“Yes,” I replied, keen to smooth over her trepidation.
That was my job, after all.I’d promised to get her away and protect her.Rendering us homeless on night one wasn’t exactly the best way to start.
“We just arrived a little too late for the bank,” I went on, ignoring the way Hans’ brow rose at my understatement.“But it seems maybe Hans has a place we can stay the night.”
Her gaze flitted to the driver.“Really?”
“Perhaps.”Hans glanced at the floor.“My sister, Anneke, has a small apartment, but she’s in the hospital right now, so...”
Perfect.
My heart sped up at the news, Hans’ offer and subsequent reticence suddenly making sense.He was obviously a decent guy and didn’t want to leave us without a roof over our heads, but suggesting his sister’s place in her absence presumably seemed as though he was overstepping the mark.The apartment wasn’t his to loan out.All we had to do was assuage his conscience, assure him we’d take care of the place, and we’d have somewhere warm to hide where the local authorities couldn’t stumble upon us until the sun rose.
“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that.”Maneuvering past me, Caroline closed the short distance to where Hans was waiting.“Is your sister all right?”
“They don’t know.”Hans swallowed as if the admission was painful.“They’re running all sorts of tests, but there are no answers yet.”
Caroline peered back at me, and even in the half light, I could see the empathy etched into her attractive features.It was strange watching her interact so freely with someone else, let alone another man, but standing there in the truck, I caught a glimpse of the woman she’d once been before the BTP regime had acted to pulverize her.The one with freewill and a big heart.It was that same big heart that had prompted her to flee Gamma block for Fern the night I’d first found her.Without her compassion, we might never have met.
“You poor thing,” she soothed, glancing back at Hans.“It’s so hard when someone we love is unwell.”
“Yes.”Hans drew in a steadying breath.“She’s a good woman.I am sure she’d want to help you both, but...”
“It feels wrong giving us permission without asking her first.”Caroline reached out and squeezed Hans’ shoulder.“We understand, don’t we, Adam?”
We do?I blinked at her, unsure I agreed.It sounded like she was talking us out of the only offer we had.
“I mean, we’d really appreciate it, and we’d look after your sister’s place,” I replied eventually.“You have my word on that.”
Though what the word of a former commander in Ian Jackson’s authoritarian regime was worth, I couldn’t be sure.
“Yes, but we have sympathy for your situation, too, Hans.”She picked up my ball and ran off with it in the entirely wrong direction.“We don’t want to put you in any position where you’d owe your sister an apology.Especially when she’s ill.”
Hans’ focus slipped from her to me.“But you have nowhere else.”
“Exactly.”I emphasized the word, considering striding over there and tanning her pert little backside for her contribution.
Compassion for his situation was one thing, but what was she thinking, trying to convince the man that we didn’t need his help when we did?If Hans left us outside on the dark Swiss street, we’d have nowhere to go.Stranded and alone with no Swiss money, we’d have been forced to find a park bench somewhere, potentially drawing the unwelcome attention of the local police.If they ran security checks or decided to take us into custody, they might just be able to put two and two together and identify us.Or me, at least.
I couldn’t let that happen.
“I swear we’ll treat your sister’s place with the utmost respect, Hans.”I moved toward them.“And I’m happy to pay for the night there, although I only have British pounds until I get to the bank.”
He nodded at me.“It’s a two-bedroom apartment, so maybe we all stay there tonight.That way, you both have a bed, and I won’t feel as though I’m endangering her property.”
I tried not to take the insinuation that we’d endanger anything personally.
“But what about your truck?”Caroline motioned to the pallets packed around us.“Don’t you have to get the produce somewhere else?”
“The delivery is already delayed for this Swiss trip, so...”Hans shrugged.“I might as well get some sleep tonight and head off in the morning.”
“Yes, you need sleep, too,” Caroline concurred as though she was the driver’s official advocate.
“So, it’s agreed, then?”I wrapped a possessive arm around her middle, meeting the driver’s eyes.“We can take one of those bedrooms for the night?”
“Ja, for one night.”Hans’ voice echoed with resolve.“The apartment isn’t far from here.Get out and I’ll get the spare keys.”
***
