But he’d known, even then, that Fritz would never forgive Gudrun if the world knew it was her who’d flattened him. God alone knew what he would do, in retaliation, but it wouldn’t be pleasant. Fritz was a born coward and sneak, someone who should have been kicked out of the Hitler Youth; Kurt honestly didn’t understand why he hadn’t been given the boot a long time ago. But he’d stepped forward, when his father had demanded answers; he’d told his father that he’d punched Fritz.
“Because Fritz would have sought revenge,” he said, finally. Someone like Fritz would never let it go. He’d wallow in hatred and resentment until he did something very stupid — and destroyed a life. “Gudrun’s life could have been ruined if he’d reported her for something.”
Katherine cocked her head. “You didn’t think Gudrun could handle it herself?”
“I’m her brother,” Kurt said. “It’s my job to protect her.”
He ignored Horst’s snicker and Katherine’s look of indignation. Fritz had never visited their home again, thankfully. Perhaps it was out of a misplaced sense of gratitude — or perhaps he was simply afraid of another encounter with Gudrun’s fist. But if he had… Kurt had no illusions. The right word in the right place could have utterly destroyed Gudrun’s hopes and dreams for a different future. And if he’d simply attacked her instead…
He wouldn’t have tried to rape her, he tried to tell himself. Fritz is too much of a coward to try.
Horst glanced at him. “What happened to the bastard?”
“He joined the SS,” Kurt said. He’d worried, for a while, that Fritz intended to do something to take revenge, but nothing had ever materialised. “I don’t know what happened to him afterwards.”
“Perhaps he got purged for being related to Gudrun,” Horst said.
Kurt shrugged. “Maybe,” he said. It was a pleasant thought. “Or maybe he’s still out there, somewhere.”
He cleared his throat, then looked at Horst. “Are you satisfied?”
“Mostly,” Horst said. “Are you?”
“I think so,” Kurt said. There was no one alive, save for Gudrun and himself, who knew the full story. Their father didn’t know… although Kurt had often wondered if the old man had noticed that he didn’t have blood on his knuckles. “She’s alive and well and we have an ally.”
Horst nodded, reluctantly. He’d expressed his concerns quite loudly, after Katherine had departed earlier, but they were running short of options. The possibility of being betrayed would have to be factored into their plans, along with all the other variables. And besides, if everything went well, they should be able to cope with a last-minute betrayal.
And if we can’t, we die, Kurt thought.
Katherine looked at him. “I can smuggle Gudrun out of the Reichstag in two days,” she said, bluntly. “You’ll have to get her out of the city before the alarm is raised.”
“No,” Horst said. “We’re going to attack the Reichstag tomorrow.”
Katherine started. “How many men do you have?”
“Enough,” Horst said. “You’re in the bunker, are you not? If Holliston gets into the bunker before we arrive, I want you to catch him.”
Kurt saw Katherine stiffen, just for a second. “You do realise he’ll be escorted by his bodyguards?”
“Yes,” Horst said. “But if he gets into the bunker and seals himself in, the entire plan will fail.”
Kurt winced. They’d learned far too much about the Reichstag in the last couple of days to be comfortable with anything. Shutting down radio transmissions would be easy enough, thankfully, but there were underground communications cables leading directly to SS bases outside the city. And there was a tunnel Holliston and his cronies could use to escape, if they were lucky. Given a chance to rally resistance, Holliston could plunge Germany East into a civil war.
“I understand,” Katherine said, stiffly. “Does Gudrun know how to shoot a rifle?”
“I taught her,” Horst said.
“Pathetic westerners,” Katherine said. She gave Kurt a dark look. “Do you refrain from training your women so they’ll be helpless?”
Kurt smiled. “I don’t think Gudrun is helpless.”
“And yet you felt the urge to look after her,” Katherine pointed out.
“Yes,” Kurt said. “Because I’m her brother and that’s what brothers do.”
He scowled. A rumour — even a relatively harmless rumour — could do endless damage to a young lady’s reputation. Konrad had loved Gudrun — Kurt was sure of that — but would his family have approved the match if Gudrun had acquired a reputation for sleeping around? It wouldn’t matter if the rumour was true or false, not if it had spread too far to be easily countered. Konrad would have been told, in no uncertain terms, that marrying Gudrun would cost him the rest of his family…
And no one would have cared if Konrad had slept around, he thought, grimly. Because girls have to be virgins while men…
“We can track down and kill Fritz later,” Horst said. His attitude made it clear that he wasn’t joking. “For the moment, we need to concentrate on the plan.”
Katherine gave him a sidelong look. “You do not care about your wife?”
“I care a great deal about my wife,” Horst said. “And the only way to save her is to bring this regime crashing down.”
“Good,” Katherine said. Kurt couldn’t help thinking that she and Horst would make a good match. There was something… cold… distant… in both of them. But then, Gudrun had probably warmed Horst up a little. “I’ll be ready when the time comes.”
“I can’t give you a specific time,” Horst said, as Katherine rose. “But it will come.”
Katherine nodded and strode out of the room. Kurt watched her go, unable to keep from noticing just how mannish she was. She even walked like a man. Kurt doubted Gudrun could pose as a man so effectively, even if she’d worn male clothes. There was something about Katherine that shouted out man to him. Even knowing the truth, he found it hard to see her as just another female…
…And yet, there was something about her he liked.
“You’re staring,” Horst said, quietly.
Kurt flushed. “Sorry.”
“Yeah,” Horst said. He shrugged. “Can you handle your part of the mission?”
“Yes,” Kurt said, flatly. He would have preferred to be on the ground, with Horst, but it couldn’t be helped. “Can your uncle handle his side of the plan?”
“If he can’t, we’re in trouble,” Horst said.
Kurt nodded. He wasn’t keen on the idea of trusting a Gauleiter, but he had to admit that Emil Forster had had ample opportunity to betray them after making contact. Hell, he hadn’t had to do anything. Kurt and Horst would have been executed as soon as they reached Germanica and the Gauleiter’s secret — his inconvenient relations — would be thoroughly buried.
And there are too many others involved, he thought, grimly. The longer we delay, the greater the chance that one of them will get cold feet.