But she'd changed. Her skin no longer radiated a youthful glow. And her eyes, while magnificent, were downright disturbing. They looked bloodshot and flitted wildly from side to side.
On a deeper level, I sensed the damage to her soul. When I'd first met her, she'd been perfectly composed. Now, wrath and lunacy consumed her.
She took a few steps backward. Her knife hand remained steady. I knew better than to challenge her. She'd been educated at West Point and had served in the Marine Corps. Afterward, she'd spent several years working at a private military corporation named ShadowFire. In short, if she wanted to kill me, she could do it without breaking a sweat.
"Beverly?" I held my ground. "It's me."
She gave me a blank look.
"You helped me find a missing subway car under New York City."
She blinked. A trace of recognition appeared in her eyes.
"You left a gold bar behind. I used it to follow you here."
Baxter burst into the room with Graham close behind him. "Drop it." He pointed his pistol at Beverly. "Before I drop you."
Her knife remained steady. Her fingers tightened around the grip. Her brow furrowed as if she were calculating the length of time it would take to kill us all.
"Put it down, Pat," I called out.
"No way," he replied.
"I don't think the two of you have been properly introduced." I waved my hand at her. "Beverly, that's Pat Baxter. The other guy is Dutch Graham. Guys, this is Beverly."
Baxter growled. "I don't care if she's a damn angel. If she doesn't lower her blade, I'm putting a bullet right through her head."
Beverly didn't move a muscle.
Neither did Baxter.
"We found him." I cleared my throat. "We found Jeff Morin."
"Where?" Her voice sounded tired and scratchy.
"Not far from your Sno-Cat."
"Is he …?"
"He's dead."
Her whole body shuddered.
"He was missing an arm and a foot. The rest of his body was torn to shreds."
Her knife wavered slightly. "It was that … that thing."
I nodded.
"I never saw it coming. There was this earthquake. Then the snow started swirling." She cringed. "It jumped on me, pushed me to the ground, went for my neck."
I exhaled a long breath.
Her chest heaved in and out. "I got loose. But it pinned me down."
"Then what happened?" I asked.
"Jeff was injured. But he lunged at it. That's the last thing I remember."
I pushed her blade down.
She resisted.
I pushed harder.
A small tear formed in her eye. Her knife dropped an inch.
I stepped past it. My hand brushed the tear from her cheek. I wrapped her in my arms and held her.
"Oh, my God." Her knife hand dropped. She choked up.
I didn't know what to say. So, I just held her.
I'd shouldered responsibility for the deaths of others. So, I knew the harsh truth. It wouldn't matter how many tears she shed. It wouldn't matter how much her heart grieved.
Death was permanent. Not just for the deceased.
But also for the living.
Chapter 76
Her palm smacked my face. I recoiled and touched my cheek. It felt tender and hot. "What the hell was that for?"
She pushed me away and slapped me again.
My head flew to the side. My ears started to ring. "Damn it, Beverly. That hurt."
She didn't say anything. Instead, she balled up her fingers and launched an exhausted fist at my stomach.
I grabbed her arm and yanked. She tumbled to the ground. She lay on her back for a minute, breathing heavily. She seemed worn out and weak, a far cry from how I remembered her.
"You need to rest," I said. "No offense, but you look like hell."
She glared at me. "You always had a way with words."
"Are you hungry? Thirsty? We've got plenty of food and water."
"Nothing. Just … just give me a minute." As her breathing normalized, she rose to a sitting position. "We were running. You know, when the beast attacked us."
"Why?"
"Someone was shooting at us. Jeff called him Ben."
"That was Ben Savala," Baxter said. "Somehow he and Roy smuggled guns past our security checkpoints."
"Do you know why he was shooting at you?" I asked.
"Not exactly. We were searching for Werwolfsschanze. Next thing I knew, bullets were flying." She waited a few seconds. "Did Jeff suffer?"
"I think so."
"I wish I could've helped him."
Baxter cleared his throat. "Did you see it? Did you see Fenrir?"
"Fenrir?"
"It's a nickname," I said. "For the beast."
"I didn't see its face. But I saw its teeth." Beverly looked around, suddenly aware of her surroundings. "Why's it so dark in here?"
"Someone blew up the power plant," Graham said.
"I hope you're joking."
"I'm afraid not. We're thinking the same person blew up the Desolation."
"The Desolation?"
"It was a cargo ship. It exploded two days ago."
She winced. "Anyone die?"
"Actually, a whole lot of people."
"Two days ago." She looked thoughtful. "It was a big explosion?"
"Gigantic."
"That must've been the quake I felt. Maybe it, I don't know, stirred this Fenrir thing?" She looked at me. "What else did I miss?"
"A lot," I replied.
"You can tell me about it on the way." She struggled to stand up.
"You're in no condition to travel."
"I've waited long enough. Let's go find Werwolfsschanze."
"Do you even know what happened here?"
She shook her head.
"The Whitlows were conducting experiments in a hidden basement under Kirby. They nearly froze Dutch."
"He looks fine to me."
"That's not the point. Holly took off in a Sno-Cat. We're going to wait here, catch her when she tries to sneak back in."
"You do what you want. But I need to go to Werwolfsschanze."
I trusted Beverly. She'd sacrificed a lot to help me back in New York. Still, I couldn't help but wonder what she wanted from Werwolfsschanze. She had deep ties to the military and had spent numerous years working at ShadowFire. Did that explain her interest? Had she been hired to recover the Großen Sterbens bacteria by one of her former colleagues?
I crossed my arms. "We know about the bacteria."
"What bacteria?"
"You know damn well what I'm talking about."
"I'm afraid I don't."
Her words rang true. "Then why'd you come here?"
"That's my business."
"Are you after the Amber Room?"
"No."
"You stole a fortune in gold. Then you seek out an old Nazi base that contains one of the greatest treasures of all time. Do you really expect me to believe you don't care about it?"
"First of all, I didn't steal anything. I melted one bar and sold it to fund this trip. The rest of the gold is well hidden." She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "And second of all, I'm not here for treasure. Some things are more important than money."
"Like what?"
"You wouldn't understand."
"Try me."
Her voice cracked around the edges. "It's personal."
"We need to get on the same page." Graham eyed Beverly with curiosity. "Do you know anything about Großen Sterbens?"
She shrugged.