Page 39 of Storm Surge

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Kaid and Sidney cleared the top of the hill. Up ahead, two four-wheelers sped down the side toward a helicopter that had landed in an open space in the valley.

“That’s him.” Sidney confirmed by looking through the binoculars at the fleeing men. “That’s Collins.”

“Hang on,” Kaid told his wife and floored the machine. Sidney grabbed hold of the door and held on tight while Kaid did his best to dodge debris along the way.

The two four-wheelers didn’t let up. They raced toward the helicopter. No matter how fast he and Sidney pushed their machine, Kaid couldn’t close the distance. The helicopter hovered low, kicking up snow and nearby branches. The two four-wheelers zoomed up next to it. Both men jumped off and raced for the open hatch of the chopper.

Sidney opened fire. One shot struck Collins in the arm. The man grabbed it but didn’t slow down. With the help of the second man, they jumped inside the chopper, and the pilot immediately lifted off.

Kaid pushed their machine to the max to reach the chopper before it reached it’s flying height. Sidney aimed for the engine, but the pilot took evasive moves. Bullets tinged off the side. He and Sidney unloaded their weapons.

One of the engines flamed out. But the pilot was skilled and kept the helicopter in the air. He banked hard to the left and took off toward the mountains in the distance.

Once again. Martin Collins had escaped.

The regret Kaid felt was almost physical. They’d been trying to solve the mystery of Legion for years, and now its leader had gotten away.

Sidney grabbed his hand. “He’s hurt and he’s running out of options. We’ll get him. It’s only a matter of time.”

While he believed what she said, that didn’t take away the sting. They’d all fought so hard for this moment. He’d wanted to be the one to bring down Collins for what he’d done to Sidney. And he would. If it was the last thing he ever did.

Epilogue

They touched down outside the remote location where Lizzy’s brother lived. Mark risked the danger facing him to reach out to her with what he’d discovered.

The news that Collins had escaped the Alaska team had been heartbreaking to the entire Strike Force, especially those who were targeted from the beginning.

Lizzy and Will had flown to the nation’s capital to meet with the FBI agents hunting the Van Gogh Killer when the call came in from Mark. She thought all the ugly memories would plague her upon her return, but nothing could be further from the truth. The good moments here far outweighed the bad. She endured the questions from the agents and chose to remember only the happier times she and Will shared here.

Still the man responsible for taking her was at large. The sheriff back home was actively searching for the remaining member of the serial killer duo, and the local FBI had been called to assist.

She couldn’t believe the man who acted as her grandfather’s apprentice in the murder was actually his son. What other secrets was Edward Buckley holding at the time of his death? Though Lizzy’s father was actually the one who killed Buckley, the man outside the cabin had blamed her.

After she and Will left the Hoover Building, they’d gone by their old apartment. In a way, being back here helped to exorcise the demons of the past. While all she wanted to do was fly back to her ocean sanctuary, Mark had reached out to her, and she wouldn’t let her brother down. Mark had sent her the coordinates to his home. A car waited for them at the airport, thanks to James.

Will held the door open for her. “How are you holding up?”

Lizzy smiled up at him despite the churning nerves in the pit of her stomach. “Good. I’m excited to meet my brother at last face-to-face.” As long as she had Will at her side, she could handle anything that waited for her. She took his hand while they drove the distance to the house—a cabin at the top of a remote mountain in Colorado.

Will managed to keep the car on the small road that was little more than a trail as they climbed to the top of the mountain. After they cleared another hairpin curve, a rundown cabin sat at the end of the road. He parked the car out front and turned to her. “This must be it.”

She squeezed his hand and they both climbed out. Lizzy stood beside her husband and stared up at the unwelcome sight in front of her. While they waited, her phone chirped. She pulled it out and read the message. “It’s Mark. He wants to make sure it’s us.” Lizzy quickly typed an answer.

A handful of seconds passed, and then the door opened. A tall fit man with dark hair stood on the porch for a second before he headed down the stairs.

Lizzy hesitated, and then she ran into her brother’s arms and held him close. She cried for all that had been lost for them. For all the things her father had forced Mark to endure. “I’m so happy to meet you,” she said with a sob but didn’t care. She had her brother.

Mark laughed. “I’m happy to meet you, too.” He pulled away and looked at her for a long moment. “We both look so much like her.”

They did. But there was bits of her father in her that she wished she could erase.

Mark glanced past her to Will. “Who’s this?”

“My husband, Will Grayson.”

Will stepped forward and extended his hand.

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