Page 7 of Beautiful Vengeance

He was a hard worker, rising early every day to check things and fix things around the property, and staying up late to work on all the finance and accounting needed to keep a huge place like this going. He also put a lot of effort into staying strong and in shape. His leg bothered him but he never complained, never let on. She admired him for all of it.

“Yeah. I knew we’d all grow on him after a while, even though he’s pretty much a recluse.” Megan’s smile was fond as she placed a deep blue platter in the cupboard next to the chef-quality gas range.

Kiyomi wanted to do something for him. Even something little, to show she cared. “Should I bring him something? A brandy maybe?” She didn’t even know if he drank it.

“Take him a cup of tea. He’d like that.”

“All right.” She went to the cupboard where the tea and coffee were kept. “What kind?” Though she already knew exactly what kind, because she made a point of noticing every little detail about Marcus, but didn’t want to tip her hand and let Megan know just how interested in him she was.

“Yorkshire Gold. What else would you expect from a proper Yorkshireman? Just a bit of milk, nothing else. And here, this is his favorite mug.” Megan reached into the upper cabinet next to her and took out a battered mug with the SAS symbol on it.

Yes, Kiyomi knew that too. The one with the winged dagger and a stylized scroll beneath it that readWho Dares Wins. “Thanks.” She filled the kettle and put it on the stove to boil, then finished wiping the countertops while it heated.

When it began to whistle she turned off the burner and poured water over the teabag in the mug. She didn’t often get to talk with Megan alone, and there were so many questions burning inside her. “Has there been anyone else in Marcus’s life in the time you’ve known him?” she asked, trying to sound casual.

“No, no one.”

Kiyomi glanced at her, surprised. “Really? No girlfriends? Not even any dates?”

“Nope. He pretty much shut himself away here after he came back from Syria. Would probably have never left the property if I hadn’t come along and forced him out of his funk.”

Kiyomi frowned. That couldn’t be right. “He hasn’t dated or anything since he came back from Syria? Wasn’t that over two years ago now?”

“Nope, and yep.”

Wow. Why did he shut himself away from the world here? To punish himself? It couldn’t possibly be because he was embarrassed about his scars. Only the ones on the left side of his face and neck were visible, and they did nothing to detract from his looks.

She couldn’t understand it. Marcus was a handsome, powerfully built man who carried himself with an air of quiet confidence that was downright mesmerizing. “What was he like before he was wounded, do you know?”

Megan turned to face her and leaned back against the counter, crossing her arms and ankles. “Still serious, I think. But not like he is now. And for sure he used to be more social. He cut contact with most of his military buddies, but he’s told me some stories about wild parties and other stuff he and some fellow NCOs used to get up to. While he’s never come right out and said it, I get the impression he was pretty popular with the ladies, too.”

“I’ll bet he was.” She set the kettle aside. “How strong does he like it?”

“Strong.” Kiyomi looked up, something in Megan’s tone and gaze telling her she meant more than tea. Plainly letting her know that Marcus admired strong women, too. “What about you?” Megan countered. “Are you ready for this?”

Kiyomi blinked. “For bringing him tea?”

Megan gave her an insulted look, and Kiyomi realized Megan had seen right through her. “You know what I mean.” Megan’s hazel eyes were serious as they assessed her. “Have you ever had a relationship? A…”

“A consensual one? No. Can you hand me the milk, please?”

Megan frowned but didn’t say anything as she turned to take the milk out of the fridge.

“Thanks,” Kiyomi murmured, adding some to the mug. “Do we have any cookies or something to go with it?”

“These. And they’re biscuits, not cookies,” she said with a teasing tilt of her lips, handing Kiyomi a package of dark chocolate-dipped digestive biscuits.

“Perfect.” She eyed the sleeve of cookies with interest. Before her capture, she wouldn’t have looked twice at them. Wouldn’t have been the least bit tempted by them. Now all sorts of new things tempted her, especially the owner of this incredible house.

Most of her life had been about deprivation. From food, friendship, affection. Sex.

She didn’t consider what she’d done during her career real sex. Every time she’d slept with someone, it had been part of a mission. She’d been merely acting the part, using her body to get what she needed. Sometimes that meant intel. Other times, waiting until her target was at his most vulnerable before killing him.

For the past few months she’d been trying to learn how to put all that behind her. It hadn’t been easy, or linear. She’d spent many years being part flawless actress, part robot. Able to shut all emotion and feeling off, shove it all down into a box deep inside her where she never had to look at it.

That wasn’t possible anymore. The nightmares weren’t as frequent now as they’d been when she’d first arrived here, but they were powerful and terrifying.

The work she’d done with Trinity and her therapist over the past month-and-a-half was painful because it involved prying the lid off that box and exposing every dark, terrible thing she’d ever done or endured. Getting in touch with her body was proving the hardest part.

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