“As a cat burglar,” she said. “And only to refresh my skills. Years of sitting on your ass before and during missions don’t keep you sharp. I’m finesse, Guy, not a blunt instrument.”
“It’ll end soon,” he said, “if we find this clue first. The CIA are coming. R24 will get what they deserve.”
“Assuming we survive that long, or if they don’t capture us again.”
“Hey.” Bodie stopped for a moment. “Look at me, Jem. I’ll keep you safe. We’ve been a team for five years. We look after each other. We fight for each other. Nothing will change.”
“But everything has changed,” Jemma said. “Since Heidi came into our lives. Since Eli died.”
Bodie felt the weight of leadership weighing heavy. “Yeah, but mostly since Pantera got me thrown into that prison. But we’ll find a way to break free. We always do.”
Jemma’s words made the protective side of him rear up and sent him back to the time he’d defended little Darcey from the bullies. So far, he’d done a shaky job of protecting Lucie and Caruso and the others. He’d been an integral part of the Forever Gang back then, a defender and a leader, which had possibly laid the groundwork for the man he would become. Bodie would never stop defending those around him.
It was Caruso and Heidi who found the gravestone they were searching for. After the shout went up, Bodie strode over and knelt on the soft grass. The half-century-old concrete was rough, showing signs that the elements hadn’t been kind to it, but bore the name Klaus Meyer near the top. The plot it marked was weed strewed and covered with years of growth and rubble.
“Crap,” Bodie said. “Anyone got a shovel?”
“Not in our packs,” Heidi said. “The mercs had them.”
“No.” Caruso crouched close to the concrete marker. “This is the clue. It is as good a permanent marker as any stained glass window. Who would remove a headstone?”
Bodie studied it carefully. The concrete was thick, making it heavy. Meyer’s name was deeply etched along the top lip. More writing filled the middle part—In memory of our brother—written in German that Pantera translated. Bodie wondered if the Nazis had buried more than one of their number here, men who had died during the train journey. Klaus Meyer could simply be a name on a gravestone, picked at random, entered into a journal.
“There’s more writing across the bottom.” Caruso pointed.
“It’s sunk below the debris.” Bodie struggled to twist the marker so they could see. Pantera bent with his eyes close to the ground.
“In English it says: ‘At the peak of Draci, where the last standing stone awaits.’”
Bodie heaved the stone some more. “Is that it?”
“Yeah, pal, that’s everything.”
Cautiously, Bodie let go. He didn’t want the marker to fall, despite the nature of the man it represented. Toppling it felt like desecration. Taking care, he stood back. “Anybody have a clue what that means?”
“Nope,” Gunn said. “But give me the map, and I’ll soon find out.”
“You do that,” Heidi said. “I’ll switch the phone on briefly, but we’re down to two bars.”
Being able to switch the phone on occasionally would help mark their position for the incoming CIA.
Bodie handed Gunn the laminated map, then looked over to where Cassidy and Yasmine guarded their perimeter, but he saw nothing. The contrast between what he felt inside—the chaos, the anxiety—and their utterly silent surroundings was unnerving.
Then Jemma pointed. Cassidy came into sight, head down. A shot rang out. Yasmine, following her, fell to the floor, but it was an evasive dive. She rolled and came back up again, firing two shots in return.
Bodie saw the mercenaries now. They came over a peak that overlooked Nica, flanking the town at the same time as gaining a height advantage. Bodie jumped behind Meyer’s gravestone as bullets began to pepper the ground all around. His team took cover behind other markers. Cassidy and Yasmine sheltered behind the crumbling walls of the old church.
Bodie knew their supply of bullets was low, not enough to allow a standoff here. R24 had enough men and ammo to outflank them. Ideally, they should escape as soon as possible.
But we can’t take the bloody clue with us! They’ll see it too.
Destroy it, then? That was still desecration, and besides, how could they destroy it with the meager tools at their disposal? Shoot it?
“Smash the stone,” Pantera said, as if reading Bodie’s mind. “So they can’t follow.”
