Red Rainbow by G Johanson (top books of all time TXT) 📗

home to meet Mother. She had a past, and while she accepted her lovers did too, apparently it was different for women. They had to be pioneers, cock in lieu of flag, the first to stake a claim in virgin territory. They always wanted to break records, explore uncharted territory. Be the first man to make her happy, how about that? César had been doing okay in this regard, a little bit more work required before she could award him that medal, then she’d consider quitting her job for him.

Stripping gave her her independence. And a sense of pride. It also helped the cause. She had her ear to the ground and picked up basic German – she could make out enough words to get the gist. They spoke so freely in front of her. For all that she was the focal point, she was virtually invisible, a braindead floozy they could say anything in front of.

There was no cosy fans and feathers teasing in her routine. This was full tits and bush exposure. Her heels and her stockings sometimes stayed on, everything else was off. She wouldn’t have wanted to do ‘tasteful’ stage work; that wasn’t her field of expertise. She viewed it as the height of tedium, a tease that didn’t deliver.

Something of note finally happened after curfew that evening. The heavy hitters of Florence and Hilaire were back. Scrambler was in his element, virtually on the ceiling (which Hilaire could organise for him, apparently). He couldn’t stay still, standing behind his chair and fiddling with the back, making so much movement at times he almost put out the candles, as Florence sat on the other chair arm next to Hilaire, while Marcella and Patience sat close together on his sofa. Hilaire said they just wanted to check in that everyone was okay, except Florence had other plans...

“Missing him?” Florence asked Marcella cattily.

“She’s not been firing at him!” Scrambler said, laughing at his own joke.

“It’s nearly over,” Marcella said casually.

“We can bring it forward. A merger,” Florence suggested.

“That’s not what we said,” Hilaire said. “Sorry...”

“She’s lost her nerve,” Florence said to the Foundation members. “I don’t know why because she’s a powerhouse and a half.”

“Your theatre work takes some topping,” Scrambler said.

“Thank you, finally some appreciation for my work. Do you want to be like her and let your war end with a whimper?”

“Fine, we’ll have this conversation here,” Hilaire said crossly. “I’ve done my bit. Unless I absolutely have to step in, that’s it for me. I figure I’m better off doing nothing than doing the wrong thing.”

“Doing nothing is the wrong thing,” Florence retorted.

“You’ve been doing the wrong thing for the last four years then,” Hilaire said agitatedly.

“Making up for lost time, aren’t I? Come on. I know you’ve got it in you. Let that fire out.”

Hilaire shook her head, looking to Patience and Marcella. “We know that your other apartment was searched by the Germans. We just wanted to check that you were okay.”

“And to offer you a favour,” Florence said. Hilaire’s expression was the wariest at this, Marcella keeping a poker face while sharing those sentiments. “The Love Phantom’s release. If Karlis Hamon and ‘Maximiliene Poirier’ can massacre offices full of Nazis, I’m sure I can do the same. A last hurrah. I plan on liberating the Love Phantom and any other prisoners they have locked away.”

“He wouldn’t want that,” Marcella said.

“You’re basing that on what he said before his arrest. Six days is a long time in their clutches. The end is coming. That’s when they may dispose of any prisoners.”

“You’re going to do what you want to so I don’t know why you’re telling us this,” Marcella said, completely unmoved.

“I intend to free him from captivity and also to unburden him from the responsibility of the group. That’s the price of release. I take over.”

“It’s not my group to hand over,” Marcella said.

“I know that,” Florence said at breakneck speed. “You could help persuade him it’s for the best. The Allies are coming. Paris is a crown jewel. The Nazis won’t give it up, and the Allies won’t let them keep it, knowing fine well the optics of liberating it and the lift that will give to morale and resistance around the country, the world. The war will be different here the last few weeks or months, maximum. The Love Phantom operates through stealth. That’s out the window now.”

“You’ve proven you can operate effectively alone. You don’t need the group.”

“No, but the intelligence that they possess can direct me better. You’ll be free to fuck him night and day while I...”

Marcella shook her head firmly. “You don’t know me at all. I was part of a different group before I joined the Love Phantom’s. I’ll remain active until they’re gone.”

“Don’t you want to be more than just irritants to them? Help me make a real difference.”

“You don’t need our help,” Marcella said. The Germans were not exactly hard to find.

“I don’t know their haunts. I don’t know their habits. She’s out of touch too.”

“They’re not interested,” Hilaire said.

“The only one of them who’s spoken is the one without any powers. What do you think?” Florence asked Scrambler.

“Whatever the Love Phantom thinks.”

“You have a mind of your own. The theatre was a three-song special. I can top that. What about you, Patience, little mute girl?”

“It’s not my group to make any decisions about,” Patience replied. Florence showed her ignorance in calling Patience mute, Marcella finding Patience very chatty, albeit not so much in Florence’s presence. Patience was intimidated by her and made the fatal mistake of showing it, which was what people like Florence fed off as much as she did lifeforce.

While Marcella was pleased that Patience spoke up a little in response to this, she had more to add in her defence. “We don’t really have anything to say to you. There’s nothing for you here.”

“I’ll leave, I’ll leave,” Florence said with disgust. The indifference was what really got to her much