She pointed to the radio. “That mark. The scythe. One of them had the same symbol etched onto a black Zippo lighter. I never saw the guy without it.”
Bodie nodded. “And we’re talking PMC. Highly trained with military-grade tactical gear, just like the group tonight?”
“Paramilitary. Cartel. Hard to say for sure, but they were skilled enough to take us down.”
Nick scoffed. “That’s never sat right with me. How the hell did they get the jump on you?”
Tierney met his gaze. “Easy, someone told them where we’d be.”
Sloane inhaled. “You think someone at Interpol sold you out?”
Tierney shrugged. “Interpol. MI6. The CIA. I don’t know who, but I heard the men talking. They were contracted to kill us.”
The room went still. Not just because of what she’d said, but because of what she hadn’t disclosed. The reason she’d been kept alive. The dirty little secret she’d never uttered aloud.
The shame that had haunted her since she’d woken in that cell.
Nick recovered first. “I’m just glad you were the exception.”
Tierney stiffened, pressing into Buck when the walls started closing in again.
He shifted his hand to her waist, pulling her gently against him. “Easy, Tier.”
His voice rolled over her, soothing the jagged parts she swore were slowly tearing her apart.
She pushed out a long breath, holding her head high. The truth would eventually come out. Better they heard it from her, where she had a slight chance of controlling the narrative. “About that… It’s not what you think.”
Nick frowned. “What do you mean?”
“The reason they didn’t kill me. It wasn’t for state secrets. They had other plans.”
He glanced at Buck, eyes suddenly going wide as he took a step back. “Shit.”
Buck tensed as his cheeks flushed. “I’ll say it again. That fucker’s a dead man walking.”
Tierney moved off a bit, needing some distance to talk without screaming. “Buck…”
“Don’t. Killing you for money is bad enough, but thinking they could sell you? Because that is what we’re talking about, right? You being worth more to them alive than whatever they got to kill the rest of your team.”
She raised a hand. “Trust me. It’s been eating me alive for the past eighteen months, and it’s not something I ever planned on sharing, but if it has anything to do with what happened tonight. If it can help find these men, then it’s worth it.”
Buck closed the distance. “None of what happened was your fault. You’ve got nothing to be ashamed of.”
“Sure, in theory.”
“Nothing theoretical about it. They’re monsters. And you survived.” He let some of the tension out of his muscles. “Do they know you’re alive?”
“Hard to say. My escape was pretty… dramatic. I’d hoped they’d all thought I’d drowned in the river, but there was something about those two men. They weren’t like the others. They might have considered the possibility.”
“Which brings us to the real issue. Between the body cams and the drone, they definitely caught both our faces on live feed.” He reached for her hand, sandwiched it between his. “There’s no mystery anymore.”
Tierney froze, his words hitting her like a physical blow, purging the air from her chest, leaving her struggling to breathe.
Buck moved in close, rubbing her back. “Breathe, Tier. We’ll find a way to fix this. Promise.”
Tears burned her eyes, all the fear and pain she’d buried resurfacing. She shook her head, pushing at him until her strength waned, and she rested her cheek on his chest. “I can’t go through that again. I can’t…”
“No one’s going to get to you without going through me. Going through all of us, so… breathe. For all we know Avery and Greer already have these bastards in custody.”
