Page 52 of The Secret Librarian
‘Ahh, well, that’s very interesting work, I’m sure.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘It’s later than I thought, ladies, so I’m going to have to leave you. But are you going out tonight? It is Friday, after all.’
‘We are,’ Camille said, before Avery could interject. ‘The bar at Hotel Avenida, actually. You?’
‘It seems that I might see you there.’
Camille watched as his eyes flickered over to Avery again, and she waved goodbye to him while trying not to laugh. After everything that had ensued with Kiefer this morning, it was nice to have something to be amused about.
‘That man was very interested in you,’ she whispered as soon as he was out of earshot. ‘But you need to relax, he’s just a man.’
‘Oh stop it, he wasnotinterested,’ Avery said, still flustered and rolling her eyes at Camille.
‘You never look so hot under the collar when you’re talking to your other British man.’
‘James is different, he’s very easy to talk to, but trust me when I say that I’mveryhot under the collar around James. I feel like my face is on fire every time we have a conversation.’
They both laughed and Camille lay back in the sand, even though the sun was starting to fade. She just wanted a moment longer to close her eyes and relax.
‘Are we really going out tonight?’ Avery asked. ‘I thought you wouldn’t trust him either, given that he’s British.’
‘It’s because he’s British that we’re going to meet him,’ Camille said. ‘We need to extract every bit of information from all of the men we come across. Besides, how many other men have you seen helping the Jews? I don’t think he’s my target.’
‘Including Kiefer and his friends?’ Avery asked. ‘Aren’t you at all nervous, pretending to be interested when really you’re not? I know you said it’s all a means to an end, but how do you do it?’
Sometimes I can barely breathe when I’m with Kiefer and his Nazi friends.That was what she should have told Avery.
‘I already know Kiefer and his countrymen are the enemy; it’s the ones pretending they’re not that scare me. But yes, Kiefer will be there with his friends tonight too, and I’m keen to use them to my advantage.’ She paused. ‘Kiefer is leaving soon actually, he told me so this morning, so this might be my last chance to extract some information from him.’
What she didn’t tell Avery was that Kiefer knew more about Camille than he’d let on, and that it could put them both in danger if he didn’t keep his word.
Avery stood and held out her hand to help Camille to her feet. ‘Come on then.’
‘So you’ll come?’
‘Yes, I’ll come, but don’t go thinking I’m going to be useful to you tonight in extracting information from anyone, because I can assure you that I won’t be. It is most definitely not one of my strengths.’
Camille smiled to herself, starting to see Avery for the woman she could be.We’ll see about that.But she knew she couldn’t part ways with her friend without telling her the truth about what she’d agreed to. It should have been the first thing she’d told her when they’d met at the beach, and she didn’t want to,couldn’t wait,any longer.
‘Avery, something happened today, something I wish I’d told you the moment we sat down.’
Avery’s eyes met hers. ‘Nothing happened to any of the families, did it? Please tell me they’re—’
‘Kiefer knows what I’m doing. He found out.’
Avery visibly paled. ‘About the work we’re doing? About the ...’ Her voice fell away.
‘He doesn’t know anything about your involvement, but I made a deal with him.’ She hated herself for what she was about to say. ‘In exchange for information, I promised to stop forging documents or going near the Jewish area.’
Avery’s eyes widened. ‘You’re not going to help them anymore? You’re just going to stop when—’
‘No, Avery,’ she said. ‘What I agreed to and what I’m going to do are two very different things, but I might need your help more than I thought. I’m going to have to be careful. You might have to deliver any documents to them, depending on how closely I’m being watched.’
Avery was silent.
‘Nothing will stop me from helping those families, but I can’t be seen going near them again. I have to believe he’s having me followed. I know it’s a lot to ask, but—’
‘I’ll do it. Whatever you need from me, however I can help them, I will do it.’
Camille reached for her hand and searched her face. ‘You’re certain?’
