did you hit them?”
“In the back of the knees. The tall one lost control of his cigarette, and it bounced onto the other’s shoulder.” With the touch of a lover, he grasped the back of her neck, brushing the sensitive skin into tingles. “Ready for the second-greatest performance of your life?”
Heart thundering in her chest, she nodded. The slight stubble on his cheek scratched her palm, shooting tingles down her arm and spreading all down her body. His lips grazed her jaw and hovered just over her mouth. Blood rushed to her head as her eyes fluttered closed despite the danger lurching closer to them.
“Umdrehen damit wir dein gesicht sehen können.”
Barrett’s hand dropped to her shoulder as he turned to face the soldiers. “Hello, again. I am sorry about bumping you earlier. I was running late, and this lady here would have my teeth if I missed the train.”
“Papers,” the taller one barked. “Both of you.”
As they handed their papers over, Kat folded her shaking hands in her lap and counted the silver ranks on their collars. She had no idea what they meant, but it was fewer than Eric sported. What she wouldn’t give to have him here now.
“Englisch,” the shorter one spat and pointed to the black smudge on his shoulder. His round face mottled red. “Do you see what you did? You burned the Führer’s uniform.”
“Actually, your friend there burned it with his cigarette.”
Shut up! Shut up! The shaking trembled down Kat’s legs as she pressed closer to Barrett, willing him with all her silent might to close his big mouth.
The soldier’s face shaded to purple. “Get up! You’re under arrest for defacing and destroying property of the Third Reich. Next stop, you’re off and straight in for questioning. What are an Englishman and woman doing here?”
“Oh, yes. I thought it might come to this.” Barrett sighed wearily and reached into his shirt pocket to pull out a small cream envelope sealed with red wax. “Mind you, I don’t like showing this lightly.”
The burned guard snatched it from his hand and tore it open. Scanning the paper, his eyes grew wider and wider until they looked ready to fall out. By the end, he was pale as a sheet and ready to faint. His friend took three seconds longer to reach the same reaction.
“Pardon, Mr. Anderson.” With shaking fingers, the guard thrust the paper back into the torn envelope and handed it back to Barrett. “Please accept our deepest apologies. As you said, it was a mistake. We should have been more careful of where we stood.”
“Hope this unfortunate misunderstanding doesn’t badly color your report upon your arrival.”
The taller one grabbed his friend’s shoulder, and as one they backed away. “Good morning to you both.”
Spiking adrenaline receded enough for Kat to string together a coherent thought. She waited until the soldiers disappeared back into the car they’d come from before ripping the letter from Barrett’s fingers. The blood drained from her face as she tore through the contents, but for an entirely different reason than the soldiers’.
Her words slipped out on a breath. “What have you done?”
“Thought it might come in handy. Was up half the night fretting over those angled p’s.” Plucking the letter from her motionless fingers, he tucked it safely back into his pocket. “Shame about the seal, though.”
“Where did you learn to forge Eric’s handwriting?”
“I’ve got many hidden talents. Stick around long enough and you might get to see a few more shine.”
“What if someone catches us in this ridiculous lie you’ve cooked up? Do you know the serious consequences for making such a proclamation?”
“A few lowly soldiers aren’t sticking their necks out to question if we truly are or are not dear and personal friends of the Führer.” The humor dropped from his smile. “Stop worrying so much. I know what I’m doing.”
That makes one of us. Dumbfounded, Kat leaned back in her seat. Adrenaline drained from her veins as her heart rate thumped back to a moderate pace. “This isn’t just about you and your brawn.”
“I know it isn’t, poppy. Everything I’ve done has been mindful of keeping you safe.”
Like a record player, he played from one emotion to the next. At first jovial, then sweet, a crescendo to brassy, and back to tender. It left her spinning and light-headed. And tired of dancing to someone else’s music.
She popped back up in her seat. Neutral Switzerland was close by, if she could get through Austria. She could even build it up