Chosen of the Valkyries (Twilight Of The Gods Book 2) by Christopher Nuttall Page B

carried them for her ...
     
    “I need all of these clothes,” the woman was saying.  “I need ...”
     
    “No, you don’t,” Kurt snapped.  Gudrun liked clothes, but she was much more practical than this silly cow.  “You need only the bare minimum.”
     
    He allowed his temper to show as the woman rounded on him.  “I don’t have time to deal with this any longer,” he snarled, feeling his patience snap completely.  “Take one bag and leave the rest here!”
     
    “I need them,” the woman repeated.  “I can't just leave them here!”
     
    “Yes, you can,” Kurt said.  He made a show of unsnapping his holster and placing his hand on his pistol.  Her eyes widened with shock.  “Take one bag and get into the bus, now.  Or I’ll shut you up permanently.”
     
    The woman glared at him for a long moment, but there was a flicker of uncertainty in her gaze.  She’d been told, of course, that the entire region was under martial law.  Kurt could shoot her down in front of a dozen witnesses and it was unlikely he’d get in any real trouble for it.  Those witnesses would argue that she had impeded the evacuation and defence preparations, if nothing else.  He braced himself, unsure what she’d do, then breathed a sigh of relief as she picked up one of her bags and marched onto the bus.  Either the bag was lighter than it seemed or she was stronger, he noted.  She didn't seem to need much effort to carry it.
     
    “What an idiot,” someone muttered from behind him.
     
    Kurt ignored the comment and watched as the remaining evacuees were hustled onto the buses.  He couldn’t help noticing that some of the girls waved cheerfully at the soldiers, blowing kisses as the bus roared to life.  No doubt there had been some flirting going on, even though the soldiers were meant to be helping convert the town into a strongpoint.  Who knew?  It might even lead to marriage.  Soldiers were encouraged to marry young, just to sire the next generation of Germans before they were killed in one of the Reich’s wars.
     
    Or it might lead to nothing , he thought, as he made his way towards the makeshift command post.  The radio antenna had been positioned some distance from the CP, just to ensure the SS didn't take out the CP as well as the radio when they tracked it down.  The flirters may never see one another again .
     
    “Message from HQ,” the radio operator said.  “ Generalmajor Gath is on his way to inspect the defence lines.”
     
    Kurt swore, inwardly.  They’d barely started ... had the main offensive begun already?  He peered through the window, looking eastwards for some signs of trouble, but all seemed safe and tranquil.  Maybe Generalmajor Gunter Gath - the CO of the Eastern Defence Line - merely wanted to get a feel for the terrain before the shooting actually began.  Or maybe he thought that Kurt - who was handling responsibilities well above his pay grade - should be supervised.
     
    Or maybe he wants to kiss my ass , he thought, darkly.  He’d never met Gath in person.  I have a sister on the Reich Council, after all .
     
    “Acknowledge the message,” he said.   Generalmajor Gath was already on his way.  There was no point in trying to deter him, not now.  “And then request additional landmines and AT weapons from stores.”
     
    He sucked in his breath as he walked back outside.  His men were already hard at work, digging trenches, fortifying a number of houses and emplacing antitank weapons in the most advantageous positions.  Kurt had no idea precisely how the SS intended to advance, but the town was right in the middle of the shortest route to Berlin, controlling one road and far too close to the autobahn .  They practically had to secure the town to keep their flanks unmolested.  But he had no illusions about how long his men could stand off a determined offensive.
     
    “We should have time to run through two of the drills before nightfall,” Loeb said,