Page 20 of Chinook Winds

“I have him.”

Collins pulled off onto the shoulder of the road. “So soon?” He couldn’t believe Martinez had found him so quickly.

“Yes. Thanks to the tracker you put in place. It was set to go off if there was no word from Duncan in two days. It went off a little more than an hour ago.”

Collins blew out a sigh. He and Hassanzai had planned ahead. Every member of the team, with the exception of Collins himself, had trackers implanted in their arms. None of his team, including Hassanzai, knew he didn’t have one. Most members didn’t even know about the trackers. Like Duncan and Kincaid. When he hadn’t been able to reach Duncan, he’d activated the timer on his tracker. After no word came from Duncan in two days, the signal was engaged. Now that he’d dealt with Kincaid, he had to take care of Duncan. He couldn’t afford to let him fall into Strike Force’s hands.

“Where is he?”

“Near the James River Face Wilderness. I’m still pinning down his exact location.”

Collins jerked the car back onto the road. “Get our people there now. Once you have his location, send them in.” He floored the car. “You know where to take him.”

“Of course. I’ll keep you updated.” Martinez ended the call.

The urge to have the plane fly him to Virginia was great, but he couldn’t risk being captured. Strike Force was made up of men and women with military and intelligence backgrounds. They had proven themselves to be a formidable opponent. And now, Douglas had managed to escape their people and had disappeared. His men found them again at the Canadian border before they crossed over. Unfortunately, they’d lost Douglas and his team from there and there’d been no sighting since, but things were beginning to unravel amongst the military and some governmental offices, thanks to Strike Force’s latest tactics. Those were the people who had strongly supported Douglas. Their loyalties wouldn’t let them believe he was guilty, and so they’d bought into the video propaganda being published by Strike Force. It had to stop.

With Kincaid out of the way, he’d need someone to temporarily take over the presidential position before Collins rose to power. His pick was Seth Lancaster, the Speaker of the House. Lancaster wasn’t one of Legion, but he’d long advocated for change in the way government performed, and Collins only needed him temporarily.

It was time to start spinning a new tale to counteract Strike Force’s growing popularity. He reached out to the person he trusted to turn the tide of public opinion.

As soon as Todd Johnson answered his call, Collins laid out what he wanted without even a greeting. “I need you to get to work quickly spreading the truth. Kincaid was involved in the bombings. He’s working with Strike Force who are doing their best to deceive our country. Get the word out to all of your media connections. Kincaid is a traitor. He’s been removed from office.”

“Well, that will definitely confuse the people who are beginning to believe the Strike Force’s claims of innocence.”

Collins smiled. “An added bonus. Do it quickly.”

Silence followed. “I’ll handle it. Who do you propose to put into the office of president? The country will need someone to look to.”

“I will be in touch about that soon. For now, I want everyone in the world to know Kincaid ordered the bombings with the help of Strike Force and Douglas.” Collins ended the call and drove toward the lodge where Kincaid was being held prisoner. When Collins was here at the lodge, he enjoyed being able to see his daughter, even though he didn’t want her to know about the things that took place at the lodge. It was why he’d built the cabin for her and Betty to share. Jamie had been through enough and he didn’t need her questioning him.

His phone beeped an incoming call from one of his trusted colleagues. Tony Wilkes had been by his side since his team had faked their deaths and Collins’s plan for the future was implemented.

“How are you, my friend?” Wilkes greeted him as if he were family. In a way they were. His CIA team had been there for one another through ten years and countless difficulties. All except for Nolan Emerson, who had proven himself a weak traitor. They’d been forced to put him down.

“Safe. For now. Where are you?”

Collins turned onto the property that had once belonged to the aunt and uncle who had raised him.

“Still in Washington D.C. with Antonio Suarez. We’ve finished cleaning up the building where Douglas and the Secret Service agent were. We’ve swept the place clean where Emerson was killed.”

Wilkes and Suarez would be with him to the end no matter the outcome.

“We have defectors.” Collins told him about Kincaid and Duncan.

“Do you want us to be part of the team to bring Duncan in?” Wilkes asked.

“I do. You and Suarez. Get with Martinez as soon as possible. Duncan can’t be allowed to talk. He knows too much.”

“Copy that,” Wilkes confirmed. “We’ll take care of him.” He paused for a second. “What happens next? Things are in turmoil here.”

Collins blew out an annoyed sigh. He understood that his people didn’t fully know what to expect, but he had everything under control. “We move forward with our plan. Nothing’s changed. We knew this would happen. We stay the course.”

Wilkes obviously heard the edge in his voice. “Of course. I‘ll reach out to Martinez after we hang up.”

Collins struggled to recapture his composure. “Good. We’ll speak soon.”

He dropped the phone into his jacket pocket and parked the car out front. With the exception of Kincaid, no one was at the lodge, and he didn’t have the stomach for Kincaid right now. Collins unlocked the door and crossed the threshold. The quiet of the place settled around him. He still remembered the time he’d spent growing up here with his sister, Betty. His aunt and uncle never spoke about what happened to Collins’s and Betty’s parents, and they’d been too young to understand.

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