by Renee Ryan
His words were so close to what she’d decided about her own situation. His sincere faith blew past her anger, shoved aside her painful memories and landed straight in her heart. She desperately wanted to believe again.
It was her choice. And she would choose faith.
“Oh, Jack.” She gripped his arm, only half-aware she’d used his real name. She would not make that mistake again. Not even in her mind.
“I wish… No.” She shook her head vigorously and released her hold on him. Her hope for a future with this man was not a part of the mission. “What I wish isn’t important at the moment. Let’s get back to our immediate problems,” she continued as she shifted on the bench. “What do you suggest we do next?”
For a moment he looked as if he wasn’t going to allow her to change the subject, but then he nodded. “First we deal with what we know.” He drummed his fingers on her shoulder. “You’re absolutely sure you left no physical evidence of your presence in Doenitz’s room other than the chair?”
She caught the rhythm of his fingers, tapped her foot along to it. “I’ve replayed every second I spent in that room over in my mind. I was careful, until the chair.”
“Then Doenitz must have made the connection through the guard.”
“It’s a reasonable conclusion,” she said.
Lifting his hand, he brushed his fingers absently down her hair. Stroke. Stroke. Stroke. So soothing. So comforting. She fought to keep her eyes open.
“I want you to stay away from the admiral tonight.” However polite he spoke the request, there was an uncompromising glint in his eyes. She knew he would not relent on this.
“But we have to find out whether the admiral truly suspects me,” she argued. “Or if his interest in meeting me is merely coincidence. We still have the key to the cabinet. We may be able to go back to Wilhelmshaven for the plans yet tonight.” If they are still there.
Reiter spoke her thoughts aloud. “It would be a wasted effort. Doenitz will have moved all the important documents after discovering an intrusion. And, Katarina,” he spoke, giving her a look of regret. “We have to go on the assumption that he believes he has not only discovered the intrusion but also the identity of the intruder.”
Panic crawled over her, sneaking up her spine. “Maybe not. If I could just talk to him I could—”
“You will take no more risks,” he said in a clipped, measured tone. “Not on my watch.”
His eyes flashed with anger. The sudden, brilliant force of the emotion turned his face into something tough, and potentially mean. This, she decided, was her first real glimpse of the man who worked as Himmler’s personal henchman.
She stifled a shiver.
“Then what do you suggest?”
Releasing a slow breath, he regarded the sky with such interest she found herself looking up. When he continued watching the sky she wondered if he was praying.
Before she could ask, he lowered his gaze back to hers. “You will confront the admiral only if I am with you.” His eyes turned icy-blue as he spoke. “He will not dare to hurt you with me by your side.”
“Just how deep in the SS are you?” She didn’t try to keep the fear out of her voice.
She thought she saw something terrible in his eyes, right before he looked away from her. “I can’t tell you that.”
She let his words sink in, understood them on an intellectual level, but couldn’t prevent the worry from digging deep.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she decided to focus on their conversation and not the danger this man put himself in daily. “There’s something else you should know.”
He watched her as though he could take her mind apart piece by piece. Fragments of panic swirled up and her fingers twisted in her skirt. It was a telling sign of her nervousness so she stopped.
“Go on,” he prompted.
“My mother has discovered my secret life.”
He did not react. Nor his body move, not even an inch, but Katia felt the air around him heating. “And Schmidt?” he asked in a low, feral hiss. “Does he know, as well?”
“No.” She tangled her hand in her skirt again. This time she couldn’t stop the nervous gesture. The gravity of the situation was bearing down on her too hard. “Nor does my mother know about you. She thinks you are merely courting me.”
Making a sound deep in his throat, one that was most definitely a growl, he rose from the bench. Without speaking, he tugged her along with him and then steered her toward the harbor.
His gaze locked on the horizon for a long moment. And still he did not speak.
At last, he glanced down at her with genuine pain in his eyes. He was looking at her with Jack’s eyes now. This was the man she could adore for a lifetime.
“We have to abort the mission,” he said.
“I don’t think that’s necessary.” Although her heart ached, her head worked quickly, weaving facts and possibilities together. “I should have told you this first. Hermann had a meeting with the admiral this morning. When he returned he was carrying a set of blueprints. The metal cylinder was unmarked but my gut tells me that he’s carrying the plans to the magnetic mines.”
Reiter eyed her with his own unique brand of watchfulness. “You’re sure of this?”
“Yes.”
“I suppose it’s worth checking into.” His tone gave nothing away.
Urgency had her switching directions. “I must find out where he put the blueprints.”
Jack stopped her with a hand on her arm. “No. It’s too dangerous.”
“Dangerous?” She gave him a throaty laugh. “The man thinks I’m an idiot. It’s his greatest weakness, you know, his inability to see beyond the obvious when it comes to me.”
“Katarina, do not underestimate the Nazi. He and the admiral could be setting a trap for you.” There was more than anger in his eyes as he spoke. There was fear.
