Rhimes’ smile widened, although Muller read the puzzled tilt of his eyebrows. “Kali nikhta,” Rhimes repeated. “Do you know when Eva will be back?”
“No, you know young people these days, staying out ’til all hours. I was at the dance earlier, but I just couldn’t stay out any longer. You understand, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do. We aren’t as young as we used to be. Hans and I have traveled a long way to see our favorite niece,” Rhimes hinted.
“Oh, you poor things. I’m sure Eva wouldn’t mind if I let you into their apartment. Just let me get the master key. It’s a shame you missed your other brother—he was here just half an hour ago. I don’t remember his name, though.”
Mrs. Jenkins was still talking when she re-entered her own apartment. Rhimes looked at Muller. Both men shrugged. Mrs. Jenkins emerged a moment later and slowly trudged up the stairs, followed by the two men. She stopped at number twelve and opened the door for them.
“Eva doesn’t live in number five?” Rhimes asked.
“No, that apartment has been empty for a few weeks now.” Mrs. Jenkins shook her head. “Well, here you go, please rest after your long travels. I can’t wait to tell Eva when she comes back—”
“NO! I mean, no, please, don’t do that. We wanted to surprise her,” Rhimes said hastily. He took Mrs. Jenkins’ hand and kissed the back of it in the gallant continental fashion. “Thank you kindly, madam, for your help tonight.” After the kiss to the hand, Rhimes and Muller entered the apartment.
Mrs. Jenkins blushed. “Oh, you Greek men are so gallant! Think nothing of it. Have a good night!” She waved coquettishly at them before leaving the apartment, closing the door behind her.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“This is just horrible,” Elena muttered under her breath. “Isn’t it?” she asked Eva, who was watching Zoe on the dance floor. “Eva?”
Eva spared Elena a glance, and offered a sympathetic smile. “Where’s Friedrich?”
“He had to leave with David,” Elena replied. “This is so boring!”
Eva frowned, watching Zoe dance. She would have to step in soon and take her lover home, but Zoe did look as though she was having a good time. Perhaps too good a time, Eva thought, taking in her heightened color and the slightly manic edge to her laughter. The young man dancing with her held Zoe’s hand and was looking a little too friendly for Eva’s liking. When he leaned down and whispered in Zoe’s ear, Eva’s eyes narrowed. She watched intently and rose from the table when she noticed Zoe head outside, followed by her dancing partner.
“Oh, yes, I know what you’re after,” Eva muttered. She caught Earl’s eye and cocked her head in the direction she had seen Zoe and the young man leave the dance floor. Earl glanced in the same direction, nodded his agreement, and then headed towards the door that led to the terrace. After a moment, Eva quietly followed, feeling that she would be needed soon.
Zoe looked flushed, and that only meant one thing. Eva was certain Zoe was drunk or, at least, on the brink of intoxication. She could not hold liquor very well. The young man became more amorous in his attentions, which infuriated Eva even more.
“Hey, Zoe, how’s about a kiss?” the young man asked, grinning.
Zoe looked at him blankly. “No.”
“No?”
“No.”
“C’mon, just a little kiss...” He caught Zoe and pushed her against the brick wall, using his body to hold her in place despite her struggles. He was moving to kiss her when he was grabbed and thrown backwards.
“She said ‘No,’” Earl growled. Stupidly, the young man tried to charge Earl, but Earl took hold of his collar with one large hand and dragged him away, taking him to the door and tossing him bodily back inside the auditorium.
Eva went to Zoe. “Boys! They think with their dicks,” she angrily said in German. She put her arm around Zoe.
“You said ‘dicks.’” Zoe giggled, and then frowned. “Evy, that wasn’t a nice boy.”
“No boys are nice,” Eva replied, still angry with the fool who had tried to attack Zoe, and angry with herself for not stepping in sooner.
“Wiggy and Henry are nice.” Zoe looked up at Eva. “You’re not a boy.”
Eva looked down and smiled. “No, I can’t say I am,” she said, remembering a different time and place when Zoe had uttered that same observation. Zoe was sober then, although she had been dripping wet from being in the rain.
“That’s good because...” Zoe paused and looked up, “...I don’t like boys.”
