Page 49 of The Secrets We Left Behind
Cate choked on her laugh as Jack’s chest began to rumble with laughter of his own.
“I’m so sorry, that was terribly insensitive,” he apologized. “I have a very warped sense of humor sometimes.”
“Not at all. It’s probably the best darn thing anyone’s ever said to me.” Cate wiped her tears away, still smiling as she shut her eyes and promised herself that it was finally time to sleep.
“Wake up!”
The hiss of words was so loud, so sudden, that Cate felt as if someone had jolted her with electricity. She sat bolt upright, hand on her head, which was pounding from being woken up so unexpectedly.
She looked around, horrified that she’d fallen asleep with Jack in his bed. But Harry clearly had other things on his mind. He closed the attic door behind him and came to sit beside her, raking his hands frantically through his hair.
“What’s going on?” she asked, rubbing her eyes.
Jack moved beside her, and she turned to offer him a hand to pull himself up, his wince giving away just how painful it still was for him to move.
“Elise said it’s a Nazi commander, the one who brought you to the door the night you arrived,” Harry whispered. “He’s come calling on Adelaide.”
“Don’t they have a war to finish?” Jack muttered.
Harry grunted. “I think they’ve already finished what they started in this neck of the woods.”
Cate stood and padded silently to the door, pressing her ear to it and trying to listen. All she could detect were muffled voices, a woman’s and then a man’s deeper rumble, but she couldn’t tell what they were saying.
“Shhh,” she hissed to the men behind her, opening the door just a crack, holding her breath as she eased the doorknob back.
“I promise I’ll have her back soon.”
The words sent chills through her. Was Adelaide actually going with him?
“Are you certain it’s safe out there?” It was Elise speaking this time. “We’ve been too scared to venture out at all.”
“She’ll be perfectly safe with me, I’ll make certain of it.”
His clipped, perfect French, the deep, commanding tone of his voice, sent a fresh wave of shivers through Cate, and she carefully shut the door. When she turned, the cool timber to her back, she found Jack and Harry staring at her, their eyes wide.
“Well?” Harry asked.
“He’s definitely here for Adelaide,” she said, starting to laugh nervously. “He doesn’t know about us, he just wants to see her.”
Harry was looking at her like she was delirious, and Jack’s mouth had dropped open, his face pale.
“He’s interested in one of the sisters?” Jack asked, looking confused.
But Harry was shaking his head. “It could be a trap. He could be seeking her out because he’s suspicious.”
Cate lifted her head as she heard footfalls, holding her finger to her lips. “Shhh.” She backed away from the door to stand closer to Harry, and he straightened beside her, his hand finding hers, their fingers tightly clenched together. She barely knew him, but she didn’t care.
Is it a trick? Have we been discovered already?
A door shut, the bang echoing up to them, and Cate held her breath. Had the commander gone?
And then a shuffle outside the door to the attic set her heart racing again.
“It’s me,” came a soft voice.
Cate jumped forward and thrust it open, finding Elise standing there looking as forlorn as a child who’d lost her favorite toy.
“She’s with him?” Cate asked, immediately reaching for Elise and drawing her close.
