The Oslo Affair (Shadows of War, #2) by CW Browning (read after .txt) 📗

That’s when she saw him, a tall shadow was just ducking into an alcove about half a block behind her. If she hadn’t turned right when she did, she would have missed him completely.

The chill that streaked down her spine had nothing to do with the cold now, and Evelyn turned back into the wind, picking up her pace.

It could be anyone. It could be someone who lived in that building she’d passed and they were just going home. That gust of wind was enough to make even someone used to it duck out of its path. It was probably nothing.

Except that every hair on the back of her neck and arms told her otherwise. No one was out tonight, and the figure had moved as soon as she turned around. Resisting the urge to turn her head and look, Evelyn paused at the cross street, looking both ways. The boarding house was on the next block. She was almost there.

Stepping into the road and out from under the light of a street lamp, she glanced behind her and her heart thumped. He was still there. She could barely make him out. He was walking close to the buildings, partially concealed by their dark shadow, but he was definitely still there. And he was gaining ground.

Turning her head, she increased her pace even more and jogged across the side street, gaining the other side in seconds. Her fingers closed around the key in her pocket and she gripped it firmly, ready to pull it out and open the door of the boarding house as soon as she reached it. Only a few more feet.

A loud bang shattered the stillness of the night and Evelyn jumped, her heart surging into her throat. The sound was almost deafening, like a gun shot, and she whirled around, her eyes wide and her chest pounding. An older model car had rattled up the side street she’d just crossed and, as she watched, a lesser bang exploded from its tail pipe.

Gasping, she turned and threw caution to the wind, running the last few steps to the door of the boarding house. Pulling the key from her pocket, her hand trembled as she tried to get it into the latch. On the second try, it slid in and she turned to look over her shoulder. The man was at the corner, staring directly at her.

Evelyn pushed the door open and slipped inside, closing it and throwing the bolt with shaking fingers. She moved away from the door and was halfway up the dark stairs before her knees began to shake uncontrollably. Sinking to sit on a step in the shadows, she leaned against the wall and stared at the front door below. There was no sound from the street beyond and no banging on the door to demand entrance. She was in, and she was safe.

For now.

Who was he? And why was he following her? Was it Vladimir? But if so, why not simply approach her? Was it someone from the hotel? Her head snapped up and she stared at the door again, her breath shallow and fast. Was it the Gestapo again? Just because Daniel Carew didn’t think they were in Oslo didn’t mean that they weren’t. She knew first-hand just how freely they moved around outside of their Fatherland.

God, please don’t let it be them again, she thought with a near groan. 

After sitting for another moment, Evelyn forced her shaking legs to push her up and she gripped the railing as she made her way up the rest of the stairs. It had been so close! When she looked back at the door, he was only a few feet away. If she had fumbled any longer with the key, he would have been beside her. And if that car hadn’t backfired, she wouldn’t have run the last few feet.

Fear streaked down her spine again as she moved quietly down the hallway towards her room. In Scotland, they had tried to train them on how to react if they were in danger, but there was no way to prepare anyone for the sudden onslaught of adrenaline and pure fear that had crashed over her in the street. She was being followed in a strange city, with a foreign language that she didn’t speak, on unfamiliar streets at night. Of course she was terrified! She’d be a fool not to be.

She unlocked her door and went in, relocking it quickly behind her. A cheerful fire burned low in the hearth, casting a welcoming glow over the room, and Evelyn went over to stand before it, holding her hands out to its warmth. She didn’t remove her coat, but stood and let the warmth of the flames comfort her. Staring down into the fire, Evelyn took a deep breath and tried to think clearly.

Who was he? And what did he want with her? She hadn’t done anything yet that would arouse suspicion in anyone, even a nefarious Gestapo agent. All she did was go to dinner and then have drinks with two men who were sitting at the table next to her. Hardly the stuff of spies.

After a long moment, she turned away and removed her coat, carrying it over to the wardrobe. Now that she was warm and safe, she had to take the time to think, to evaluate the situation. She had panicked in the street. That couldn’t happen again. If she didn’t find a way to keep her wits about her when things went wrong, she wasn’t going to make it very far at all in this war.

Evelyn pressed her lips together and went over to sink into the chair near the fire. Raising shaking hands to her face, she massaged her temples and forced herself to relax. What could she have done differently? Her hands fell away from her head and she sat back tiredly.

I could have noticed him sooner, for