Elle snorted. “Famous last words, huh?” she said to his back as he let himself out of her office.
After taking the elevator down to the basement, he walked along a plain gray corridor and let himself into the security hub, using his pass. One that Ryan had helpfully coded for full access to all areas of TayFor.
The security hub sat opposite the IT department, and both were overseen by the head of security, Terrance King, a man who’d been with TayFor since leaving the police force over a decade earlier. Security and IT were definitely King’s domain, and he never let anyone forget it. Which was one of the reasons Harvard had come looking for the man.
He was easy to find, standing right in the middle of the surveillance room, watching the wall of screens over the shoulders of his staff who were tasked with monitoring them. And neither staff member looked relaxed about having their boss at their backs.
Although the former police officer was in his fifties, Terrance kept himself in shape through daily workouts. His hair was graying at the temples, which Harvard suspected he liked, as it gave him an air of respectability that only came with age. He was a generically handsome man, kind of like a grandfather version of Ken Doll.
Glancing over his shoulder at Harvard, he frowned. “You could have given me a heads-up about raiding the security footage.”
The two security guards instantly perked up as they blatantly eavesdropped. Something they couldn’t help but do when Terrance stood right behind them. It was sloppy professionalism on his part, which made Harvard think Ryan was right—the man’s ego was getting in the way of his better judgment and their operation.
“How about we take this into your office,” Harvard said coldly. It was an order, and everyone in the room knew it.
The two guards instantly became very focused on their task in an obvious attempt to fly under their boss’s radar. Interesting. Looked like Terrance was the kind of manager who took out his frustrations on his people.
“Get back to work,” Terrance snapped at them, even though it was clear they were working.
It was on the tip of Harvard’s tongue to tell the man to stop being an asshole. But he wasn’t there to educate Terrance on how to lead a team. He was there to get his own job done. And if that meant stepping all over Terrance’s ego to achieve what he needed, then he could live with that.
Terrance straightened his back and gestured toward his office. “If you’ll follow me. I’ve been meaning to talk to you about several issues that have arisen around Ms. Ford-Talbot’s protection.”
Harvard didn’t bother to pull him up for pretending the meeting was his idea. He’d let the guy give the impression he was about to chew Harvard out over something that had put his nose out of joint—this time. But he could have told him that you didn’t earn the respect of your team by puffing out your chest and pissing in corners to mark your territory.
“What the hell?” Terrance snapped as he closed the door behind them.
He stalked around his vast mahogany desk, which wouldn’t have looked out of place in the CEO’s office, and sat in his leather office chair. It was an interesting setup for head of security and fit in perfectly with his tailored suit and polished shoes. The man had ambition, a taste for the good things in life, and an overly developed sense of his own worth.
Terrance pointed at Harvard. “You are only here with my cooperation, which means you don’t get to come into the office before work to download security footage without my permission. The CEO will hear about this. Benson Security has overstepped the line, and it’s time for you to go.”
If Terrance had hoped to intimidate with his threats, he’d picked the wrong guy. “Funny thing, I came in here to talk to you about lines.” Standing on the other side of the desk, Harvard casually picked up a glass paperweight and studied it. “This is your only warning. Don’t risk my team by exposing their covers. Don’t interfere with our investigation. Keep your opinions to yourself and bend over backward to be helpful, or…”
“Or what?” His lip curled into a sneer.
The glass paperweight seemed a strange choice for a man like Terrance, because tucked inside the heavy orb was the three-dimensional rendering of a flower. Harvard cocked his head. It looked like purple heather, but not quite. Patchouli, that’s what it was. He turned it over and read the inscription on the base: Welcome to TayFor. He returned it to the desk.
Harvard unbuttoned his suit jacket and thrust his hands into his pants’ pockets as he sauntered over to look at the photos on the wall. It was a gallery dedicated to Terrance’s ego. Photo after photo showed him standing beside somebody famous. It was clear that working for TayFor afforded the man many perks that other jobs couldn’t. Access to the elite definitely being one of them.
“You spent a few years in the army before you joined the police force,” Harvard said conversationally, his attention on the photos.
“What the hell has that got to do with anything?” Terrance snapped.
“Just making conversation. I was never in the armed forces.” He turned to look at Terrance. “Not officially anyway. Did a couple of operations when I was with the CIA that blurred the lines though.” He sauntered to the door. “Did you serve in a hot zone? No? Shame. It forces teammates to bond in a way that’s stronger than family. You come out of it knowing you have brothers at your back. It’s a good feeling.”
“Unless you have a point to make, get the hell out of my office.”
Harvard inclined his head. “Officially, having already served your country, you’re eligible for recall if your government deems it necessary. Now, it just so happens that one of the men I consider a brother is pretty high up in your military. Not so long ago, he was saying he needed men with experience for tours in Afghanistan. Men with some life under their belts, who wouldn’t go off half-cocked and get their fellow soldiers killed. Men like you.”
Terrance leaned back in his seat, trying to appear relaxed, which he might have pulled off if his jaw hadn’t been clenched so tight. “You think you can have me recalled and sent to Afghanistan?” he mocked.
“No.” Harvard flashed a friendly smile as he opened the door. “I know I can.” With that, he walked out, closing it quietly behind him.
The two guards manning the desk shot him curious but wary looks. Harvard nodded to them. “Doing a good job there,” he said. “Staring at screens all day long isn’t easy. Has your chief got you swapping out every few hours?”
They shared a look before the man nearest to him spoke. “Uh, no. We work on a weekly rotation. Night shift for a week. Patrol, front desk, security checkpoints. That sort of thing. Each one lasts a week, sometimes more. Depending on who’s on.”
“Or who doesn’t turn up,” the other guy said.
“Well,” Harvard said pleasantly, wondering how Terrance had managed to get this job when it was clear he had no idea how to do it, “that’s another option.” Not one he’d use, but this wasn’t his circus, and they weren’t his monkeys. “You know where Ryan is?”
“Sure,” the first guy said. “Conference room. Down the corridor, third door on the left.”
“Thanks.” He squashed the urge to give them tips on staying vigilant and keeping track of details while they were on desk duty. If Rachel were there, she’d have smacked him upside the head and asked what the hell was he thinking taking on more work when he had enough of his own.