Harvard crept up the stairs of the apartment building in Thailand’s capital city and signaled to his team to wait. They froze in place, blending into the shadows as the person on the other side of the stairwell door passed by.
As soon as he was sure it was clear, he signaled to move forward. In formation, they passed the door and made their way along the corridor to the corner apartment.
Thanks to a local team that owed Harvard a favor, they already knew the exact layout of the apartment and the location of the two men within it. The surveillance equipment installed throughout the living areas kept them up to date on everything that was happening inside.
Which is how they knew that both men were sound asleep in their beds and alone for the first time in two weeks.
Silently, one of his team picked the lock of their front door, and Harvard signaled for them to slide inside. Working as a well-oiled machine, they cleared each room before splitting into two teams and heading to the bedrooms.
Less than a minute later, the men kneeled in the middle of their shared living room, hands tied in front of them and duct tape over their mouths. And, from the smell of things, one of them had already lost control of his bladder.
Harvard removed his mask and crouched in front of them. He reached into his tactical vest and pulled out two Polaroid photos, holding them up in front of their faces.
The other man’s bladder gave way.
As he got to his feet, he nodded at his team before pulling out his silenced revolver and shooting each man in the middle of the forehead. Once done, he turned his back on them and signaled for the surveillance equipment to be removed from the apartment. It took mere seconds to get it done. And only a few minutes more to get his team safely from the building.
As they climbed aboard the private plane waiting for them at a small airport outside the city, he sent the video file they’d recorded with their surveillance cameras to the local police.
Rachel wasn’t the last woman the men had raped.
In silence, his five-person team buckled in before the plane took off and headed back to London.
“Are you going to tell her?” Megan Raast asked.
The Scottish woman considered herself one of Rachel’s best friends. Which, as far as Harvard could tell, meant she spent most of her time trying to wind Rachel up.
“At some point,” he said.
Megan’s husband, Dimitri, nodded. He’d dealt with the man who’d abused his sister, and out of all of them, could most understand where Harvard was coming from.
“I vote no,” Callum said. “There’s no telling how Rachel will react.”
Ryan barked out a laugh. “We all know how she’d react. She’ll have Harvard’s balls for not including her.”
“True,” Megan said with a smile.
Closing his eyes, Harvard settled into his seat and thought about the woman waiting for him back at home. In their new apartment. And their new bed—which didn’t have a pool above it.
Epilogue 2
Ten months later, Talbot House guesthouse, Surrey
“You can’t go in there.” Megan Raast folded her arms over her pale blue bridesmaid dress and glared at Harvard. “It’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding.”
If it had been anyone else, he would have just picked them up and moved them. But if he did that to Megan, she’d most likely shoot him.
“I only want a quick word.”
“Tough.”
It had been worth a try. “You know those state-of-the-art night goggles you saw the CIA use in Lebanon? I can get you a pair.”
The Scot thought about it for all of ten seconds before tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder and stepping aside. “Five minutes. That’s all you get.”
“I only need two.”
Her lips curled. “Then I pity Rachel for marrying you.”
With a shake of his head, he entered the guest room in Rachel’s parent’s house, where his soon-to-be wife was getting ready. Or she should have been. Instead, she stood in front of the TV with the business channel on, glaring at the stock indexes.
“This is completely the wrong climate to take TayFor public,” their new CEO said with a frown. “Isn’t it bad luck for you to be in here?”
“I think it’s bad luck to see you in your wedding dress. I think it’s my very good luck that you’re only in lingerie.” He wrapped an arm around her waist from behind and kissed her neck. “I’ll tell Megan we’re gonna need more than five minutes.”
“No, you won’t.” She leaned back into him as she shut off the TV. “I don’t want anything to delay this wedding. The sooner it’s over and done with, the better.”
“I can’t get enough of that romantic side of yours,” he said with a grin.
Rachel turned in his hold and draped her arms around his shoulders. “I think this lingerie is proof I can be romantic.”
There was no arguing with that. “A corset and stockings? Not sure I’ll make it through the ceremony knowing this is beneath your dress.”
“If you do, there will be a reward in it for you.”
“Yeah?” He teased her lips with his, feeling that sensation of coming home that he always felt when kissing Rachel.
There was a thump at the door. “Four minutes,” Megan shouted.
Harvard heaved a sigh as he rested his forehead against Rachel’s. “I might have to cut my ties with Benson Security altogether, just to see the back of that woman. I never thought I’d say this, but I’ve met the one person who tries my patience.”
“Welcome to my world,” Rachel said drolly. “And you’d miss doing the odd assignment for Benson Security. You’d be bored out of your mind if you just worked at TayFor.”
She had a point. Although it had been interesting for the first six months, working to ensure all the gaps in security were plugged and that no one else could help themselves to the company’s secrets, the novelty was definitely wearing off.
“I don’t want to work with Callum all the time,” he said. “I like working with you at TayFor.”
“Then it’s purely a matter of finding the right balance between your job with me and your job with Callum. Is that what you came in here to talk about?”
“Three minutes,” their keeper shouted.
“No.” Harvard reached into his pocket. “I came to give you this.” He pulled out the jewelry box and handed it to her.
“Shouldn’t we swap rings after the vows?” she said.
“Just open it.”
With a smile, Rachel lifted the lid and gasped. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Here, let me help you put it on.” He took the intricately designed locket from the box as Rachel held her hair up from her neck.
Once it was clasped, she lifted the locket to examine it. “It’s beautiful, Michael. Where did you get it?”
“I had a jeweler in Paris make it for you.” He pointed at the cut-out designs. “This is an English rose for you. And this is a blue violet, the official flower of the state I was born in. The vines represent the ties that bind us together, while the gladiolus stand for the loyalty, protection, and faithfulness that we give each other. The orchids remind me of your exotic beauty. And the full-petalled roses are for a love that will never end.”