Dangerous Allies (20 page)

16 February 1940, Berlin Theater, Berlin, Germany

F
or Katia, every night was the same. Perform her role. Take her bows. Greet her fans backstage.

Night after night, the audience came to watch her become a tragic heroine of a masterfully written play. Night after night, she gave them what they wanted.

While taking her bows, she squinted past the floodlights into the audience, looking for the one man she couldn’t seem to forget.

She feared he wouldn’t be there. But no matter how many days passed, no matter what city she was in, Katia never gave up hope of seeing Friedrich Reiter again.

He was in her mind always, even as she continued her clandestine work for the British. Over the past months, she’d completed four more missions for MI6. She had worked alone each time. Thanks to her part in the success of the magnetic mines mission, the British trusted her again. And thanks to Friedrich’s efforts at her mother’s
ball in November, Admiral Doenitz had given Katia no more troubles.

Small compensation for a broken heart.

At least her relationship with her mother was healed. Although against the union from the start, Katia had stood as Elena’s witness at her wedding to Hermann Schmidt. That day, Katia’s heart had broken a little more. She only prayed marriage to Hermann would be enough to protect Elena from the death camps.

No. She would not give in to depressing thoughts now. Elena had made her choices and Katia had made hers. Their individual futures were in God’s hands now, the safest place to be in these dark times.

If only Katia could meet Friedrich again and see for herself that he was safe. Oh, how she missed him, how she feared for him. How she wished there was no war separating them.

Lord, is he safe? Please, I pray You keep him safe throughout the duration of the war and beyond.

As she joined the rest of the cast backstage, Katia skimmed her gaze across the milling crowd. Elegant women wearing their jewels and furs clung to men dressed in tuxedos and various military uniforms.
Luftwaffe. Waffen. Gestapo.

SS.

Tonight, Heinrich Himmler himself was among the crowd. He was wearing the black uniform of the Gestapo. Small of stature, unassuming, it was hard to believe he was the architect of Germany’s greatest horrors.

Out of habit, she tried to determine the identity of the other Gestapo officer with Himmler, but the man
had his back to her. The hard jolt to her heart made her breath catch in her throat. Could it be him?

She tried to think logically, but the pounding in her head made it difficult. There was something painfully familiar about the tall, broad-shouldered officer. And yet, she couldn’t allow herself to hope. She’d been through this routine countless times in the last three months.

Too many nights she’d thought she’d seen Friedrich Reiter. Too many nights she’d been wrong. And left with only a prayer for his continued safety.

But, this time, as the man turned slowly around, her whole body relaxed on a sigh.

He’d come back to her.

He took a single step toward her, one step was all, and the shadows fell away from his face. His sharp, serious eyes and tall, lean body reminded her of a big, beautiful cat.

Code name, Cougar.

She remembered it all now. The tension-filled first meeting, the various battles for control, the ultimate agreement to work as a team, the trip to Wilhelmshaven, praying together on her bathroom floor. And, of course, the promise that he would return to her someday.

She didn’t particularly like how comfortable he looked in the Gestapo uniform. Nor did she like the fast jolt of fear that pressed against her chest.

What was he thinking, becoming a member of the SD? If caught, he would be tortured, and eventually killed.

The noble fool.

As he began pacing toward her—slowly, deliber
ately—her heart stopped beating. Then he halted in front of her and she thought her heart just might beat right out of her chest.

“Katarina, you look as lovely as I remember.” The words rolled off his tongue in perfect German, the hint of Austria clinging to the edges just as she remembered.

She swallowed back her nerves. “Welcome to Berlin, Herr Reiter.”

He took her left hand in his, kissed her knuckles and then looked at her with Jack Anderson’s eyes. “I’ve missed you, my darling.”

Said so simply, she had no doubt he meant every word. For propriety’s sake, she knew she should take her hand back. But she badly needed to absorb the contact. “I’ve missed you more.”

He chuckled at her response. “Always so competitive. It’s what I love most about you.”

Massaging her bare ring finger with his thumb, his face broke into a smile. “I think it is long past time I purchased you a piece of jewelry.”

She put her heart in her eyes and reached up to cup his cheek. “I wouldn’t refuse anything from you.”

Still smiling, he pulled her hand away from his face and placed it against his chest. “I can’t live without you, Katarina. I’ve tried. I’ve failed.”

He did not look like a beaten man. In fact, he looked rather pleased with himself.

“Well, then, perhaps you should quit trying and admit your defeat once and for all,” she said.

“My thoughts precisely.”

The tenderness in his eyes made his intentions all too
clear. Katia’s throat swelled. But then she was bumped from behind. Realizing how many people could be watching them, she sighed in frustration. “I think we should finish this conversation in private.”

“Your ability to read my mind is quite impressive.”

“It’s not really so amazing.” She gave him the gentle smile of a woman in love. “We merely think alike, Herr Reiter.”

“So it would seem,” he said, lifting a single eyebrow. “Now, about that privacy you suggested?”

Smiling, she took his hand in hers and led him to her dressing room.

