rescue plan

“Point,” Lara said. “What next?”
“Next is plausibly getting you both out of the reception,” Murphy said.
“What do we use to do that?” Lara asked.
Murphy smiled grimly. “Expectations.”

Peace Talks Chapter 25, Page 240


“There,” Freydis said a moment later as the turn took Mab out of my sight. “She’s sitting.”
I leaned down close to Freydis’s ear and said, “Well. I guess we should do it, then.”
“Nothing personal, tiger,” she murmured back into mine.
Then Freydis drew back, her face drawn up in an expression of outrage, and smacked me.
Okay.
Maybe that was understating it.
The Valkyrie, who could potentially have lifted an entire automobile and chucked it a short distance, dealt me an open-hand blow to the cheekbone with the full power of her body. It was like taking a right cross from a professional slugger. If I hadn’t rolled with it, she’d have knocked my startled ass completely unconscious.
The script called for me to grope her a bit as she pulled away from me, exactly the kind of behavior everyone expected from the Winter Knight, but my brains were so scrambled I could barely manage to make it look like a socially awkward hug she was avoiding. She stalked over to the White Court’s camp, straight up to Lara. The redhead looked fantastic and drew the attention of the room as she did it. She reported to Lara in low tones, thrusting a fingertip at me along the way, her expression going from outrage to strain to visible distress.
Lara glared daggers at me from across the floor, sliding a supportive arm around Freydis’s shoulders. She guided the other woman across the room, pausing at the same doorway where I’d gotten some quiet space last night. She spoke to one of the caterers and then stepped through with Freydis.
The room had gone quiet except for the musicians, and everyone was looking at me.
“Sir Knight,” came Mab’s voice, very clearly and very calmly.
That got everyone’s attention, though they mostly tried not to be obvious about it. Even Vadderung and Ferrovax broke their casual staring contest to regard what else was happening in the room.
I could have sworn Mab’s gown was deep purple when she entered the hall a moment ago, but when I looked back up at her seat, the cloth had turned as dark as midnight, and streaks of black were flowing through her silver-white hair.
We were about ten seconds into this heist and Mab was already halfway into her full form as judge, jury, and executioner of Winter. Perfect.
I looked aside and found myself facing my grandfather. Ebenezar gave me a look that was as panicked as I’d ever seen him give. I wanted to reassure him, somehow, to throw a wink at him. But I didn’t want anyone to see that gesture, not with what was coming up. So instead, I gave him a small shrug, turned back to Mab, and bowed my head. Then I hurried over to her.
“Sir Knight,” Mab said, her voice lowered to an intimate volume. “You have annoyed a valuable ally. Explain yourself.”
“You don’t want me to,” I replied in a similar tone. “Look, I need to ask you for something I never really expected to want from you.”
Mab arched a brow. “And that is?”
“Your trust,” I said. “That I’m acting on your behalf.”
Mab’s eyes widened slightly.
“I need your assistance,” I said. “Look at the door Lara just left through, and then at me like you want to murder me.”
“For that, I shall hardly need to invoke a dramatic muse,” Mab murmured. But she thrust her chin toward the door Lara had just departed through and then turned her wide dark eyes back to mine. “This is a public pantomime. You play for high stakes.” Her eyes narrowed dangerously. “Do not bring me embarrassment with your failure.”
“No, my queen,” I said, loud enough for the room to hear. I stepped back from her and bowed deeply at the waist, before putting on an expression that I assumed looked angry and chagrined, and hurrying after Lara.
****
“What good is it going to do us to get into the gym?” Lara asked. “I’ve seen it. There’s no way down to the holding cell from there.”
Murphy smirked. “Like I said. You visited the place a few times. I lived there. Especially in the gym.”
****
One of Marcone’s people in the red jackets looked like he might disagree with me going up the stairs to the gym, but I pacified him with upraised hands and said, “I need to sort this out or my boss is gonna kill me. Just give me a minute.”
It was one of the same guys from the night before. The guard looked from me over toward Marcone’s camp. Marcone didn’t look up from his conversation, but Hendricks, at his right hand, gave the guard a nod.
The guard stepped back with a grimace and said, “Watch that Freydis, man. She’ll gut you as soon as look at you.”
“Spoken like a three,” I said. He looked confused. I kept moving.
 I came up the stairs to the soft sounds of Freydis’s sobs. Lara was standing by the nearest corner of the boxing ring with her arms around the Valkyrie’s shoulders. I checked the stairs behind me to be sure that they were empty, closed the door, and said, “Clear.”
“Od’s blood, I should have been an actress,” Freydis said in a pleased voice, standing clear of Lara.
“Well. The Einherjaren weren’t buying it,” I said. “Everyone knows you’re up to something.”
Lara smirked at me. Vampiric allure completely aside, the woman had a smirk that was to die for, and her little black dress was stylish and stunning. She flexed her hands like claws and said, “Getting my hooks into Mab’s Knight, of course.”

Peace Talks Chapter 25, Page 244-247