Page 57 of The Knight

Abe pulled a seat out for her. She shot him a grateful smile. “It has been difficult, yes, but I have been well looked after by Abe and Fox.”

Kat nodded approvingly. “Good to hear. Shall we get straight to the point? You’re all likely wondering why I asked for this meeting in person.”

Freya waited; hands folded in her lap.

“Recent intelligence has given us a lead on the missing laptop. Given the potential security breach at Hellisheidi, I couldn’t risk sharing this information electronically.”

Freya’s gut clenched.What had they found?

Her eyes darted to Abe, who covered her hands with his own. At his touch, the knot in her belly eased, though the fear remained.

Kat unclipped a brown manila envelope from the blue file. She tipped it over, spreading photographs across the table. “These were taken by one of our operatives. We’ve placed an agent deep within Adrik Korolov’s organization.”

“Adrik Korolov? I know the name.” Leo picked up a photograph and studied it before passing it to Freya. It was a glossy ten by eight print of a well-dressed man entering what looked like a high-end club—Nightingales.In his shadow walked two heavyset men. Security, she guessed.

Kat tapped the photograph closest to her, spun the photograph to face her. “Adrik Korolov. Russian arms dealer with a penchant for high-tech weaponry. Our sources confirm he’s in possession of your device, Freya. He’s the one who arranged for it to be stolen. Do you recognize him?”

Freya licked her dry lips. This was her nightmare made real—someone using her work to weaponize innocent people. She leaned closer to the photograph, willing herself to recognize his features. “There was a group of investors who toured the plant just before I completed the archive.” The memory was hazy. So much had happened since then. “But I can’t—I’m sorry, I don’t recognize him.”

She scanned the assembled group at the table. “Even if it was him, the archiving was classified. How would he have known what was going on? Or even that all the crucial data was on my laptop? The thieves wasted no time looking at anything else. They went straight for the laptop, no questions asked.”

Kat shook her head. “That’s still unclear. We’re investigating potential leaks, but nothing concrete yet.”

An insider. Her first gut instinct, now haunting her again with fresh evidence.

“Korolov sent men to Iceland last week,” Kat continued. “A squad of his best mercenaries. One was found restrained at the home of Dr. Asta Eriksdottir—a notable Icelandic physicist.”

Freya gasped.Asta.“Is she okay? We had to leave, and we didn’t know if she was even—” Her hand flew to her mouth as memories of their escape flooded back.

Kat nodded, and a sudden lightness blew through Freya.

Thank God.

“Dr. Eriksdottir is safe and well. I can’t say the same for one of Korolov’s men. He was found tied to a kitchen chair, wearing a colander as a helmet.” Kat narrowed her eyes at the document. “At least according to the report.”

Abe snorted. “Definitely sounds like Asta.”

Freya dabbed at her eyes, her relief hardening into resolve. She met Kat’s gaze across the table. “How can I help you retrieve the laptop from Korolov?”

“One company he uses as a front is hosting a charity gala in a few days at the Dorchester. It’s a cover for a high-stakes tech auction.”

“Let me guess,” Abe said. “The laptop’s on the block.”

“Yes.” Kat agreed.

“But it’s still encrypted,” Freya said.

Kat nodded. “Yes. Which gives us an opportunity?—”

Abe made a choked sound. “Absolutely not.”

Freya spun to face him. Was she missing something here?

“Abe. Do you have something to share?” Leo asked.

“We can’t put a civilian at risk in an operation.” Abe met Freya’s gaze. “Especially one like Korolov. His security team are animals.”

Oh.

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