Chapter Eighteen

ELIANA

Eliana knew something was wrong when Ethan stayed behind the counter long after the shelves were bare and the store had emptied of people. She crossed the shop to the front door and turned the sign to closed, locking it and pulling down the blinds – all things that Ethan would usually do himself.

‘Tell me what's wrong,' she said, looking around to make certain that they were the only ones there.

Ethan's face was pale, his skin devoid of all colour as he came out from behind the counter towards her.

‘Come with me,' he said, taking her hand and hurrying her out to the storeroom where she usually worked.

‘Do I need to get the typewriter out?' she asked, breathless from his dragging her along at such a fast pace. ‘Is there an urgent message we need to transmit?'

He closed the door behind them, which gave her an uneasy feeling in her stomach. Not because she didn't trust him alone with her in such confined quarters, but because he'd never done it before. Which meant he had something important, or secret, to tell her.

‘I was given a message today,' he said, his hand shaking as he passed it to her. ‘At first, I didn't believe it.'

She quickly opened it.

Happening tomorrow. Be ready.

‘What does this even mean?'

‘It means there is to be an assassination attempt on Hitler's life tomorrow,' he whispered. ‘We have to be prepared to spread the information as soon as we have word.'

‘An assassination?' she repeated. ‘You're certain that's what this note is referring to?'

He nodded. ‘Yes, I'm certain, they've been planning it for some time. The conspirators aren't who you'd expect, either, but officers close to the Führer, politicians, German nationalists who know we will be defeated in this war and want to save our country. Perhaps some of them simply want to preserve our morality while they still can. Either way, they all seem to want the same thing, and they no longer believe we'll be victorious without overthrowing the party.'

An unfamiliar warmth spread through Eliana, but she couldn't understand why Ethan looked so nervous.

‘What is it? You must be thrilled that this could happen before you're to report for duty on Monday?' She reached for his hand and took it, threading her fingers through his. She'd thought of little else other than his leaving since he'd told her.

‘Eliana, if this doesn't work, if it's not a success...'

She searched his face. ‘What are you worrying about? We can only hope and pray that it will be. This is a chance for you to stay home, for the war to end, for—'

‘Ava is involved.'

Eliana's breath caught in her throat. ‘Involved?' She'd known that Ava was working for the greater cause, but hearing Ethan say her name still came as a shock. ‘How involved? How do you know?'

‘One of the reasons they've been able to plan this all so meticulously is because of her access to information. From what I understand, her friend Noah convinced her to access information for him. He's one of the few civilians involved in the coup.'

‘You're saying he's been using her affection towards him to make her do things? That he's willingly put her in danger?' Now it made sense why she'd heard Ava and Hanna arguing about him; clearly Hanna didn't approve.

Anger rose inside of her, and she knew her face would be beet red, her heart thumping loudly in her chest.

‘I don't want to presume, but I do know that he recruited her.'

‘There's nothing we can do?' she asked. ‘To ensure that she's not in danger? Should I say something? Should I encourage her to leave the city, to flee somewhere safer?' But where would be safer? Where could she go that they wouldn't find her?

‘What's done is done. We just have to wait now and hope that it's successful, that it doesn't fail, because if she flees now it will only confirm her guilt.'

‘But you believe that the trail could lead back to Ava, in the case that it isn't a success?' Eliana asked.

Ethan squeezed her hand. ‘I fear that everyone with access to high-level information will be questioned, that there will be a witch hunt for all involved.' He took a step closer. ‘But there is every reason to believe that won't happen. I only wanted you to understand the risks involved, given how close you are to the family. And I wasn't certain how much you knew, whether you were even aware she was doing so much for the cause.'

‘No, I wasn't aware. Although I did overhear Hanna warning her about Noah. I thought her father was being careful with her level of involvement.' Did Herr Müller even know? Now she wasn't sure what to do – did she go behind Ava's back and confess what she knew to Hanna, or even their father? After everything Karl had done for her family, she almost felt she owed it to him to tell the truth.

She shut her eyes for a moment, imagining the Müller house being searched, imagining her family being found – the implications of Ava's involvement stretched far beyond Ava's own family. There was a chance that Eliana could hide, that she could somehow find a way to survive with her papers, but just as David had always said, her family were sitting ducks up there in the attic. The only consolation was that Ava had given him the gun he'd been asking for, although that would only stop a handful of SS men. Then where would they go, if they escaped the house? How would they hide? Or was there a chance that everything might change if Hitler was, in fact, killed?

‘I wish I hadn't worried you,' Ethan said, pulling her from her thoughts.

‘I'm pleased you did. It's better I understand the risks, especially for those I'm close to.' She sighed. ‘Ava is like family to me now, I couldn't imagine losing her.'

They stood for a moment, before Eliana pulled away from him, wrapping her arms around herself.

‘Will you still have to go?' she asked, looking up at him. ‘If this succeeds, will the war end? Will our soldiers surrender? Could this actually all be over?'

Ethan shook his head. ‘I honestly don't know. Who knows how long it could be until the fighting is over?'

She understood. He still expected to have to leave on Monday. He didn't truly think that this would change anything – not immediately anyway. The only thing they hadn't discussed was whether he could find a way to disappear instead of report for duty, but she knew he'd likely be too fearful of the repercussions for his family if he did that. That was one of the reasons she liked him so much – he respected and cared for his family as much as she did hers – which meant that if he thought they would be punished for his actions, he wouldn't even consider such a thing.

‘After everything you've done for me, Ethan, I want you to know that I'll fight for you if I have to. I'll never stop searching for you if you don't come home. I promise.' She paused, looking into his eyes. ‘We have ice cream to eat together, remember?'

Ethan's smile was tinged with sadness as he stepped towards her, closing the distance between them. He touched her cheek with his palm, cupping her face with his hand. His eyes were locked on hers, shining brightly.

‘And I will never stop searching for you, either. I'll never forget you, Eliana. You're like a bright light in the midst of absolute darkness, and I'm so grateful that our paths crossed.' He grinned. ‘And I haven't forgot about that ice cream. After the war, I'll buy you one every day for the rest of our lives.'

When his lips touched hers, she willingly kissed him back. Her lips moved softly against his for a heartbeat, and when it ended, he held her in his arms, pressing her against his chest. All she could think was that being held by him felt like home; it reminded her of when she was growing up, and not worrying about what the next day would bring.

‘Should I start typing the leaflets now, so we're prepared?' she asked, her cheek still pressed against him. ‘Is there anything else we have to do?'

‘No, all we can do is wait. But when the Führer is dead, we will work through the night together, making certain everyone knows what has happened. They're going to begin by immediately arresting high-ranking Nazi leaders right here in Berlin, so the news will spread fast.'

Eliana squeezed Ethan even tighter, her arms wrapped firmly around him now. Part of her was filled with fear, but the other part, for the first time in longer than she could remember, was filled with hope. Hope that there would be a future in which she and her family wouldn't be persecuted; hope that she could walk the streets as herself; and hope that maybe, just maybe, there was a future for her that might involve Ethan.