He’d fought for every inch of breath, and he’d paid for it.
The lens pulled back, then drifted right. A man stepped out of the shadows. Impeccably dressed. Unnaturally still. He moved into frame with the kind of effortless control that made the room seem to contract around him. He reached into his pocket and drew out a small black object.
Snick-clink.
The sound cracked through the room like a gunshot. A tiny flame flared, catching on the silver scythe engraved into the matte-black Zippo.
The lighter brightened the man’s face, highlighting a strong jaw with dark eyes, a nose that had been broken at least once in the past. He lit the end of a cigarette, drawing on it a few times before blowing out a puff of smoke, snapping the lighter, again.
Vaughan Grieves.
Tierney’s stomach dropped. Her pulse slammed into her throat, skin crawling as she stared into his dead, dark eyes.
Grieves rolled the flame on again, the sound rattling through her skull. “Tierney O’Rourke. You’ve been very difficult to find.”
Shoving down the memories teasing her vision, Tierney took a step forward. “Guess you’re not much of a tracker without someone handing you the coordinates…” She paused, looking him dead in the eyes. “Grieves.”
He chuckled. “Someone did their homework. And I’ve got to hand it to you, that escape…” He whistled. “My men were convinced you’d died.”
“But not you.”
He shrugged. “After the way you gutted José and took that river? I had a feeling you wouldn’t just wash away. The next day, I found where you crawled out of the mud, tracked you for three miles… and then you vanished.” He sighed, as if lamenting a misplaced watch. “I never stopped looking. You became a bit of a legend in certain circles, Tierney. The ultimate prize. Imagine my delight when Pike called to say you’d literally fallen back into my lap.”
He took a drag from his cigarette. “Some might call it an act of providence.”
She fisted her hands. Had he really been searching for her? All this time?
She cocked her head to the side. “If it’s me you want, then why didn’t you just come and get me?”
“Unlike Pike, I don’t let emotions make me careless. He thought you’d be weak. Easy.” Grieves gave a slight shake of his head. “I prefer a sporting approach. Nothing sharpens the prey quite like a life on the line.”
“Get to the terms, Grieves.”
“Patience, luv. I have eight of my best men geared up and ready for blood. You can bring everyone in that room, minus the sheriff. I know she’s pregnant, and despite what you think, I’m not a monster. But feel free to sub in that search-and-rescue medic… Rowan Scott, I believe.” Grieves’ eyes darkened. “Or you can come alone. Just don’t try to pad the roster. I’m intimately familiar with Raven’s Security personnel.”
“Weapons?”
“Don’t patronize me. You know how the game’s played. You’ve survived it twice, now. But let’s be clear. If I see a badge... Stone dies. If your federal friend brings a SWAT team... he dies. And if someone tries to drag him off the property without disarming the ridiculous amount of C4 I wired to his chest… he vanishes.”
“Sounds like you’ve already decided Wade dies.”
“That depends on you. You can choose not to play, sacrifice his life to save your other friends, and I’ll disappear. Or, you can come and retrieve him. Your choice.”
“How do I know you’ll uphold your end of the bargain? Pike didn’t.”
“You don’t. Which means, either you win, or you’re mine.”
His words dropped her stomach, the remembered sensation of him watching her from the shadows making her skin crawl.
She wouldn’t go through that again.
She held her chin high. “Send the coordinates.”
He grinned, flipping that damn lighter, again, the snick-clink scratching at every nerve, putting her on edge. “That’s the spirit. I’ll see you soon. Oh, and Tierney…” He had the camera pan in on his chest. “In case you’re planning on bypassing the game, having one of your sniper mates cap me before we’ve had any fun, I’ve wired a heart rate monitor to my chest. If it stops before you’ve defeated my men…”
“Which means, we need to take you alive.”
“You’ve got ninety minutes before his time runs out. Use it wisely.”