Bodie frowned, hesitating a few moments more. That made him angry, since he was normally decisive, but his head was spinning with emotions. Cassidy and Yasmine returned fire at the mercs, warding them off. More bullets came slamming back down, spraying the side of the church and the paths of the graveyard.
Cassidy looked over. “Down to five bullets.”
Yasmine looked grim. “Four. We can’t sit here forever.”
Bodie reached for a stone large enough to smash the marker. A bullet, by chance, slammed into the earth close to his hand, making him pull back and think again. The mercs were ranged along the peak now, just eight of them, along with three members of R24. Dudyk and Gurka were somewhere else.
Cassidy caught his attention and signaled a retreat. They had to leave quickly. There was no telling where their other enemies were. For safety’s sake, an orderly withdrawal was better. Bodie gave her the signal to cover their backs and turned to the others.
“Move out,” he said. “Stay low. We don’t have time to smash the marker. We’ll have to take our chances.”
“Where to?” Gunn sounded a little panicked.
“There.” Bodie pointed at the misshapen fence that bordered the rear of the property. “Over the fence and back into the peaks. Do you have a bead on Draci yet?”
“The mountain’s that way.” Gunn indicated a westerly direction. “Back into dangerous territory.”
“Of course it is.” Bodie threaded his way with the rest of them, from concrete stone to concrete stone, finally leaping over a decrepit fence and entering a rocky pass beyond. The pass led back up into the mountains.
Bodie saw a flash of clothing appear to the right of Cassidy and Yasmine, which was their blind side.
“Down!”
Thankfully, everyone heeded his shout, dropping to the floor. Just seconds later shots shredded the air they’d occupied. Bodie was in the best position and beckoned for a gun. Cassidy threw hers. Bodie watched it arc through the air, caught it, and fired once. The new mercs took cover, which gave Cassidy and Yasmine a few seconds to reach the pass.
“Run,” Bodie yelled at their backs. “Just go!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
They hiked quickly up the pass and then the mountain, knowing that killers were at their backs. The mountain trek presented a new quandary. It wasn’t a matter of allowing someone to fall back and cover their escape; it was the chance that that person—no matter how skilled—could get lost or fall prey to mountain terrors more easily if they were alone. It was a hundred other risks and missteps.
Up here, there would be no second chances.
Gunn led the way, following his map, closely supported by Cassidy and Pantera, who looked out for hazards. Jemma and Lucie walked together, trailed by the others, with Bodie at the back. He stopped regularly to listen, lingering until his companions almost disappeared from sight, but heard no signs of pursuit.
Bad news.
Unfortunately, R24 was being sensible about the chase. If it sent mercenaries out now, into the mountains, they might become lost and also wouldn’t know Bodie’s destination. Plus, they didn’t have enough men to waste. Communications couldn’t be completely relied upon. Nothing could. Better to wait and plan. Lose some time now to make it up later. But still, they wouldn’t be far behind.
The entire morning passed, and the sun ducked behind a bank of thick black clouds. The cold mountain air began to bite. Bodie felt the cold in his bones as he continued to climb the steadily ascendi
ng path. They lost twenty minutes when the pass dead-ended and they had to climb across a rocky outcropping to access another. Once, Gunn stopped only three feet before a black hole in the ground, a cave that ran vertically downward. With utmost caution the group skirted it, but the dire warning of its existence served only to increase their concerns.
Up they went. It was midafternoon before Gunn announced they were climbing the slopes of Draci, with the peak towering above.
Shrubbery and patches of grass lined their way. A dip in the terrain led to a narrow lake, but they didn’t venture down. They stopped to eat and drink, redistributing their weapons. Now, Bodie at the back and Cassidy at the front had control of the handguns.
“Why standing stones?” Jemma asked as they restarted their trek. “And why up there?” She stared at the peaks. “How did a train get so high?”
“It didn’t,” Lucie answered as if she’d been waiting for the question, which, Bodie guessed, she probably had. “At least, not from this direction. The ground on the other side of Draci is a long, gentle slope. The easiest and most cost-effective way to have laid the tracks would have been around the range back there”—she gestured back the way they had come—“and then around Draci itself, gradually descending to the flat plains on the other side. And that’s no matter who laid them.”
