Chapter 21

21

Freya’s hand trembled as she reached for the phone, her body still humming from Abe’s unexpected kiss. Her fingertips grazed her lips chasing the ghost of his touch. Her world had tilted on its axis in a brief, electric moment of desire mixed with danger.

Was the kiss real, or just a by-product of their life-or-death situation?

She gripped the receiver, stealing a glance at Abe. His intense gaze sent a fresh wave of heat through her. Freya swallowed hard and forced her voice to steady. “Hello?”

“Freya.” Asta’s voice crackled with urgency, distorted through the poor connection. “Listen. I don’t have much time. I came back from the market on a different route. There are men surrounding my house.”

A muffled noise in the background made the hair on Freya’s arms rise.

“Asta. Are you okay?”

“I can stop them, but you must act now. Get to your car—I made some adjustments last night. Drive up the hill—fast. Don’t look back, no matter what.”

Adjustments? Freya’s throat tightened. “Asta, we can’t just abandon you?—”

“This is not up for debate.” Asta’s tone was sharp as steel. “I may be old, and my lifestyle is simple, but I am far from helpless. My research, it’s valuable, heh? Let’s just say it has uses beyond academia.”

“But, Asta?—”

“Do as I say.” The line went dead with a decisive click.

She lowered the phone, her mind spinning. Asta was an old woman. They had to protect her, not the other way around.

“Freya?”

She turned to Abe, her voice little more than a shred of a whisper. “Asta wants us to go. Says she’s going to deal with the men.”

“What? How?” He was checking out the window. The gun in his hand was matte black and sucked light from the room.

“She didn’t say.” Her stomach knotted. “We can’t leave her, Abe.”

Abe crossed the room. “We don’t have a choice. If we stay here, we’re sitting ducks. They won’t kill you—they need you to decrypt the laptop. But after that?” He let the question hang in the air.

Freya nodded, her throat dry, a lump forming she couldn’t swallow down.

“Okay.” Abe took hold of her arm, guiding her through the kitchen in a low crouch. They moved silently to the small cloakroom at the rear of the house. “It’s a quick sprint to the SUV. I left it unlocked.” His grip hardened. “They need you alive to access the data. That gives us an edge.”

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

Abe boosted her up to the cloakroom window and Freya scrambled through, paint flaking off and sticking to her palms. She hit the ground with a soft thud, the damp earth soaking into her knees. Seconds later, Abe squeezed through behind her, a low grunt escaping him as the frame scraped his ribs.

Freya scanned the area, searching for any sign of movement. The air felt heavy, electric, as if danger crackled just beyond sight. Abe’s controlled breathing was a comfort behind her. If he can do this, so can I . She focussed on slowing her breathing, fighting to control her urge to bolt.

“Now what?” she whispered, as her heart gunned into overdrive.

Abe’s hand was gentle between her shoulder blades, urging her forward. “We run. Fast and low. Don’t stop until you’re in the car. Ready?”

“Now!” he hissed, grabbing Freya’s hand and launching them both into the open.

Freya’s feet pounded against the uneven ground, her breaths coming in ragged gasps. Abe matched her stride for stride, but the SUV, parked for a quick escape, seemed impossibly far away.

A shout shattered the air. “There!”

Abe’s hand clamped down on Freya’s upper arm. “Stop!”

“We’re only halfway?—”

The distinctive crack of gunfire erupted, bullets kicking up dirt in a deliberate pattern just ahead of them.

With a grunt, he shoved Freya behind a rocky outcropping, his body shielding her as he transitioned into a firing stance. He squeezed off a round of precise shots. A cry of pain confirmed his aim.

He ducked back down, ejecting the spent magazine and slamming a fresh one home. “Three, maybe four. Well-trained. Change of plan.” He pressed the car keys into her palm. “When I say ‘go,’ you sprint for the SUV. Don’t stop, don’t look back. Clear?”

“I can’t just?—”

“Freya. I need to provide cover fire. You do exactly as I say. I’m right behind you. That’s a promise.”

She took a cautious peek. The SUV might as well have been on Mars. Her stomach cramped as she shifted into a runner’s crouch, fingers digging into the black soil. This was insanity. There had to be another way.

“You zig zag. No straight lines. Got it?”

She nodded, concentrating on not throwing up.

Abe leaned out, squeezing off two more shots in quick succession.

A bullet whizzed past, close enough that Freya felt the displacement of air. Hell.

“Go! Now!”

Adrenaline surged through her veins and she exploded from cover, doing her best to zig zag as Abe had instructed. The sound of return fire was deafening, but she reached the SUV.

Freaking miracle.

She yanked open the driver’s door and dove inside.