“The group I was with, who were going to help me escape back to Sweden,” Pierson replied. “The Nazis have got into them.”
She gasped. “Horrible.”
“So, I mean, the good part is that I won’t be leaving so soon as I might’ve expected, but the bad news is that my friends there might be hurt, even dead,” Pierson replied. “Even down to the… down to the little kids.”
“Oh,” she said, tears welling in her eyes.
“We have no idea,” Pierson said, tears rising to his own eyes. “And Constantine’s worried that the might be able to track us down since we’ve made contact with them, and that might… cause…”
He couldn’t utter his worst fears, but he could tell that she was well aware of exactly what he was thinking by the look in her eyes.
“I was already compromised there,” he said. “That’s why I was going to Sweden, I was to get somewhere safe so that the rest of the group wouldn’t get hurt, but then I was chased and I ended up getting on a train to Budapest, and the man who chased me got onto the train too. I haven’t seen him since we arrived, but I’m sure he’s still here and looking for me.”
“But he not found you?” she asked.
“Not so far,” Pierson replied. “But, considering I don’t know how I got compromised where I was, it could be a matter of moments before I end up compromised here. Maybe I already am, I’ve just stayed so cooped up they can’t find me. I don’t know. But it puts you in danger, and I don’t want that.”
“You think, then, I not come again?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” Pierson admitted. “I don’t know what to do.”
“There plan you go elsewhere?” she asked.
“Not yet,” Pierson replied. “Constantine has to contact our superiors to let them know what happened and ask them for instructions, so I’m staying here until we hear from them, and I don’t know how long that’ll take.”
She nodded. “You keep with Hungarian?”
“I don’t know,” Pierson replied. “I could be endangering you.”
“I come alone,” she replied. “I leave with Konstantin. Nobody see you. Nobody know I come see you.”
Pierson nodded. “But even still, I don’t want anybody to get hurt because of me.”
“I understand,” she replied. “But you pretend be German. Maybe we continue pretend you German.”
“I know the man who’s here in Budapest has seen my face,” Pierson replied. “I shouldn’t have ever been out and about in Budapest like I’ve been with you and Constantine.”
“You change,” she said.
“How?” Pierson asked.
“You grow moustache,” she replied. “Moustache make man look very different.”
“I’ve never grown a moustache,” Pierson said.
“Always first time,” she replied. “Try, we see if it look good different.”
“I don’t know,” Pierson said.
“It make you look older,” she said. “I sure.”
“I don’t want to look old,” Pierson protested.
“It fool him,” she replied.
“I guess,” Pierson agreed. “But will that be enough?”
“We try,” she replied. “We not know what else to do. We try, see.”
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