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The next morning, Abe wasn’t sure if the Ice Queen was trying to lose them in the claustrophobic corridors of Hellisheidi power station, but she certainly seemed to be making an effort.

She walked fast.

He exchanged a glance with Fox.

Very fast.

Good job his legs were fucking long. He kept pace with no effort at all.

They would ship out first thing tomorrow. Zak would escort the boxed archives by ship, but he and Fox would accompany Freya on a flight to Oslo. Fox had triple checked their travel arrangements for departure. They both knew only too well that where Raptor was concerned, there was no room for mistakes.

Her gaze was locked straight ahead, her heels clicking on the concrete floor as she escorted them down to her lab. She wore fitted dress pants and a pale gray sweater, clearly chosen to convey seriousness and professionalism, but the way they hugged her body gave him inappropriate ideas.

She’d secured her hair in a twisted plait at the back of her head. As yesterday, the overall impression was severe, but the few tendrils that had escaped on her nape were distracting. He imagined they would be soft if he wound one of them around his finger.

She glanced over her shoulder as if to check they were still following. He raised a hand in acknowledgment. Her mouth compressed as she whipped her head to face forward once more.

Hell yeah. Still here, Duchess.

She exuded efficiency and a love of her work. Little else. What would it take to coax out a genuine smile, or perhaps even a laugh? Or even what it would be like to witness her genuinely flustered and uninhibited. Did someone as meticulously controlled as Freya even know how to truly let loose?

He shook his head as his thoughts about her unexpectedly drifted toward X-rated. What the fuck was that about? On his scale of women, Freya didn’t even register. He didn’t need that kind of grief.

He dragged his attention off her ass and onto the lines of conduit running above his head on the gray concrete ceiling. Focus. He was here to protect her. Nothing else. Besides. Freya looked so buttoned-up she would likely implode before she let go. Some women were just built like that.

“This is my primary lab where I’ve been working the last few months.” Her tone was glacial and he let it wash over him, setting his errant thoughts back in order. She palmed the glass door lock. “This door is encoded to me and my team alone. Only we have access to this room. It works on recognition of biological features.” A beam of light slid down her palm and back up again and then the door opened.

“How did the other team break in?” Fox eyed the lock, his bushy eyebrows joining.

“Synthetic biometrics possibly.” A crease formed on her forehead. “But we’ve not been able to confirm this. A lot of potential evidence was destroyed in the chaos.”

“An insider job?” Abe asked.

“Perhaps.” Her head tilted as if surprised at his question. Maybe she still had the whole I’m working with grunts thing going on. “It’s an ongoing investigation.”

She stepped into the lab ahead of him, and Abe followed with Fox. The room hummed with the quiet efficiency of high-end equipment, and the air was crisp with the scent of ozone. Sleek, metallic surfaces gleamed under the harsh fluorescent lights and lab stools were tucked under the counters in neat military rows.

Fox gave a low whistle, his expression grim.

Meticulously packed crates lined the far wall. Abe’s gut cramped at the sight of Raptor’s familiar insignia.

This was why they were here.

Raptor’s illegal research on microchips designed to manipulate the minds of military veterans. The innocuous-looking brown cardboard boxes hid the devastating reality. Their contents had already ruined lives—and held the potential to destroy countless more.

PTSD had scarred several of Abe’s teammates. He knew only too well the life-changing impact of the condition. The chip had been marketed as a breakthrough—offering relief from the torment of traumatic memories. But Raptor had tapped into its darker potential. Instead of just easing pain, the chip erased emotion, turning soldiers into something far more dangerous: operatives who would carry out any mission without question or conscience.

Fuck.

Raptor had trialed the chip on innocent veterans who had served their country, including Fox’s woman Abbie. Abe would be glad when all of it was finally locked away for good in Norway’s government vaults.

