Even without the Amber Room, Bodie thought, this is a monumental find.
“A hell of a cache,” Jemma said sadly. “And a terrible cache.”
“The Germans stole . . .” Bodie paused. “Countless treasures from Europe. The true cost can never be counted.”
Caruso still knelt near the middle of the cave. Gurka walked up to him, grabbed his hair, and forced him to his feet. “Where is it?”
“Just lighten up, bud.” Cassidy confronted Gurka. “You got what you wanted.”
Gurka aimed the gun at her, finger twitching around the trigger. Cassidy didn’t back down, staring him point-blank in the face, an act that reminded Bodie of the old Cassidy, someone they sorely needed right now.
Caruso waved his hands for attention. “This way,” he told Gurka. “Look.”
And he led them along the line of crates. Bodie studied the row carefully now. Each crate stood about five feet high and eight long, constructed of nailed planks of wood, bonded by thick metal straps that ran around the outside.
Caruso jumped up on a rock positioned beside the fourth crate. After reaching in and grabbing an unseen object, he turned to address all the people in the cave as they stared up at him.
“This,” he said, “is the eighth wonder of the world.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Eight flashlights illuminated the oblong amber panel that Caruso held up. The surface glowed as if it had recently been burnished. In addition, the amber was backed with gold leaf, lending the radiance an even richer luster. Bodie realized he was looking at the top edge of a picture frame, something that had been set permanently in the walls of the room.
“How many crates?” Gurka whispered.
“Eighteen,” Caruso said. “The same amount in which it was originally shipped to Russia in 1716. Once reconstructed, it will measure one hundred eighty square feet and glow with six tons of amber and many priceless gems.”
Caruso handed it down to Gurka, but the leader of R24 wanted more. He ordered the Italian down from the rock and climbed up himself. Then he shone his flashlight inside the box. After a moment he turned a crooked grin on Nina.
“Everything we’ve done has come to this. It was all worth it.” He paused for a moment and then said, “Let’s do this properly. Break out all the flashlights.” R24 followed his directions, placing the lights all around the chamber, balancing them atop rocks and ledges and inside niches, so that the cavern glowed bright with illumination.
Gurka then lifted piece after piece from the crate, turning and angling them to show their splendor, before moving on to the next. Randomly, he checked and scrutinized the crates’ contents, but it soon became clear that Caruso was correct, and the entire Amber Room was present.
“Nina,” Gurka said suddenly, as he walked back toward the group from the farthest box. “I really don’t think we need the relic hunters anymore.”
His gun came up. Nina was already training hers on Cassidy and Yasmine. Bodie spread his arms. “Hey, wait, who’s gonna help you drag these things out of here? You killed your merc pals already. You need us. What about transporting them?”
“That plan was already in place,” Gurka scoffed. “You think our contacts are not waiting for our call? That we cannot arrange this? If so, you really are stupid.”
Bodie positioned himself as prime target, standing in front of Gurka. “We had a deal.”
“Yes, and it will end with your death.”
Lucie spent the entire deadly conversation watching Dudyk, who only glanced at her before looking down. That gesture spoke volumes. She barely saw the Amber Room and the treasures arranged around the walls. When the opportunity had come to offer up some history to the group and thus calm her nerves, she’d stayed silent. Dudyk continued to give her fleeting looks, his face as hard as stone.
Earlier, he’d affirmed that he would carry out R24’s demands. He would hurt her if he had to. But would he kill her?
She watched the gun in his hand. She saw both Gurka and Nina raise their guns and take aim. And then Bodie stepped in front of their weapons.
Dudyk moved to the right and raised his own gun. The tortured expression on his face told her that he didn’t like what he was about to do, but he would most certainly do it.
Bodie adhered to the old creed. Live a moment more. Just one more . . .
Hoping for a miracle.
Gurka made a final glance over at Nina, who nodded.