“You think the stones are a natural marker? Nothing significant?” Jemma asked.
“Standing stones, like grave markers and stained glass windows, are normally considered permanent markers,” Lucie said. “Through history they have rarely been desecrated.”
“Except in times of war,” Gunn said.
“But they thought the war was practically over,” Lucie said. “Whoever left these clues . . . they knew their history, they knew its patterns, and they knew their relics. I guess it goes without saying that the Amber Room has been considered a wonder since it was first unveiled. As for the standing stones . . .” She came around to Jemma’s question. “They’re worldwide and constructed for countless reasons. Outside Europe, some examples date back to 6300 BCE. I think they’re such a recognizable part of our landscape that unless they’re huge and famous like Stonehenge, nobody really notices the small ones anymore.”
Bodie studied the way ahead. “Get a move on, guys. I’d like to reach the top of this bastard by nightfall.”
The words muted them all. Nobody had forgotten the wolves or the predators that followed with guns. And nobody had forgotten the unknown nightmares that had plagued them the previous night.
They sped up as best they could. Two more cave entrances appeared along their route, running into the mountainside, black and deep and bristling with mystery. Too many pitfalls to count blotted their path and lay to either side. Despite their urgency, they had to take care. The sun had passed its zenith long ago and now marked midafternoon, waning toward the evening. A not-so-warm day started to grow really cold. Bodie joined the others as they stopped and buttoned every button, wrapping clothes as tightly around themselves as they could and fixing facial scarves. The rest of the journey passed in silence or angry grunts—the regular reaction of somebody slipping or knocking arms or legs against a projecting boulder.
Shadows stole among the rocks. Bodie had come to dread the dark among these peaks. Even now, it brought an unknown pattering among the heights above, the sudden shower of gravel, the sneaking of a shape that didn’t quite fit.
All imagination.
But as they came over the crest of their final ascent, reaching the peak of Mount Draci, he realized that it really wasn’t. In fact, imagination couldn’t even come close to preparing him for the horror that waited.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Bodie froze as a blast of fear shot from his stomach to his brain. Judging from the body language of everyone around him, they all had experienced the same burst of fright.
Slinking before them, weaving among each other and around the middle of the bowl at the top of Mount Draci, were six pure black panthers, fully grown. Despite their pacing, their eyes never left their prey. The growls low in their throats conveyed terrible intent.
This was what had been tracking them? Bodie shuddered.
Nobody moved. Luckily, Cassidy was at the head of the group, holding her gun. Bodie had a line of sight to the left. But two guns with eight bullets between them weren’t going to save them all.
“If they come,” he whispered, “just scatter. Run. Split them up. Cass and I will do the rest.”
He wished he felt as confident as he sounded. Minutes passed. The growls grew in intensity. The panthers crept closer. Gunn stepped unconsciously behind Cassidy as Lucie did the same behind Pantera. The entire group condensed, which was exactly what the panthers wanted.
“Remember,” Bodie said, “there are flares and matches in your pack. You might need them.”
Gunn turned a wild gaze toward him, but then the panthers attacked. Sprays of shale flew from underneath their paws. Snarls erupted from their throats. Cassidy knelt and lined them up in her sights. Pantera and Yasmine broke instantly from the pack, running left and right. Bodie adopted a wide-legged stance and aimed. Heidi sprinted after Pantera.
It was Jemma, Gunn, and Caruso who stood unmoving.
Lucie backed away slowly, heading for Bodie, interfering with his aim.
The seconds passed in a blur. Cassidy opened fire with the panthers less than eight feet away. Her first bullet took down the fastest of the six; her second entered the shoulder of the one to its right, sending it tumbling and bringing down two of its brethren. Bodie concentrated on the two to the left. His first bullet blew a head apart; his second winged an animal. His third shot almost killed Lucie as she stumbled into his sights, scared out of her wits by the attacking animals.
“Shit, move! I only have one bullet left!”
