Page 84 of Knight

She sways slightly, exhaustion clear in every line of her body. I should send her to rest. Should finish securing Hardwick's cooperation through all the digital leverage I can find. Instead, I find myself pulling her closer, letting her lean against me while I work.

"I need to brush my teeth." She sounds young suddenly. Lost.

"Go. Clean up properly." I release her hand. "I'll be here when you're done."

She disappears down the hallway, heading for the guest room, and I try not to think about how much this is changing her. How muchI'mchanging her.

Or whether she'll ever forgive either of us for it.

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

Evangeline

I haven't told Knight,but my knees haven't stopped shaking since the coffee shop. I grip the edge of the bathroom sink, watching the stranger in the mirror try to process what I've just done to another woman. The face staring back at me feels foreign, hollowed out by guilt. The taste of mint toothpaste can’t quite wash away the acid burn of guilt.

When I finally emerge, Knight is still at his workstation, typing with the kind of focused intensity that suggests something is bothering him.

"We need to deal with your clothing situation," he says without looking up from his screens. "I made a call." His tone is clipped, the words an interruption rather than an invitation to chat.

"A call?"

"Magdalena is bringing some things you need. Rook's girlfriend," he adds when I don't respond.

I look down at the sweats and t-shirt he loaned me. "I thought no one was allowed up here."

"They're not. Not without invitation, anyway." His attention stays on whatever he's working on. "Which is why we're going down to meet her."

He pushes away from the desk. “She should be arriving any time now.”

The elevator responds to his code, descending smoothly to the lobby. Knight checks his phone, a muscle ticking in his jaw. The lobby is empty when we arrive, just polished floors and glass doors looking out onto the street.

“Stay here.” He strides outside to where a woman stands next to a car. She hands him several bags with a smile, like she knows how to navigate his discomfort without pushing him. Knight’s shoulders remain stiff, his nod curt. Their conversation is too quiet to hear, but his irritation is obvious in every line of his body. When she briefly touches his arm, he tolerates it rather than welcomes it, and I can almostfeelthe distance he’s trying to maintain.

"Here." He returns with the bags. "Magdalena said everything should fit."

The elevator ride back up is silent. I hold the bags, trying not to think about the kind of family that understands when someone needs help but won't ask questions about why.

"There's a phone in there," he says as we reach his floor. "She said she’s already added her number to the contacts in case you need anything else."

“What if I use it to report you?”

“Do it. See what happens.”

I sigh. "You don't like asking for help at all, do you?"

"What I don't like is having my routines disrupted." He heads straight for his workstation. "Put those in the guest room. We need to review the infiltration plans."

The bags yield carefully chosen items—practical clothes that could blend anywhere, underwear that makes me want to cry with relief, even a dress that could pass for business wear. Everything selected to help without drawing attention. A small note is tucked into the side pocket. I unfold it.

Call if you need anything - D

The kindness feels so out of place in this world that it knots my stomach.

After setting the bags in the guest room, I go and join Knight at his workstation. His expression suggests getting me necessities was just the first step in whatever he's planning.

"Thank you." I sink into the chair beside him. "For getting Magdalena to help."

He doesn't acknowledge my gratitude, pulling up building schematics instead. "Hardwick’s information gives us a way in, but the timing has to be perfect. One mistake and every security system in Horizon Tech activates. Her access card can only be used during normal business hours without it flagging as unusual."

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