Bodie had a plan in mind. The crates would provide cover. Many of the treasures arrayed around the cave were potential weapons. There was a case of military knives on the second shelf to his right.
Cassidy would have seen it too.
The only issue was—he couldn’t save everyone.
Which was why he tried one last time. “The knowledge we have.” He tapped his temple. “The relics we’ve stolen for customers, some believed lost to history . . . we could lead you to a dozen almost as rare as this.”
Gurka looked annoyed but visibly wavered. “I know, but why say this now?”
Heidi drew his attention. “What better time is there?”
Gurka looked between the two, finger still on the trigger. Bodie was coiled, ready to spring. He hoped Cassidy was just as prepared. Gurka cleared his throat. “It is an intriguing thought,” he said. “But I fear—”
Vash then ran into the cave, pulled up sharply, and exclaimed, “Whoa . . . is that . . . ?”
“What do you want?” Gurka snapped.
“It’s becoming worse out front. We keep trying but can’t reach the mercenaries on the radios.”
“It’s become worse? In what way?”
“The choppers landed opposite the cave, near the middle of the valley floor. We counted twelve soldiers with weapons and three men wearing suits and body armor. Maybe they are reinforcements for the group that attacked us?”
“No, they’d have gone straight to their aid. We have to assume our men are dead.” Gurka swore. “And now we are outnumbered. It is unfortunate that they landed so close.”
“What shall we do?” Vash pressed.
“Do they know we are here?”
“They appear to have no knowledge of the cave.”
While the two men were talking, Bodie was shifting, preparing. His friends were doing the same, attaining good positions from which to launch a final attack. But when Bodie heard the next shocking words leave Gurka’s mouth, he froze on the spot.
“This has been a waste of time,” the leader of R24 said. “Just blow the cave. We will use the drama as a cover for our escape. As for these relic hunters,” he spat, “tie them up and leave them here. They will die in the blast. A fitting end for you all.”
Bodie was staggered but fought to remain emotionless. “You’re not serious? Destroy the Amber Room, all these treasures? And us too? You’re fucking crazy.”
“It’s another example of why we have survived for so long. You think we haven’t done this before?” Gurka laughed. “We are the imperative, the essential survivors. So we will kill the captives if we have to, blow the chamber, destroy the treasure, all in an effort to mask our escape.”
“But you forgot something,” Bodie said.
“Us,” Cassidy said.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Bodie had no option but to concentrate on the weapon before him. He was close enough to grab it. Gurka was distracted by Vash and the situation’s shifting dynamics. Bodie stepped in fast, grabbed Gurka’s arm around the wrist, and jerked the weapon so that it pointed at the floor. Gurka’s trigger finger tightened reflexively. The gun discharged, the sound filling the chamber. Bodie’s head pounded. He kept hold of Gurka’s wrist as the man tried to wrench it free. Keeping hold of that gun arm was life.
Cassidy leapt at Nina. Heidi whirled on Vash, whose gun was still tucked inside his waistband. Cassidy forced Nina’s hand up toward the roof, propelling her backward. They staggered eight feet before crashing into a sidewall. Precariously balanced treasures toppled and spil
led around their feet. Cassidy gripped Nina’s wrist hard, finally able to unleash some of her pent-up feelings.
“Talk to me like a piece of shit, will you? Order me around? Not any fucking more, you won’t.”
Cassidy slammed Nina’s arm into the rock again and again. With her free hand she struck at the woman’s ribs and kidneys, landing blows hard enough to make her opponent puff and gasp and squeal. It was great therapy for Cassidy . . .
. . . but it was taking too long.
Heidi fought Vash. He might have been scrawny, unwashed, and reminiscent of a weasel, but he was strong, tough, and fast. She kept him occupied, giving him no chance to reach for a weapon. It took all her training. His blows made her flinch, and when he grabbed her wrist, she thought he’d broken it. But she managed to pull away, pushing him over a boulder. He hit the floor, and she took a second to check and then rub her wrist.