He rolled around Lucie, but then Gunn and Jemma were in his way. Caruso hit the floor. Cassidy was sidestepping. The panthers were incredibly fast, even the wounded ones. The two who’d tumbled quickly sorted their legs out. One fixed its sights on Heidi, the other on Pantera.
Cassidy fired again, putting her bullet count down to one and hitting Heidi’s pursuer in the flank, bringing it down for good. That left three wounded panthers to deal with. But now those animals were almost on top of their prey, making it impossible for Cassidy or Bodie to risk shooting. Pantera fell as a powerful body slammed against his ribs, ripping his pack off and sending it crashing to the ground. Pantera stumbled and twisted, going down to one knee. He came around with a wild swing but completely missed the panther. It crouched and then sprang at his throat. Pantera flung his body away to avoid it but ended up on his back, the beast poised above.
It panted heavily. It leaked blood. Its fangs glistened. It snapped down at his face. Pantera swung an arm up. Bodie heard his scream as fangs ripped at the material covering the man’s arm. The jacket was thick, but it would only protect him for a second.
As Bodie ran, he saw Yasmine jump bravely onto the panther that was threatening Gunn and Jemma. He saw her punch it repeatedly where the bullet had entered. The animal screeched and squirmed.
Cassidy ran for the last wounded attacker as it leapt at Lucie and the prone Caruso.
Bodie saw Pantera wriggle out from under the panther and throw himself at the side of the mountain. The bowl they fought in was bordered by a low wall, a natural rock backdrop. When the wounded beast rose and leapt, Pantera threw himself around the wall, evading the attack. The animal hit the rock hard, bounced off, and then crouched, head close to the floor. Despite its labored breathing, it prepared to leap again.
Then Heidi came at it from the blind side. She had a flare—taken from Pantera’s abandoned pack—in her hand and aimed it at the animal. She fired it immediately, giving the panther no chance. The flare smashed against the side of its body and sent it tumbling against the rock wall, now barely alive. Pantera staggered to his knees, and Heidi crawled to his side.
Bodie whirled. Lucie had fallen under
a panther’s attack. Even now it dipped its teeth toward her throat. Bodie saw blood spray high into the air. He heard Lucie scream. Her body writhed, flinging blood in all directions. The panther pulled away, went in again, jaws gnashing.
Cassidy reached it a moment later, pushed her gun close to its head, and pulled the trigger. It fell away in a cloud of blood and bone. Cassidy dropped her gun and reached down for Lucie. “No!”
Bodie had to concentrate on Yasmine. Though she had fallen atop her animal and punched it repeatedly, it had still gotten the better of her. Gunn and Jemma crouched nearby, both throwing rocks at the beast as it prepared to rip Yasmine’s throat out.
The rocks hit, gifting Bodie a precious few moments. He breathed deeply, steadied his hands, and fired his last bullet—a shot that went through the animal’s neck. It collapsed in a heap.
He turned to Cassidy and Lucie. “Cass?”
Lucie battered the redhead’s attentions away, crying out in pain at the same time.
“It’s her right arm that’s wounded,” Cassidy said with relief. “She got it across her throat just in time.”
Bodie felt intense relief. Quickly, he checked on the others and then went over to Lucie. “Good job,” he said. “How bad is it?”
Lucie showed him the wound. Where her jacket was torn, three deep slashes had punctured her skin. The blood flowed freely. Cassidy wasted no time cutting some material away and then washing the wounds with lake water.
“We have a first aid kit in our packs,” she said. “Pass me the antiseptic and bandages.”
“I’m amazed it didn’t go for the sweater,” Bodie commented, just able to see some black woolly material above her collar.
“Yeah.” Cassidy smiled. “Let it see the sheep on the front next time.”
“Just do it,” Lucie said matter-of-factly. “I know you’re trying to distract me.”
As Cassidy worked, Bodie scanned the area for the first time. He saw standing stones, six of them in a row, running down the dead center of the bowl at the top of the mountain. He saw every member of his team dead tired, some with wounds, some bleeding, all sitting down except for Caruso, who still lay on his stomach.
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