Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Buck leaned against the doorframe to the Raven’s Security gym, watching Tierney wage war against the heavy bag in the far corner.
She’d been at it on and off for the past couple days, despite the fact Buck was sure her ribs still ached.
But being sequestered to the building for five days straight — staring at the phone, cursing the continued silence — had started taking a toll, and she’d needed the mental and physical relief.
His gaze strayed to the way her muscles flexed as she landed a hard, left hook. How she shifted her weight, ready to dance away at a moment’s notice. She was beauty and grace, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he could stay afloat without latching onto her like a lifeline.
They’d been dancing around their unrelenting attraction, stealing kisses when the pressure seemed to reach the breaking point.
But neither of them had taken it further.
Not with that threat of the call hanging over them like a storm cloud.
The stress of being trapped inside the same four walls driving Tierney to the brink.
They’d finally gone back to the marina last night after helping Zain and the others install a new window and board up the hole left by the explosive.
Zain had waved it off. Said he’d wanted to put in a blast-proof door anyway, and now he had the perfect excuse.
But even staying out in the living room, Tierney had been restless.
Like a caged animal moments before a fight.
She hit the bag again, worked through a complicated sequence as he walked in, moving around to hold the bag while she slipped in a series of jabs.
He smiled, arms absorbing the shock until she finally straightened, sweat beading her brow, chest heaving. He gestured to the punching bag. “You know you’re supposed to save some of that fight for Pike, right?”
She grunted, looking as if she wanted to go another round when she palmed the bag. “Don’t worry. I’ve got plenty of fight left for him.”
“He’s doing this on purpose. Making you wait. It plays into his hand.”
She sighed, and some of the fight drained out of her. “I’m trying not to let him get into my head but…”
He rounded the bag, took her in his arms. “You’re handling this way better than I would have.”
She snorted. “Please, you’re rock solid. And the only reason I haven’t busted ranks.”
“I wasn’t always like this. I lost years to the voices. The ghosts. Still have more than a few hangups. And you’ve saved me, too. Given me a reason to show up every day. Keep that darkness at bay.”
She stilled, eyes wide, chest still heaving, though he suspected it wasn’t just the aftermath of boxing. Time slowed, the room gradually fading as she drew in a long breath — tiptoed up.
He didn’t rush, palming her cheek as he leaned forward, brushed his mouth over hers. Tierney sighed, stepping fully into him, her taped hands sliding up his chest and into his hair.
No hesitation, just pure heat.
He followed her lead, holding her close, barely allowing her to suck in a quick breath before he returned, harder than before, his tongue tangling with hers, every inch pressed together.
He’d just backed her into the far wall, one of her legs wrapped around his calf, his hand settling on her ribs, when footsteps tapped the floor outside the door, a throat clearing from the hallway.
Buck broke the kiss, muttering a curse under his breath before he glanced over his shoulder. “Something on your mind, Wade?”
Wade braced his weight on his cane, looking far too smug. “Someone’s grumpy.”
Buck merely stared.
Wade tsked. “Tough crowd. Nick said Sloane has some intel on this Pike asshole you and Tierney need to hear before he calls.”
“We’ll be right there.”
Wade shifted on his feet. “Nick told me to escort you, personally, if I found you two…” He waved at them. “You know…”
Buck gazed down at Tierney. “Remind me to rig Nick’s soap to explode the next time he’s in the shower.”
She smiled, slid her thumb across his jaw, her pupils blown wide, her lips all kiss-swollen. Her eyelids fluttered, her pulse thrashing at the base of her neck before she lowered her hands, started pulling at the tape.
He stepped away, guided her toward the door with his hand on the small of her back as he passed Wade and shot the guy an irritated side-eye. Wade chuckled, falling in behind them as they headed for the front of the building.
Nick looked up when they walked into the office, grinning before holding out his hand to Bodie. “Pretty sure from the look of Buck’s clenched jaw and the fact that he seems like he wants to throat punch me, you owe me twenty, buddy.”
Bodie slapped a bill in Nick’s hand as he shook his head at Buck. “You two seem so in control until I have money on it.”
Buck stopped on the other side of the table, the cell still sitting on top, still weighing down the room. “Is that why you wanted us back? To win a bet?”
