Free Survivalist - 21 - To End All War by Jerry Ahern

staring so intendy into a dress shop? He walked on.
    “What’s wrong?”
    “Some guy outside, that’s all.”
    Natalia turned around and glanced toward the windows. “I don’t see him.”
    “Never mind,” Annie told her. “Ohh, look at this!” She took another dress from the rack of formals. It was blue, very plain, very elegant. “Talk about princesses,” she said.
    So far, Natalia had spotted five men, and she was tempted to go to the first German policeman or soldier and report it. But if there were to be an attack and it would be unfocused because it occurred off schedule, many innocent lives might be lost.
    Just because someone—a soldier or a police officer—carried a firearm, there was no reason to suppose that person would be wonderfully proficient in its use. She and Annie could have left the shopping area, gotten themselves out of harm’s way. But postponing the inevitable was nothing she’d ever relished, and if an attack were aimed at them, a similar attack might be aimed at Sarah and Maria.
    So, the thing to do was force the situation.
    For that, she needed to make both Annie and herself appear as irresistibly vulnerable as possible —and very quickly.
    The store was called “Olga’s,” and had, by far, the finest selection of any they had visited.
    There was a beautiful white dress, but Natalia had no tan and the color would only have made her appear paler than she usually looked. She found the perfect thing in black, and despite her height, it seemed as though with a few quick alterations it would be ideal.
    Annie had found a dress as well, also in black. “Ohh, we shouldn’t-“
    “It will be fun, wearing the same color. Let’s try them on,” Natalia volunteered. There were closedike booths at the rear of the store, with doors similar to those used in restrooms, the doors starting about eighteen inches off the floor so the legs of the person behind them were visible.
    The entire booth was constructed similarly, freestanding in a block side-by-side, each sharing a common wall with the next. They were positioned just a short distance from a rear wall of the shop, behind which probably lay some sort of storage area. The idea that had come to Natalia when they’d first entered the store was now something she was certain of.
    They started toward the changing area, Natalia whispering under her breath, “There are five of them, I think, and they’ll try to kill us while we’re changing. You’re wearing boots, so you’ll have to be the maneuver element.” They stopped beside a table and examined junk jewelry. “When we get into the booths, we’ll be side-by-side. If we can’t get two next to one another, well find something else to look at and wait. When we get inside we talk, just loud enough so that anyone listening will know we’re inside. You get out of your boots and leave them standing in the exact center of the space, so anyone looking from the front will see them … think you’re in them. Ill keep talking to you after you’ve left and let my skirt drop to the floor.”
    “Where am I going?”
    “Crawl out under the back wall of the booth, lose yourself in the racks, and get a position of concealment from which you can observe the entrance and the booths. When the men rush in, open up on them and I’ll open fire from the booth. Well have them in a crossfire, neat and clean.”
    “You could get killed.”
    “Don’t worry; then I wouldn’t get to wear this dress.” “All right,” Annie agreed.
    There were two booths side-by-side. Natalia and Annie walked toward them, entering them but not too quickly. Natalia closed the door behind her. “Annie?” Natalia said in a voice just loud enough to be noticeable.
    “Yes?”
    “Do you still have those black pearls?” Annie didn’t have any black pearls. “And I brought them with me, too!”
    “Ohh, good! They’d look wonderful with your dress or mine.” Natalia looked toward the floor. Stocking-footed, Annie was