Page 14 of Chinook Winds

Cole Hernandez slid into the seat in front of Ben. Across the aisle, Kaid and his wife, Sidney, were listening in on the conversation. They all had a stake in the outcome of this trip.

“Where do you think Kincaid has gone?” Sidney asked the question foremost in Victor’s mind. “Do you think he’s on the run?”

It made sense. Kincaid was never a fighter. “Probably. But if Collins finds out, it won’t be good for him.”

“I sure hope Jordyn is right and the nuclear weapons are in that cave,” Kaid said. “Because this thing is heating up. If Legion is turning on itself, it wouldn’t be above Collins to use those nukes to take control again. And he won’t need Kincaid anymore. He’ll assume power on his own.”

The idea was unthinkable to Victor. “Collins is a loose cannon and has proven himself dangerous. He won’t let what’s happening now stand in his way.”

“Airfield’s coming up,” Lincoln announced. “Ten minutes out.”

Victor settled back into his seat. Reaching Virginia was only one small part of the problem. Returning to D.C., reclaiming the presidency, wouldn’t be easy.

“There’s the airstrip.” Kinsley pointed out the window as a small regional airfield came into view.

“Who’s the man we’re meeting?” he asked as his thoughts churned out worst-case scenarios. Would they run into more opposition?

“Danny Halliday. He was Tom’s partner on the force for many years. Tom trusts him completely,” Kinsley assured him.

He nodded in way of an answer. Was he leading his people into a situation they couldn’t survive because of his code of honor?

Kinsley touched his arm. Surprised, he turned to her.

“You are doing what’s necessary. We’ve fought too hard. Lost too many good people to stop now. They must be stopped. This country needs someone to pull us through the aftermath of Legion. We need you.”

Victor slowly smiled. And he needed her. He couldn’t do what lay ahead without Kinsley. Even after he returned to the White House, he wanted her at his side. But they’d been putting off having the discussion about what they felt for each other. What if he’d been mistaken about her feelings?

“Preparing to land,” Lincoln alerted them. The occupants of the plane fastened their seatbelts. Lincoln slowly began to his descent.

“There’s an awful lot of traffic around for a regional airfield,” he said.

Victor glanced out the window. Half a dozen vehicles were parked near the tower. Lincoln was right. Something was off. “Do we have Danny’s number?”

“Yes, I’ll call him now.” Kinsley quickly dialed the phone.

Lincoln made the decision to abort the landing. “I think they’re expecting us. We’ll have to find another place to land.”

“I have Danny on the phone.” Kinsley handed it to him.

“What’s going on there, Danny? We tried to land, but there’s far too much traffic around for a regional airfield.”

“Sorry about that. I’ve been trying to contact you for a while. Somehow the word is out. All the airfields around the area are on high alert.”

There was no doubt in Victor’s mind this was the work of the fighter pilots. They’d probably radioed their command before Spider took out their communications.

“We ran into a bit of trouble on our way here,” Victor told him. “Now that we tried to land and pulled up, they’ll be looking for us. Is there any place close where we can land before we have more fighter jets after us?”

“Hang on a second. Let me check.” Wind noises could be heard and then Danny returned to the call. “There is another option about half an hour from here. But it’s not a landing strip. It’s a field.” Danny gave the location. “It won’t be an easy landing with that wide-body you’re flying.”

He was right. But their choices were quickly running out. “Can you give our pilot the field’s location?” Victor put the phone on speaker while Danny gave the coordinates.

“Got it,” Lincoln confirmed.

“Good. I’m on my way there now. I’ll pick you up as soon as you land.” Danny paused. “But they’ll be watching for the plane.”

“We’ll figure all of that out once we arrive,” Victor told him with a heavy sigh. “We’ll see you on the other side. In the meantime, be careful.” He ended the call. “Do the best you can, Lincoln. It’s our only option now.”

As he watched the fields dotting the landscape below, all Victor could think about was how far their country had come from the one in which he’d first taken office. He’d been so naïve back then. So certain he could make a difference in the world. After surviving two tours in Afghanistan, he’d seen the dangers that lurked when bad men were allowed to further their evil plots. He couldn’t let that happen to his country. His world.

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