Page 5 of Firestorm

James understood every single one of his commander’s concerns. “It’s her. I know Sarah’s voice.”

“But that doesn’t mean she hasn’t been compromised,” Victor reminded him.

It was true, but he couldn’t get the fear he’d heard in Sarah’s voice out of his head, and he trusted Sarah.

“Sorry, brother. I have faith in your instincts. I’m just feeling a bit paranoid,” Victor assured him.

James was humbled. “Thank you. Before I reach out to Holden again, we need to find the exit tunnel on the opposite side of the mountain. According to the records we have, there’s one, but it was closed when the mine shut their doors. We don’t know what we’ll find once we reach it.”

“I’ll come with you,” Kaid volunteered.

“Thanks, man. I’ll get Brookes and Ben to join us. Once we find it and assess the difficulty in reopening the exit, let’s get everyone together for the call with Holden. We don’t know what we’ll be facing outside.” The fallout alone from the nuclear weapon would be deadly. They were ill-equipped to protect their people. The supplies found at the former hunting camp hadn’t contained anything to protect against a nuclear attack. This went way beyond anything James had imagined.

Chapter Two

Headlights flashed briefly. A chill sped up Sarah’s spine. She’d spent most of the day hiding and waiting for the cover of night.

Reaching the place where Jeb told her to meet him and Kirk was the easy part. What came next was terrifying. She had to trust them enough to take her to the place of their friend, Holden, where she would be part of the rescue mission to save the Strike Force team. Distrust weighed heavily on her mind.

Throughout the treacherous drive cross-country, all Sarah could think about was her brother. So much time had passed. Was he still alive?

Car doors slammed shut. The interior light of the vehicle didn’t flash. A deliberate attempt to evade detection. Tension wound its way between her shoulder blades. Was she walking into a carefully laid trap by the same enemy who had taken Blake?

Two men dressed in hazmat uniforms came her way. “Kill your headlights,” a disjointed voice yelled with a certain amount of anger. She recognized Jeb’s voice and quickly complied.

As they neared the driver’s side of her truck, Sarah started to get out.

“Stay inside. We may be a hundred miles from ground zero, but you have no idea how far-reaching the fallout has traveled.” This was Kirk. “You’ll follow us. We’re going to Holden’s place about twenty miles due east. Once you arrive, you will be decontaminated. You understand?”

Sarah’s nervous hands gripped the wheel. She nodded and then realized they couldn’t see her confirmation. “Yes, I understand.”

“Good,” Kirk said. “Holden has been in contact with your guy, Cooper. We are going to evacuate the members of Strike Force first before we attempt to help your brother. But it will all work out.”

Would it? She sure hoped so.

“Stay close to us and keep your lights off.” Kirk didn’t wait for her answer. He and Jeb returned to their vehicle. The darkness in the woods was relentless, and Sarah would have to work hard to avoid hitting something that would destroy the truck.

Brake lights tapped several times before they started forward. With her heart in her throat, Sarah put her vehicle in Drive and followed. Her beat-up truck bounced across the uneven ground. Her only guidance was the occasional brake light.

Several times, she came close to slamming into trees. Once, the driver of the vehicle in front stopped suddenly, then backed up, forcing Sarah to do the same. After what felt like an eternity, the woods cleared. They reached a road. The fallout from the explosion still hung in the air, giving the sky an orange glow.

The vehicle in front turned right. Sarah followed. At least they were now on a road of some sort, and she wasn’t in danger of wrecking the truck.

Jeb and Kirk continued for a long time before exiting onto a narrow tree-lined dirt drive.

The road wound around groups of trees. Sarah gripped the wheel tight as she bounced across the washboard-type path. Another snakelike turn, and a massive structure loomed ahead. The vehicle she’d been following pulled up close. Jeb and Kirk climbed out. Kirk came over to her window. “Pull up next to the building. There’s a fully equipped bathroom with a shower to the right. Once you’ve finished, you’ll find a change of clothes for you. Go inside the main building and wait. Holden and his people are on their way here now.”

Kirk headed toward another door where Jeb waited for him. Once they disappeared inside, Sarah pulled the truck as close as she could and exited. She opened the door Kirk indicated and walked straight into a bathroom.

Glancing around, she found everything she would need. After more than twenty-four hours since her last shower, the idea of warm water on her chilled skin was welcomed.

She stood in front of the mirror and almost didn’t recognize herself. Her long, raven hair hung around her face highlighting its pallor. Her cheekbones were sunken—dark shadows beneath each eye. Her blue eyes appeared huge in her frightened face.

Locking both doors, Sarah undressed and let the shower ease some of the tension from her body.

She’d witnessed a nuclear attack, but the thought didn’t compute. This wasn’t a foreign country. They were not at war. This was the US, and someone had used a nuclear weapon against citizens of the country.

A sob escaped. If these people were willing to go to such extremes, would they think twice about harming Blake?

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