Page 97 of Never Tear Us Apart
‘What? What’s going on?’ The girl stares at me with wild eyes, trying to shove past the officers and into the hall. ‘No, this is a mistake. I must go back. My Steven is waiting for me – I have to go back. I’ll have you know that my father is your superior officer!’
‘Not for very long, I shouldn’t think,’ one of the officers says. ‘Thank you, Miss Borg, for alerting us to this situation.’
‘This is just a game,’ the girl says, catching at my hand. ‘It’s just a foolish game.’
‘Listen to me, tell them everything you know. Everything, all right?’ I look at the military police sergeant. ‘She’s just a child.’
‘She’s nineteen,’ he tells me. ‘There are men younger than her flying against the Nazis every day, miss. And if the other side knows exactly when to attack, they’ll be fighting for their lives for longer and harder; more people will die. A few hours make a big difference in war. A few hours can be the difference between life and death. We’ll need to debrief you, too, Miss Borg. Tomorrow.’
I nod. ‘Of course.’
‘But I didn’t mean anything by it . . .’ the girl cries.
Stepping aside, I turn my face away as the police bundle the girl out of the room and towards the back exit.
After a few seconds, Danny is standing next to me. ‘What the hell was that?’ he asks, and for the first time since we met, I can see only mistrust and uncertainty on his face.
‘A long story?’ I suggest tentatively. ‘Maybe we could . . .’
‘You a secret agent or something?’ he asks.
I laugh, but when I see the look on his face, I realise that was the wrong call. ‘No. I’m a journalist, that’s all. I was investigating Count Nicco and . . .’
‘Investigating?’ He raises his eyes, his tone insinuating.
‘Danny . . .’ I step away from him.
‘Am I an investigation, too? You seeing what secrets I’ll spill?’
‘What?’ I stare at him. ‘What’s happening here?’
‘What’s happening is that I’ve been thinking about seeing you again every second of every day, and you . . . this whole time, you have been planning some kind of undercover operation I knew nothing about. I thought I knew you. I thought we knew each other. I have put all my cards on the table, Maia, but you’ve been keeping secrets from me. What else are you hiding? How can I trust you?’
There’s a beat while I look at him, shaking my head. ‘Danny, there are things I need to tell you – big things, actually. But this – this was my work. Because of it, Nicco is being taken into custody right now, and if the Axis find out details of the convoy, it won’t be because of him. I stopped him. To protect you, to protect all the people I love, in the best way I know how. This is all because . . .’ I stop, unable to articulate what I have to say. ‘Because I needed to leave my mark here. Because one day, I will need someone to know that I was here.’
Danny turns away from me for a moment, covering his face with his hands. He takes a deep breath, and I see his shoulders relax.
‘Maia,’ he says, turning back to me, ‘you are clever and brave and brilliant and . . . extremely surprising. And this . . . this came out of the blue, and I guess I thought you would be mooning around over dancing with me, the way I have been about you, and because I underestimated you, and I guess I’m a dumb chump who just wants to kiss you, if you can still stand to be kissed by this idiot.’
‘Danny, the only thing you need to know,’ I tell him, ‘is that I have crossed universes to kiss you. And I always will.’
Chapter Sixty-Nine
‘Come with me.’ I think he’s leading me back to the dance floor, but instead he takes me to the staircase.
‘Oh?’ I question.
‘I’m not . . . I mean to say, I don’t expect anything. I just want to be alone with you. Pretty moon tonight, and the stars are out. We can see the star you’re named for.’
‘Oh, I’m not named after a star after all,’ I tell him. ‘Turns out I’m named after me.’
‘You are a strange one, Maia Borg,’ Danny chuckles.
‘Not strange, just nervous.’
‘Well, that makes two of us.’ He glances back at me with a rueful smile.
How can I tell this man something so unbelievable. I have no answer to that; I only know that I have to. I must honour him with the truth.
