A Partisan's Fight - COMPLETED!

Chapter Seventy-Eight

The pain had begun to subside enough for Markus to look up and spot Aldrik holding Wagner at gunpoint. It was a beautiful sight. Pulling himself up to his feet, he stood tall. His hands still bound behind his back was definitely a hindrance, but he could live with that.

"How did you find us?" Lotte met Aldrik's eyes briefly before he turned away.

"Albtraum found me." His hand gripped Wagner in the soft spot between his shoulder and neck. "Someone's bullet grazed his shoulder."

Aldrik glanced at the soldiers that held their positions. "If you boys do not start laying those weapons down, Wagner will be feeling the effects of a bullet blazing its way through his kneecap. If you still do not have the weapons down, he will feel a different bullet in his other kneecap. Do you get the picture?"

"They will not drop their guns until I tell them to." Wagner's voice was hard, angry, and very much stubborn.

"Then say goodbye to your kneecap." Aldrik repositioned his gun.

Markus waited for the shot to ring out. Part of him prayed for it, but other part knew that all hell would break loose the second that bullet left that gun. With hands bound, there wouldn't be anything he could do to stop it.

"You can shoot me as many times as you would like, Baumann, but I will not tell my men to drop their guns." Wagner held no fear in his words. He was ready to accept his fate. His fate for not having any prisoners may have been far worse. This may have been his version of a compromise.

"Then we have a stalemate." Aldrik brought the gun back to Wagner's head.

"There doesn't have to be one." Markus stared at Mina. He had only one thought in mind and that was to protect her.

"Care to explain." Aldrik gave him a sideways glance.

"They let everyone else go. We stay. It would be a fair deal." Markus ignored Mina's widening eyes. He couldn't look at her right now. She wouldn't let them make the deal.

"Aldrik, no." Lotte's voice was tight, stressed.

Ignoring Lotte, Aldrik tightened the barrel of the gun to Wagner's throat. "What do you say, Wagner? Do we have a deal?"

"What good are a bunch of women and a baby anyway?" Markus took a step closer, hoping to close the deal.

"No... Markus, you cannot be serious." Mina's brows were creased together, every muscle in her body tight against the soldier's grip.

"Wagner?" He watched the soldier steadily, not allowing his offer to be swayed.

"If we go down, we all go down together. There is no bargaining with that." Desperation laced Mina's voice.

Swallowing hard, Markus tried to ignore the way her pleas tugged at his heart. He prayed she wouldn't hate him for this, but he'd rather have her hate him than have her dead.

Wagner looked at his prisoners. He eyed up their worth. His straight face didn't give any indication of what he was thinking.

The air felt thick. Markus could feel the sweat beading along his forehead as he waited for an answer. He wanted to force the leader's hand in the matter, but there was no way to do that. No way to rush the inevitable.

"It is a deal if Decker stays behind too." Wagner's eyes locked on the man; the personal vendetta obvious in his voice.

"Someone has to stay with the women." Markus objected quickly. He didn't want to bargain. A deal was all ready on the table. There was no need to make changes.