Eva smiled. “I know,” she said, her anger dissipated by the loving look she was getting from Zoe, even though she was clearly drunk. “I think we need to go home.”
“I don’t feel so good, either,” Zoe mumbled.
“You’ve had a little too much to drink, love,” Eva said. She kissed Zoe’s sweaty brow.
“Is everything all right?” Earl asked as he returned.
“Zoe is a little tipsy and I want to take her home. Can you drive us back? Is Henry back?”
“Yes, he just got back. I’ll let him know we are leaving and I’ll tell Tim that I’m leaving.” Earl turned to go inside, but paused when Eva spoke.
“Thanks, Earl.”
“No worries.”
On the way home, Eva sat in the backseat with Zoe, who was still not feeling very well, while Elena rode in the front seat with Earl. “Hey,” Eva whispered.
“I hate punch,” Zoe whined.
Eva smiled, although she knew Zoe would not see her in the dark. “Don’t drink it next time.”
“Bleh.” Zoe rested her head on Eva’s shoulder.
“How’s she doing back there?” Earl asked. Eva saw his concerned gaze reflected in the rearview mirror.
“I think she’s a little sick to her stomach at the moment.” Eva kissed the top of Zoe’s head. “It was the punch.”
Considerately, Earl parked the car in the closest open space, but she, Zoe, and Elena would still have a little walk to their apartments.
It was a clear night. Eva smelled the jasmine in the air as they went up the walkway. They climbed the stairs and bade goodnight to Elena at her door. Finally at their apartment, Eva put the key into the lock, opened the door, and entered, half-carrying Zoe in her arms.
A grinning Earl said goodnight and turned to go, only to halt and let out a choked exclamation when, without any warning whatsoever, all hell broke loose.
***
Friedrich sighed, disgusted. Here he was, sitting on a wooden crate in the dark and empty apartment number five. He did not want to be here; he wanted to be back at the dance with Elena. Exhaling loudly, he glanced over at David, who was also perched on an empty milk crate. They had managed to get into the vacant apartment without anyone noticing. The number to this apartment, knowing it was empty, was fed to their informant as being where Eva lived. David had not wanted Rhimes and Muller to show up at Eva and Zoe’s actual apartment. They decided to wait there, in the bedroom area of the apartment, with the lights off, in case the Nazis decided to kick the front door in and surprise the supposed occupants. The space was shadow-filled and gloomy, which suited Friedrich’s mood just fine.
Friedrich wondered how Elena was getting along. He had been enjoying her company very much before he had been dragged away. Tonight had been the only time he had ever enjoyed himself at a dance. He grimaced, thinking about Elena giving up on him and allowing another man to take her home. His annoyance grew. Turning to the person responsible for his current state of mind, he gave David an angry glare.
“All right. I know you’re mad at me,” David said quietly. “No need to stare daggers.”
“I’m not just angry with you. I’m so furious, I could shoot you!” Friedrich whispered back vehemently.
“I’m your mate; you wouldn’t do that,” David replied. He suddenly looked unsure. “Would you?”
“Shut up!” Friedrich replied.
“Tell you what, Freddy.” David put an arm around Friedrich, who tr
ied to shrug him off. “When this is all over, you and the lovely Elena will go out to dinner at the most expensive place in town — my treat.”
“Just shut up, David. They probably aren’t even going to show up tonight,” Friedrich retorted.
David looked at him and sighed, then released him from the unwanted embrace. Friedrich knew his partner was desperate to apologize, but he was in no mood to listen. David took his flashlight out and shielded most of the glare as he pointed it at his watch. “Come on, where the hell are you?” he muttered as he shut off the flashlight.
They spent the next half hour in silence, sitting and listening, while David also kept watch on the front door from his position near the bedroom door, which had been left cracked open. Tension tightened to a fever pitch several times when they heard footsteps pass by in the corridor, but no one stopped at the door to number five. They were growing increasingly impatient, and still nothing was happening.
Friedrich broke the silence at last. “Tell me something, did you have to give Berckett the file yesterday? Couldn’t it have waited?”
David frowned. “Friedrich, as much as I want to improve your love life, I don’t think waiting until the dance ended would have been a good move.”
