The Colonel's Wife
Page 21
And secretly a member of the French Resistance.
The truck shook as someone climbed into the bed, the pigs squealing as they were shoved aside, whoever it was clearly searching for hidden cargo. He stared above and could see the shadow of the soldier overhead. He reached into his pocket, gripping his wife’s weapon, the only thing he had to defend themselves.
Yet it would be useless against a well-armed border unit.
He released his grip and instead found the small bundle in his pocket, a bundle he had retrieved from his office desk the moment he received the phone call from Vogel telling him that Hoffman knew their secret.
Their final solution to the problem.
He pulled it out and began to unfold it as the shouts continued outside, the guards agitated about something, everything in French, a language he now regretted not learning.
He had chosen English.
The search continued overhead, and he heard muffled gasps as one of the floorboards overhead lifted partially at the front of the truck. Eyes bulged and he held a finger to his lips, then finished unfolding the paper containing the cyanide pills he had acquired for just such an occasion.
They were about to be captured, and that could never happen.
He handed two pills to his wife, and he could see the tears flowing down her cheeks as she took them. The boys had no idea what was about to happen, and they couldn’t know. He didn’t want their final moments to be filled with the knowledge their own parents had killed them. More shouting from outside and the truck rocked again as the floorboard snapped back in place with a loud crack, one of the pigs having shifted and stepped on it. Cursing erupted, somebody in pain, a finger probably pinched.
He held a pill out for Maximilian. “Candy!” he whispered, and the boy’s eyes brightened. His heart was pounding now as the rush of blood filled his ears. He was about to kill his family, to murder all that he loved, to save them from a fate far worse than death.
He would burn in Hell for eternity for what he was about to do.
And he was fine with that.
As long as they lived on in the Heaven he knew was there waiting for them.
The engine suddenly roared to life and his eyes widened as he reached out and enveloped his wife’s hand with his own, gripping it tightly, the pills meant to prevent their suffering trapped within. The gears protested a bad shift, then they lurched forward, slowly picking up speed on the bumpy road.
He held his breath, as he was certain they all were, and a few minutes later someone knocked on the metal door of the truck several times.
“Welcome to Spain!”
His shoulders shook with relief as all the stress of the past days released. He let go of his wife’s hand then threw his pills toward the back of the truck, his wife smiling then doing the same.
They were free.
They had made it.
All thanks to one man who had done the right thing, despite the risk to himself.
Kriminalinspektor Wolfgang Vogel.
THE END
To be notified of new releases and get the free J. Robert Kennedy Starter Library of 5 full-length novels, click here now to be taken to my website, or visit www.jrobertkennedy.com and sign-up for The Insider’s Club now!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book deals with difficult subject matter, including the treatment of Jews and the handicapped by the Nazis. There are characters with hateful views, and there are some who are not bad people, who expressed thoughts that don’t fit in with our modern times. This book must be read with the understanding that it takes place almost 80 years ago, when things were very much different. It makes me wonder how people 80 years in the future will think about things we do and say today, and will they feel we were backward.
This book has been a dream of mine to write for many years. I introduced the character of Wolfgang Vogel in my novel James Acton #20: The Nazi’s Engineer. That book was very well received, and it gave me the confidence to eventually try this novel. I hope you think it turned out well.
As usual, there are people to thank. My dad for all the research, Brent Richards for some weapons info, and, as always, my wife, daughter, and mother, as well as the proofing and launch teams.
To those who have not already done so, please visit my website at www.jrobertkennedy.com then sign up for the Insider’s Club to be notified of new book releases. Your email address will never be shared or sold, and you’ll only receive the occasional email from me, as I don’t have time to spam you!
Thank you once again for reading.
KRIMINALINSPEKTOR WOLFGANG VOGEL WILL RETURN!
NEED SOME HISTORICAL ACTION?
Check out this bestselling historical thriller, the first of a new series!
In an age before detectives, one Templar Knight is called upon to deliver justice.
When wounded Templar Knight Sir Marcus de Rancourt receives word that his sister is dying, he returns to a home he hasn’t seen in twenty years, only to find his sister dead, and her children orphaned. Sir Marcus decides to take on the greatest challenge of his life and remain behind to raise the children, his loyal sergeant and squires insisting on joining him to work the land at his side.
And it all starts with a simple murder, witnessed by a little boy, who swears Templars killed his parents.
Now it is up to Sir Marcus and his men to determine who committed the gruesome murders, and clear the good name of the Templars, before the very balance of power in the region shifts in favor of someone who should never possess it.
