The Librarian Spy(99)

“He did own the kiosk, yes,” James continued. “But he also worked for Avante!, an underground press here in Portugal that operated outside of their strict censorship. I lightly prodded about when I looked into his disappearance for you and ended up with the PVDE following me for weeks after. When I tell you the conversation you had with the man you know as Lukas did not result in Diogo Silva’s fate, know that you can completely put your conscience to rest. You truly had nothing to do with his disappearance.”

Ava released a long, slow exhale as the burden of the man’s arrest eased from her shoulders. Until that moment, she hadn’t realized the weight of guilt clinging to her since that night.

“Lukas, however...” James tilted his head. “Or Dieter Hoffman, as is his real name, is a spy for Germany. Unfortunately, he is very much part of this.”

Ava fought to keep from fidgeting in her chair. The room was growing warm and stuffy with the sunlight streaming in through the glass without the cool breeze to offset the heat.

James leaned back on the sofa and rested his hands on his knees. “Do you recall that day you met him?”

Even now humiliation at her own foolishness burned hot at her cheeks. She would never forget being called out for flirting with a Nazi.

“I had an appointment with a fellow agent that morning at a café beside the kiosk,” James explained. “Only you showed up before they did. I should have left you alone, but when I heard you speaking to him, I realized you were the American librarian the ASLIB chaps were going on about. I couldn’t very well let you walk into a Nazi trap on your first day.” He looked away. It was the first time his confidence waned. “I had no idea the path I was placing you on with that seemingly benign little chat.”

The shift of his demeanor rankled Ava’s inflamed unease. “What path was that?”

“Dieter thought you were my contact.”

“Me?”

James’s finger subconsciously tapped lightly on his knee. “I did not discourage him.” His finger stopped. “In fact, I encouraged his confusion.”

Ava’s thoughts jumbled together over this news, at learning James had kept her in the sights of an enemy even after realizing a mistake had been made. “Was I in danger?” she asked slowly as all the puzzle pieces fit into a perfect, ugly truth in her head.

James swallowed. “Yes.”

Disbelief and anger flashed like fire through her. “Why didn’t you tell Mike or Mr. Sims at the embassy? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You’re our allies. I couldn’t allow the relationship between the Americans and the British to be fractured because I’d placed one of your own in danger.” He gave a sigh that seemed to well up from his soul. “But nor could I allow the actual contact to be found out. While the Germans were watching your every move, they stopped looking for the real person feeding me information. I couldn’t risk losing them.”

“You were willing to sacrifice me?” The memory of that kiss in the alleyway in Alfama shoved forefront in her thoughts. She wished she could take back every second she’d thought of that intimate moment, as well as the kiss they’d shared on New Year’s Eve. What she had interpreted as romantic interest had simply been espionage at play.

The mortification was more than she could bear, her naivete yielding nothing more than foolish humiliation. Tears stung her eyes despite her resolve to keep them bottled up.

“Your brother is in this war, Ava,” James said gently. “You know how important the offensive attack is. If my real contact had been discovered, the battle at Normandy may not have happened.”

She picked at a loose thread on the arm of her chair; the pale sage color was slightly darker than the fabric.

Would she have allowed herself to be put in danger for the sake of the war? Would she have done it all to keep Daniel and the rest of the Allied men safe from the Axis if she’d known of their scheme?

Yes. Without a doubt.

“You could have told me.” She lifted her gaze to James, unable to stop the ache in her chest at the depth of his deception.

“I could not compromise this mission.” His expression remained cool as he spoke, a man set on his task. “No matter the cost.”

“Then why tell me now?” she asked.

“The mission is complete,” James explained. “There is nothing further to be compromised.”

Yes, of course. There was no additional risk.

“Thank you for letting me know.” She gave a stiff smile, wanting nothing more than for him to leave.

Those kisses they’d shared had been real to her. They had meant something. The time she spent with James had brought vibrance and color to the corner of her world that had been black-and-white for far too long.

But for him, she now realized, those interactions were the facade of a cover, a means to the end of a mission, part of his job.

Nausea churned in her belly.

“You don’t need to worry about Dieter if that is your concern,” he said gently. “I tried to enlist the PVDE’s help to remove him as a threat when I learned how intently he was watching you, but it only turned their attention onto me for several months. The Allied launch has now marked a significant turn in the war and while Portugal claims to want neutrality, they are not so stubborn as to overlook when a side is winning. The PVDE has suddenly become most accommodating.” He folded his hands in front of him. “That said, Dieter will no longer be bothering you.”