“It would definitely have helped my love life, since I didn’t have one before tonight,” Friedrich muttered. “I don’t think they’re going to turn up any time soon. It’s already getting late.”
“Let’s wait a little longer.”
Friedrich snorted, crossed his arms over his chest, and tried to direct his thoughts more positively towards Elena and David and the whole stinking situation. He did not have much success.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
It happened so quickly that no one had time to react. As soon as Eva pushed open the door to the apartment, Muller yanked Zoe in by the front of her shirt, pulling her towards him. Before any of them knew what had happened, Muller had his arm around Zoe’s throat and the muzzle of a gun pressed against her temple.
Eva was horrified by what she saw in the dim light — the only light in the apartment was coming in from the hallway behind her. Her nightmare became reality right before her eyes, and all she could do was stand there like a statue. Zoe was being held in a death grip by the man she despised more than any other on earth. Eva’s heart began to pound so relentlessly she thought her ribs would shatter under the strain. Transfixed by terror, she remained where she was. Someone — not Muller, but she could not identify the man in the dark — flipped on the lamp next to the sofa, flooding the room with light. She shut her eyes momentarily, and then blinked to clear her vision. Muller motioned for Henry to close the front door.
Since the room was well lit now, Eva could clearly see General Rhimes standing near the sofa pointing a gun at Earl, who also stood stock-still. She was well aware of how quickly Rhimes could begin shooting—Rhimes had no respect for human life. She had seen his brutality and knew that if either of them tried anything, they would be shot. On the other side of the room was a man she didn’t know. He was leaning against the fireplace. His gun was trained on Henry. Eva sighed, frustrated by her own helplessness.
She turned her full attention to Muller and tried not to look into Zoe’s eyes. Muller’s once blond hair was now nearly white and wispy, and the left half of his head was scarred from his neck to his hairline, though it was partially covered with an eye patch. His once strong bearing had turned into a round-shouldered stoop, giving him the appearance of a frail old man. Eva knew better—his malevolent aura had not diminished one whit. Within Muller’s wrecked frame, the blackest evil still dwelled, and pure menace shone out of his good eye.
Eva now watched Zoe carefully. Zoe was looking at her, beseeching her silently to remain calm, but Eva was far from calm. She was consumed by dread. Her knees started to tremble and she wasn’t sure how long she could stand up. She willed her legs to keep her upright and not to fall down at Muller’s feet. Her heart jackhammered in her chest. A thin film of sweat coated her skin. Every nightmare she had suffered since learning Muller was alive had ended like this. Staring at her tormentor was terrifying.
“Why aren’t you dead?” Muller rasped. He released Zoe to Rhimes before Zoe had a chance to do anything, and stood in front of Eva, shoving the gun barrel under her chin.
Eva couldn’t look at him. She lowered her eyes and stared down at the gun, the cold steel that was going to end her life.
“Why aren’t you?” Eva answered, surprising herself by the steadiness of her voice. She wasn’t sure where that bravado came from. She couldn’t see Zoe, since Muller was blocking her view, and she hoped Zoe wouldn’t be disappointed in her by her cowardice. She couldn’t fight the fear, she couldn’t face her demon, who was standing inches from her. She watched his good eye squint and she tensed, expecting to be hit, but to her astonishment, Muller controlled himself and merely sneered.
Muller turned his attention to Henry, who stood near the door. “So they sent you to find me,” he stated and a hint of a smile creased his face.
“Yes, sir, they did.”
“You’re not doing a good job, Sergeant. I found you. You betrayed your commanding officer. I thought better of you, Franz. I trusted you.”
“Betraying a war criminal is a badge of honor I wear with pride,” Henry said in a steady voice. “My commanding officer died in Paris.”
Silence descended in the room, and for a brief moment, the only sounds were Muller’s rasping breath and the clock’s ticking. The silence was broken by Muller, who cocked his gun at Henry. “You are next, but first I need to deal with my deviant daughter.”
Eva swallowed and wanted to slide down to the floor, but she kept herself upright by sheer will. She wanted to tell Henry to shut up and not provoke her father but she couldn’t find her voice.
