Dead Wrath (22 page)

I shook my head, not liking the idea of being held fully responsible for our success. "Look, everyone who participated, Joshua, Siri, Edrik, and not to mention Derek, are all responsible for the success of this mission. And I won't have anyone saying otherwise."

Iain chuckled. "Yes, sir." Then he looked at Joshua and Aimee. "I see what you mean about your Bryn."

I glared at the two of them, but they remained unaffected. Then I turned my attention back to Iain. "So is he with his family yet?"

"Not yet." Then he glanced at his watch. "He should be with them in the next half hour, though. I instructed our agents to take him directly to his family. We will have agents stationed at their homes, schools, and workplaces for the next few months, just to be sure they are safe."

I pursed my lips, then shook my head. "I don't think that would be necessary. The only time Loki would return to seek McClellan out is if he discovers he tinkered with the virus."

"And our plan is to ensure that never happens," said Joshua.

I agreed. The best way to ensure McClellan and his family were safe was to destroy the virus before Loki used it.

I sat back against my pillows, my mind whirling with possibilities. Then I shifted to look at Iain. "Is he on the move yet?" I asked.

Iain nodded, knowing immediately whom I referred to. "He took a car straight to the airport."

I frowned. "Why is he sticking to Midgard transport?"

"You mean not using the Bifrost?" asked Aimee, frowning and now thinking about it herself.

"Yes. Unless he thinks it would be dangerous traveling on the bridge of the gods with a hazardous virus," I said almost to myself. "I wonder if a virus designed to affect the human biological system would make an Asgardian sick?"

Iain's forehead scrunched up. "That would be a question for ... Well, I have no clue who we would ask. Humans and Asgardians have very similar physiology. And genetically speaking, we should be compatible."

I laughed softly. "Yeah, I believe
I
am living proof of that fact." Everyone else laughed too. "I think we proceed with caution, as if the virus will affect people of the realms too. It's the safest course of action right now."

"Very well, then." Iain already looked like his mind was miles away. "Let me be on my way. I shall gather the troops and give them an update. And we will keep an eye on Loki's movements."

"Let me know as soon as he lands. I want to know where he is almost before Loki does."

Joshua frowned as he studied me over his shoulder. "But, Bryn, I'm not sure you'll be up to a full-on mission in your condition."

I shook my head. "I've been injured worse before and had to endure more, mission-wise too. I can handle it," I assured him firmly. I didn't want to head into an argument with Joshua. Not now and not in front of Iain. We were still a team.

Joshua raised his hands in submission. "Okay, as long as you're sure. You wouldn't want to hurt yourself so badly that you can't join us for future missions," he said, ensuring he had the last laugh.

I let him have it.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

It didn't take long for Iain to locate Loki. He'd boarded a private plane to St. Petersburg in Russia. Although we were all surprised by his choice of country in which to hide, we also agreed that nobody really ever knew what was going on in the Trickster's head.

And for that matter, neither did anyone know about my recent run-in with Loki, Grand Canyon style. I didn't feel like talking about it, neither did I want to worry anyone with that information, especially when I knew whoever I confided in would nag me to death about it.

We spent the evening resting and cleaning or sharpening weapons as was necessary. I made a tally of my weapons. I'd lost two daggers to the frost giant at the Shard, so I was down two weapons. My bottle of anti-Loki Norn water, now plastic instead of fragile glass, was safe and sound. I was staring at my sword when Iain walked past me on his way to his office.

"Is something the matter, Bryn?" he asked, his brows knitting.

I twisted my lips. "I'm running low on weapons. I left two embedded in a certain frost giant. I usually never go anywhere without additional weapons."

"Well,
that
is certainly a weapon to admire," he commented, jerking his chin at the sword. It had once, long ago, belonged to the legendary Brunhilde, warrior princess, daughter of Odin. And apparently she was me. Still hard to get my head around.

I snorted. "It's a weapon to fight with. Not one to throw at an attacker. And definitely not something to attack with from a good distance. I really think I should have brought more daggers with me." Right now, I wanted the three-sided Jotunn dagger. I'd have to ask Joshua, though, so I made a mental note.

Ian cleared his throat. "Well, my dear, I have just the thing for you. Follow me," he said, walking down the row of cubicles to a door at the opposite end of the room. He pressed a small switch in the wall and a white panel opened to reveal an outline of a handprint. He placed his palm within the outline and waited as a light scanned from below.

The panel beeped. Then the door began to slide open to reveal a room about thirty square feet in size. The walls were lined with cages that were filled top to bottom with shelves and racks and hooks bearing every kind of weapon known to Midgard and Asgard.

I gasped. "Holy wow. I would never have guessed this was here," I said as I entered the room, feeling almost as if I needed to tiptoe.

"There are swords and daggers. Take whatever you need." Then he studied me over the top of his glasses. "Might I suggest you take advantage of the array of handguns? Perhaps a gun would be a suitable weapon since you want one to use from a distance."

I agreed, thinking perhaps he might be right. Maybe it was time I kept a gun at my hip. But I didn't have much practice with them. I decided to take two anyway. I was studying a Glock, turning the black weapon over in my hand, when I heard voices at my back. My team entered the room behind me, murmuring at the array of weapons, their eyes scanning the room from floor to ceiling and then back again.

"A gun, Bryn?" asked Aidan, coming alongside me. I heard the almost indiscernible note of disapproval in his voice, but I didn't allow it to make me angry.

I nodded without looking at him. "Yeah. I think I might need to branch out in terms of my weapon skills." I lifted the Glock, aimed it, and squinted to line it up.