Fox hooked a stool to sit on as Freya walked up to the boxes. “Every box is labeled with an alphanumeric code. I devised the system myself to ensure maximum efficiency for storage and cataloging in Norway.”

“Impressive.” Abe cranked one eyebrow.

Freya dipped her head slightly, acknowledging his compliment.

“The core algorithms driving the microchip’s neural interface are stored on my encrypted laptop.”

A small silver door was set into the wall above the counter on the far side of the room. She tapped on a digital keypad, and the door released with a smooth, well-oiled click. Reaching inside, she pulled out a sleek laptop case.

“My laptop.” She placed it on one of the pristine stainless-steel counters. “My flight is at eight tomorrow evening so we shall leave for the airport at one pm?—”

“Isn’t that a little early?” Abe walked down the lines of boxes. Each box was stamped with detailed stickers, placed with geometrical precision.

Her plush lips pressed together. “Actually, it’s precisely calculated. Based on a statistical analysis of flight departures from Keflavík International Airport over the past five years, there’s a seventy-three percent chance of experiencing delays of thirty minutes or more during this time slot. Additionally, security wait times increase by an average of twenty-two minutes between five and eight pm due to overlapping flight schedules. Factoring in these variables, along with a standard deviation for unforeseen circumstances, a one pm departure provides an optimal ninety-eight percent probability of making our flight without undue stress or rush.” She paused for breath and propped one hand on her hip, challenge bleeding from her brilliant blue eyes. “Does that answer your question?”

Hot damn . How did one woman make statistics sound so fricking sexy? Abe flashed her his teeth in a grin. “I guess it does.”

“And the laptop is secured?” Fox asked.

She popped open the latches and pivoted the case so he and Fox could see. The computer was built into the frame of the case. The lid housed a slim, high-resolution touchscreen monitor, seamlessly integrated into the case’s interior while the bottom half contained a low-profile keyboard. “My laptop runs an encryption algorithm I personally developed. It’s virtually unbreakable.” Her chin tipped upward by a degree.

“Virtually?”

“Nothing is unbreakable, Abe.” Her lips pursed. “The algorithm is encrypted to my face. Only I can open the documents it contains. Of course, I will change that when we arrive in Oslo, but until then, the data is secure.”

Abe scrutinized the laptop. “If your encryption includes a facial recognition lock, how do you account for potential spoofing attempts using high-resolution images or 3D-printed masks?”

She blinked and folded her arms across the perfect rise of her breasts as if reassessing him.

Not all grunt, heh, Duchess?

The muscles in her jaw popped almost imperceptibly. “Well, I’m impressed you’re aware of such vulnerabilities.”

“For a hoorah shouting SEAL?”

Fox shifted from his perch on a stool, his gaze flicking between Abe and Freya with newfound interest.

She squared her shoulders. “To answer your question, yes, there is a facial recognition component. However, it’s far more sophisticated than standard systems. I’ve implemented a multi-spectral imaging system that captures data beyond the visible spectrum. This includes near-infrared and ultraviolet wavelengths to detect the unique subsurface features of living tissue.”

Abe met her gaze with genuine interest. She continued to amaze and intrigue him. She was like no other woman he’d ever encountered.

When he didn’t speak, she continued. “In addition, my program analyzes micro-expressions and involuntary muscle movements. This effectively counters any static image or mask-based spoofing attempts such as you described.” Her eyes remain locked on him, almost daring him to ask for clarification. “Further, there is a kill switch embedded in the encryption, in case of a worst-case scenario.”

“That’s reassuring, Freya. Thank you.” He ensured his tone was genuine.

“Hmm.” She made a tiny noise that drew his attention to the curve of her mouth and arrowed instant heat to his cock.

Struggling to maintain his professional composure, Abe made a show of checking his watch. The unexpected surge of heat threatened to overwhelm him. He drew in a slow breath. "Can we confirm our departure point?—"

The sterile quiet of the lab shattered as an alarm klaxon screamed to life.