Page 61 of The Berlin Sisters
‘Look after her,’ he said.
‘I will,’ Ava replied, tucking the note safely inside her brassiere so that no one would find it. ‘There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to save her.’
Eliana switched her hold from Ethan’s hand to hers, and the two women hurried from the store, pushing past the line of people who were far happier to move aside for people leaving than they had been to let Ava through when she’d arrived. But they’d barely set foot outside when Ethan ran after them, calling out.
‘Wait!’
Ava turned, her palm still pressed to Eliana’s.
‘Take these,’ he said, breathless as he thrust a set of keys at them. ‘Take the delivery truck, no one will think to stop you if you’re driving that.’
They both looked at the truck, only just visible from where it was parked around the corner.
‘Ethan, if they find us in your truck, they could link us back to your store, and then—’
‘Please,’ he said, giving the keys to Ava, his eyes trained on Eliana. ‘Take them. I need to know you have a way to leave the city. Go and save your family.’ He paused. ‘I’ll find you, Eliana, after all of this, I promise. But you’ll never get out of the city in time if you don’t take the truck.’
Eliana threw her arms around him as Ava glanced away, kissing him, her fingers tangled in his short curls, until he pulled away and began to walk backwards.
‘Look after her, Ava. Please keep her safe, I’m trusting you with her life.’
Ava nodded, clutching the keys in her palm, and watched as he ran back to the store, turning at the door to look at Eliana one last time. She doubted either of them would ever forget Ethan’s kindness; there were good men, and then there were great men, and Ethan was certainly one of the latter. If there was anything else he could have done for Eliana, Ava didn’t doubt for a moment that he would do it.
‘You take the truck,’ Ava said, pressing the keys into Eliana’s hand. ‘You need to drive to the hospital to warn Hanna, and then meet me at the house once you have her. They will know exactly where to look for her, so you must go quickly.’
‘What about you? How will you get there?’
Ava wrapped her arms around Eliana, hugging her tightly. ‘I’ll find a way. Please don’t worry about me, just get yourself and my sister to the house. All I want is for you to be safe.’
‘You’re certain we shouldn’t stay together? That we wouldn’t be better—’
‘Eliana, there were men waiting outside my apartment block.’Ourapartment block – that was what she should have said. Only, Eliana’s family were living in her attic, and a Nazi family had been moved into the Goldmans’ apartment, surrounded by their beautiful furniture and priceless art collection. ‘They know who I am, they’re expecting to find me, but chances are they won’t know what you look like. It’s safer for you to be alone.’
Eliana didn’t look convinced when she broke their embrace. Tears shone from her eyes and she started to slowly back away – so slowly, as if she still wasn’t convinced that she should go.
‘You’re certain?’
Ava forced a smile to reassure her. ‘I am.’
‘Tell my family that I love them,’ Eliana said. ‘If you get there before me, tell them I’m coming.’
Ava nodded. ‘I will, and I’ll keep them safe, I know what I have to do when I get there.’
Her father had warned her what could happen, had told her how to react if there were any signs that their work had been detected or if there were suspicions about the Goldmans, only he’d always expected that his work would be discovered, not hers. But everything had changed now that she was on the run. Executing the plan once she got home wasn’t the problem; it was how to get there that she was struggling with.
She looked around, spying a bicycle leaning against a storefront. Ava had never stolen anything in her life before, and she most certainly couldn’t pedal all the way to Bogensee, but it was a start. Hopefully once she made it so far, she could find a faster mode of transportation to travel the rest of the way.
She stood for a second as she heard the rumble of an engine, knowing that Eliana had started the truck, before walking quicklyto the bike and taking it, wheeling it for a second, then throwing herself up on to the seat and riding away. She pedalled as fast as her legs were capable, praying that no one would see her and cry out that she’d stolen it, or chase after her and alert the authorities, but once she’d travelled a few blocks, she was confident she’d gotten away with it.
Now all I have to do is get home.Which was easier said than done.Without the SS seeing me, without someone recognising me, without being caught. Without the Goldmans and her mother being found at the house before she got there.
For the first time in her life, Ava wished she had a gun, because if it came to protecting herself or her mother she didn’t doubt that she’d be able to use it.
She pushed even harder on the pedals, panic propelling her forward, sweat curling over her lip and across her forehead as her breath came in fast pants. And that was when she saw a farm truck rumbling along the road, slowing down and then coming to a complete stop at a corner.
Ava saw her chance and changed direction slightly to catch up to it, pedalling up fast behind and managing to jump off her stolen bicycle and launch on to the back without the driver seeing. She tucked down low when it started up again, looking out only to check they were going in the right direction. With any luck, she’d only have to walk part of the way, although she wasn’t entirely certain how she’d disembark if he didn’t slow down near her turn-off.
Chapter Twenty-Three
