Chapter 260 - 43: Czech Black Market Empire

Chapter 260: Chapter 43: Czech Black Market Empire

Anna didn’t stop him, just watched him quietly.

"Werner," she said suddenly, "will you always remember this time?"

"I will."

"Even after many years? Even if we’re old, or separated?"

"I will," Werner said. "This is the most peaceful time of my life."

Anna smiled, but there was a sadness in it.

"That’s good."

The robe slipped to the floor.

Anna’s skin had a warm glow in the dim light. Werner picked her up and laid her on the bed.

"Are you cold?" he asked.

"No." Anna pulled him down to lie beside her. "You’re very warm."

They lay side by side, pulling the thick down duvet over them.

Outside, the snow fell harder and harder, blanketing the world in silence.

Anna rested her head on Werner’s shoulder, her finger tracing circles on his chest.

"Werner," she said softly, "if one day, I suddenly disappeared, would you look for me?"

"Why would you disappear?"

"I don’t know," Anna said. "But in our line of work, anything can happen. Maybe one day, I’ll just be gone."

Werner squeezed her hand.

"If you disappeared," he said, "I would turn all of East Germany upside down to find you."

"Really?"

"Really."

Anna looked up at him, her eyes moist.

"You liar," she said. "How can I believe you?"

"Then don’t," Werner said. "But I’ll still look for you."

Anna smiled, then kissed him.

This kiss was different. It wasn’t gentle, nor was it tentative. It was filled with a desperate longing, as if pouring all their unspoken words into it.

Werner rolled on top of her, their breathing growing ragged.

"Werner," Anna whispered in his ear, "make me feel that you’re real."

"I am real."

"Then prove it to me."

The snow was still falling outside, completely covering the windowpane.

The only things left in the room were the faint glow of the fireplace and the sound of their increasingly rapid breaths.

Werner’s hand moved down the small of Anna’s back, feeling the warmth of her skin.

Anna’s fingers dug into his shoulders, her grip tightening as if trying to carve him into her very being.

"Don’t stop," she murmured. "Don’t stop."

"I won’t."

They tangled together tightly.

The down duvet slid to the floor, but they didn’t feel the cold, only the heat of each other’s bodies.

***********

A long time later, everything finally calmed.

They lay side by side, the down duvet pulled back over them, staring at the ceiling.

"What are you thinking about?" Anna asked.

"About how crazy we are," Werner said.

"Are we crazy?"

"Very crazy." Werner turned his head to look at her. "Two spies, in a secret villa in the countryside, doing the one thing we shouldn’t be."

"Do you regret it?"

"No." Werner took her hand. "Not one bit."

Anna smiled and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I don’t regret it either," she said softly. "If only time could stop right here."

"It will," Werner said. "At least, in my memory."

The snow outside finally stopped. Moonlight streamed through a gap in the curtains, casting a faint shadow on the floor.

Embracing like that, they slowly drifted off to sleep.

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

By the third week, Werner had begun to truly relax.

He would wake up naturally every day, eat the breakfast Anna made, and then read in the living room or listen to records.

Anna had bought an old record player from the village, along with a few records—Bach, Beethoven, Schubert.

One afternoon, Werner was listening to Schubert’s *Winter Journey*.

It was a very sad song cycle about a heartbroken young man wandering in the winter.

Anna was in the kitchen preparing dinner while Werner sat on the sofa, listening with his eyes closed.

"Do you like this music?" Anna asked, coming to sit beside him.

"I don’t know," Werner said. "But it suits my current mood."

"What mood is that?"

"Peaceful, yet a little sad." Werner opened his eyes. "I always feel like this peace won’t last long."

Anna didn’t say anything.

She leaned on his shoulder, and they listened to the rest of the piece together.

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

In the fourth week, Werner’s vacation was coming to an end.

On the last night, the two of them sat drinking in front of the fireplace.

It had started snowing again outside.

"You’re going back tomorrow," Anna said.

"Yeah."

"Will you miss this place?"

"I will," Werner said. "This has been the most peaceful month of my life."

