Page 42 of The Knight

The tick of the engine was too loud.

She yanked the car door open, a metallic screech in her ears.

The world tilted as she tumbled out, palms and knees scraping the rough tarmac. She scrambled to her feet, heart pounding a frantic rhythm against her ribcage.

Need to get away. Can’t breathe.

She bolted. Away from the road, her vision tunneling to the undefined horizon.

Behind her, Abe called her name, but the sound was distant, drowned out by the roaring in her ears and the crushing weight of guilt.

Run.Each footfall sent shockwaves through her body, matching the tempest of emotion threatening to drown her. The events of the morning were a horrific blur as she ran, her lungs burning from the effort. Low-level bushes tore at her dungarees. Her toe snagged something immovable. The world went topsy-turvy as she crashed to the ground. The impact drove the air from her lungs in a painful whoosh. Panic clawed at her throat as she scrabbled in the dirt, gritty earth grinding beneath her nails.

A weight slammed into her from behind. Strong arms enveloped her, and a familiar voice cut through the din in her ears. “Freya, it’s okay. I’ve got you.”

No. No.She couldn’t let him see her like this—stripped of her carefully constructed armor, raw and broken. Freya lashed out, nails digging into flesh, heels kicking back with desperate strength. But Abe’s grip remained unbreakable, his voice a firm anchor in her ear, telling her everything was going to be okay. He was there for her.

Finally, she had nothing more. She sagged against him, dimly aware of the gentle pressure of his lips against her hair. He cradled her, rocking her back and forth. The tenderness of the gesture pierced through her defenses. No one had held her like this since she could remember. Her father had died too young, and her mother had been lost in the labyrinth of her own fractured mind.

The fight drained from her limbs, leaving her boneless. The hands that held her were bloody. “They hurt you.”

“I’ll live. It’s just a flesh wound.” Abe’s voice rumbled, a soothing vibration against her back. “They won’t get away with it.”

He held her till she stopped shaking, and her breathing returned to normal. The heat of him soaked through her, melting away all the defenses she had constructed to protectherself. For a moment, the world narrowed to just the two of them.

Somehow stronger together than alone. Was that what a relationship was? When the whole was greater than two separate entities? But where did she go from here?

“I don’t know what to do anymore.” Her voice cracked at the admission. She was always the one with a plan.

“You don’t honor those who’ve fallen by lying down and giving up.” He helped her up to sitting, traced one finger down her cheek. “You get back up and keep fighting. You’re stronger than you know.”

She studied him. There wasmorebehind his words.

“You lost someone, didn’t you?”

A shadow crossed his face, his gaze drifting toward the horizon as if revisiting a battlefield that still haunted him. When he spoke, his voice was low, weighed down by memory. “Two of my team. Afghanistan. We got intel on a weapons stash, a location the translator swore was solid.” He paused, his jaw tightening, remembering Mariam’s lies. “It was a trap. They walked into an ambush because of me—because I trusted the wrong woman. She was working with a local warlord, feeding us false information. My teammates didn’t make it out.”

She reached out, took his hand in hers. “God. I’m so sorry, Abe.” She understood the turmoil in his eyes—the sensation of being lost in a world that no longer made sense.

He dipped his head, drawing in a deep breath. When he looked up again, determination glinted in his brown eyes. “We have to keep fighting, Freya. It’s the only way.”

Muscle in her jaw hardened, and something inside her shifted. This wasn’t just about the laptop or the data anymore. This was about survival—hers and the people she cared about. And about justice.

“Raptor will pay.”For hurting Asta.She fumbled in her pocket for a tissue, wiping her face. Tears wouldn’t fix this. Her mind, however—that was a weapon. “Tears change nothing. Did you know problem-solving in high-stress situations increases by 27% when we shift focus from emotions to strategy?” Her voice was calm again, facts anchoring her.

One brow winged upward. “Is that what you’re doing now?”

Freya met his gaze, the vulnerability fading, her armor sliding back into place.It’s the only way forward, isn’t it?“Raptor might have resources but they’ve made a fatal mistake.”

Abe frowned. “What’s that?”

“They’ve given us something to fight for.”

23

Abe pushedhimself to his feet, wincing as he cradled his injured arm against his body. Pain radiated from the wound, sending sharp stabs through his nerves with each subtle movement. Just a scuff. Although the throbbing ache suggested otherwise. He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to focus on the situation.

With his good hand, he fished the compass from his pocket. The cool metal felt reassuring against his palm as he squinted at the dial, his mind racing through calculations.Several hours to the pickup point. We can make it. We have to.

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