knows it. So why even bother to threaten us? It’s just so clichéd.”
“Maybe so, but it’s the truth! I wonder how Payne would feel if I sliced up that tasty bitch of his? How do you think he’d like that?”
“That’s a good question. Why don’t you ask him yourself?”
“I would, if he showed his face. Where’s that pussy hiding?”
Payne answered the question by tapping Holmes on the shoulder. “Right behind you.”
Like a well-orchestrated magic trick, Payne had used his assistant to lure everyone’s attention forward while the key maneuvering was being done in the background. Of course, now that the deception was over, Payne needed to finish the performance in grand style. He did so by sliding his knife across his enemy’s throat with assassinlike perfection. Crimson gushed from Holmes’s carotid artery, staining the front of his cloak like a wounded deer in the snow, but that wasn’t good enough for Payne. He immediately tossed Holmes over his shoulder and finished him off by falling backward and slamming his elbow into the bridge of his nose. The maneuver drove Holmes’s nasal bone into his brain with brutal efficiency.
Death was instantaneous.
With his first rival vanquished, Payne sprang to his feet and searched the huddle in front of him for his next target. Unfortunately, despite his speed, Payne was still too slow for Greene, who had latched onto Ariane’s throat at the first sign of trouble. He was currently shoving a .45-caliber pistol against the side of her head.
“Stay back!” Greene demanded as he dragged her toward the tunnel. “I swear to God, if you come any closer, I’ll kill her.”
“Calm down!” Payne pleaded. “Don’t do anything stupid. Just relax.”
But Payne knew that would be tough, because he was having a difficult time doing it himself.
He had been a rock—poised and relaxed—when he crept up on Holmes, but some of his composure disappeared when he got his first real glimpse of Ariane since this ordeal had started.
One look and his heart started racing.
“Are you all right?” Payne asked.
“Been better,” she mumbled with her swollen jaw. “And you?”
“Pretty damn good,” he lied. “I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for a while. You’re a difficult girl to track down.”
“Sorry about that. I’ve been doing some traveling.”
“Traveling?” Payne took a step closer, looking for an opening. “Come on, why don’t you just admit it? You’ll do anything to get out of an ass-kicking on the golf course.”
“Darn, you finally figured me out. All of this has been—”
“Will you shut the fuck up?” Greene yelled. “Your love-sick banter is driving me crazy.” To prove his point, he tightened his grip on Ariane’s neck, nearly cutting off her airway. “This is my time to talk, not yours! Do you got that, Payne? My time!”
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. Go ahead and talk. I’m listening. I swear.”
Greene took a deep breath. “First of all, tell your men to get back. When I get anxious, my muscles start to contract, and if that happens, I’m liable to break her fuckin’ neck!”
“Not a problem, Levon. But first you gotta ease up just a little bit. Let her breathe, my man. Just let her breathe.”
“I’m serious, Jon. Get them back!”
“I will, I promise, but only if you stop hurting her.” Payne took another step forward, trying to get as close to Greene as possible. “Come on, Levon, why don’t you just put down your gun and walk away from this? If you do that, I promise we won’t kill you.”
“Great! So, what are you going to do? Cart me back to the U.S., where I’ll be viewed like Michael Vick times a million? Screw that! I get out of this free, or I get slaughtered right here! There’s no quit in me! You should know that. I don’t quit!”
Another step forward. “It’s not quitting, Levon. It’s simply doing the smart thing.”
“Stay where you are, or I’ll kill her! I mean it!”
Payne threw his hands up in acceptance. “I won’t move from here, okay? I just want to talk to you. Don’t do anything stupid. I just want to discuss things.”
“Then tell your men to back off! If all you wanna do is talk, there’s no reason to have them so close!” The tension in his voice proved that he was close to losing it. “What difference is it gonna make if they back up? They’ll still be close enough to kill me if I make a move, so get them to back up!”
Payne looked at Jones and reluctantly nodded. “Not