Page 24 of Firestorm

He stuck the phone in his jacket pocket. “I picked up a lot in the military. But most of this is self-taught out of necessity.” He told her about being on the run. Sarah had heard some of his story before, but she had no idea he had lived in a small village in Alaska called Anana Harbor. “I knew if I wanted to live long enough to bring down the people who killed the members of my unit, I’d have to become tech savvy. So, I taught myself.”

She hated that he had gone through such a terrible ordeal. “Thank you, for going to such lengths and risking your life to save Blake,” she said again because he’d given her brother back to her. “I don’t know how to ever repay you.”

James slipped his hand in hers. “There’s no need. Blake would have done the same for me.”

???

“This is my uncle’s place.” Tucker pulled the SUV onto an overgrown opening that could barely be called a drive.

James leaned forward. “Will he be home?” Over-reaching weeds and twigs scraped the side of the van. It didn’t appear anyone had been home in a long time.

Tucker who drove the van glanced in the rearview mirror before answering. “He doesn’t live here anymore. His heath is getting bad.” The noise of branches scraping the sides grated on James’ fragile nerves. “The plane is kept inside a barn.”

They passed a deteriorating farmhouse. James surveyed the resolute faces of the members of his team. Squeezing everyone into a civilian plane wouldn’t be easy, but they didn’t have a choice. The plane wouldn’t have a large fuel system, so they’d have to find a way to refuel. He’d reach out to some of his contacts once they were in the air and ask for help. James just prayed they hadn’t bought into Pamphili’s propaganda and turned against them.

After they rounded another curve, a massive structure appeared ahead.

“What on earth?” James muttered under his breath.

Tucker chuckled. “Yeah, I know what you were thinking, but Uncle Bud didn’t do anything halfway.”

Brookes Zachary blew out a long whistle. “I can’t wait to see what’s behind those doors.”

“Uncle Bud’s Boeing 747-8 Freighter should be able to carry all of us without a problem.” Tucker brought the van to a stop beside the structure. The SUV parked beside them. “The runaway is just big enough for the plane to take off and land.”

They piled from the van along with the occupants of the SUV, made quick work of opening the door, and Tucker clicked on the overhead lights.

James stopped in the doorway and marveled at the miracle before them. “I love your uncle,” he said to Tucker who chuckled.

“Yeah, me, too. Let’s move the plane outside. A few people around here know about it. If they’re questioned, we could be in trouble.”

“How do you get it out of the hangar?” Peter asked. An aircraft this size wouldn’t be easy to move.

Tucker pointed to the machine at the back of the building. “He uses the tractor as a pushback tug to move the plane in and out of the building.”

The tractor in question would have enough horsepower to move the plane where it was needed. “Do you know how to fly this?” James asked Tucker.

“I do. I’ve taken it up a few times.”

James studied Tucker. “You and Damon will need to come with us. If they realize we took this plane, they’ll come after you and your uncle.”

Tucker shook his head. “It won’t do them any good to come after Uncle Bud. He’s been suffering from Alzheimer’s for a while. He doesn’t remember much.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, brother. Do you want to bring him with us?” It didn’t matter the gravity of the situation; James wouldn’t leave a family member behind.

Tucker swallowed several times. “He’s better off in the facility where he’s staying. It’s a good one, and they are taking excellent care of him.”

“Okay.” James faced Damon. “What about you? Is there anyone you want to bring along?”

Damon shook his head. “Just me. I’m not close to my family.”

A story for another day. James clamped Damon’s shoulder. “All right, let’s get this show on the road. We’re running out of time, people.”

Tucker went for the tractor while James moved to stand near Sarah and Blake.

“Let’s have our doctor take a look at those injuries.” James caught Hannah’s attention and motioned her over. Blake’s lip was swollen along with half of his face. Pamphili’s people had done quite a number on Blake. “Take care of my friend, will you, Hannah?”

She dropped her bag on the ground. “You got it. He’s in good hands.”

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