The Pact

THE PACTROBERTA KAGAN CONTENTSPrologueChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7Chapter 8Chapter 9Chapter 10Chapter 11Chapter 12Chapter 13Chapter 14Chapter 15Chapter 16Chapter 17Chapter 18Chapter 19Chapter 20Chapter 21Chapter 22Chapter 23Chapter 24Chapter 25Chapter 26Chapter 27Chapter 28Chapter 29Chapter 30Chapter 31Chapter 32Chapter 33Chapter 34Chapter 35Chapter 36Chapter 37Chapter 38Chapter 39Chapter 40Chapter 41Chapter 42Chapter 43Chapter 44Chapter 45Chapter 46Chapter 47Chapter 48Chapter 49Chapter 50Chapter 51Chapter 52Chapter 53Chapter 54Chapter 55Chapter 56Chapter 57Chapter 58Chapter 59Chapter 60Chapter 61Chapter 62Chapter 63Chapter 64Chapter 65Chapter 66Chapter 67Chapter 68Chapter 69Chapter 70Chapter 71Chapter 72Chapter 73Chapter 74Chapter 75Chapter 76Chapter 77Chapter 78Chapter 79Chapter 80Chapter 81Chapter 82Chapter 83Chapter 84Chapter 85Chapter 86Chapter 87Chapter 88Chapter 89Chapter 90Authors NoteAbout the AuthorMore Books By Roberta Kagan PROLOGUEMid-July 1940, The atticT he crash of shattering glass exploded through the silence in the tiny attic where seventeen-year-old Anna Levinstein slept with her family.Her eyes flew open. Her body bolted upright on her cot. Could that noise have been another nightmare? She looked around the room and saw the terror on her parents’ faces and the sorrow on her brother’s, and she knew…This was no dream.“What was that sound?” her mother’s lips moved, but she did not speak. Her face cracked with fear. It was the middle of the day, but they had all been asleep. “What was that?” she repeated without a sound.No one answered.Then, in a soft voice, Anna’s father said to his wife, “Lillian, I think they’re looking for us. I think the Nazis are in the house.”“Dear God,” her mother said.Anna’s brother Anselm started coughing. He always coughed whenever he was nervous. Frantically, Anna stood up and ran to him. She covered his mouth with her hand. “They must not hear you,” she whispered to him. “If they hear you, they’ll know where we are.”Anslem nodded. His face was scarlet as he tried to stifle the coughing.“He’s choking,” her mother said.Another crash came from downstairs.“They’re searching the house. They are looking for us,” her father said frantically. “You must keep Anselm quiet.”Anna and her mother held a pillow over Anselm’s face to dampen the sound of his cough. “Be careful, Anna. We must let him breathe, or we will kill him,” her mother said. Anna nodded.“Jew swine, where are you?” They heard a man’s voice coming from downstairs, and it reaffirmed what they feared: the Nazis were searching for them.It was horrifying to hear the Nazis tearing the house apart and even more frightening because she could not see what was happening. Her imagination was running wild. Each time she heard glass breaking or heavy things being thrown on the ground, Anna jumped.Sweat began to drip into her eyes. She wanted to wipe it away, but she couldn’t dare to move her hand from the pillow she held over her brother’s face.Then there was a moment of silence. Outside, Anna heard the sound of a siren, a Gestapo siren. It grew loud and then softer and softer until it faded out.Have they gone? Is it possible they decided we were not here and left? Anna prayed. Dear God, could it be that they have gone, and we are safe? A spark of hope filled her with joy, but it was only momentary. Not even a second later, Anna trembled when she heard the heels of Nazi boots as they ascended the stairs toward the tiny hidden attic where the family hid. Each loud step as the boots hit the wooden floor reverberated through her body. Anna’s father sighed as he walked over to stand beside the rest of his family. He put his arm around Anna and held her mother’s hand. “They’re heading right for the attic. It looks like they know there’s a hidden attic here. Someone must have turned us in,” he said sadly.“But who? Why?” Anna’s mother asked, her voice filled with despair.Anna’s father shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know, Lillian. I don’t know. But no matter what happens, at least we are together.”With each deafening step, Anna felt more and more desperation. She wished she could jump out the window and run away, but it was too high. Besides, she would never leave her family to face this alone. They were just waiting now. There was nothing else to do. There was nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. The Gestapo agent is getting closer. Could it be they don’t know about this attic? Is it possible that they are just checking upstairs in the house? Maybe they will go away. Anna’s young, idealistic mind sought comfort.But the comforting thoughts were obliterated by a ferocious kick to the hidden door. It burst open as it flew off its hinges, revealing the terrified Jewish family.Anslem coughed harder as Anna released the pillow. There was no point in silencing him now. They’d been discovered, and now they must face whatever the Nazis had in store for them.“Jews,” a giant man in a Gestapo uniform said. “We knew you were here, you sneaky rats.”There were two of them. Two Gestapo agents came to arrest her defenseless family. But only the giant entered the attic. The other one stood behind him. Anna felt herself fill with panic. They were helpless.Anna glanced up into the giant’s eyes. She was hoping she would see some sympathy. But she saw no humanity, none at all. His eyes were dark and hard, devoid of emotion. Anna’s heart beat fast, and her chest ached. What are they going to do with us? Are they going to shoot us right here, right now? I am so scared. Dear God, help me; I am so afraid. What does it feel like to die? Will it hurt? And what about my family? I can’t bear to watch them die or, worse, watch them suffer. The Nazis might take us away. But where? Maybe somewhere to work? But will we be together if they take us, or will they separate us? Dear God, please help us. I beg you, please.“Don’t hurt us. Please, please don’t hurt us,” Anna’s mother pleaded. Anna saw her mother’s knuckles turn white as she clung to Anselm’s shoulder.The giant