Page 17 of The Knight

Abe swung around, his face contorted by anger. “What the actual fuck?—”

Ignoring him, she staggered toward the door on wobbly legs, fury igniting her muscles. “He hasmylaptop.”

10

Abe suckedin a breath gritty with dust and the acrid stink of plaster, and sprinted after Freya.

Anger fueled his legs. She had deliberately knocked him off balance, causing his aim to go wide and allowing the intruder to escape with her precious laptop.

For what? To protect twisted research? As far as he was concerned, it would be no loss to the world if that damned device was blown to smithereens. It would be good fucking riddance.

“Fox. Where the hell are you? Intruder in the lab. I’m in pursuit…with Freya.”

No reply.Something’s up with the comms.

His boots pounded the floor as he gained on her. She’d kicked off her heels and was running full tilt.

The sterile corridors of the research facility abruptly gave way to the cavernous interior of the power station. A jarring shift. The air, previously cool and antiseptic, now hung heavy with humidity and the acrid tang of minerals.

He ran past massive turbines, their deep hum vibrating through the metal grating beneath his feet. Heat radiated from every direction and condensation beaded surfaces, making thehandrails slick and treacherous as he used them to swing around corners. Steam hissed from countless vents, creating a ghostly, ever-shifting landscape of white plumes that obscured vision and muffled sound.

He’d lost sight of her.

Where the hell is she?

He strained to see through the hazy veil of steam, his ears fighting to distinguish footsteps from the omnipresent murmur of machinery. Sweat trickled down his spine as he scanned the area, his shirt clinging uncomfortably to his skin.

There.

She was above him, balanced on a precarious catwalk. Massive copper pipes, thick as tree trunks, snaked overhead, carrying super-heated water from the earth’s depths. Freya’s words disappeared in the plant’s roar, but her frantic gestures told the story. The thief was just feet away from her on the same walkway.

His heart thudded.How do I get up there?

He spun, searching, and spotted the narrow ladder. His fingers slipped on the damp metal as he climbed, legs pumping furiously. He had to reach her before she did something stupid. What part of him being her protection did she not understand?

Abe launched himself onto the catwalk. Metal groaned, vibrations shooting through his soles. Heat blasted from below, forcing him to swipe moisture from his eyes as his chest heaved.

If there was a time when he’d missed the fresh air of Norway more than he did now, he couldn’t remember it.

Freya and the thief stood mere feet apart. The man’s hands were locked on the rails, backpack straps taut over his shoulders. The laptop was still safe—for now.

“Freya.” He hated the tension in his voice.

She ignored him, laser-focused on her target.

“Freya.” He raised his voice, hot blood pounding in his temples.

“I have this, Abe.” She didn’t even glance back.

What the fuck.“Freya. Walk backward. Let me go first.”

“Sorry. Can’t do that.” Freya released the handrail, raising her hands in a show of submission.

“Freya, I’m telling you —”

She inched closer to the thief, as if expecting him to hand over his prize.

Too close.

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