Taking a deep breath, Jake picked up his spent brass, backed out of there, and made his way back to the rental car.
Two days later, after Jake had first gone to get his car in Vienna, he drove back to Zell am See to spend a day with the Schult family. He met Anna’s parents; they had a great New Year’s Eve meal and party, and then Anna and Jake went back to the chalet for their own private party.
Now the two of them sat again before the fire and drank champagne.
“I got a call today from Franz Martini,” Anna said. “They found Hermann Conrad in Germany. Shot twice in the chest and once in the forehead. Looked like a professional hit.”
“Really. That’s too bad. I was looking forward to another meeting with the man.”
“I’ll bet,” she said. She clinked her glass on his and they both drank down the champagne.
“Any thought about moving to Vienna?”
“A lot of thought,” he said. “I think it’s a great idea.” He took her glass and set both down on the coffee table. Then he took her in his arms and they kissed for a full minute before embracing again, lost in the glow of the fire.
Two weeks later in a semi-private ceremony in Vienna, Gustav Albrecht, the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, made Jake Adams an honorary knight. Moments later, the Federal President of Austria conferred upon Jake the Great Golden Decoration with Star of Austria, the highest honor Austria bestowed upon any civilian.