Chapter 14
CHAPTER 14
H ans stretched his long legs before rising from his desk and striding across to the window to survey the tree-lined Avenue Kléber below. He thought the Avenue was a fitting location for their headquarters, but winter didn’t do Paris justice, and he looked forward to spring when he would dine on the boulevards again.
The German High Command had installed themselves in the Hotel Majestic. Hans had been appointed to the prestigious position of second in command within the organisation and upon his arrival, he was overjoyed to discover the building wasn’t majestic in name only. He had his own private rooms and relished the power that came with the job.
He congratulated himself yet again for landing such an influential Paris posting. Granted, his father had pulled some strings, but he felt worthy of the position. He had earned it after his years of dedication to the Reich.
Yes, he deserved this, and so much more.
Hans grew more ambitious and hungrier for recognition as the months passed. He was determined to be awarded a promotion to general as a young man. He was silently contemptuous of his superiors, whom he saw as tired, overfed and unfit for the distinguished rank of general. Hans was certain he could do a much better job if he was only given the opportunity. Why should he be penalised because of his age?
As a prominent figure in the Hitler Youth, he saw the fruits of the Third Reich as his birthright. He was born at the perfect time to rise to greatness as Germany reclaimed hers. At age fifteen, Hans was one of the first to join the organisation in 1926 and set an exemplary record. He recruited others and saw to it they became as passionate as him by indoctrinating them into Hitler’s ideology. He became a leader within the organisation and was respected and idolised by many of the boys, which further fluffed his ego.
When it was time for him to choose a career, his now retired-military father was keen for Hans to follow in his footsteps and enlist in Germany’s small army. There, Hans thrived and rose through the ranks swiftly. His father was a devoted member of the Nazi Party and ambitious for Hans to make a mark. Every time he saw him, he harassed him about his next promotion.
Staring out the window, no longer seeing the grand avenue below, Hans pictured the day when he would telephone his father and inform him, he was now the general in charge of German High Command. Number one. Oh, how he ached for that moment. His father said he was proud of him occasionally, but Hans knew he measured him constantly against his brother, who also attained a prestigious position in Paris and had a habit of shining rather too brightly for Hans’ liking. It was obvious his brother was his father’s favourite, which drove Hans to prove he was better.
Hans didn’t trust his father.
He didn’t trust his brother.
Hans didn’t trust anyone .
A sharp rap at the door interrupted his reflection.
‘Come in,’ he barked, turning away from the window and sitting back down at his desk with an undisguised sigh.
The secretary he had inherited from another officer entered the room.
‘Sorry to bother you, Herr Major General, but some important papers have arrived for you to review and sign.’
Hans nodded. There was something about her that irritated him, but he couldn’t say exactly what it was. Perhaps it was her overt French-ness.
He shook his head. No, it couldn’t be that, because he had taken to the replacement secretary, and she was French.
The new blonde girl tried to hide her virtues, but she was a stunning beauty. His pulse raced at the memory of her that cascaded into his thoughts. He had been having erotic fantasies about her ever since she came for the interview, and she hadn’t even started work yet.
Hans accepted the papers and nodded towards his over-eager secretary when she asked permission to leave for the day.
He enjoyed being alone in his magnificent office and preferred not to be disturbed. The reason his secretary irritated him floated into his mind. It should have disturbed him, but it didn’t. Instead, it made perfect sense.
She reminded him too much of his wife in Berlin. Hadn’t he jumped at the posting to France so he could put distance between them?
And for the past months, he’d had to put up with a woman hovering over him in the same solicitous way his wife did. Her constantly watching him and trying to attend to his every need irked him and caused him to avoid her.
He sighed again as she closed the door gently behind her.
Just as well she had to leave because of ill health. She had asked if the job would still be available when she recovered, but he had fobbed her off.
He couldn’t stomach her timid deference anymore. Hans liked a woman with more fighting spirit, although he acknowledged his wife was the perfect mother to his two children. It was simply better when he wasn’t with her.
As evening fell, he longed for a cigarette, but it was a filthy habit the Führer disdained, so Hans had given up smoking cold turkey. He should never have fallen into such ill-discipline, and he blamed his brother. He had encouraged Hans to smoke with him in the cellar of their big house when they were boys.
Weakness in himself and others repulsed him, and he wished he could shake the craving, but it was difficult. Sometimes, he could taste the tobacco on his tongue and had taken to chewing gum in desperation to quell the yearning.
The more he fantasised about the new secretary, the more his loins burned. He would pursue some action at the Lido club later that night to calm himself. Even if the secretary proved willing to accommodate his needs, he reasoned it would take some time to seduce her.
His superiors had called a meeting and, regretfully, he tidied the papers on his desk and straightened his tunic in the mirror. Hans prided himself on his good looks and immaculate personal grooming. A sloppy appearance reflected a weak mind.
One day in the not-too-distant future, he would be the one calling the meetings, and they would all dance to his tune. The glory would be his, and he would be acknowledged in the history books as the great general who had secured the Führer’s vision of a thousand-year Reich.
A chilling thought flitted into his mind.
God help anyone who dared stand in his way.