Page 32 of The Knight
“Abe.” Fox’s voice was sharp, straight to business.
Abe tilted his head. With no artificial light nearby, the stars were out full force. It was blindingly beautiful. “Fox. Things got messy at Freya’s house.”
“I know. The police are swarming the place like ants on sugar.”
“They find anything?”
“Are you asking because you care, or?—”
Abe let out a soft chuckle, his breath misting.
“Got a location for us?” Fox asked.
He glanced down at Asta’s house, golden light spilling from the windows. “Secure for tonight. But we need an evac.”
“Of course. You have a plan?”
“Air and sea are off the table. Whoever took Freya’s laptop isn’t stopping until they get her. She’s high-value.”
“She’s the key, Abe. They’ll spend whatever it takes to get her.”
“Yeah.” He stared out at the distant lights of an unknown small town. “I’m thinking Jack Hayne.”
“Hayne? You sure?”
“If this is Raptor?—”
Fox paused, then his voice hardened. “Understood. I’ve got your current location from your phone. Sending you the evac point.”
A soft beep confirmed the transfer.
“Stay safe, Abe.”
“Copy that.”
Abe memorized the pickup point relative to their location, then ended the call. Using the edge of his nail, he split the phone case open. He pried out the SIM card and twisted it until it snapped, then pocketed both the broken chip and his now-useless phone.
He turned and headed to the yellow glow of light at the bottom of the hill.
Back to Freya and Asta.
At the house,light flickered from the small living room.
He found Asta kneeling in front of a wood-burning stove, feeding logs into the crackling fire. When she saw him, she stood and dusted off her hands. He shrugged off his hat and jacket, hanging them by the door.
“Made your phone call?”
“Yeah. Thanks.” He rubbed his hands together to force some warm blood back into them.
Asta gave a short, approving nod, before her gaze shifted to the sideboard in the corner. “Nightcap?”
He shucked off his boots and padded into the warm room. Heat seeped into his chilled skin. “I’m on duty.”
“A small one?” Asta crossed the room and pulled a glass bottle from the sideboard with a handwritten label. “My own birch schnapps?” She quirked an eyebrow.
For a second, Abe hesitated. He didn’t want to insult her hospitality—especially not after everything she’d done for them. “Just one.”
Asta’s eyes gleamed with quiet triumph as she poured an inch of the clear liquid into a glass and handed it to him.