Nick tucked the money in his pocket. “That’s just icing on the cake, brother. It’s actually Sloane who’s got some intel, though…” He raked his hand through his hair. “The more we learn about Kellan Pike, the more I think we’d all be better off if that phone never rang.”
Sloane leaned back in her chair, her mass of auburn curls falling out of the clip.
“Once Tierney confirmed our mystery man’s identity, I dug deeper into that dark-web server.
I wanted to see if I could hack into any of the other systems, maybe one with lower security features, then use it to get into the archives.
Obviously, it took a while, but I found this… ”
She hit a key and started playing a video.
What looked like a police lineup appeared on the screen, four men pressed against a concrete wall, dressed only in boxers and socks.
Numbers flashed beneath them, a timer counting down in the upper right corner with the words the Gauntlet plastered across the top.
The scene continued until the timer hit zero and the video cut off, starting up sometime later, the men outfitted in the same orange pants and white shirt, a similar barcode across their chests.
Towering evergreens filled the background, a single dirt path leading into the forest. A shot sounded in the distance before the guys took off, kicked up mud and moss as they raced down the trail, vanished into the encroaching darkness.
The guy holding the camera panned right, slid the lens across several men standing off to the side, all dressed in matching black tactical gear with carbines strapped across their chests.
Sloane paused it there, the men’s faces hidden behind bandanas and camo paint. “Nothing happens for another thirty minutes until another shot’s fired, and they take off in pursuit.”
Buck fisted his hands, stilling the need to punch one through the wall. “So, it is a hunt. In every sense of the word.”
Sloane sighed. “Appears so.”
Buck glanced at Tierney, wishing he could read her mind because the way she was standing — eyes wide, chest barely moving — he bet his ass she was fading into another flashback.
He moved closer, placed his hand on her hip. “What’s with all the flashing numbers?”
Sloane shivered. “That would be the betting I mentioned before. On who’ll survive the longest. Which client will take the kill shot. Probably a bunch of other, deranged items I don’t want to consider.”
“Sorry I asked. Can you tell how long they’ve been running this?”
“Not with any certainty. What I can tell you is that the site was created a couple months after Tierney’s escape, and that they run what they call the Gauntlet all over the world. This seems to be their Pacific Coast operation.”
Tierney fisted her hand against her mouth, chewing on her thumbnail until Buck rubbed her back, smiling when she looked up at him. “So, this all started after I escaped? Doesn’t that seem a bit too coincidental?”
Sloane stared at Nick, arched a brow, pursing her lips when Nick nodded. “Chatter suggests their company, Grimm, got blacklisted when they failed to deliver a high-value asset. After that, they pivoted — turned the human trafficking part into a sport.”
Tierney stiffened beneath Buck’s hand. “It’s because of me. I’m the asset they lost.”
Nick stepped forward. “These men are monsters. You aren’t to blame for anything they’ve done.”
“Not directly, but…” She swallowed, sounded as if she might puke. “I guess that means this game he wants me to play involves another Gauntlet.”
She hadn’t asked, and the room fell silent, the answer hanging in the empty space.
Buck shifted closer when the cell rang.
He snapped his focus to the phone as the burner vibrated in the middle of the table, another ring echoing through the room.
Sloane tapped on her keyboard. “I’m patching Avery and Greer in, now. And I’ll do my best to trace it, but…”
Tierney let it ring once more before she flipped the cell open, hit the button, and set it on speaker. “About time.”
Buck smiled despite himself. She hadn’t used Pike’s name. Smart. Save that for when it would matter.
Pike chuckled on the other end, the sound scraping down Buck’s spine. “Does that mean you’re ready to play, pet?”
“That depends. Is this actually a game, or just another excuse for you to hide behind other people while you make threats?”
A slow breath drifted across the line. “Sharp as ever. Good. Then, I’ll skip the warm-up.” He paused. “I’m going to play you something. Feel free to have your little tech girl record it.”
Buck froze. Had Pike guessed their tech specialist was a woman or had he done his own research? Spent the past five days unearthing every bit of intel he could find on Raven’s Security and Buck’s family?
Static crackled over the speaker, followed by the shrill, frantic sound of someone hyperventilating. A woman sobbed, the sound cut off by a muffled yelp, followed by branches snapping in the background.