“A trap?” She thought of the way Schmidt had glared at her this morning with obvious disgust. He thought her beyond stupid. “He doesn’t have any idea of who I really am. I’d stake my life on it.”
“Well, I won’t stake your life on it.”
“You should have more faith in me.”
“Stop and think, Katarina.” He gave her one of Jack’s looks that grabbed at her heart and twisted. “While you are performing tonight, Schmidt will be at your mother’s party. That gives me plenty of time to break into his hotel room and discover if he does indeed have a copy of the blueprints.”
Accepting the wisdom of his words, she knew this was no time for ego or foolish arguing. “Hermann is staying at the Hotel Atlantic Kempinski.”
Smiling gravely, he threaded his fingers through hers. “If you are right, I could finish this in a matter of hours.”
Sadness overwhelmed her at the thought. With the mission complete, this wonderful, courageous man could very well leave Germany tonight. She would never see him again.
Tears filled her eyes.
“Come to England with me,” he whispered, pressing a finger to her lips when she started to speak. “No, hear me out. Your mother already knows about your secret life. Admiral Doenitz suspects. It won’t be long before others find out. It’s no longer safe for you to live in Germany.”
His words had her stomach churning with fear. But her convictions were stronger. “I can’t leave without my mother. You know this already.”
“Take her with you.”
“She’s determined to marry Hermann.”
He pulled in a tight breath. “Then quit. Take no more assignments.”
He’d just spoken her mother’s greatest wish for her. After these last two days, Katia wasn’t sure she didn’t wish for the same thing. “They won’t let me quit. You know this, also. I am too valuable. And I know too much.”
“You could be just as valuable in England. You could train our operatives in German idiosyncrasies. You could teach them the unique body language and other nuances only someone who has lived here would know.”
&nb
sp; “Why can’t you do that?”
His expression closed. “For one, I’m an American. I haven’t actually lived in Germany for any length of time. Besides, I have a…different assignment ahead of me.”
“What?” Fear edged around her voice. “What is this new assignment?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“So much for trusting me completely.”
“I can’t tell you for your protection, not mine.” He gripped her shoulders gently and twisted her around to face him again. “I want you safe, Katarina. I need you safe.”
“No one is safe. We are at war.”
Instead of arguing, he stepped back and spread his arms in silent invitation. After only a moment of hesitation, she moved into his embrace and settled her head against his chest.
Folding her close, he kissed the top of her head.
She hugged her arms tighter around him. “You better get moving. There isn’t much time now.”
“Katarina.” He pulled away from her. His eyes were free of all subterfuge. In fact, he looked vulnerable, like he was about to make a declaration. “Katarina. I—”
“No.” She shook her head at him, afraid he would pronounce his love for her, deathly afraid that he wouldn’t. “Now isn’t the time for speeches. I have to prepare for my performance and you have important photographs to take.”
“We aren’t finished. Not by half.” The soft, affectionate look in his eyes had her gulping for air.
Reaching up, she touched his face.
“If you get the photographs you need,” she said, “please don’t come back for me tonight. Let this be the end for us.”
He took a step away from her, and then another, all the while shaking his head. “I won’t let you face Doenitz alone. And I won’t leave you behind.” His tone brooked no argument on either subject.
In spite of her desire to run away with him, Katia had to think of her mother. “I won’t go with you.”
“Yes, you will.”
“No. I won’t.” This was one argument Katia had no intention of losing.
Chapter Twenty-Four
After all the mistakes, all the stops and starts, Jack completed his mission for the British in less than three minutes. With the photographs taken and the blueprints returned to the metal cylinder, all he had to do now was exit Schmidt’s hotel room undetected.
Pressing his ear against the door, he listened for activity in the hallway. Breathing slowly, very slowly, he counted two sets of footsteps shuffling past. There was a pause, a soft murmur of voices, another pause, subdued laughter, and then the rattle of the elevator doors opening and shutting.
Patting the ridiculously small spy camera nestled safely in his pocket, Jack nudged the door open. With the hallway clear, he retreated in the same manner in which he’d come. Ten purposeful steps and he slipped into the ancient stairwell.
Five minutes later, he walked out the front door of the hotel.
The early-winter air spit at his face. He found the cold invigorating, as energizing as the adrenaline flowing through his blood.
He crossed at the intersection under the harsh light of a streetlight. He was the picture of a law-abiding citizen with nothing to hide. It was one of his best lies.
Only after he made it to the other side of the street did he stop and allow himself a moment to savor his triumph.
His trip into Schmidt’s room had resulted in unprecedented success. Jack not only had photographs of the blueprints to the magnetic mines, but he also had a picture of Schmidt’s exact route through the English Channel. The chart containing the carefully plotted minefield, including precise coordinates of where each bomb would be laid, had been hidden with the blueprints.
An unfamiliar wave of doubt rose up. He shoved it back with a growl. With or without the uniform, Jack Anderson was a soldier. His actions would ultimately save thousands of lives.
Lord God, I pray for discernment. Help me to take only the necessary steps to protect the innocent and not to harm them.
