Read Online Look Behind You (The Order of the Silver Star) by Elisabeth Wolfe - Free Book Online
Authors: Elisabeth Wolfe
Ads: Link
dinner was sitting on the table when he got inside, and Mama was nowhere to be seen. Papa was apparently having a good enough day that he could feed himself without incident, since he was already eating slowly.
“ Was is los? ” Matt asked as he hung his hat by the door. “ Wo is Mama? ” 10
“ Sie päckt für Dich ,” Papa replied. “Frank Hamer hat angeruf’n—sagt ‘Brazos.’ 11 You’re to meet him in Austin this afternoon.”
Matt gulped, fighting the urge to grab the fairy stone in his shock, and sat down to eat. He tried not to eat too fast, but he couldn’t help wolfing the food down as if he were a teenager again. There wasn’t much time before he needed to head to Llano, fog or no.
Gott sei dank , he had a train to catch.
#####
7 Skunk (Texas German)
8 No, my friend
9 Bonds or taboos
1 0 What’s going on? Where is Mama? (Texas German)
11 She’s packing for you. Frank Hamer called—says ‘Brazos.’ (Texas German)
#####
*****
“Schneider!” Hamer called over the general chatter as Matt walked into the meeting room at DPS Headquarters. The two men met at the side of the room and shook hands, and Hamer continued, “Saw your brother in London. He said to say hello.”
Matt’s heart leapt. “Chris? Is he okay?”
“Seems to be. Couldn’t tell me much about what he’s up to in the field, at least not that I can tell you, but he’s well. Asked after you.”
Matt’s eyes slipped shut as he sighed in relief. “ Gott sei dank . We’ve been so worried, but we knew it was too dangerous to write.”
Hamer nodded. “That much I can say: it is now. But we’re gonna change that pretty quick. You get your surprise?” he continued, tapping something under the collar of his own shirt.
“I did, yes, sir. Didn’t get much explanation, though.”
“Well, you’re fixin’ to. Your folks all right?”
“Yeah. Papa’s having a pretty good day today.”
“Good, good. We may be gone a few months. Can they spare you?”
Matt bit his lip. “I’ve... made arrangements.”
“Good. I want you.” Hamer clapped a hand on Matt’s shoulder. “C’mon, sit down. Soon as Lone Wolf gets here, we’ll get started.”
Matt blinked. Manuel “Lone Wolf” Gonzaullas was still an active-duty Ranger, assigned to Company B headquarters in Dallas after spending several years establishing the DPS Bureau of Intelligence and crime lab. “Is he coming with?”
Hamer shook his head. “No, wish he could, but O’Daniel won’t hear of it. Need his input, though. You’ll see why in a few.”
Matt nodded and made his way to one of the few remaining empty chairs. Some of the other men present were former colleagues from Del Rio and Marfa; some were legends of the recent past, like Tom Hickman and Will Wright; a couple were Hamer’s own brothers; some Matt didn’t recognize at all. But as he was drawn into the genial round of shaking hands and giving updates, Matt felt more at home than he had anywhere since Amy’s death. Some part of him, he knew, would be a Ranger until he died.
Five minutes or so thus passed pleasantly until Gonzaullas arrived, impeccably dressed as ever, at which point Hamer stood up at the front of the room and called the meeting to order. “Y’all probably know already that we’re goin’ to England,” Hamer began. “But we’re not going to the Channel ports to intercept spies after all. In fact, we ain’t stayin’ in England for long. The Krauts are fixin’ to invade Russia.”
“And that’s a problem?” Hickman quipped.
“Would you let me finish, Tom?”
“Sorry, Frank.”
“They’re pullin’ as many troops as they can out of France, but they’ve got to have some way to protect the coast—never mind that the Brits cain’t do much right now, even with the supplies they’re gettin’ from us due to the Lend-Lease Act. So Hitler has ordered the SS to set up a wall of the strongest enchantments they can get their hands on to bar the
“ Was is los? ” Matt asked as he hung his hat by the door. “ Wo is Mama? ” 10
“ Sie päckt für Dich ,” Papa replied. “Frank Hamer hat angeruf’n—sagt ‘Brazos.’ 11 You’re to meet him in Austin this afternoon.”
Matt gulped, fighting the urge to grab the fairy stone in his shock, and sat down to eat. He tried not to eat too fast, but he couldn’t help wolfing the food down as if he were a teenager again. There wasn’t much time before he needed to head to Llano, fog or no.
Gott sei dank , he had a train to catch.
#####
7 Skunk (Texas German)
8 No, my friend
9 Bonds or taboos
1 0 What’s going on? Where is Mama? (Texas German)
11 She’s packing for you. Frank Hamer called—says ‘Brazos.’ (Texas German)
#####
*****
“Schneider!” Hamer called over the general chatter as Matt walked into the meeting room at DPS Headquarters. The two men met at the side of the room and shook hands, and Hamer continued, “Saw your brother in London. He said to say hello.”
Matt’s heart leapt. “Chris? Is he okay?”
“Seems to be. Couldn’t tell me much about what he’s up to in the field, at least not that I can tell you, but he’s well. Asked after you.”
Matt’s eyes slipped shut as he sighed in relief. “ Gott sei dank . We’ve been so worried, but we knew it was too dangerous to write.”
Hamer nodded. “That much I can say: it is now. But we’re gonna change that pretty quick. You get your surprise?” he continued, tapping something under the collar of his own shirt.
“I did, yes, sir. Didn’t get much explanation, though.”
“Well, you’re fixin’ to. Your folks all right?”
“Yeah. Papa’s having a pretty good day today.”
“Good, good. We may be gone a few months. Can they spare you?”
Matt bit his lip. “I’ve... made arrangements.”
“Good. I want you.” Hamer clapped a hand on Matt’s shoulder. “C’mon, sit down. Soon as Lone Wolf gets here, we’ll get started.”
Matt blinked. Manuel “Lone Wolf” Gonzaullas was still an active-duty Ranger, assigned to Company B headquarters in Dallas after spending several years establishing the DPS Bureau of Intelligence and crime lab. “Is he coming with?”
Hamer shook his head. “No, wish he could, but O’Daniel won’t hear of it. Need his input, though. You’ll see why in a few.”
Matt nodded and made his way to one of the few remaining empty chairs. Some of the other men present were former colleagues from Del Rio and Marfa; some were legends of the recent past, like Tom Hickman and Will Wright; a couple were Hamer’s own brothers; some Matt didn’t recognize at all. But as he was drawn into the genial round of shaking hands and giving updates, Matt felt more at home than he had anywhere since Amy’s death. Some part of him, he knew, would be a Ranger until he died.
Five minutes or so thus passed pleasantly until Gonzaullas arrived, impeccably dressed as ever, at which point Hamer stood up at the front of the room and called the meeting to order. “Y’all probably know already that we’re goin’ to England,” Hamer began. “But we’re not going to the Channel ports to intercept spies after all. In fact, we ain’t stayin’ in England for long. The Krauts are fixin’ to invade Russia.”
“And that’s a problem?” Hickman quipped.
“Would you let me finish, Tom?”
“Sorry, Frank.”
“They’re pullin’ as many troops as they can out of France, but they’ve got to have some way to protect the coast—never mind that the Brits cain’t do much right now, even with the supplies they’re gettin’ from us due to the Lend-Lease Act. So Hitler has ordered the SS to set up a wall of the strongest enchantments they can get their hands on to bar the
Similar Books
