When I didn’t say anything, the man chuckled. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. In fact, you’re exactly the kind of person I need. We’re alike, you and I.” Before continuing, he closed the space between us, and I didn’t move away. “You’re a girl who has managed to survive in a men’s camp, you knew how to encourage Fritzsch to reassign you, and you accepted the punishment that came with it. I went outside during a street roundup in Warsaw so I would be arrested and sent to Auschwitz.”

Surely he hadn’t said what I thought he’d said. “You came here on purpose?”

He nodded. “The Nazis have done an excellent job covering up what happens in these camps, so I wanted to uncover the truth and send reports to the resistance’s military branch. The Home Army needs to know what’s really happening. I’ve been gathering information since I came here almost a year ago, but I can’t do it alone. That’s why I need people like you.”

This strange man was fascinating, but I couldn’t resist a dangerous question. “How do I know you aren’t working with the Nazis?”

“Because something tells you I’m not, just as something tells me you won’t betray me. Now you know exactly why I’m here, and one word from you to the nearest guard means my death. But you won’t betray me. We understand each other.”

As strange as it was, he was right, but I reminded myself not to be too hasty. After what had happened the last time I worked for the resistance, I wasn’t sure I wanted to do it again.

“Once they have enough information, the Home Army will help us. I’m sure of it. And we’ll be ready when they do. We’ll have weapons and numbers, we’ll fight, and we won’t stop fighting until we’re free.” The man fell silent, watching as I considered his words. Free. “You’d be a wonderful asset to my organization, Maria. Take all the time you need to consider it, and when you’re ready, find me. My name is Tomasz Serafiński.”

As he said it, there was the slightest change in his pitch, so slight I would have missed it if my senses hadn’t been at their most heightened. I smiled. “That’s not your name.”

“Of course it is.” When he leaned closer to me, I detected a knowing gleam in his eyes. “If you look for a man named Witold Pilecki, I’ll tell you I don’t know anyone by that name.” He winked, then he left the alley and disappeared into Block 15.