From USA Today bestselling author J. Robert Kennedy, comes the first in a new series, The Templar Detective, packed with pulse-pounding action, intrigue, and humor, guaranteed to keep thriller fans awake into the late hours.
Get your copy today, and be among the first to meet a new band of war-weary heroes, struggling to reintegrate into society, who are called upon once again to serve their Order, their Church, and their God.
To sample or purchase, please visit Kobo, or click here for additional purchase options.
NOTE TO APPLE DEVICE USERS: The links above likely won't work on Apple devices. Please click here to be taken to my website for direct purchase links to your favorite store.
DISCOVER WHERE THE ACTION BEGINS...
Clicking any of these links will take you to Robert’s website where you will find purchase links to your favorite store!
Love historical action? Then dive into The Templar Detective Thrillers. Get started with The Templar Detective!
Fascinated by World War II? Then check out the newest series, The Kriminalinspektor Wolfgang Vogel Mysteries. Get started with The Colonel's Wife!
It all began with the first James Acton Thriller. Start from the beginning with James Acton #1: The Protocol!
Follow the Delta Force’s Bravo Team in their own series! Get started with Delta Force Unleashed #1: Payback!
Want a little more espionage with your action? Then you need James Acton’s flawed former student, CIA Special Agent Dylan Kane, in your life. Start with Dylan Kane #1: Rogue Operator!
Looking for great psychological thrillers with a detective who’s got issues? Then check out Detective Shakespeare #1: Depraved Difference!
DON’T MISS OUT!
(And Get 5 Free eBooks!)
Award winning and USA Today bestselling author J. Robert Kennedy has sold over one million books, and is now giving some away for free! Join The Insider’s Club to be notified when new books are released, and as a thank you, get his 5 book Starter Library for free!
Follow Robert on Facebook, BookBub, GoodReads and Twitter.
THANK YOU!
Thank you for choosing and reading this book. If you enjoyed it, I would be grateful if you could write a short review (just a few words are needed) and post it on Amazon or your favorite book site.
Most eBook websites use algorithms to determine what books are recommended to readers. Sales and categories are of course factors, but so are the number of reviews a book ge
ts. By taking a few seconds to leave a review, you not only help out your favorite authors, you help new readers find them as well, which benefits everybody.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With over one million books sold, award winning and USA Today bestselling author J. Robert Kennedy has been ranked by Amazon as the #1 Bestselling Action Adventure novelist based upon combined sales. He is a full-time writer and the author of over forty international bestsellers including the smash hit James Acton Thrillers. He’s married, has an adult daughter, and is likely hard at work on his next book.
Visit Robert’s website at www.jrobertkennedy.com and sign-up for the Insider’s Club to be notified of new book releases.
Books by J. Robert Kennedy
Clicking any of these links will take you to the Kobo store where you can sample or purchase the book, or Click Here to visit Robert’s website for links to other stores!
NOTE TO APPLE DEVICE USERS: The links below likely won't work on Apple devices. Please click here for direct purchase links to your favorite store.
The Templar Detective Thrillers
The Templar Detective
The Templar Detective and the Parisian Adulteress
The Templar Detective and the Sergeant's Secret
The Templar Detective and the Unholy Exorcist
The Templar Detective and the Code Breaker
The James Acton Thrillers
The Protocol
Brass Monkey
Broken Dove
The Templar’s Relic
Flags of Sin
The Arab Fall
The Circle of Eight
The Venice Code
Pompeii’s Ghosts
Amazon Burning
The Riddle
Blood Relics
Sins of the Titanic
Saint Peter’s Soldiers
The Thirteenth Legion
Raging Sun
Wages of Sin
Wrath of the Gods
The Templar’s Revenge
The Nazi’s Engineer
Atlantis Lost
The Cylon Curse
The Viking Deception
Keepers of the Lost Ark
The Tomb of Genghis Khan
The Delta Force Unleashed Thrillers
Payback
Infidels
The Lazarus Moment
Kill Chain
Forgotten
The Special Agent Dylan Kane Thrillers
Rogue Operator
Containment Failure
Cold Warriors
Death to America
Black Widow
The Agenda
Retribution
State Sanctioned
The Detective Shakespeare Mysteries
Depraved Difference
Tick Tock
The Redeemer
The Kriminalinspektor Wolfgang Vogel Mysteries
The Colonel's Wife
Zander Varga, Vampire Detective Series
The Turned
Published Internationally by J. Robert Kennedy, Ottawa, ON Canada
Copyright © 2019 J. Robert Kennedy
All rights reserved. The use of any part of this publication reproduced, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the publisher, J. Robert Kennedy, is an infringement of copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any person or persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
V1.2