Page 2 of Storm Surge

All three men on shore fired at the disappearing boat. Multiple shots struck the hull. Collins hit full throttle and sped toward open water.

“Will? Are you okay?” He’d forgotten Victor was still on the phone. The commander had heard everything.

Doubled over, Will sucked in breaths. Overhead, the helicopter flew past their location. Josh was in pursuit. He kept the chopper high enough to evade Collins’s shots.

The dejection Will experienced was physical. “He got away. Collins must have suspected something like this would happen and planned for it. Josh is going after him.”

“I’m calling the Coast Guard,” Henry told them, and Will nodded.

“Good thinking. Let’s hope they can cut him off before he escapes.” Will paused long enough to watch the boat fading on the horizon. “I can’t believe we had him and he got away.” Will couldn’t disguise the defeat in his tone. He’d been charged with bringing in Collins. He’d failed.

“For now,” Victor corrected. “He got away for now, but this isn’t over. We’ll find him. Have your people search the property from top to bottom. See what you can find. And locate Elizabeth Franklin. We need answers from her.”

“Copy that.” Will ended the call and shoved the phone into his pocket while he tried to gather his thoughts. Emotions had no place in this hunt. He wouldn’t let Collins’s escape throw him off his game.

“Coast Guard’s on their way,” Henry said as he came over to where Will and Garrett stood.

Will’s eyes darted over the expanse of the place. “We’re going to need more people. We have no idea what we’ll find. The place could be wired with explosives. There could be more of Legion’s men here. It will take a while for our people to arrive from Canada, and we’re spread thin as it is. I’m calling the sheriff’s station in Rock Cliff.” Will took out his phone, found the sheriff’s number, and called.

As soon as the female dispatcher answered, Will identified himself and asked to speak to the sheriff.

“One moment, please.” The dispatcher’s doubt was clear from her tone, but at least she patched him through.

“This is Sheriff Callahan. I understand you’re one of the people I’m hearing about from President Lancaster’s speeches on television right now.”

President Lancaster. It was strange hearing someone else referred to as president.

“Then you’ll know we’re searching for the leader of the group responsible for what’s been happening. I need immediate assistance.” Will gave the address of the property. “Martin Collins, the leader of Legion, escaped by boat. We have a helicopter and Coast Guard searching for him now, but I need men—as many men as you can spare—to search his property. There might be more members of the group hiding out here.”

“I have three deputies and myself. We’re on our way there now.” Sheriff Callahan was a no-nonsense man and Will liked him right away.

“Appreciate it, Sheriff. We’ll need crime scene and the medical examiner as well. There’s one dead.”

Callahan didn’t hesitate. “I’ll call them as soon as we hang up.”

“Thank you. I’ll see you all when you arrive.” Will shoved the phone back into his pocket. “Sheriff and his people are on their way,” he told Garrett and Henry. “Once they arrive, we’ll fan out and search the entire place inch by inch. Someone got away by car. We know it wasn’t Collins. I want to know who was here with him.”

Will glanced down the shoreline to where the body of the man who had wrestled with Collins lay on the rocky shore. “Let’s see if we can identify the dead man.”

With his people at his side, Will started for the deceased. The man’s left leg was kicked out at an odd angle. One of many broken bones. Blood spread out like a halo around his head. He’d landed on his stomach. Tufts of snow-white hair blew in the sea breeze. Will crouched beside the victim and slowly turned him over on his back. The front of his head was smashed in, making it almost impossible to visually identify him. But Will had been sent an age-advanced photo of what Martin Collins’s father would look like today. The man lying dead in front of Will had to be the father, and he’d met his demise at the hands of his own son.

Will brought up the photo and held it next to the body. “This has to be Edward Buckley, Collins’s father. It’s hard to tell much about him in this condition, but the family resemblance is clear.”

“We’ll need fingerprints for a positive ID, but I’d say there’s little doubt,” Garrett said.

Will rose. “On the flight in, I spotted a cabin at the edge of the woods. Let’s start there. All records indicate Elizabeth Franklin, the woman we believe is Collins’s sister, lives here somewhere. Finding her is imperative. I want to hear what she has to say about her brother and her father. She must know something about her brother’s schemes. If she’s in on this, she’ll know where he’s heading.”

They started up the steep incline to the cliffs above. Garrett’s phone buzzed, and he pulled it out. “It’s Josh.” He brought the phone up to his ear. “Do you still have eyes on Collins?” Garrett stopped walking, a look of shock frozen on his face. “You’re kidding? Did he survive?”

The conversation grabbed Will’s attention. Something had happened. He waited until Garrett finished the call to ask what.

“You’re not going to believe this. The boat Collins was driving ran ashore about five miles out. Josh said there’s nothing left of the machine. He’s waiting for Coast Guard divers to arrive on the scene so they can search the debris for a survivor.”

“Was it deliberate?” Will couldn’t let go of the feeling that Collins was still controlling everything. Even on the run.

Garrett shook his head. “Not sure, but Josh said it appeared as if the boat headed straight for the shore. If Collins was onboard, he didn’t try to prevent the accident. If he wasn’t, he hasn’t resurfaced yet.”

“We have to be positive. This guy has managed to slip through more traps than anyone I know. We can’t count him out. He has far too much to lose.”

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