Page 66 of Denied Access (Mitch Rapp #24)

R HEINFALL , S WITZERLAND

F OUR hours later, Rapp pulled to a stop on Zentralstrasse.

All in all, he hadn’t made bad time. There were several flights between Vienna and Zurich each day and the transit took only a little over ninety minutes.

After arriving in Zurich, Rapp had secured a rental car and hit the road.

He would have made it to Rheinfall sooner but for the need to visit one of his safe-deposit boxes.

In addition to the cash, passport, and documents that Ohlmeyer had provided when the banker had originally set up the box, Rapp had added something more germane to his line of work.

A loaded Glock and two spare magazines.

The comforting feel of a pistol in his waistband and magazines in his pockets did much to improve his state of mind.

As did the town of Rheinfall. The charming Swiss city looked as if it had been lifted from the pages of a travel guide.

The town was full of quiet parks, cafés, and shops.

The streets were clean and multiple scenic overlooks provided opportunities for hikers to catch their breath while watching the Rhine River flow lazily by.

It was the sort of place that attracted bohemian backpackers and sophisticated holiday-seekers in equal number.

Rapp was neither.

He was debating whether to try his luck with the Autobahnpolizei by parking illegally or circle the block in search of a Parkplatz when the decision was made for him.

No sooner had he pulled even with the row of chairs marking the hostel’s café than the front door opened and Greta bounded out.

Rapp shifted the transmission into park and exited the vehicle.

The Swiss beauty jumped into his arms.

“I missed you,” Greta said.

“Me too,” Rapp said, pulling her tight.

She felt… wonderful.

The press of her tight body against his chest was certainly pleasant enough, but his sense of satisfaction was more than just sexual.

Her hair smelled of lavender and her skin like vanilla.

The warmth of her breath tickled his skin and the touch of her nose against his neck sent a jolt of electricity arcing through his nervous system, but the whole of her was greater than the sum of her parts.

The weight of her presence filled the void left by her absence.

He felt… complete.

A two-note wolf whistle split the air, suggesting that their hug had not gone unnoticed.

Looking over Greta’s shoulder, Rapp spotted a group of men gathered around one of the café’s outdoor tables with backpacks resting by their feet.

Seeing that he had Rapp’s attention, a backpacker lifted a stein in salute.

Rapp smiled.

Even dressed in an oversize sweatshirt and jeans, sans makeup, with her hair pulled back in a ponytail, Greta attracted the male eye.

“Made some friends I see?” Rapp said.

Greta snorted as she released her hug. “Boys will be boys.”

Before he could reply, she threaded her fingers through his hair and then stood on her toes to kiss him full on the lips.

If the touch of her nose against his throat had sent a shock through his nervous system, the feel of her mouth on his almost short-circuited it.

He slid his hands down to her hips and was in the process of pulling her closer when she pressed her palm flat against his chest.

“Enough,” Greta said with a chuckle from deep in her throat. “Get me out of here.”

“Of course,” Rapp said, the words coming out a bit more breathless than he’d have liked. “Where are we headed?”

“Home.”

Thirty minutes later, Rapp was driving south on the Autobahn and was almost to Zurich.

Zurich and Greta’s waiting grandfather.

After climbing into the car beside him, Greta had fastened her seat belt and promptly fallen asleep. He hadn’t blamed her. Between the lack of sleep the previous night and the anxiousness and stress of today, she must have been exhausted.

But now, his sleeping beauty was stirring.

“It’s so good to be with you,” Greta said, stifling a yawn.

Rapp smiled. “Let’s see if you still think that once we face your grandfather. How’d he take it when you ditched his security detail?”

Greta gave a faint smile. “About how you’d expect.

He was upset that I didn’t just call him with my concerns and angry with himself that he might have inadvertently put me in danger.

He said that he would terminate their contract and hire a new security firm.

I told him not to bother because you were coming for me. Problem solved.”

At that, she reached over, slid her fingers through his, and squeezed.

Rapp squeezed back, but he didn’t agree.

If Greta’s guards had been about to do her harm, this problem was far from solved. Rapp added the topic to the long and growing list of things he intended to address with the Ohlmeyer family’s patriarch once they were face-to-face.

“How are things with you and Stan?” Greta said.

“I don’t think he’s very happy.”

Greta chuckled. “Even I know Uncle Stan better than that. If he’s unhappy, you’d know.”

“True, but he’s in good company. No one in our lives is happy right now.”

“I am.” Greta kissed the back of his hand. “Are you?”

He was.

Ridiculously happy.

He’d been given a second chance. Though he’d only been twenty-one when he’d lost Mary, they’d been together since their teens.

He wouldn’t have been able to articulate it at that time, but when Mary died, he’d believed that the part of him that could be happy had died too.

Sure, there’d been other girls after her, but no one had come close to filling the void left by her absence.

No one until Greta.

“Happier than I’ve ever been,” Rapp said.

He’d spoken without thinking and now the heaviness of his words settled on his shoulders. He’d been truthful, but his response felt unfaithful to Mary. As if her memory were slowly drifting away as surely as the smell of her had faded from the sweatshirt she’d left in his car.

Was he really ready to finally let go of his first love?

“Hey,” Greta said, her words soft, “it’s okay if—”

“No,” Rapp said, turning to face her, “it’s not. I love you. You are the most important thing in my life. You. Not Mary’s ghost and sure as hell not my job. You are what matters.”

He felt the conviction in his words. Did he love his job?

Yes. Did he feel like he’d been created to do it?

Absolutely. And would he miss dealing out vengeance to the shitbags who had killed and maimed innocents in the name of radical Islam?

Again, yes. But would he give that up if that’s what it took to keep Greta?

Yes.

Most people were lucky to find true love once. Though he was only in his twenties, Rapp had discovered it twice. He hadn’t had a choice with Mary. A coward had taken her from him. He wouldn’t allow anything to take Greta from him.

Not even his career.

Greta’s blue eyes filled with tears. She leaned over to kiss him, but a shrill sound brought her up short.

Her phone.

“ Scheisse ,” Greta said, fumbling with the handset. “I gave this number to my grandfather. He’s probably calling to make sure you arrived. Should I answer?”

Rapp nodded.

Greta smiled at him as she lifted the handset to her ear. “ Grüsse, Opa .”

Rapp stared at the woman he loved.

He couldn’t help it.

Greta always looked stunning, but in that moment her face was radiant.

And then it fell.

“Was? Opa? Opa!”

Rapp reflexively hammered the accelerator as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Greta took the phone from her ear and dialed.

“Put it on speaker,” Rapp said.

She looked at him, nodded, and then pressed the appropriate button.

The phone call went unanswered.

Greta made to dial again, but Rapp reached over and covered his hand with hers. “What did you hear?”

The face that had been so full of life just moments ago was now drawn and pale. “He said my name and then something else.”

“What?”

“Run.”