A Partisan's Fight - COMPLETED!

Chapter Forty-Four

"You are going to get us all killed!" In spite of Mina's warning not to trust Jyrgen, Aldrik insisted that they do. They had received word from Markus's contacts that they could get their hands on some explosives through a secret contact. Jyrgen was the only person they knew that could retrieve the items secretly. The man's heart wasn't in it though. He agreed that what was happening was wrong, that was clear, but she didn't believe he wouldn't sell out to the highest bidder.

Lotte sat in the chair and rocked little Hans, listening to the threesome argue. Mina glanced over at her exasperated. "Talk some sense into your man, Lotte. He is being unrealistic."

"Maybe you should listen to her, Aldrik." Lotte said quietly, watching her love carefully. Not skipping a beat of rocking with the comment.

"We do not have anyone else. Name someone we can trust then, Mina. None of us can go. We have duties and now jobs. We go and our plan is blown in a completely different way." He ran his hand across his tense forehead.

Markus just listened to both of them, not really offering much help. It wasn't really a surprise considering he did his part of the job and didn't really know anyone around here to even come close to being trustworthy.

"I do not know, Aldrik!" She snapped. "There has got to be someone else." She flung herself down in a chair, resting her face in her hands.

"Jyrgen would come through for us. I trust him." He repeated. His words came out matter-of-factly, like there was no other option he would consider.

"Decker. Decker can do it." Mina's head snapped up as if she hadn't really been listening to her friend. "Or at least he may know someone who can do it."

"Mina..." Aldrik groaned at her suggestion.

"No, no, listen to me. Armina would not have told me I could trust him if I could not. He is the one that brought me here when I went into labor. He is the one that kept me out of that containment camp and kept me from being seen by the Gestapo. He is someone I trust and he is loyal to the cause. Jyrgen is a sellout. He is a good man, just not trustworthy for what we need him for." She grabbed his arm. "This is a better plan, Aldrik. Please agree with me."

He stared at her for a long moment before hefting out a sigh.

"She has a point. We do need someone we know for a fact that we can trust. If we even for a second doubt someone, our lives are in jeopardy. We can't take that risk." Markus joined in, pointing out the obvious.

"Can't?" Lotte cocked a brow and stared at him.

"Excuse me, cannot." He replaced the word quickly after her reminder not to use contractions.

"I cannot trust someone whom I have not met." Aldrik didn't take his eyes off of Mina. The ball was in her court now.

"Then come with me and meet him. If he cannot prove himself to you then I do not know who truly can." Mina released his arm and backed up a few steps. "You trusted Markus to come through with the weapons, you can trust me to come through with someone to deliver them."

Aldrik didn't have much to say back. He couldn't say he didn't trust her because that would be a lie. Sooner rather than later they were standing outside Armina's house. Markus had stepped up to lay some strong, meaningful pounds on the door, yet Mina was the one that stood in front of both men waiting expectantly.

She was relieved to see Decker open the door. In times like these, you never knew when someone would get taken or killed. She watched his eyes narrow slightly.