“I know what your plan was. So this is it?” Muller indicated Earl and Henry. “Are you two the ones to bring me to justice? Aren’t you going to introduce your friend to your father?” Muller asked, shifting his focus to Earl.
“You are not my father,” Eva replied finding her voice, enunciating each word slowly and clearly.
“Ah, how soon they forget,” Muller said over his shoulder to Rhimes. “Who do you think gave you all the nice things you had when you were an Austrian whelp?” He grasped Eva’s chin and turned her face towards him when she looked away. “That’s right, girl. I did.”
“I’m Eva’s fiancé, Earl Wiggins,” Earl said.
“Fiancé, eh? Well, then, I’m your future father-in-law.” Muller let out a broken wheeze of a laugh. “So, isn’t this cozy?” He grimaced in what Eva supposed was a smile limited by the scar tissue that disfigured his face.
“I wouldn’t say cozy,” Earl muttered.
Muller looked at Eva and then at Earl. He snickered crudely. “So, Earl, you are her boyfriend? You look like a good Aryan boy.”
“My mother’s Jewish,” Earl replied, baring his teeth in a defiant smile.
The comment was surprising, and not only to Eva. Zoe, Muller, and Rhimes stared open-mouthed at him. Despite Earl’s unexpected claim, Rhimes began to laugh. It was an ugly sound. “That will make it easier to kill you.”
“You can try, but I won’t make it easy.” Earl looked directly at Rhimes, any semblance of a smile having disappeared. “The Japs tried and they couldn’t do it.”
“You are a foolhardy—”
“Enough!” Muller screamed. “Enough with the comedy! You,” he said, motioning to Earl with his free hand. “I don’t know who you are, I don’t care who you are, but you are going to die.”
“So you’re that Nazi bastard Eva’s told me so much about,” Earl spat out.
“Yes, I’m that Nazi bastard,” Muller sniggered, his quicksilver mood changing.
“Appropriate for the bastard child, yes?” Rhimes said as he shook Zoe a little by the hair.
Very slowly, Muller approached Eva. His expression chilled her. His remaining icy blue eye bored into her eyes. Mulle
r’s presence and the hatred in his expression triggered every horrible memory she had.
Frozen to the spot, Eva tried desperately not to let fear consume her. She glanced at Zoe who, despite her own predicament, mouthed, “I love you,” which somehow made Eva’s heart steady for just a brief moment. She turned her attention back to the monster in front of her.
Muller raised the gun and stroked Eva’s cheek with the cold barrel. “How do you want to die?” he asked very softly. “I should have killed you myself instead of letting that fool Reinhardt fail at such a simple task. I should have killed you and not let your grandmother stop me.”
Muller’s words about her grandmother made Eva wonder how her grandmother had been involved. She didn’t remember her being there. “You didn’t have the balls,” Eva heard herself say, somewhat shocked at her own words. It was the response no one appeared to have expected, least of all Eva herself. She didn’t see the blow coming—Muller’s fist connected with her face, causing her to fall backwards. There was a loud thud as her head connected with the wall behind her. Blood dripped from her split lip onto her apricot colored jacket.
Henry went to her aid, heedless of Rhimes’ and Muller’s threatening frowns. Eva struggled to get up, holding onto Henry’s strong grip. She was dizzy, and that, adding to the pain in her face, made her nauseous. Tears ran down her cheeks as she tried to stop herself from breaking down.
“You murderous son-of-a-bitch coward,” Zoe growled.
Muller turned towards her. “Shut the fuck up,” he screamed, ignoring the outraged look he got from Zoe. He drew closer, coming to within inches of her face. “Shut your mouth,” he said and backhanded her. The only thing that kept Zoe up was Rhimes’ grip on her.
Zoe was outraged, and her green eyes blazed with anger. Reacting without thought, she spat in Muller’s face. He reached up and touched the spittle on his cheek. Eva flinched, expecting more violence. Instead, he laughed and turned away.
“Such a spirited Fraulein,” Rhimes quipped, striking Zoe’s head with the butt of his gun. Eva was horrified when she saw Zoe’s knees buckle. Zoe would have collapsed to the floor had she not been held up by Rhimes.
Where Shadows Linger (Intertwined Souls Series Book 2) Page 24