I'm a Profiteer in Cold War Germany

Chapter 225: Chapter 8: Tender Is the Night

For the next three weeks, Werner handled routine procurement at Koko during the day and holed up in his secret apartment at night, waiting for news from Reynard.

On the tenth day, Reynard called to say the trichloroethylene and tungsten powder had arrived in Zurich and were being processed for transshipment.

On the fifteenth day, the molybdenum plates also arrived.

The most troublesome part was the beryllium copper alloy. Customs on the United States’ side was very strict, and Brunner had to spend a good deal of money to grease some palms before he could get the shipment out.

On the nineteenth day, all the goods were consolidated in Vienna. Brunner arranged for a truck with Yugoslavian license plates, driven by an experienced veteran who had traveled this route countless times.

The cargo was disguised as "university laboratory equipment." The paperwork was all in order, so perfect that not even customs officials could find fault with it.

On the evening of the twenty-first day, the truck arrived smoothly at the East German border.

Werner had greased the palms of his contacts at the checkpoint in advance, so the truck was waved through after only a routine inspection.

That night, the cargo was delivered to the Fourth Machinery Plant in Karl Marx City.

The plant director personally called Koko to express his gratitude, saying the raw materials were a godsend that solved their urgent problem.

At a high-level meeting the next day, Gunter lavishly praised Werner, saying he was not only highly capable but also dared to tackle tough challenges, making him a pillar of Koko.

Werner received a bonus of twenty thousand West German Marks, the most he had ever earned in a single sum.

But he didn’t feel the slightest bit of relief.

**************

At seven in the evening, Werner arrived at the Prague Cafe right on time.

Anna was already waiting for him in a booth by the window. She wore a black wool coat, her hair was loosely pinned up, and she looked a little tired.

"You don’t look so good," Werner said as he sat down.

"Neither do you," Anna said. "Is it done?"

"It’s done."

"Did it go smoothly?"

"Very smoothly," Werner said, picking up his coffee cup. "Unsettlingly so."

Anna lit a cigarette, the smoke curling slowly upward in the dim yellow light. "Tell me the details."

Werner recounted the entire operation for her—from Reynard finding Brunner, to the cargo passing through multiple transshipments, and its final delivery to East Germany. Anna’s brow furrowed as she listened. When he finished, she stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray.

"Do you have any idea what you’ve done?" Anna’s voice was calm, but her eyes were serious.

"I know."

"Military procurement is a sector heavily monitored by international intelligence agencies. The Americans, the British, the French, and NATO’s counterintelligence divisions are all watching the flow of these materials." Anna leaned in closer. "Every step you took could have left a trail."

"I was very careful."

"Careful isn’t enough," Anna said. "This merchant Reynard found, Brunner—are you sure he’s clean? The CIA loves to infiltrate these gray-market merchants and turn them into informants."

Werner fell silent. He really couldn’t be sure.

"And the Yugoslavian route," Anna continued. "Tito may have had a falling out with the Soviet Union, but his relationship with Western intelligence agencies isn’t bad at all. Do you really think your truck wasn’t being watched?"

"Then what do you think I should do?" Werner shot back.

"I don’t know." Anna leaned back in her chair. "I’m just reminding you that you’ve crossed a line. From now on, you’re not just an ordinary Koko member; you’re a military-grade materials smuggler. If you get caught, East Germany won’t be able to protect you, and West Germany won’t let you go."

Werner picked up his coffee cup and took a large gulp.

"There’s no turning back for me now," he said.

"I know." Anna sighed. "Gunter gave you this mission to test your limits. If you’d refused, he would have thought you weren’t loyal enough. By accepting, you’ve tied yourself to this ship forever."

"So what do you think I should have chosen?"

"I’m not going to tell you what you should have chosen." Anna looked him straight in the eye. "This is your life. You decide. But..."

She paused, then reached out and gripped Werner’s wrist. Her grip was tight.

"If you’ve chosen this path, then don’t have any regrets. Be prepared to be investigated, interrogated, or even abandoned at a moment’s notice."

