A Partisan's Fight - COMPLETED!

Chapter Seventy-Seven

Warning Content: Intense Scenarios

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"He wants us to move away from here." Mina stared out the stolen truck's window, trying to ignore Armina's tight wrapping of her ankle. Every bump in the road jarring the truck made her want to cry out in pain.

"Who, dear? Markus?" Armina tightened the last wrap; tying off the fabric around two short sticks keeping her ankle straight. Blood still seeped through the dark fabric, darkening it even more.

Nodding, Mina sighed. She didn't know what to do; what she truly wanted. The man promised her a future. She'd be foolish not to accept it, yet she felt foolish for thinking she shouldn't do more for her country.

"He is a good man, Mina. I could see it in his eyes that he loves you. If you get the chance, run away with him. There is nothing left in this country for you." Decker chimed in from the front. Both him and Werner had been quiet since their escape.

"I have not had the opportunity to meet this man, Mina, but if Decker is blessing this, then you should do as he says. Besides, we have talked about this enough times for me to know that you would not be happy without him in your life. You have sacrificed enough for this country. It is time you had a break. It is time you were happy." Armina's warm hand brushed against Mina's cheek. She held her gaze, silently offering up her own blessing.

"He wants to go to South America. Peru or Brazil, I think." Her heart felt like it was being squeezed. She made eye contact with her friend, her forehead wrinkling in stress. "But it means that I would not be seeing you anymore. And I just got you back."

She couldn't stop the tear from slipping down her face. Armina's finger swiped the tear away before it got much further. "You will always have us in your heart, but right now you are a mother, Mina. You need to do what is best for your baby. I should never have supported this whole plan of yours. So far it seems to have worked, but your job first and foremost is to grow that child up the right way. Be a mother. Enjoy it. There will always be battles to fight. You have done your job to help in this one, it is time to be able to live."

Mina hadn't been expecting Armina to just let her off the hook. The woman's passion for every woman to have their rights and freedom had been the battle she'd fought long and hard. Mina might not have joined her fight to fully support her cause, but she'd still proved to be a valuable asset. In times like these, assets weren't able to just walk away. It wasn't something that was acceptable. Yet here she was, getting a pass to start fresh.

"This is not going to be good." Werner's voice piped up.

Carefully swinging her foot to the floor, Mina peered over Werner's shoulder to the road ahead. They were only a few miles from Aldrik's checkpoint.

"Stop the truck." Decker stared where a small group of SS soldiers stood in the road. They had a prisoner blindfolded, kneeling in the middle of the road. His hands were bound behind him.

Armina's hand clutched Decker's shoulder. "Is that..."

"Wagner. Yes, it is." He rubbed his thick beard thoughtfully. His broad shoulders had tensed, but his eyes held a spark of humor in them.

"Who is Wagner?" Mina looked between the two. She didn't recognize the name, nor was she sure she wanted to. They didn't have time for this.

"Mmm, an SS soldier determined to make his wife's life a living hell. Decker's had to put him in his place a number of times." She glanced over at Mina, giving her a quick wink. "Discreetly of course."