"I'm not saying you shouldn't," said Aidan. I had hoped he'd miss the slight defensiveness to my tone, but his response confirmed he was still good at sensing my moods. "Just that I hadn't pegged you as a gun girl."

I turned to him, inhaling to respond with something that might have been snarky or sarcastic, but the words remained unuttered. I swallowed hard as I stared at his face. And at the bullet hole that marred the expanse of his tanned forehead. The skin was jagged at the edges and blood and bone glistened within the circle of red. I stiffened, my body growing colder by the second, as if I sat naked in a bath of icy water. I blinked hard a few times, wanting the vision to disappear, and when I opened my eyes, the bullet hole was gone and Aidan was staring at me as if I'd grown another head.

I shook my head as if the movement would throw the vision out of my mind, but it didn't. I knew what it was, though. A long time ago, my first mission as a Valkyrie was to bring a new warrior home. Fen had accompanied me, as my Ulfr partner. And it was on a bitterly cold day that I walked along a stream to find the body of the boy that I was so crazy about. Days after his death, his corpse had borne the truth of how life had been snuffed out.

A gunshot to the middle of his forehead.

Put there by one of his father's men because Loki had told him Aidan was destined for Asgard.

Now I blinked and the cold receded a little, and I smiled sadly at Aidan as he asked, "Bryn, are you okay?" He placed his hands on my arms, looking at my face even as I turned away from him.

"I'm fine. Just a moment of weakness," I said, turning to grab a holster each for the guns. I also took a few boxes of 9mm bullets. It might slow down a frost giant. But I'd have to finish him off face to face.

Something I was quite looking forward to.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

I wasn't sure why I remembered Aidan, his gunshot wounds so raw and red. Probably because I was holding a gun in my hand for the first time. And he was the first person I'd spoken to after picking it up. Whatever the case, it unsettled me a great deal. To the point that I felt like throwing up.

But I swallowed hard and forced myself to face my team and face their curious and concerned gazes.

"I'm fine, okay. It was just a memory that made me feel a little unsteady. I promise I'm strong enough to travel. Now, can we get on with preparations for this mission?"

Joshua nodded, along with everyone else, but the look he gave me said he wasn't buying it. I'd probably need to explain it to him later, but for now, I concentrated on the guns.

I added two more to my small arsenal, then turned to Iain who'd been standing there all along, watching us with a very contemplative look on his aged face. "Has anyone looked into creating a bullet that can kill or at least debilitate a frost giant?" I asked, turning the pistol over in my hand.

Iain cleared his throat. "I do believe we have a few science departments working on it. But as far as I know, we haven't found a way yet. They are just too unpredictable." He was shaking his head, and I couldn't imagine him fighting a Jotunn to the death. But surely he had sufficient hands-on experience battling with a frost giant.

Edrik chuckled. "Then maybe we need a more portable version of Siri," he said with a grin.

I did a double take. "That's actually a brilliant idea," I said slowly. Ed had hit on the fact that Siri had turned a frost giant into a pile of ash with her dragon fire.

I glanced at her. "How hot would you say the flame is when you breathe fire as a dragon?"

She shrugged. "I wouldn't be able to tell you in terms of degrees Fahrenheit or anything. I've never had it tested." She pursed her lips, her expression revealing she was just as curious as I was.

"I can test it for you," said Derek from the threshold of the door. It seemed he'd trailed the team into the gun storage room and been listening with interest. To be honest, Derek never seemed to be very far from the team, always on hand to help with something, always ready to offer an idea. I was beginning to think he was too good to be true.

Siri looked at me, and I said, "Make it quick. And test levels and abilities both in human and dragon form. See what levels of heat we need and see what you can do to get us a weapon that sprays flame," I said to Derek. Then I glanced at Iain. "Do you have a place where Siri can transform? Some place large enough where she wouldn't destroy the furniture." I smirked, and Siri poked my arm.

"Yes, of course. We have the training room that's pretty bare, large floor space, so that should do," Iain said as he bobbed his head and walked to the doorway. "Come, I will show you where it is."

I watched them leave, then called out, "Don't take too long. We'll be leaving soon."

***

A good night's sleep did us all good and we were ready to head out after an early breakfast. We were in the front hall of the London HQ when Iain came hurrying along the narrow passage, holding a folder. "You'll be needing this," he said, waving the file at me.

I'd done well with my recovery, managing to get on my feet within hours. Iain had pronounced that I'd be as good as new by the time we arrived in St. Petersburg. I myself would have preferred sooner, but I had to take what I got. No more and no less.

"I put out some feelers in MI6 and Interpol just in case we were to tread on anyone's toes. Interpol came through and offered us the use of one of their Russian agents. I simply couldn't turn that opportunity down. At least now you and the team won't be going in blind."

I glanced around the team, and it seemed the undercurrent agreed with my own feelings; we didn't need a guide. But to preserve inter-organizational relationships, I nodded my head and took the file.

Flicking it open, I stared at a photo of a man in his early thirties, dirty-blond hair that fell around his face in more of an unkempt than cool fashion. His eyes were close together and were dark and suspicious. Already, I wasn't liking this dude much. I shook the thought from my head.

"His name is Yuri Melnikov. He's stationed in St. Petersburg and will meet you at the Bifrost entrance," said Iain. I gave a silent snort.

Considering my most recent experience on the Bifrost, there was nothing safe about it.

Derek was the first to leave the house, again laden with bags. This early in the morning, the roads were empty of traffic, but from the looks of the neighborhoods, this part of town didn't look like it got too busy. We followed Derek back down the street and crossed the road before heading for the opening in the trees that would take us back inside the abandoned cemetery.