Page 60 of Mr. and Mrs. Novak

"I’ll keep you updated as soon as we have any news," he replies, not pushing.

I hang up and think about his words long after the call ends.

"There’s only you."

Then the rational part of me takes over again.

She took the USB drive. Now all we can do is wait for her to take the bait.

32. Invitation

RUSLAN

I took a shower and rinsed my mouth in the private bathroom of my office to erase any trace of Natasha on my skin. Never again. Every minute spent with her is a betrayal of Sophia, and I refuse to make her suffer any more. I then meet with Akim and Nicolas to assess the situation. Nicolas's office is a high-tech cave on the top floor of Gloventis. Three giant screens cover an entire wall, displaying our systems' activity in real time. The place is bathed in calculated dimness, lit only by the blue glow of monitors and a few LEDs from sophisticated equipment.

"The USB key has been plugged in," announces Nicolas, his glasses reflecting the scrolling lines of code.

I step forward, Akim right behind me. Our silhouettes stretch across the wall of screens.

"Natasha opened the 'Photos' folder as planned. The program is installing on her PC... it's spreading to their local network... Now, we wait for Stanislas to turn on his computer."

"How long?" asks Akim.

"Impossible to say. He needs to start his PC. But we can't just stand here waiting."

Nicolas activates some alerts on his phone.

"I'll be notified as soon as he connects. In the meantime, we might as well work on other files."

We settle in the adjacent small lounge, furnished with a leather sofa and two club chairs. Akim pulls files from his briefcase while I report my conversation with Natasha.

"I have the name of the client, he's called André Korzton. They're organizing a new delivery."

"I know that name," Akim suddenly tells us. "He's a neo-Nazi bigwig. What's he doing with him?"

For two hours, we discuss Stanislas's possible involvement in neo-Nazi networks and the next delivery. Will he use a company like ours for this new shipment? Should we increase vigilance on everything passing through Le Havre? Is it time to show our cards and contact internal security? Nicolas makes regular trips back to his screens, ensuring everything is working.

As we weigh the pros and cons, we wonder if we have enough evidence to prove our innocence. Nicolas's phone vibrates.

"We're in!" he exclaims, jumping from his chair.

We rush to the screens. Nicolas sits in front of the keyboard, his fingers flying over the keys.

"Stanislas just started his PC... Installation in progress... It's done. We have access."

Files begin to scroll before our eyes. Nicolas navigates expertly through the directory structure.

"Encrypted files everywhere... Give me a minute."

His fingers dance on the keyboard as he deploys his decryption tools.

"Here we go... Coded emails, documents... Wait, look at this."

He opens an Excel file.

"Transfers to accounts in Cyprus and Dubai. Some dates correspond to our 'technical' stopovers."

My stomach knots.