Page 33 of Storm Surge

Collins was watching them. The eerie feeling didn’t set well. “My nephew. I trust him completely.” Ahmad glanced at the young man.

“All right. Have your nephew get rid of the plane. It will call too much attention to us.”

A strange way of putting it. Ahmad turned to Kader. “Tell the pilot they can fly into the closest secure location. I’ll call them when they’re needed.”

Kader nodded and hurried away. Ahmad stared at the door. If there was any other option left to him, he wouldn’t be here now. As he waited, the door opened, and a disheveled Collins stepped from the cabin. He descended the steps quickly and gave Ahmad a hug that was a struggle to accept. Though this man had once been a dear friend, it was his mental state now that scared Ahmad the most. He’d seen glimpses of its deterioration through the years. When things went against Collins, the monster hidden below the refined surface always made an appearance.

Collins pulled away and stared into his eyes. That hard look struck fear in Ahmad. He’s seen it many times. What followed was always deadly. Collins’s eyes narrowed as if he suspected Ahmad might have second thoughts.

“Come. We have much work to do.” He stepped back and headed inside the cabin.

Kader caught up with him. “Is this the man you spoke of?” Kader had doubts as well. “He appears deranged.”

Ahmad agreed. It had been only a few days since Collins left Ahmad’s home in Afghanistan. He’d been angry, of course, but controlled. Something had changed that. “It will be okay,” Ahmad assured his nephew and they entered the cabin.

“What work do we have to do?” Ahmad asked once he closed the door.

Collins jerked toward him as if surprised by the question. “We plan our return to power, of course.”

Had he come all this way only to be taken in by a madman? “Martin, we are in no position to plan anything. We’re being hunted down like animals. Until we can figure out someplace safe to live out the rest of our days, we have to stay out of sight.”

Collins charged toward him like a rabid dog. “A safe place to live out the rest of our days? When did you become so weak?”

Ahmad glanced to his nephew before answering, “They have my family. Everything I love. There are only you and I left to carry on the cause. It’s over, Martin. It’s over.”

Rage flared in Collins’s eyes. “It will never be over, and we’ve all made sacrifices for our cause. Strike Force is interrogating my daughter right now. She’s being put through who knows what because of me.” Once more, he came to within a few inches of Ahmad’s face. “It will never be over. Are you with me?”

The madness had finally taken complete control. He’d made a terrible mistake by trusting someone unstable like Collins. Ahmad would have to find his own way out and he would. No matter what, because he wasn’t about to pay the ultimate price of his life for the deranged rantings of a madman.

???

“There’s news.” The call came in from James.

Right away Will could tell it was important. He motioned the others over and put the phone on speaker. “Go ahead. I have the team here with me.”

“We’ve had a hit on three other remote locations around the country where we believe Collins might be hiding. One in Montana. One in Maine. But get this, we stumbled on another location that is connected with someone from Collins’s past. Ezekiel Hardeman. He has a cabin located in Alaska.”

Will’s gaze latched onto Kaid’s. “Where in Alaska?”

“You’re not going to believe this. Anana Harbor.”

“That’s too big of a coincidence,” Will said. “That has to be where Collins is hiding out.”

“I have our people heading to the other locations, but I thought you guys would want to be the ones to search the Anana Harbor cabin.”

Though Will wanted to be there with the team when they tracked down Martin Collins and brought him to justice, Lizzy needed him.

“Text the address. We’ll get people on the way there now,” Kaid answered for him.

“You got it. And I’m meeting you there along with Ben Parker. He and I have to be there for this. Emily can monitor things from here. She’ll be in touch once we know about the other locations.”

“Thanks, James.” Will ended the call and glanced around at the battle-weary faces of Strike Team. They’d all come through so much. Was it about to end?

Victor came over to where Will stood and patted his shoulder. “I know you want to be there, but she needs you here. She’s been through so much. Take care of Lizzy.”

Will swallowed the lump in his throat and slowly nodded. “You need to be there.”

Victor smiled. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’ll take Kaid and Sidney because it seems only fitting that they’re with us as well as James and Ben. Both men have been part of this thing since the beginning along with Kaid and Sidney.” Victor glanced Kinsley’s way. “She’ll want to come, too. I couldn’t keep her back if I wanted to.”

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