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

the process, alerted the English spy to the danger of returning to the hotel. She’d already been on her guard because he himself was staying there. The SD would have clinched the matter. Only a fool would return to their room under these circumstances.

Grigori changed direction and moved towards the entrance of the hotel, his lips pressed together in displeasure. The question was, where had she gone, and the only one who knew the answer to that was the woman currently standing at the desk. He looked up and saw two men standing inside the front entrance talking. His eyes narrowed and he pulled on his gloves, pausing to do up the buttons on his coat. The men paid him no attention, focused instead on the woman at the desk. Once his coat was buttoned, Grigori continued to the door, passing outside without drawing any attention.

How many of them were there? The irritation had now turned into full-fledged anger. What did they think were doing? They couldn’t take a British subject in the middle of a neutral city! If it were possible, Grigori would have detained her long before now. Yet if there were three of them in the lobby, that meant there were even more outside. They probably had all the exits covered, and someone watching her room. That all pointed to an attempt to kidnap her right from the hotel.

Pulling the collar of his coat up against the chill, Grigori turned and walked a few feet to his right. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it, raising his eyes as he did so to study the man lounging on the opposite side of the entrance in the shadows. There was another one. The Germans were definitely up to no good.

And because of it, he’d lost his chance to question the spy himself.

He flicked his lighter closed and lifted his head, nodding pleasantly to the doorman. The doorman nodded back and he moved closer to the hotel, just another guest stepping outside for a smoke and some fresh air. A few moments later, a black sedan rolled up to the curb in front of the door and stopped, idling in the growing dusk.

The woman strode out with the porter following and, as she did, the driver of the black sedan got out and went to the back of the car to open the trunk. Grigori watched as the bags were loaded in and the porter departed.

“The train station, please. Quickly!”

The driver nodded and the woman got into the car. Grigori waited until the driver got behind the wheel before dropping his cigarette onto the pavement and putting it out with his shoe. By the time the black sedan was pulling away from the curb, he was already moving towards the corner to hail a taxi.

Renner watched through the doors as the car pulled away from the curb and Otto rushed in from the street. He skidded to a stop and looked disconcerted at finding Renner standing so close to the entrance. As he opened his mouth to speak, Renner made an impatient sound and motioned for him to follow him. Swallowing, Otto glanced at the two men inside the door, who shrugged and followed with him as Renner led them across the lobby to a quiet section on the other side where they wouldn’t be overheard.

“Well?” he asked, his voice short and clipped.

“She’s going to the train station,” Otto announced breathlessly. “She told the driver to be quick.”

Renner let out a low curse and turned to stride over to the desk against the wall that held the lobby telephone. He picked up the receiver and dialed quickly, a scowl on his face. The three men behind him looked at each other, then shamelessly moved forward a few steps to listen.

“This is Sturmbannführer Wilhelm Renner. Send Helmut to The Strand immediately. I’ll meet him in the back.”

He hung up and turned to the others.

“Gather everyone except Kurt and bring them to the alley,” he commanded. “Tell Kurt to remain behind in case the Englishwoman comes back. Otto, come with me.”

The other two nodded and immediately split up as Otto joined Renner in striding across the lobby towards the back of the hotel.

“Did you hear anything else?”

“No. Just to go to the train station and to be quick.”

“Did the driver seem surprised?”

Otto thought for a moment, then shook his head. “No, actually. He seemed to be expecting it.”

Renner offered no response to that, his lips pressed together in a thin line. His strides were measured and controlled, but he was furious. How did the other woman, this Miss Salvesen, get back into hotel without any of his men seeing? She should never have had the opportunity to call the porter, or to leave at all. If he’d known she’d returned to the room, he would have gone himself to see her. Renner had no doubt that in ten minutes he would have found out where the Richardson woman was. Instead, he had no idea where she was and he’d been forced to watch as their one link to her drove away.

He cursed again and felt Otto stare at him in surprise. Let him look. Somehow that woman had got past all of them, and Renner held each of them responsible. There was no excuse for their incompetence. This simple operation had turned into a debacle, and now he was going to have to explain to Obersturmbannführer Hans Voss how they had allowed her to slip through their fingers.

Renner reached the door to the alley and pushed it open, stepping outside. A stiff, cold wind smacked him in the face and he quickly began buttoning his coat while he looked around the narrow lane.

“Where’s Franz?” he demanded after a second. “Dammit, is everyone incompetent today?!”

“Oh my God!” Otto suddenly exclaimed, running forward. “He’s here!”

Renner followed, his cold gaze falling on the prone figure laying on the ground halfway up the alley. Otto reached him and dropped down beside