“Absolutely not!” Elise surprised herself as much as she did Harry with her outburst, slamming her hand against the table. But Harry leaned back in his chair and continued, clearly not prepared to back down.

“We need to think this through with clear heads,” he counseled. “You’ve said yourself that there’s nothing you can do to send him away, that he’s already in Adelaide’s life, so why not use it to our advantage? Surely she owes me that much.”

“This is my sister you’re talking about! We can’t play her like a puppet and hope for the best with someone who’s more than capable of killing anyone who betrays him,” Elise retorted. “And don’t you ever let me hear you say that my sister owes you, because she doesn’t owe you a thing. She’s the only reason you’re safe in this house and not six feet under.”

“Well, he’s not going to kill me, is he?” Addy said beside her, her voice so soft in comparison to Elise’s outburst. “He’s asked if he can call on me again, and I’ve already said yes. I agree with Harry. I do owe him.”

“No,” Elise said, her appetite long gone as she pushed her bowl away. “We’re not playing with my sister’s life. This is not up for discussion.”

“You’re right, it’s not,” Addy said, tucking into her dinner. “Because I’m not going to sit around to wait for Harry or Cate or Jack to get caught, not when there’s something I can do about it. And stop talking about me like I’m not sitting at this table right beside you!”

“How about we let the situation with the commander evolve organically?” Cate said diplomatically. “And at the same time, we try to get an understanding of what’s happening beyond this village. Knowledge is power, after all.”

Elise breathed more easily as she digested Cate’s considered words. “I agree. We need to hear it from our own people, not from a Nazi. What do you propose, then?”

“You and Cate could leave the house when it’s safe, and Adelaide can hold the fort here. If this Wolfgang comes while you’re gone, then she can do whatever she feels comfortable with, but I agree that we have to step carefully.”

“He must have been acting on orders, like all soldiers do,” Addy said. “There’s no other explanation for it.”

Harry’s words were as chilled as ice. “No, Adelaide, that’s not right. Acting on orders would have been allowing my men to surrender and taking us prisoners of war. He gave the order, he chose to shoot us like ducks in a barrel and in doing so, violated the Geneva Convention.”