Chapter 20 #2
Grieves grunted, taking several hits, then moved deftly out of reach before stepping in close, knocking her back with a firm kick to her stomach. She rolled across the rusted platform, the rough edges biting into her skin, as the force of his hit sent stars dancing behind her eyes.
She scrambled to her feet, took another boot to her ribs that punched the air from her lungs, had her on the verge of puking.
Grieve tsked. “You took everything from me in Colombia.” He paced in an arc in front of her.
“My reputation. My clients. But dragging you out of this cannery alive? Putting you on my private jet back to the buyer who wanted you in the first place?” He cackled, grinning at her. “That’ll reset the board beautifully.”
Tierney spat out a mouthful of blood, her split lip already starting to swell. Buck hadn’t yelled out or sprinted up the stairs to back her up, which meant, he needed more time.
She raised her hands. “You want me? You’ll have to win, first.”
She attacked, a mix of punches and strikes, blocking everything he threw at her before landing a firm kick to his jaw.
His head snapped back, and he tumbled against the railing, blood splattering across the metal grating before he regained his balance, landing a hard punch to her ribs before she retreated.
Pain sparked through her chest, dimming her vision at the edges. She put a bit of distance between them, that clock inside her head warning her that Buck was almost out of time. And she knew, he’d never abandon Wade. Would use every last second trying to defuse the bomb.
Grieves wiped at his mouth, eyes narrowing, his cocky smile curving into a snarl. “That hurt.”
She got her guard up. “Good.”
“You’re exceptional. I’ll grant you that. But do you really think you can best me, luv? I spent over a dozen years in the SAS. Faced men who were barely human. You… You’re just a speed bump I’ll flatten.”
Tierney grinned. “Who said anything about besting you? I just need to stay in the fight long enough that my team wins the war.”
She lunged at him, staying low, avoiding his reach as she swept out his feet, sent him crashing onto the platform. He flipped himself upright, beating her back with some crushing blows before she used the railing, planting both feet in his chest.
He flew backwards, cutting open the right side of his cheek as he cartwheeled across the metal.
Finally pushing to his feet, blood ran down his face, his previous composure gone.
“You think you’ve won because you found me?
” He tugged on his jacket. “You still don’t even know who put you in that cell eighteen months ago.
You’re fighting a ghost while the agent who sold you sits comfortably behind a desk. ”
Tierney breathed through the pain, wondering how he was still standing when her legs were so close to buckling. “I’ll find them, too.”
“Will you? Or will they just sell the rest of your new friends, too?” He smiled, his teeth flashing white in the harsh lighting. “Everyone has a price, Tierney. And operatives like you don’t stand a chance.”
“I’m not the one monologuing so I can catch my breath, Vaughan.”
Grieves growled, removed a knife from the sheath cinched around his thigh. “Enough. Last chance. You leave here with me, or not at all.”
Exhaustion cramped her muscles, her stamina at the breaking point. Either she ended this now, or she’d fail. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Grieves huffed. “So, be it.”
They circled each other, his knife glinting in the light.
She reached for hers, but somewhere during the fight, it had been torn off, leaving her armed with only her Sig.
But if she fired… Even a minor wound could kill him if the bullet ricocheted.
Took some freak trajectory and ended up between his eyes.
She couldn’t risk it. Not with Buck still working on Wade.
Grieves closed the distance, an alarm blaring once on his cell. “One minute left, luv, before your friends are splattered across the room. I do hope all the pain you’re going to suffer was worth the try.”
He stabbed at her, the blade slicing through the air, all that force aiming at her thigh. She imagined Buck still fighting to save Wade, Nick and Sloane battling the forces beyond the door and knew, this was her one chance.
She moved, stepped into the strike, cutting down the distance as she twisted, took the hit to her shoulder an inch outside her vest. The blade sliced through her skin and muscle, sinking into the meaty part just outside her collar bone, the hilt jamming to a halt against her vest.
Grieves froze, eyes wide, fingers white-knuckled around the handle. She used that one moment of hesitation to lock both her hands around his wrist. Using his strength to kick off the rail, she vaulted onto his shoulders, thighs hugging his head, her boots crossed around his neck.
Their combined weight tripped him backward, and they crashed onto the platform, metal singing beneath them, everything slamming to a halt. She arched her back, applied more pressure as he thrashed beneath her, one hand connecting with the knife still embedded in her shoulder.
Pain burned her eyes, the scenery washing to black as she held on, muscles screaming, breath lodged tight in her chest until Grieves stilled.
She released her hold, kicking him off her, praying she hadn’t inadvertently killed the bastard. He rolled, stopping with his head to the side, lips tinged blue, before gasping in a rough breath as his eyes opened, that lethal stare locking on her.
She scrambled for her Sig, left hand barely moving when boots pounded the stairs beside her a moment before Buck charged across the platform, catching Grieves with a knee to the chest. Grieves flew back, head cracking on the corrugated surface, eyes rolling as he twitched a few times, then stilled.
She blinked, finding herself in Buck’s arms as he raced down the stairs, spread her out on the floor. The heavy door screeched open behind them, the rest of their team pouring into the room.
Buck yanked off his shirt, packed it around the handle. “Jesus, what the hell were you thinking?”
She snorted, groaning when the simple motion frayed her limited vision. “That I needed to get the upper hand.”
“By intentionally taking a hit?”
“It worked.”
“The way blood’s pooling beneath you, the jury’s still out on that.” He leaned in. “Rowan’s thirty seconds away, and Foster’s already lifted off. Don’t you dare stop breathing.”
“Are you always this bossy?”
“Someone has to be.” He looked up as footsteps pounded the cement behind her. “We can chat about it later.”
He shifted as Rowan dropped to her knees, shaking her head as she opened her bag.
“How did I know you’d be the one bleeding.
” She bandaged the knife in place, hooked up a saline drip.
“Doesn’t look like it got anything vital, but then, you’d already be dead if it had.
Still, focus on Buck. Foster’s ten minutes out. ”
Tierney wet her lips, staring up at Buck. “Tell me again.”
Buck leaned in, kissed her other hand. “You’re insane. And I’m crazy in love with you.”
She smiled, a deep chill creeping into her bones as everything started to fade. “Takes one…” She drifted, fought her way back. “I love you, too.”