Page 8 of Firestorm

Rustling sounds pulled her attention from the darkness in her mind.

Two women—one noticeably pregnant—came into the space. An enormous tan and white St. Barnard dog stayed close to one of the women. A child followed in a suit that swallowed her up. Beside her was a woman who kept her hand on the little girl’s shoulder to help her along.

Soon, more people filed out into the night. It wasn’t long before the choppers were full.

“We’ll have to take these people back to my place and return for the rest.” Holden turned to Sarah.

She held up a hand. “Go, I’ll be fine.”

He paused a moment and stared at her, then he nodded and hurried out to his chopper.

She and James along with the other members of Strike Force helped people into the waiting choppers. Despite the headgear covering her face, Sarah turned away from the blast of debris heading their way.

With the last of the members onboard, she and the others stepped back inside the mine.

James waited until the noise created by the choppers faded. “How are you holding up?” he asked her

She shrugged. There were no good words to answer. “I don’t know. I’m terrified for Blake.”

James glanced to the men at his side. “Sarah, this is Kaid Bennett, Ben Parker, and Brookes Zachary.” He turned toward the final man. He appeared familiar but she couldn’t place him. “And this is Victor Douglas, the former president.”

Sarah focused more intently on the man’s face and realized there was a good reason why she recognized him. “I remember. I can’t believe this is happening to you all.”

Victor Douglas smiled. “We can’t either. Every member of Strike Force are patriots who have been targeted by Daniel Pamphili, the man we believe is really calling the shots now. Right now, Pamphili holds ultimate power over what’s happening in the world. He ordered the use of nuclear weapons to wipe out our witness, and they don’t need to offer explanations to anyone.”

“I can’t believe it. How can we stop them? How can I save my brother?” Sarah stressed. She couldn’t stand the thought of losing Blake after the lengths he’d gone to survive. The years of hiding out after almost dying in Afghanistan. The group she’d heard referred to as Legion had been trying to kill Blake for years.

“I have some connections in Colorado that will help,” James assured her. “As soon as we rescue everyone and take them to a safe location, we’ll go to work on locating where they took Blake.”

Relief rolled through her limbs. For the first time since she’d started this journey, Sarah believed there might be a chance to save her brother.

???

With the last of the team members on board, James jumped into the helicopter along with Sarah. The chopper, piloted by Holden, didn’t waste time reaching flying height. It banked right and headed into the night.

James’ brain churned out possible locations for a more permanent hideout to house the entire team. They couldn’t stay long at Holden’s place. As soon as Pamphili’s people realized the bomb hadn’t worked, they’d come searching. As grateful as James and the rest of the team were for the evacuation, the very act of generosity had put a target on their backs as well. They would no longer be safe here in Idaho.

The flight seemed to take forever, but that could have been due to his worried thoughts that wouldn’t shut off.

As soon as the chopper began its descent, Holden spoke to the passengers. “There are only three locations to decontaminate, so the process will be slow. Once everyone’s off, I’ll clean the chopper of any radiation.”

“I’m happy to help,” James told him, but Holden shook his head.

“Seems like you and your people have been through a lot already. And I’m guessing you have much to discuss.”

James rubbed a weary hand over his eyes. “Starting with finding a more permanent location for such a large group. It’s not going to be safe here long.”

He and Sarah were the last off the transport. “Let’s step away for a second. I want you to tell me everything you remember about the people who took Blake, however insignificant it may seem.”

“Of course,” Sarah said.

James frowned at her willingness to cooperate. Did she have any idea of the deadly web she was being drawn into? The last time he’d seen her was probably two years ago. She’d be around twenty-five by now. They both had feelings for each other, but their timing always seemed bad. It made him sad to think there might never be a right time for them.

Several people James didn’t recognize helped move the chopper to a place where it could be cleaned.

“Tell me a little about the days before Blake was taken. Did anything unusual happen?” James said to her.

She frowned as she considered his question. “Blake was more worried than normal. After the news announcement from Kirkpatrick calling Strike Force a terrorist group responsible for the chaos around the world, Blake and I rarely left the house.”

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