He aimed the gun.
Heidi launched herself on top of him, knees slamming his gun arm to the floor. He grunted in agony, arm pinned at the bicep, striking out with his other arm. Heidi raised an elbow to fend off the attack. She bore down, putting all her weight on his gun arm.
Bodie swung Gurka around. They pushed each other around the cave, gasping and struggling to gain control. Gurka’s face was dripping with sweat, his scars turning more livid as his anger and frustration rose.
“We help you find this,” Bodie hissed in his opponent’s face. “One of history’s greatest treasures. And you want to blow us up with it? What of Caruso’s family? What of Lucie?”
Gurka fought back, matching Bodie’s strength. “R24 does not care about you or any of your family.”
The scarred man heaved Bodie around so that his back was to a crate and then smashed him hard against it. Bodie felt the impact deep in his bones; it jarred every nerve in his body. But he held on desperately. Gurka’s sweat was making his arm slippery. Gurka smashed him once more into the crate and wrenched his arm free.
Turned the gun on Bodie.
Who ducked and rolled an instant before the shot was fired. Without stopping, he jumped up, striking Gurka under the chin with the top of his skull. The bullet impacted the side of the crate. Gurka let out a muffled groan and fell back, staggering, collapsing to his knees. The blow seemed to have befuddled him. The fingers grasping the gun opened reflexively, and Bodie stooped down to grab it.
Cassidy used her strength and fury, lifting Nina off the floor and smashing her down onto a rocky ledge. The impact made the woman scream as her spine struck rock. When Cassidy let go, Nina slithered down to the cave floor among the fallen treasures.
But she held on to the gun.
Cassidy lifted a boot to smash her heel onto the woman’s wrist. The gun’s barrel inched toward her as Nina’s own survival instinct fought intense pain. The weapon discharged, but it was too early. The bullet flew past Cassidy and struck a far wall. Cassidy kicked at the gun and sent it spinning off across the floor.
Heidi yelled as Vash bucked her off. His gun arm was free, the weapon tracking her. A moment of panic made her freeze. There was no way of stopping his shot, but then Yasmine saved her, diving bravely in front of the gun and stomping on Vash’s chest and arm. Heidi felt a flash of relief that Yasmine was right there with them. Pantera had actually tackled Heidi, pulling her out of the way of a shot that never came. Heidi rolled and then managed to sit up quickly, checking the cave.
Bodie and Gurka struggled by a crate. Cassidy looked to have gotten the better of Nina and was leaping for a discarded gun. That left Jemma and Gunn, who had climbed up on a ledge during the melee, grabbing weapons for the fighters to use, turning even now with several flashing blades in their hands. Caruso stood with his back to a crate, keeping deliberately clear of the action.
And finally there was Lucie, whom nobody had forgotten, but who had been placed with Dudyk essentially for this kind of situation. Dudyk was R24’s fail-safe, their best, most vicious, and deadliest fighter. His remit was to kill Lucie and then help his team.
Heidi needed a gun.
Lucie saw Bodie start the fight and knew she was dead. Dudyk carried a handgun in his waistband with three spare clips of ammunition. He also carried a military knife, which he now pulled from its sheath. The metal made a rasping sound as it skimmed the leather. Together, they watched the fight for a while, and then Lucie took a step backward.
“No, please, Dudyk.”
“Stay still. I have my orders.”
“Please. I . . . I’m no fighter. I’m not even a relic hunter. I’ve never done a single brave thing in my life, but I helped someone like you.”
Dudyk held the knife easily. “You told me your fears.”
“That’s not bravery. It’s being human.”
There was silence between them, a moment of shared introspection.
Gurka’s strained command rent apart their connection.
“Do it, Dudyk! Kill her now!”
Bodie flung Gurka once more at the crate and smashed a fist into the man’s arm. The gun lay on the floor between them, but Bodie ignored it, knowing he’d only catch half a dozen blows bending down.
