Page 21 of Storm Surge

Zachary’s attention riveted to the leg. “You’ve been shot?”

Kincaid milked the little bit of compassion. “I have and it wasn’t treated properly, I might add.”

Zachary motioned to someone behind Kincaid. A man stepped forward. “Dr. Oviok, would you please take a look at his leg.”

An older man he didn’t recognize dropped to his knees and lifted Kincaid’s pants leg before opening his backpack.

“When did Collins shoot you?” Zachary continued with the questioning.

Kincaid weighed his options. What would it benefit him to talk? Not share everything he knew but give them some crumbs. “Why should I tell you anything?”

Zachary looked him straight in the eye, his contempt evident. “Because it could mean the difference between life in prison or a death sentence.”

The man’s directness made him flinch. But it confirmed he had no leverage here. If he wanted the chance to live, possibly see his wife and children—grandchildren—he had to tell them everything he knew.

“Collins has a compound in Washington State. That’s where he took me. I was instructed to reach out to a person by the name of Martinez and ask for a parachute. That was Collins’s keyword for an exit strategy.”

Zachary was interested. “Go on.”

“And I ended up in Washington where Collins showed up. He shot me and told me he would kill me if I didn’t do exactly as he said.” Kincaid shook his head. “He’s crazy. His old man showed up at the lodge where he held me. That man was even crazier than Collins. They disappeared for a long period. And then I heard your people coming and I ran.” He lifted his shoulders. “I found a set of keys that fit a vehicle and I drove away as fast as I could.

“Collins didn’t try to stop you?”

“No, I saw him and his father coming out, and I was sure they were going to shoot me, only they started walking in a different direction. So, I kept going and I didn’t stop until I was some distance from the lodge. I saw the chopper circling overhead. I was sure they’d come after me, only they didn’t.”

Zachary glanced to one of his men. “Whose place is this? It’s registered to an Alfred Frees.”

Kincaid blew out a breath. “Honestly, I have no idea. There was a backpack in the vehicle that had a map to this place and a key. I assumed this was one of Collins’s safe houses. He has them spread out all over the world.”

“I need the truth if you want our help. Where are the rest of the nuclear weapons?”

Kincaid eyed him for the longest time. If he cooperated, would his old friend have leniency on him? At this point, he had nothing to lose. “In Afghanistan. Hassanzai hid them there.”

Zachary came closer and knelt in front of him. “But that’s not all of them. There are others. Where did Collins stash the rest?”

Collins had screwed them all again. He’d managed to divert some of the nuclear weapons without Kincaid knowing about it. Did Hassanzai? He wouldn’t put it past him. He and Collins were close.

“I have no idea. To my knowledge, Collins had Hassanzai move the weapons from my property before the second round of bombings took place. He said it was part of the plan. Collins wanted to photograph the weapons when they reached Afghanistan and tell the world that Strike Force had stockpiled them and planned to use them. He was hoping that it would shift popular opinion away from your people.”

“You have no idea where Collins is or the rest of the weapons?” Zachary glanced down at the wounded leg. “Were you trying to escape when he shot you?”

Kincaid stared at the younger man. What was the point of covering up the truth at this point? “Of course, I was.” Kincaid sighed. “I hadn’t heard from Collins in a while, and things were starting to turn ugly in D.C. I wanted to get my wife and myself out of there because I wasn’t about to take the fall for everything, and that was Collins’s plan.”

“Explain it to me again. You called Martinez, and what happened then?”

“Martinez arranged a meet time. My wife and I showed, and we were flown from D.C.” He should have known Martinez was one of Collins’s minions. “I approached Martinez to take us to another country without an extradition order. He pretended like he would, only—” He’d taken them to Collins’s lair instead. “We ended up at the lodge in Washington. They confined my wife to one of the rooms. Separated us. Martinez guarded me. Then Collins showed up and told me I was no longer needed.”

Zachary gauged his reactions. “And then he shot you.”

Kincaid’s shoulders sagged with weariness. “Yes. I thought he was going to kill me. He told me I would stay at the lodge until he figured out what to do with me.”

“And you had no idea Collins had a boat stashed along the shore?”

Kincaid stared at him wide-eyed. “I had no idea. He and his father both escaped?” An uneasy feeling slipped into the pit of his stomach. If Collins were out there someplace on the loose, Kincaid would never be safe, even in prison.

Zachary’s gaze shifted to someone beyond Kincaid’s line of sight. “Not exactly,” he said. “Collins killed his father first and then escaped.”

If there was ever any doubt about the man’s sociopathic behavior, it was just confirmed. “Unbelievable. He’s inhuman.”

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