessentially American town in South Central Pennsylvania.

As he sent Claudia the photos via text, he filled her in on his impressions. Since he was a Trail Hikers’ agent, he had the training to handle it himself, which was what he wanted.

“Let me get involved, Claudia. Trail Hikers will solve this twice as fast as Silver Valley PD.”

“We expected this, Mitch. Do as we’ve planned. Let SVPD collect the forensics. Don’t touch it.” Claudia was right—Silver Valley boasted one of the top local forensic teams in the state. It was all thanks to their police chief’s insistence on thorough training and his ability to ensure their budget received the necessary allocation each fiscal year.

“Are you sure I can’t help? Let me take care of this and we’ll catch the bastard in no time. If I need assistance I want TH at my back, not local cops. Plus, you know word will get out and the last thing we need is a bunch of upset parents, especially right before the Silver Bells Ball holiday formal. We’re only a few weeks from Christmas break.”

“SVPD is the best, Mitch. And this is happening in their jurisdiction, their high school. What we suspect, who we suspect to be behind this, is irrelevant at the moment. We’re months away from taking the True Believers down. The focus now has to be on the Rainbow Hater.” Claudia’s tone was crisp as she continued to spell out the Trail Hikers’ involvement with monitoring and eventually eliminating the potentially deadly cult currently setting up shop on the outskirts of Silver Valley. “Remember, the highest levels of law enforcement are on this, but they’re staying hands-off as long as SVPD and TH can work it.”

“They’re probably putting one of my kids up to this, Claudia. I don’t take well to anyone bullying a student.”

“Which is why you’re being targeted, and why you’re the best teacher they could be messing with, for our sake. Inform Principal Essis and let her call in SVPD. If you have any problems, you can go directly to Colt.” Claudia referred to the formidable SVPD chief of police, Colt Todd.

Mitch heard her sigh over the clear line and understood in that moment that she was as frustrated as he. They should have caught the cult members by now, but they were hardened criminals and had been slippery, outsmarting the laws that had put them behind bars over twenty years ago.

“And, Mitch?”

“Yes, ma’am?”

“Stay the hell out of SVPD’s way. They’re going to be sending in an undercover officer, according to Colt. Work with whomever it is. But watch your six in case whoever wrote those words turns out to be crazy enough to follow through on his threats.”

“I pray for the opportunity to face him.”

Claudia chuckled. “I’m sure you do, but you know our ground rules.” She hung up.

Rules. Yeah, he knew them. All too well.

Mitch called Principal Essis and waited for her to come, his fingers itching to take a sample of the blood on the whiteboard. Claudia was right. He had to always give the appearance of being only a chemistry teacher. His vocation was teaching and he didn’t want to risk losing the best job he’d ever had, besides serving as a Marine. Working under contract to the Trail Hikers during school breaks used the skill set he’d gained in Marine Recon and,

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