That was it. He needed to hold on to God. Daily. What had his father once said? The safest place to stand in a storm was next to the Lord. It was good advice. The only answer in times of war.
Jack allowed a smile to play at the corners of his mouth as he swept his gaze to his right, to his left, and then he glanced at his watch. Three hours to rendezvous.
He stuck his hands in his pockets and started down the street toward his own hotel. He still had to change into his tuxedo for Elena’s party.
Two days ago he wouldn’t have hesitated to head straight to the docks and climb aboard a fishing vessel that would take him to meet the British trawler waiting for him in the North Sea.
But that had been before he’d met Katarina Kerensky.
Knowing her had changed him. He had no doubt God’s hand had been in their meeting from the start. In the end, Katarina had put a face on the German Resistance for him, and she’d brought a renewed hope to Jack’s grim future. He may not survive this terrible war, but he would make sure she did.
Although too many lives depended on what he held in his pocket to risk capture for the sake of a single woman, he couldn’t bear to leave her behind, either.
At the very least he could protect her tonight. She would not face Admiral Doenitz alone.
An idea began crystallizing. For once, Jack would use his unsavory connections for his own personal use. And Heinrich Himmler need never know why.
Katia knew her role tonight, and Katarina Kerensky never missed a cue. With a deceptively vacant expression in her eyes, she circled her gaze around the perimeter of the ballroom, taking a quick inventory along the way.
Her mother had outdone herself again. The illusion of happier times was complete, all the way down to the flowers, the elegant music, the glittering crystal and the equally glittering guests.
Thanks to Elena Kerensky’s efforts, tonight the handpicked Germans of wealth, privilege and perfect lineage would find it easy to pretend greatness had returned to the Fatherland.
But not without a price.
Katia’s stomach rolled at the thought.
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary….
She nodded at her mother’s butler, and then waited while he announced her with unnecessary grandeur. The responding hush was a perfect accompaniment for the entrance of a princess turned famous stage actress. One more illusion to add to the others.
Fully in her role now, Katia allowed the guests to admire her long blue gown and upswept hair before stepping forward.
She slowly turned her head, nodding at the faces she recognized. In each cluster of people, she searched for Friedrich Reiter. She came up empty.
Where was he?
Surely he’d been successful tonight. Or had Hermann caught him in the act of breaking into his hotel room?
No. Friedrich was too careful and too good at his job. Katia had no doubt he had succeeded tonight. He would be here soon. But would it be soon enough?
Just as the thought formed she caught sight of Hermann speaking with another naval officer. Even with his back to her, the other man fit Admiral Doenitz’s description perfectly.
Her whole body tingled with tension. Beneath the tension rushed an undertow of doom that built as she glided through the ballroom.
If Friedrich didn’t arrive soon she would face the admiral alone. She would do so with the Lord’s courage tucked deep inside her.
She repeated her father’s favorite verse in her mind.
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength…
Even with the Lord’s promise nestled within her, she had a sudden urge to turn and run. But then she thought of Jack Anderson and the dangerous role he played as Friedrich Reiter. His sacrifices were far greater than hers. She would not let him down.
As though sensing her eyes on him, the man speaking to Hermann turned to face her. Even at this distance,
she could discern the decorations unique to an admiral’s uniform. Karl Doenitz. It had to be him. Although shorter than she’d expected, the admiral wore his uniform with terrifying confidence, making him appear far more formidable than Hermann.
Katia continued across the ballroom. Toward the admiral. She found a desperate need to pray. Oh, Lord, Lord, I need Your courage. I surrender my will to Yours.
Feeling stronger, she hid the rest of her nerves behind an easy smile. She kept her movements slow and elegant. No one would know her knees were about to buckle under her.
But just as she crossed to the edge of the dance floor, she caught sight of her mother. In spite of a sense of urgency flowing through her, Katia stopped a moment and admired the woman who had given her birth.
How perfect she looked, Katia thought, elegant, refined, with a hint of sadness in her eyes that made her look even more stunning.
A jolt of love came hard and fast, surprising Katia into staring a moment longer. The realization that she wanted to ensure her mother’s safety more than her own jumped into her head and convinced her all the more. This was no longer a matter of saving her only surviving parent. This was about saving a woman she loved.
Katia would not allow the war, the Nazis’ hatred of Jews, or even Hermann Schmidt to hurt her mother. Even if she died trying, Katia would protect Elena.
Her best option would be to get her out of Germany.
But first, she had to face a suspicious admiral.
It took all her skill as an actress to bury her concerns for her mother and force her mind on the task the lay before her.
Unfortunately, before she could carry on, her mother closed the distance between them and took her hand. “Katia, you look magnificent this evening.”
Katia tightened her grip on their linked fingers. “I was thinking the same of you, Mother.”
She didn’t have the words to tell Elena how much she loved her; too many years had gone by without saying them and too many fresh emotions had been laid bare this morning. Unable to speak, she simply squeezed her mother’s hand again.