Read Winter's Bullet for Free Online

and spat in his face. Tygo felt the thick blob of mucus run down his cheek. Managing to lean forward, he spat back as hard as he could.
    Ursula drove her fist into his stomach and he doubled up. One of the boys was still holding his arm tightly behind his back, saving him from falling to the ground.
    â€˜Is that your best shot?’ Tygo panted.
    Before Ursula could respond, a different answer was provided. Down the street came the sound of a heavy vehicle, and a powerful spotlight swung out in a wide arc, raking the pavement and houses with its beam.
    Ursula swore. Tygo felt the boy’s grip on his arm slacken, and took his chance. He spun round, and head-butted him as hard as he could. The boy pitched backwards, clutching his face and yelling in pain, and Tygo took off up the street towards the light.
    â€˜Split up, go!’ he heard Ursula shout behind him.
    Tygo could make out the vehicle; it was a four-wheeled light-armoured car with a turret sprouting a machine gun. A field police officer was standing in the turret, operating the light. Tygo put up his hands as it landed on him.
    â€˜Tygo Winter, attached to Oberst Krüger’s department.I have authority to be out!’ he shouted at the top of his voice. It would be too much to avoid a bullet from the Resistance only to get one from the Germans.
    â€˜Come forward, slowly, with your hands up!’ the policeman shouted.
    Tygo walked forward.
    â€˜Your papers and identity disc!’
    â€˜They’re in my tunic!’
    â€˜Slowly then, with your right hand.’
    Tygo carefully took out the disc and letter as the policeman climbed out of the turret and dropped to the ground. He took the documents and examined them under his torch.
    â€˜What reason do you have to be out this late?’
    Tygo knew he had no choice but to lie at this point, bluff his way out. The worst that could happen was that they would take him back to HQ and he would have to face Krüger.
    â€˜A special mission for Oberst Krüger – I am not at liberty to say – his strict orders.’
    The policeman looked back at Tygo sceptically. ‘What is a young man like you doing for Oberst Krüger at this time of night?’
    â€˜Perhaps you should ask him yourself?’ Tygo’s heart was hammering in his chest for the second time in as many minutes.
    The policeman took another glance at the letter, then handed it and the warrant disc back to Tygo.
    â€˜Be careful, young man, the Resistance is active in this sector.’ With that he climbed back into the armoured carand thumped the turret with his fist.
    Tygo waited for the car to pass. Its light picked out his bicycle lying on the ground; Tygo ran to it and quickly climbed on board. He pedalled as hard and as fast as he could, but it was okay – Ursula and her friends hadn’t hung around.
    Ten minutes later he was at the villa. He parked the bicycle a little way from the drive and stole as quietly as he could through the deeper snow to the front door. Getting back inside took just a few minutes with his skeleton keys.
    His footsteps on the stone floor in the hallway sounded incredibly loud. He tried his torch, but it didn’t work; it must have broken in the fall. Tygo swore. He stood there for a few minutes, letting his eyes get used to the darkness; the place still had a metallic smell of explosives.
    â€˜Hello, is anybody here?’ he called out softly. Perhaps the girl had fled after they had left. The sweat from the cycle ride ran down his spine and he shivered. He’d been in lots of empty buildings, but at night, alone, they never failed to scare him.
    He went into the oak-panelled room and stared up the chimney. There was no way he was climbing back up it.
    â€˜I saw you,’ he said. ‘Come down if you’re up there. I won’t hurt you . . .’
    But there was only darkness and silence. He turned and made his way out of the room, his boots crunching