Today's Reading
"Adia!" Babka rushed up and grabbed her arm. "Thank you for helping Ludwik." The woman was short and robust, and her age wasn't visible in her movements or the strength of her voice. "We should have sold that horse years ago. She'll have to take her chances in the countryside."
"She'll return to her paddock, I'm sure." Adia winced a smile. "Is Ludwik okay?"
Babka waved a hand, her apron still fresh with flour and sauce stains. "He's fine. Are you okay?" Babka's gaze swung around and froze on Bret. Her eyelids narrowed and her neck flushed red. "Bret Conway. The nerve to show your face—"
"Babka!" Adia scolded, flushing as well. "We have bigger concerns right now."
"What?" Babka scoffed. "The Germans? They're utter fools. They will not defeat Poland."
Bret bit his lip to keep from arguing. He was in enough hot water with Babka as it was for standing Adia up. No one escaped her justice.
"I need to get back to the farm." Adia turned and located the little pickpocket, gripping his shoulder and wobbling unsteadily. She closed her eyes, the blush in her cheeks faded to white, and her head listed to the side.
Bret stepped forward and caught her as she fell. The jolt of his body against hers seemed to snap her back to awareness.
Babka reached out to her. "Adia!"
Blood dripped into Adia's eye. Bret pulled out his handkerchief and pressed it to the cut on the side of her forehead. She gritted her teeth but didn't pull away.
"She cannot drive home like this." Babka shook a crooked finger in his face. "Bret, I'll trust you to see her back to the farm safely."
"I will," he said, meaning it with all his being. He owed Adia as much.
More gunfire erupted on the other side of the square, followed by screams of terror. Babka bade them farewell and turned to find her husband.
"Where's your vehicle?" Bret asked Adia.
She pointed to the eastern road. "Near the boardinghouse."
Bret motioned to Ewan to follow, and they pressed through the sea of people. The boy lugged the heavy bag of groceries along. With each step, Adia seemed to regain more of her strength and had fled Bret's grasp by the time they reached the truck.
He helped Adia into the passenger seat, his fears over her injury assuaged slightly as her shoulders straightened into her proud, upright posture. She shook off his hand. "I'm fine."
"Keys, please."
She patted her pockets and groaned. "Ewan? Did you take the keys again?"
The boy flushed and pulled out handfuls of items from his pants pockets. Thread spools, a few coins, a photo of a young girl, a set of keys, and a box of playing cards—Ludwik's playing cards, he guessed.
Bret took the keys and shook his head. "You'll return all of those when this settles down."
"This might not calm down anytime soon with the Germans so close," Adia mumbled as she leaned her head back against the seat and rubbed her shoulder with a grimace.
Bret fired up the truck, and once they were on the road bound for Jan—w Podlaski, he looked over. "The Germans aren't close. They've only breached the port of Danzig."
She frowned. "But the planes?"
"Single prop planes—reconnaissance." He gazed at the empty sky through the towering trees. "If the Luftwaffe were here, we'd know it."
"How can you be so sure?"
"My sources in Danzig. War is still here, just not on the doorstep."
She raised an eyebrow. It was the same questioning look she'd given him when he'd told her his name and profession. "Your 'sources'?"
"Any reporter worth his salt has ways of getting information."
"If you say so." She looked out the window as the town buildings and panicked crowd faded and gave way to lush forests. "As you said, it's only a matter of time. We need to get the horses out, now."
"The horses?"
She tensed. "You have your job, Mr. Conway. I have mine."
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