He shut the door behind them with a firm click.

With her heart racing from anticipation, she turned to face him. Leaning slightly forward, her body seemed to have a mind of its own, as though it was answering the powerful pull of her soul mate.

And then…and then…

He tugged her into his arms.

Just like that, her world felt a little less dark. She pressed her cheek against his chest. “Welcome back, my darling.”

He pulled away and then kissed her firmly on the mouth. “I love you,” he said in a strong voice. “I should have said it before I left you the last time.”

She looked into his eyes and saw the godly man that had helped her believe again. “I love you, too.” How could she not?

“Marry me, Katarina.”

She didn’t want to refuse. But she was afraid of the uncertainty that lay ahead of them. “What about your…
journeys?” She spoke carefully, taking great pains not to mention England in case the Gestapo was listening to their conversation. “To distant places.”

“My traveling days are over. I am to stay in Berlin for the duration of the war.” He gave her a grave look, one that left little doubt to the underlying meaning of his words.

Recognizing the danger he was putting himself in, she fought back a wave of panic.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he begged. “I have every intention of growing old with you.”

She nodded, and found she needed to draw in a long breath before she had the ability to speak again. “Growing old together is a lovely ambition.”

“Katarina, take a chance on me. Take a chance on us. It would certainly make your mother happy.” One corner of his mouth kicked up in an ironic grin.

So her mother
had
talked to him before he’d left Hamburg. Katia did not blame Elena for trying to protect her daughter in the way she thought best.

Even if Katia wasn’t in love with the man, the idea of marriage to an SS
Sturmbannführer
would still make sense. To the Nazis, their union would look like the coveted blending of an Aryan elite with Russian royalty. To Katia’s mother, their marriage would be an added layer of protection from the concentration camps.

To Katia, marrying Friedrich Reiter would be all about love. “Yes.
Yes.
I will marry you.”

For a moment he only watched her, his gaze alight with pleasure. “I pray I prove worthy of you, Princess Katarina.”

She thought of the courage he’d displayed on countless occasions. She thought of the way he’d knelt at her feet in her bathroom and taught her how to pray again. “You have already done that, my love. But now I have one small request of you.”

He raised her hand to his lips. “Anything.”

“Stay alive.”

His gaze filled with the conviction of Jack Anderson. “God led us to one another, Katarina.” He kept his voice barely above a whisper as he spoke. “We must believe He will lead us through this war, as well.”

She loved his confidence in the Lord. It gave her the courage to hope.

As though God Himself reached down and wiped away the last of her fears, Katia felt certainty spread through her. She wouldn’t think about the end of the war or all they stood to lose. She would take each day as it came and would fit a lifetime into every moment she had with this man. “Let’s get married as soon as possible.”

He enfolded her in the shelter of his warm embrace and spoke softly in her ear. Even if someone listened, they wouldn’t be able to discern his words. “Our battles are only beginning, but we will never fight them alone. We have each other and we have the Lord.”

“Now that’s something worth putting our hope in.”

1. Why do you think Katia doesn’t trust Jack at their first meeting? Is it something he does, in particular, that makes her skeptical, or is it her situation in general? What has brought these two together? What is at stake if their mission fails?
   
2. What secret is Katia harboring? Considering the setting and time period, what sort of risks does her secret bring? What does she have to lose if her secret is revealed?
   
3. What sacrifices has Jack made to become a spy for the British? Do you think his crisis of faith is legitimate? Why or why not? What would you do if you found yourself in a similar situation?
   
4. What has driven Katia to rely on herself rather than God? How does she compare Communist Russia to Nazi Germany? What scares her most about the Third Reich?
   
5. Where do Jack’s true loyalties lie? What has driven him to lose his way? Why does he struggle with the question of whether he’s a traitor or a hero?
   
6. What problem does Katia’s mother pose for her undercover work? What added glitch does her recent engagement present? Why does the timing of this
   announcement make Katia suspect her own mother is in league with the Nazis?
   
7. What are the similarities between an actress and a spy? What are the differences? Do you think Katia’s training as a stage actress benefits her? She claims she’s played so many roles she doesn’t know who the real Katia is below the actress. Do you think this is true? Why or why not?
   
8. What parallels do you see between Jack and Hermann Schmidt? Where would you draw the line between serving God and country versus allowing country to become God? Do you think the latter is what happened in Nazi Germany? Why or why not?
   
9. Are the rules different for Christians in times of war as opposed to times of peace? Is there ever a situation where lying is acceptable? Why or why not?
   
10. When Jack and Katia suffer several failed attempts at getting a photograph of the plans for the Nazi secret weapon, Jack decides to finish the job on his own. Do you think that was a valid decision on his part? Were you surprised Katia was the one to discover the alternate location of the plans? What complications did this discovery pose for Jack?
    
11. Did you sympathize with Katia’s reasons for turning down Jack’s offer to leave Germany with him? Why or why not?
    
12. Katia and Jack get their happy ending, however, the war is just heating up. What challenges do you see ahead of them?