Werner looked at her, at the mix of worry and resolve in her eyes. He realized Anna wasn’t trying to talk him out of it. She was reminding him just how dangerous this path was.

"Will you walk it with me?" he asked.

Anna released his wrist and leaned back in her chair.

She lit another cigarette, took a deep drag, and then slowly exhaled the smoke.

"What do you think?"

Werner smiled. "I think you will."

"Why?"

"Because you’re crazier than I am."

Anna froze for a second, then smiled too.

"You’re right," she said. "I am crazier than you. So I guess I have no choice but to walk it with you."

The cafe’s radio was playing a serenade by Schubert. Outside, the streets were nearly empty, lit by the dim yellow glow of the streetlights.

"Let’s go." Anna stood up and put on her coat. "To your place."

"Now?"

"Now," Anna said. "Since we’re both dancing on a knife’s edge, let’s at least not think about all that bullshit tonight."

**************

The two of them went to Werner’s secret apartment.

The hallway was dim, with peeling paint on the walls and creaking stairs.

Anna followed him up the stairs, the sound of her high heels echoing in the empty hallway.

Werner opened the door. Anna took off her coat, tossed it on the sofa, and walked to the window to look at the street scene outside.

"What are you drinking?" Werner asked.

"Whiskey."

Werner took a bottle of whiskey and two glasses from a cabinet and poured two drinks.

He walked over to Anna and handed her a glass.

Anna took it, tilted her head back, and downed it, then handed the empty glass back to him.

"Another."

Werner poured another.

This time, Anna didn’t drink it right away. Instead, she turned around, holding the glass, and leaned against the window frame, watching him.

"Are you nervous?" she asked.

"About what?"

"This mission."

"Of course I’m nervous," Werner said. "I’m not made of steel."

"But you did it anyway."

"Because I had no choice."

"Everyone has a choice," Anna said. "You could have refused, left Koko, fled to West Germany. The reason you stayed is because you want more."

Anna was right.

He did want more—more money, more power, more control.

In this gray country, he didn’t want to be just a minor player.

"What about you?" he countered. "Why do you stay with the Stasi? You could leave, too. You could flee to West Germany."

Anna smiled. "Because I want more, too."

She walked up to Werner and reached out to undo his tie.

"We’re the same kind of people, Werner," she said. "Neither of us is content with being ordinary. We both want to find our place in this broken world. That’s why we can only move forward. There’s no turning back."

Werner grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms.

Anna didn’t struggle, but instead rested her head on his shoulder.

"You know," she said in a low voice, "sometimes I wonder if our lives would be a little easier if we’d been born in another time, in another country."

"Would they?"

"No." Anna looked up, her gaze clear. "Because this is who we are. No matter where we were, we would always choose the hardest path."

Werner kissed her.

Anna responded fiercely.

They stumbled into the bedroom, clothes falling to the floor piece by piece.

**************

Afterward, they lay side by side under a thin blanket.

Anna lit a cigarette, the smoke curling slowly upward in the darkness.

"Werner," she said suddenly.

"Hm?"

"If something were to happen to one of us one day, what would the other one do?"

Werner turned his head to look at her.

Anna’s profile was sharply defined in the darkness. Her eyes were fixed on the ceiling, her expression unreadable.

"I’d save you," he said.

"And if you couldn’t?"

"I’d still try."

Anna was silent for a few seconds before stubbing out her cigarette in the ashtray on the nightstand. She rolled over and rested her head on Werner’s chest.

"You really are a fool," she whispered.

"You too."

Anna let out a soft laugh.

She closed her eyes, her breathing gradually evening out.

Werner held her, staring at the ceiling.

The occasional sound of a car drifted in from outside.

He knew Anna was right.

’We’re both dancing on a knife’s edge and could fall at any moment. But at least for now, for this one moment, we’re still together.’

Werner closed his eyes, too.

****************

「A few days later.」

Werner had just walked into the Koko Headquarters building when a secretary stopped him.

"Minister Gunter is looking for you. It’s urgent."

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