War Girls Complete Collection Chapter 229

Chapter 7

K

atrina lay on the sofa, Richard on the floor at her side, and she sensed the tension and worry that consumed him, even as he seemed to sleep. From the other side of the room came the steady breathing of the others. But they weren’t filled with anguish and fear.

After the mob hunts and lynchings she’d been witnessing, Katrina already knew that remaining in Wroclaw wasn’t safe for Richard. Today’s events had only been the last straw, further fortifying her decision that they needed to leave as soon as possible. Not only for his sake, but also for her own and the safety of the Adamskis. Anyone suspected of collaborating with the Germans awaited the same fate as the hated enemy.

In the wee hours of the night, Richard stirred and rolled to face her. “You haven’t slept all night, have you?”

“No. I’m worried,” she whispered.

“I know. We need to leave this place. I don’t want to put Barbara and Edmund in danger.”

“And go where?”

“Someplace where the two of us can live together in peace.”

Katrina suppressed a sharp laugh. “And just where would that be? Also, how do you suppose we get there?”

“What if we return to your farm? We lived there unbothered for a year.” Richard took her hand in his.

“No. It’s too dangerous. People in Lodz will hate the Germans the same way they do here. We’ll live in the same fear that someone will find out your papers are forged.”

“Then what should we do? Where can we go?” His whisper took on a desperate tone.

“We need to leave Poland.” The moment she said it, nostalgia burdened her heart. Could she really leave her home, her fatherland, her culture – possibly forever?

Richard squeezed her hand for several long moments. Both lost in their thoughts, they tried desperately to come up with a solution. Then he said, “I’m afraid you’re right. The only safe place for me is Germany.”

“You want to go to Germany?” Katrina asked.

“It doesn’t matter if I want to or not. I’m afraid it’s the only choice I have. If I stay here, it’s only a matter of time before someone finds out just like your relatives already did.”

Katrina swallowed hard. She had seen firsthand what happened to the Germans who couldn’t flee fast enough. Those hanged on lampposts were the lucky ones. The ones taken to camps were given bitter mouthfuls from their own cookbook of violence and torture. She shivered at the mental images of what she knew and what was rumored.

“I don’t want you to die,” Katrina whispered.

“Me, either.” He managed to give her a grin. “The faster we leave the better. Your relatives are in danger as long as we stay here.” He tugged hard at her hand and, unprepared for the impact, she rolled off the sofa and onto him. His grin broadened into a cheeky smile as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her lips. “I love you, my sweet woman.”

“I love you, too.” She pulled down the blanket from the sofa and draped it over both of them as she snuggled against Richard’s warm body and soon fell into an exhausted sleep. Once they had left Poland behind, Richard would be safe again.

In the morning,

they told Barbara and Edmund.

“We have come to the conclusion that it’s best for me to leave,” Richard said, sitting at the coffee table with a mug of hot, slightly flavored water that Barbara had called

tea

.

“That’s a good idea,” Edmund said, the relief clearly showing on his expression.

“When are you leaving?” Barbara settled on the sofa beside her husband.

“We will leave as soon as possible, probably tomorrow,” Katrina said.

Barbara’s head jerked around, the shock written all over her face. “We? You plan to go with him?”

“Of course. He’s the man I love.”

“Think about it. You’re not safe with him,” Barbara implored, putting a hand on Katrina’s arm. “What would your mother say, if she knew you’re risking your life for this man?”

“She’d probably congratulate me on loving such a wonderful man. He’ll protect me and I’ll protect him.” Katrina stubbornly put out her lower lip. Her relatives might think otherwise, but she intended to stick with Richard through thick and thin.

“His very existence is a threat to you. If he’s captured, you’ll go down with him. If not for being a German, then for being a collaborator.”

“I don’t care. I’m going with him,” Katrina declared. “We’re together. Certainly you can understand that.”

Barbara cursed beneath her breath and then directed her attention to Richard. “Ryszard, you can’t allow this. Talk some sense into her.”

“I agree that she’s safer with you, but it’s her choice, not mine.”

“You can’t be serious! If you care for her at all, convince her to stay here with us,” Barbara insisted.

Her husband quickly added, “Order her to stay.”

Katrina’s brow furrowed. Edmund was a good man, but he had very traditional values. In his opinion a wife had to obey her husband, a daughter her father or brother. And a single woman like her the man who was assigned to take care of her, which right now seemed to be Richard.

“I’m going. And that’s my last word,” Katrina said, a trace too loud.

“Where are you headed?” Barbara asked on a sigh.

“Berlin,” Richard said.

Silence ensued while the shock waves travelled across the room, until Barbara found her voice again. “That’s in Germany. You can’t be serious!”

“I am serious. My family lives in Berlin and despite everything, we’ll be safe once we reach Germany.”

“No way. I’m not allowing you to take Katrina with you into enemy country. We haven’t fought this bloody war against the Nazi swine just so you can come here and take our girls away with you. She’s a Pole! She stays here!” Edmund all but shouted.

Katrina turned her head toward the footfalls in the hallway outside their room and said, “No need to shout; you’ll wake up the neighbors.”

Edmund glared daggers at her, but kept his mouth shut. He was as afraid as Katrina to be ratted out for hiding a German.

“Look, Edmund, I understand your concern, but you know how stubborn Katrina can be. If she wants to come with me, there’s nothing I can do or say to change her mind. But I will do everything in my power to protect her. We’ll both be safe once we reach Berlin.”

“You’ll have your hands full protecting yourself,” Edmund said in a low growling voice. “She stays here.”

“I’m standing right here and I can make my own decisions.” Katrina took a step forward and put her hands on her hips.

“Katrina, please be reasonable. Stay here. With us. In a few months, after things settle down, he can tell you where he ended up and you two can see one another again,” Barbara pleaded with her.

Katrina shook her head in disbelief. “Would you leave Edmund if the situations were reversed? Would you take the risk that you might never see each other again?”

Barbara didn’t answer and Katrina took her own cues. She would stay by Richard’s side, come hell or high water.

“Silly girl. Your parents would be turning in their graves if they knew what you were doing,” Barbara said as she gathered the dishes from the coffee table. “I have to go to the market and will be gone most of the day.”

“I’m going to work,” Edmund growled. “The two of you better have a plan ready by tonight.”

Katrina sagged with relief when the two left the room and she walked over to Richard and wrapped her arms around him. “Now what?”