My German Lover, Part 22, chapter 2

---THE GESTAPO IS HERE---

"This is my desk you're sitting at...", Paul said... "Get the hell out of that chair..."

The Gestapo officer sitting at the desk looked up at Paul and frowned... He was not used to be addressed to like that... with such... arrogance...

Of course, he was mad! But then, he started considering the fact he had barged into this mansion... A very expensive one... and he started thinking that the people living here had to be very rich...

He considered Paul for a few seconds...

The guy was young, and very well dress. But what intrigued him the most about Paul was the fact he was speaking german perfectly well... "Be cautious", he said to himself...

"... You don't seem to realize, young man, who we are...", the Gestapo officer said to Paul... with a stupid little smile on his face.

"Oh but you're wrong: I know perfectly well you two are Gestapo officers... Now, don't make me repeat myself, and get the hell out of my chair!, Paul answered, slowly walking over to his desk, with a threatening face...

Even though Paul was a young man, the Gestapo officer could see the guy in front of him had a very tough personality, and that he wouldn't compromise... Obviously, this young man wasn't impressed nor scared...

The other Gestapo officer was stunned to see his superior rise from the chair and walk away from the desk...

Paul went to his chair then sat down at his desk...

"That's better", he said... "Now gentlemen... why are you violating the privacy of my house?, he calmly asked...

"Don't play that game with us, young man! You know perfectly well why we are here: Where are your neighbours? They are gone, and someone saw two cars leave your house late last night!"

"first", Paul began to say... "Don't you ever speak to me with that tone of voice... you could regret it dearly! Second... the fact that I went with friends to a party last night has nothing to do with my neighbours! Why are you looking for them? And by the way... I'm not their guardian, you know! Why should I know where they are? When they're going somewhere, they don't usually tell me where they are going, you know... It's none of my business! Are you crazy or what?"

"Who the hell do you think you are?", the Gestapo officer barked...

"I know perfectly well who I am... Problem is: I think you don't know to whom you're talking to. My name is Paul de Brion and..."

"I don't give a damn about your name or about who you are... All I know is that your neighbours are gone missing... and that last night, you've been seen going out at a very late hour! Where did you take them to?"

"I don't know what you're talking about... And as I told you... I don't know where our neighbours are... I haven't seen them..."

"... I think you know very well where they are... And if you don't tell us... instead of them, it's you we'll take with us, instead of them... And I'm tell you: You won't like that! We know how to deal with people like you..."

Paul bursted out laughing, then said:

"Before you do so, may I show you something?"

Paul slowly opened one of his drawers and took a framed picture out of it, then gave it to the Gestapo officer he was talking with...

The Gestapo officer looked at the picture and was stunned to see Paul standing there with... the Führer, shaking hands with him! The picture had been taken a while ago, during a Christmas party at the Reichs Chancellery in Berlin Paul had been invited to...

The Gestapo officer just kept staring at the picture... He didn't know what to think nor what to do! The Führer... with that guy in front of him! Who the hell is that guy? After a long moment, he raised his eyes from the picture and looked at Paul...

"... Before you arrest me", Paul said to him... "may I suggest you call Herr Abetz at the Embassy... you know... just to make sure you're not making a big mistake... Or perhaps, you would prefer to give a call to Berlin, and speak to Herr Funk, the Reich Minister of Economic Affairs... He's a good friend of mine! Anyway, here are the phone numbers... And I have a direct phone line to Berlin, should you decide to call Herr Funk instead of Herr Abetz... Do as you wish..."

Paul gave the numbers to the Gestapo officer, then said to him:

"Please, call..."

The Gestapo officer was not smiling anymore, and when he took the phone, Paul could see his right hand was slightly shaking...

At the German Embassy, the officer explained why he was calling, and asked to speak to Ambassador Abetz...

While he was waiting on the line, he kept looking at Paul...

When Ambassador Abetz came on the line, the Gestapo officer explained to him why he was calling and, obviously, he was interrupted by his interlocutor because, out of nowhere he said to his interlocutor:

"... Yes, Sir!... (...) We didn't know, Sir! I'm sorry that... Yes, of course, Sir! Yes, I understand, Sir! We will, Sir! Heil Hitler!... One moment, Sir..."

Holding the phone, the Gestapo officer said to Paul:

"The Ambassador would like to have a word with you, Sir!"

Paul smiled then took the phone:

"Good morning Herr Abetz: How are you?, he asked the Ambassador...

Paul looked up at the Gestapo officer standing right in front of his desk and saw beads of sweat on his forehead... Paul smiled to himself!

"...No no, Sir... No harm done, really..." he said to the Ambassador... "It seems they are looking for my neighbours, I don't know why... but really, I don't know where they are! (...) I beg you pardon? If I want to press charges against these officers? (...) Oh no, Sir... That won't be necessary! I suppose they are doing their jobs... Yes... As I said Herr Abetz, no harm was done, really! (...) Thank you, Sir! (...)You too: Have a nice day!"

Paul hung up the phone and looked at the two Gestapo officers...

"...We are truly sorry, Sir..." the officer standing in front of the desk said... "We didn't know..."

"Yes, I understand...", Paul answered.

Paul refrained from smiling! He thought about what his father used to say: "We always have too many enemies in life!"...

Bearing that in mind, he decided not to further humiliate the two Gestapo officers...

"... And thank you, Sir... For not pressing charges against us..."

"Yes. (...) Now gentlemen, may I go back to bed? I came back very late last night from a party, and now I'm paying for it with a very bad headache, if you see what I mean..."

"...But of course, Sir! We're leaving you right now... Again, Sir: Please, excuse us..."

Paul rang madame Louise, and when she knocked on the door, Paul said:

"Ah madame Louise... Would you please show these gentlemen their way out: They are leaving..."

"Bien sûr, monsieur..." (But of course, Sir...)

"Heil Hitler!", the two Gestapo officers shouted, as they were leaving...

"Yes, yes... to you too...", Paul answered! "Bastards", he thought to himself!

While madame Louise was showing them to the door, one of the officers looked at her and said:

"He's a gentleman..."

She looked back at him and answered:

"Yes... a real gentleman! A rare breed nowadays... don't you think?"

The officer didn't answer!

As soon as the two Gestapo officers had left, Paul ran upstairs to his bedroom, and when he opened the door, he saw Will sitting there... staring at him... pale as death and looking sick!

Paul bursted out laughing, looking at his beatiful lover...

"... Only thing for you to do is to call your office, and tell them you're sick today... No way you're gonna go to work today the way you look..."

"... Are they gone?"

"Yup!"

"(...)"

"Don't look at me like that: You scare me!", Paul said, laughing...

"... What happened?"

Paul sat next to Will and told him exactly what had happened...

"...You didn't...", Will said, totally incredulous...