“No,” he shouted into Gurka’s face. “Tell him not to do it. She’s a bloody historian, not a thief or a relic hunter like us.”
“She’s an enemy.” Gurka brought his forehead down sharply, smashing it onto the bridge of Bodie’s nose. “And like you, she dies now.”
They struggled, the gun between their feet. To their right, Heidi was reaching for Vash’s discarded gun, fingers brushing the handle.
“You’re just like us,” Gurka hissed into his face. “Impassioned. Driven. Focused. And selfish. You care only for yourselves.”
“We’re nothing like you!” Bodie shouted back.
“Kill her!” Gurka screamed.
And Bodie stopped for just a second. He saw Dudyk clench his fist around a wicked eight-inch blade, grab Lucie by the back of the neck, and then plunge it forward at the same time. He saw Lucie’s shock, heard her gasp, and saw her stop moving as Dudyk held her in position, his head close to hers.
Lucie slumped to the ground. Dudyk held the knife at his side and turned around. “It’s done.”
Bodie’s brain shrieked as Gurka smashed an elbow across his face, making him see stars. Blood sprayed his shirt. He staggered. Lucie’s meaningless death wrenched at his heart. A properly trained military man might be able to compartmentalize the debilitating grief, but Bodie couldn’t. His legs were jelly. Gurka was stronger.
Dudyk took hold of Lucie’s body, gripping her tightly under the arms, and dragged her behind a crate, off the field of battle. He then reappeared with his gun drawn.
Gurka smashed Bodie to the ground. At that moment the huge Belenko appeared at the entrance to the cavern, probably worried when Vash hadn’t returned to his watch. With a bellow, he ran straight at Heidi and Yasmine, tackling them around their waists and bearing them untidily to the ground.
They all struck hard and rolled wildly. Heidi’s head became a messy blur, full of pain and crazy images. When she looked up again, the scene had changed.
Belenko held a weapon over them. Dudyk pointed a gun from farther away, covering the whole cave. Bodie was on his knees, bleeding profusely from the face. Even Cassidy looked shell shocked, devastated at the loss of Lucie. Heidi watched as she turned and took stock of the situation, saw all the guns pointed at her friends, and then refrained from picking Nina’s gun up off the floor.
Bodie looked up. Gurka staggered away, grabbed the gun, and then aimed it at Bodie’s head. For a moment there was no sound in the chamber other than the panting of all the fighters. Gunn and Jemma stood frozen close to Pantera, to whom they had been bringing weapons.
“The explosives,” Gurka breathed at Vash and Belenko. “Quickly, prepare them. I want to blow this place sky-high.”
He then strode past Dudyk, staring the hard man in the eyes and saying nothing. He didn’t stop walking until he’d reached the place where Du
dyk had stashed Lucie’s body.
Dudyk called after him. “It is done, brother. I did as you asked.” He strode toward Gurka.
“I see,” Gurka said. “I see what you did.”
Then he turned and shot Dudyk through the stomach.
CHAPTER FORTY
Bodie was made to sit upright. His hands were secured behind him with zip ties. Soon, Cassidy and Heidi were forced to sit at his side, similarly secured, and then all the others. After that, their ankles were also fastened. Nina tied them as Gurka covered them with handguns. Dudyk was dragged, groaning, into their midst, where Gurka proceeded to slap and kick him, clearly so angry that he believed the pain of the gunshot was not enough.
“You let her escape? You let that blonde bitch go free? I thought you were with us. I thought of you as a brother.” He spat the words at the groaning Dudyk and smashed the man’s knees with the butt of his gun.
“Gurka,” Nina said. “We must hurry.”
“But this is not good enough.” Gurka indicated the broken Dudyk. “Not good enough for one who betrays R24.” The scarred man then went over to pick up one of the explosives and, deliberately, bent down to meet Dudyk’s eyes as he strapped it to the man’s back.
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