Heroes David Hagberg (best motivational books TXT) 📖

hung it up. Then he pulled a chair to the middle of the small room, got up on it with the radio, and shoved open the small trapdoor that opened above to the rafters. He shoved the radio up, replaced the cover, and stepped down.

“Well what’d they say, for God’s sake? What are we supposed to do with the god damned pictures?”

She had been extremely frightened to have the photographs in the house. Anyone could find them, she said. And then it would be the gallows for both of them.

He went to her on the bed. It would be a lot better when he got rid of the photos. She could not go on like this much longer.

Sooner or later Mrs. Romero would notice that something was wrong. Sooner or later Eva would make a mistake. She was not cut out for this.

“It might be a few days yet,” he said.

She reached out for him, letting the covers fall. She wore a flannel nightgown, the buttons undone. He could see the swell of her breasts which never failed to excite him.

“And then what?” she asked. “Do you put them in a package and mail them? Or put them under a rock? What?”

Schey sat down on the bed, her hands in his. He looked deeply into her eyes. “Listen to me, Eva. You are going to have to be very brave now.”

“Oh God …” she said. She shook her head. “I don’t like this.”

“I could lie to you and tell you everything will be all right.

But you deserve better than that.”

“I don’t want to hear this.”

“There may be some trouble.”

“What is it?”

“They are sending a courier to pick up the photos. I’ll have to meet him somewhere. Soon.”

“Who will it be?”

“I don’t know.”

She was getting desperate. “If you don’t know, then anyone could come here. The FBI. Anyone.”

He nodded. “We will have to be very careful. But it may end up that we’ll have to leave.”

She pulled her hands away from his and shoved him away.

“I just wanted you to know so that you could prepare yourself,” he said. “We promised that there would be no surprises for each other.”

“Why can’t you just leave this stupid thing alone?” she cried.

“The damned war is lost! We’re bombing the living shit out of you …” She cut it off, suddenly realizing what she was saying.

What she was saying hurt. Mostly because it was true. Germany was losing the war, and the Allies were bombing Berlin and other cities. They had been for some time now. But it was not over yet. It couldn’t be. He wouldn’t allow it.

He got up and went across to the small wood stove. For the last few nights they had had to make a fire to ward off the mountain chill. It had gone out, though. He contemplated restarting it.

“I’m sorry, Bobby,” Eva said from the bed.

He turned back to her. “Don’t worry about it. I have a job to do. In that there can be no discussion. You don’t have to stick around, though. Mexico might be the place, after all.”

She shoved the covers back and jumped out of bed. Her feet were white and tiny. She ran to him, stopping short.

“Look,” she said in a small voice. “I’m sorry. I mean it.

Whatever you think is best, I’m with you.”

He just looked at her.

“I mean it, damn it, Bobby. I got nowhere to go. You’re it.

And I love you.”

He reached out and brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes. Her high cheekbones were accentuated by the poor light which cast hard shadows. Katy had been lovely, beautiful in her own way. But Eva was an exciting woman. Katy had been comfortable; Eva was difficult. At that moment he couldn’t honestly say which he preferred, given the choice. But Eva was here and now, while Katy was simply a dull ache in his memory.

“I don’t know where I’m going to end up …”

“I don’t care,” she quickly interjected.

He put his fingers on her lips. “Listen to me, Eva. You’re right, Germany is losing the war. But it’s possible I will have to return home to help with our defense.”

“No,” she said in a tiny voice, shaking her head.

“Yes. If it comes to that, I will.” He sighed. “And it looks as if it will come to that, sooner or later.”

“Then I’ll go with you,” she said.

He smiled. “I think not. You would not fit in Germany.

You’re an American. It would be impossible for you.”

She hesitated a moment, as if she wanted to say something, but wasn’t quite sure of it. Finally, however, she blurted it out.

“You’re still in love with her, aren’t you?”

“Who?”

“Catherine.”

“What are you talking about?” Schey asked. His stomach was sinking.

“Catherine. Katy. Your wife. She’s dead, but you’re still in love with her.” Tears were coming to Eva’s eyes. “If she were alive, you would take her to Germany with you. You’d take her anywhere.”

He shook his head in a reflex gesture, unable for the moment to cope with what she was saying. Because she was closer to the truth than she knew, it frightened him. But she took the gesture to mean he disagreed with her, and it gave her some measure of comfort. But only some.

“You talk about her in your sleep. All the time. But I’ll come with you, Bobby. I love you. Can’t you see that?”

Schey took her in his arms, a great wave of love for her rising in his breast, forgotten for the moment his rendezvous message, and even Katy, his poor dead wife. Eva was here and now. And she loved him.

In the afternoon, after chores, Schey would go up to the main house to speak with George Romero about the day’s work, about the next day’s projects, and would collect the Santa Fe and Albuquerque newspapers the Romeros had already read. When he and Eva were finished with them, they’d pass them along to the few old ranch hands in the bunkhouse.

It was three days after