I'm a Profiteer in Cold War Germany

Chapter 94: Chapter 4: Edge of the Forbidden Zone

But just then, Werner suddenly sensed something was off.

The overly eager desire in her eyes, her unnatural forwardness, the almost desperate strength in her fingers as they gripped his shirt—all of it was different from the tough, restrained Eva he knew.

He stopped.

"Eva," he said, his voice regaining some of its clarity. "What’s gotten into you today?"

Eva’s body stiffened, and a flash of panic crossed her eyes.

"Something’s not right with you," Werner continued, his hand sliding from the nape of her neck to rest gently on her shoulder. "Tell me, what happened?"

Eva’s lips trembled, and her expression grew more complex—a mixture of shame, pain, and a strange sense of relief.

She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she lowered her head and took a deep breath.

"I..." Her voice was quiet. "I just wanted to..."

She looked up, a thin film of moisture shimmering in her eyes, but she bit her lip, fighting to keep the tears from falling.

"I just wanted to be a little nicer to you," she finally said, a nearly inaudible tremor in her voice. "That’s all. Really, that’s all."

"Eva, look at me," Werner said.

Eva looked up, her eyes red as if she were suppressing some powerful emotion.

"No, you’re not yourself today," Werner said bluntly. "From the moment I walked into the shop, you’ve been off. What happened?"

Eva bit her lip.

"It’s... it’s nothing."

"Don’t lie to me." Werner took a step closer. "I’ve known you for so long, and this is the first time I’ve ever seen you like this. You couldn’t even hold your keys steady or open the door."

Eva bit her lip, her gaze drifting toward the window.

Through the dusty glass, she could see the gray buildings in the distance and the concrete wall that split the city in two.

"I was just..." Her voice grew softer. "I was just thinking about Hans. I should have left earlier, taken him to West Germany sooner."

The reason sounded plausible.

But Werner’s intuition told him it wasn’t that simple.

He studied Eva’s expression—her eyes were shifty, and her fingers were unconsciously fiddling with the hem of her apron. It was a nervous habit he’d seen a few times before.

"Is it just because of Hans?" Werner asked.

Eva’s head shot up, a flicker of panic in her eyes.

"Of course," she said, too quickly. "What else would it be?"

Werner didn’t respond. He just watched her quietly, waiting.

’This was a trick he’d learned from his deals on the Black Market: silence was often more effective than interrogation. When you didn’t speak, the other person would instinctively try to fill the void, and in doing so, they often revealed their weaknesses.’

Sure enough, Eva’s gaze began to falter.

"Werner, I..." She took a deep breath as if to say something, but swallowed the words. "How are things... with you and the Stasi?"

Alarm bells went off in Werner’s mind.

’The question was too abrupt.’

"It’s fine," he said, feigning a casual tone. "I’m basically an informant for Vonke now, feeding them some intel from the Black Market. As long as I’m useful, they’ll leave me alone for the time being."

"For the time being," Eva repeated the phrase. "But... but what if one day, they decide you’re not useful enough? Or, or what if they find out you..."

She couldn’t go on.

Werner stared at her, the alarm bells ringing louder in his head.

’Eva was far too strange today.’

"Eva," Werner said, stepping closer and lowering his voice. "What happened?"

"It’s... nothing." Eva shook her head vigorously, a few strands of golden hair escaping from her headband. "I’m just... I’m just worried about you."

"Worried about me?"

"Yes." Eva looked up, tears welling in her eyes. "You saved Hans and me, but I... I can’t help you with anything. I’m just a shop clerk, I can’t do anything. What if... what if the Stasi really comes after you..."

Her voice choked with sobs.

Werner watched her, his mind racing.

’Eva was lying. No, not lying, but hiding something.’

’She was genuinely worried about him, that much was true. But her worry wasn’t just born from gratitude and affection.’

’There was something else.’

"Did they come to you?" Werner asked tentatively.

Eva’s body went rigid.

That momentary reaction said it all.

"Wh-what..." Her voice dropped to a near-mumble. "How did you know..."

"I guessed," Werner said. "If the Stasi wanted to watch me, they’d start with the people around me."

He paused, his tone softening.

"Who was it? What did they ask you to do?"

Eva wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

"It was a woman named Anna Claus. She... she told me to keep an eye on you," she said, her voice trembling. "Who you meet, what you say, what you buy."

Anna Claus.

Werner froze for a second.

’A few months ago, Anna had approached him. She’d mentioned a partnership, wanting him to get some information from the West. He hadn’t given her a clear answer at the time, and was still considering whether to establish some kind of cooperative relationship with the Stasi.’

’But now, Eva was saying Anna had told her to spy on him...’ freeweɓnøvel.com

A sense of unease washed over Werner.

’Anna wanted to work with him, but at the same time, she was having Eva watch him?’

’Something wasn’t right. What did she really want? Was it just surveillance? Or was there some other goal?’

’He couldn’t figure it out yet, but one thing was certain—this woman was more complicated than he had thought.’

Werner’s heart sank.

"Did you agree?" he asked.

"I didn’t!" Eva looked up anxiously, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I don’t want to hurt you, Werner, I really don’t. But she said if I didn’t agree, she’d investigate what happened that night... she’d call me a traitor, and then I’d never see Hans again..."

She couldn’t continue, collapsing to the floor and burying her face in her hands, her body shaking with silent sobs.

Werner looked at her, a wave of complex emotions washing over him.

"Listen, Eva." Werner knelt and gently took her by the wrist. "You didn’t do anything wrong. They used your son to threaten you. Of course you have to protect Hans."

"But you..."

"I’ll be fine," Werner said. "You know I’m always careful. Besides, if they really wanted to catch me, they wouldn’t need your intel."

That was half to comfort her, and half the truth.

’If the Stasi was really targeting him, using Eva was just a way to add another surveillance channel. Even if Eva had refused, they would have just found someone else.’

"Then... what should I do?" Eva looked up, her eyes swimming with tears. "I don’t want to help them, but..."

"Just carry on with business as usual," Werner said. "Our deals will continue just like they always have. If they ask, just tell them the truth—that I’m your customer, buying Western goods to resell on the Black Market. They already know all that."

"That’s it?"

"That’s it." Werner released her hand and stood up. "If they ask about the official clients, just say you don’t know. You really don’t, do you?"

Eva nodded.

"Don’t worry." His tone finally softened. "I’ll be careful. Things are tense right now, so I’ll keep a low profile. You should too. If anything seems wrong, be sure to tell me."

Eva nodded, her eyes still slightly red.

"About the goods..." Werner decided to change the subject. "I need thirty cans of cocoa powder, twenty bars of Swiss chocolate, and these nylon stockings," Werner said, pulling a stack of foreign exchange certificates from his pocket. "Payment as usual."

Eva took the certificates, her fingers trembling slightly as they brushed against his palm.

Werner turned to leave, but Eva suddenly called out to him.

"Werner, you have to promise me you’ll be careful."

Werner turned back and saw a light in her eyes that was almost a plea.

"I will," he said.