Page 54 of Hearts of Resistance
‘And you are?’ she asked.
‘Mathieu,’ he said. ‘Once we get comms with London, we should have a new delivery of arms within days. Without it, we’ll all be gone,’ he said, before turning and walking away. ‘We’re waiting for a broadcast, a warning, so get your girl on the radio and don’t let her off it.’
Sophia nodded before slowly turning on the spot and looking at the house she was standing inside. The rooms were full of men. They were definitely in the minority.
‘I’ll find somewhere for Harry,’ Rose said to her, ‘check him over and make him comfortable, and you and Hazel can get to work.’
Sophia touched Harry’s shoulder as she passed him, returning the smile he was giving her, and walked side by side with Hazel to find someone who could explain what they were here to do.
‘How long will it take you to set up?’ Sophia asked, anxious to get their transmissions out as quickly as possible.
‘I’ll work as fast as I can, but it’d be easier without you breathing down my neck!’ Hazel replied as she opened her case.
Sophia looked down at Hazel, saw how flushed her face was and knew that she’d been too hard on her. Something had changed within her, she’d lost the way she used to trust others, the softness that had made her want to help everyone and anyone when war had first broken out. She took a deep breath and sat down beside Hazel, placing a hand on her wrist. Sophia didn’t have to like her, but she didn’t have to make her job any harder than it already was.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said, finding the words almost impossible to say. ‘Let’s just get this information sent as quickly as we can.’
Hazel glanced at her, surprise written all over her face in that one quick look. ‘It’s fine.’
‘It’s not fine,’ Sophia muttered. ‘None of this is fine, but we have to do the best we can and not get caught in the process.’
She slowly took her hand away, liking the warmth that had travelled from Hazel’s skin to her own. It felt like a long time since she’d touched somebody like that, just had the press of her skin to another person’s. Maybe she was starting to lose her mind after so long working undercover.
‘I need to transmit what happened to Josephine, is that correct?’ Hazel asked.
Sophia was impressed at how quickly she was working, the radio appearing operational already as Hazel held one side of her headpiece to her ear.
‘We need Paris to know that the cell in Brest has been compromised,’ Sophia said, her heart starting to race. ‘Then I need you to attempt communication with London, or at least start listening to the BBC.’
Hazel nodded, but it was obvious she was no longer focused on Sophia and more interested in the job at hand. Sophia had known she would be good, of course she had, but still, it was hard to trust someone new when you knew nothing about them, yet your life depended on them. Hazel might be highly trained, but she’d never actually worked in the field before, and that made Sophia nervous.
They sat in silence, Hazel tapping and staring intently at her instruments, and Sophia wondering how much longer they’d be alive. Surely her luck had almost run out? She’d been here much longer than any of the other members she’d met, and maybe she’d just been more determined, had more to prove because she was German, but she’d somehow earned a reputation to equal the top operatives.
After an hour she stood and stretched, silently leaving Hazel and going in search of food. When she returned, she set a cup of tea beside her new operator friend and sat down to sip her own. Rose was going to fix them something to eat, and Sophia wanted to stay close to Hazel in case she needed any assistance.
‘Sophia,’ Hazel suddenly said, her tea untouched and cold at her side by now. ‘You’re not going to believe what I’m hearing. I made communication with London earlier, to relay our message. But I’ve been listening to the BBC since then and...’ Her voice trailed off and Sophia watched as she scribbled on her notepad.
‘What have you found out?’
‘I need a moment,’ Hazel said, her focus absolute.
A deep male voice interrupted them, and Sophia turned to see Mathieu behind them. She didn’t trust him – the sharp, cold stare of his eyes unsettled her – but then perhaps that’s how she’d appeared to Hazel when they’d first met.
‘German radar units along the coast are being taken out,’ he said, his voice low as if he didn’t want to be overhead. ‘The Allies should be bombing trains soon, and we’ll be further disrupting supply lines and tankers.’
‘You’ll need us to be part of this?’ Sophia asked.
He nodded. ‘But we need your pretty little girl here to do her job first, otherwise we’ll be going in blind.’
Sophia watched as Hazel turned then, her stare so cold it rivalled Mathieu’s. She felt a little shiver of pleasure surge down her spine. Maybe she and Hazel could become good friends after all.
‘Thegirlhas done her job,’ Hazel said matter-of-factly. ‘Your arms delivery will take place two days from now, and the Allies will be landing in Normandy within the next fifteen.’
Sophia looked between them, trying not to smirk.
‘You’re certain?’ he asked, gaze narrowed.
‘You do your job and I’ll do mine,’ Hazel replied tartly. ‘The message was a poem but it was clear. Within fifteen days.’