"Me too." Anna took a sip of her drink. "Werner, thank you."

"For what?"

"Thank you for letting me experience this," Anna said. "The feeling of living like a normal person."

Werner took her hand.

"There will be more of this in the future," he said. "When the Wall falls, we’ll go to Switzerland and live like this every day."

"That will be a long time from now."

"It’ll be soon," Werner said. "Time passes faster than you think."

Anna looked at him and suddenly smiled.

"Do you really believe the Wall will fall?"

"I’m sure of it."

"Then I’ll believe you, just this once," Anna said. "No matter what happens, I’ll wait for that day."

They clinked their glasses and finished their drinks.

Outside, the snow fell harder and harder, covering the world in a blanket of white.

The vacation was over.

But the storm was still to come.

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

「March 1966. Koko Headquarters, East Berlin.」

Werner sat in his office, a telegram from Prague spread out on his desk.

The telegram was from Mira Kovac. It contained only a few short sentences:

"Border controls relaxed. New policy effective next week. Business opportunity."

Werner put the telegram in his drawer and lit a cigarette.

He had been waiting for this day for a long time.

The economic reforms in Czechoslovak were accelerating.

The newly appointed economist, Ota Hicke, was pushing a series of market-oriented measures—relaxing price controls, allowing corporate autonomy, and expanding foreign trade.

Most critically, border management between the Czech Republic and the West had begun to loosen.

For Werner, this meant a huge opportunity.

He picked up the phone and dialed a number in West Berlin.

"Margaret, it’s me."

"Werner?" Margaret’s capable voice came through the line. "What’s a busy man like you calling me for?"

"I have a big deal for you," Werner said. "Prepare a shipment—precision machine tools, electronic components, optical instruments. The more, the better."

"Where to?"

"Prague," Werner said. "Import it under the name ’Czech Machine Parts’."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the line.

"Are you serious?" Margaret’s voice was tinged with interest. "Prague? You have channels there?"

"I do. And they’re very solid," Werner said. "The Czech Republic is undergoing reforms right now, and border controls are loose. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"It certainly sounds good," Margaret said. "But this shipment won’t be cheap. How much are you planning to invest?"

"Five hundred thousand West German Marks."

"You’re really upping the stakes," Margaret said. "But I like it. For a half-million Mark deal, my commission—"

"Ten percent," Werner said. "The usual."

"Deal." Margaret laughed. "Give me two weeks. But Werner, I have to remind you, I’ll need to transit through Austria, so the cost will be a bit higher."

"No problem," Werner said. "You just handle the procurement. Price isn’t an issue."

"Alright," Margaret said. "I’ll start making arrangements then. By the way, when are you coming to West Berlin? We need to discuss the details in person."

"Next week," Werner said. "See you at the usual place."

After hanging up, Werner dialed the number for Prague.

"Mira? It’s me."

"Werner!" Mira’s voice came from the other end. "Did you get my telegram?"

"I did," Werner said. "Now, listen. I need you to do a few things."

"Go on."

"First, rent a warehouse in Prague, the more hidden the better. Second, contact customs officials and border guards you trust; I need a stable smuggling route. Third, find some reliable transport companies that can go back and forth between Prague, East Berlin, and West Berlin."

"No problem," Mira said. "But all of this will cost money."

"Money is no object," Werner said. "I’ll be in Prague next week. I’ll bring cash."

"How much?"

"One hundred thousand West German Marks."

A sharp intake of breath came from the other end of the line.

"Werner, you’re really going big this time." Mira paused. "But you’re right. The higher-ups are in meetings every day discussing these reforms, and the border has definitely loosened up. It’s the perfect chance for us business people to make a fortune."

"That’s why we have to act fast," Werner said. "Mira, this window of opportunity won’t last long. We have to make all the money we can before things tighten up again."

"How do you know things will tighten up?"

"A gut feeling," Werner said. "In any case, just do as I say."

Mira was silent for a moment, then finally laughed.

"Alright. You’ve always had good judgment. I trust you."