Grieves brought the lighter to his face, blew out the flame. “I always knew we’d meet again, luv.”
The endearment slithered over her skin. “Me, too. Only this time, you’re the one who’ll be caged.”
He laughed. “Is that so? What makes you think I won’t simply kill you?”
“For the same reason you let me live the first time. I’m worth more to you alive.” She inched closer. “The MI6 pedigree.”
His smile faltered a bit, eyes narrowing. “Did Pike tell you that?”
“No, you did that night on the veranda.” She shifted slightly, opened up her left side to strike. “I was behind the chair.”
“Were you?” He laughed. “I wondered why I smelled that cologne. It was still on your skin from gutting José.”
“He deserved worse.”
“I suppose he did.” Grieves flicked the lighter again. “No chairs to save you tonight, luv. Let’s do this civilized. Walk out with me, and I won’t send more men to kill your friends.”
She slipped the baton into her left hand, snapped it to its full length. “Or, I end it.”
She lunged at him, swinging the metal rod at his ribs, connecting with some kind of armor layered beneath his jacket. He pinned the baton with his arm, pivoting in close, landing a brutal knee to her side.
She stumbled back, ribs still grating from her fight with Pike, pain stealing her breath. She shook it off, keeping her weight on her toes before launching at him, pummeling him with a series of blows.
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.”
