The helicopter hovered in the air a short distance away with a cameraman standing in the open doorway. She sat on the sled and looked at the camera. “What’s a challenge, and where do I find it?” she said jauntily.
The other men laughed, and Bridger cracked a smile at her. “You got this,” he said.
Avalyn nodded to him, then pushed off, sitting up. The sled gained momentum quickly, and it would’ve been a fun ride if she wasn’t worried about Ramsey catching her or tipping the sled and ripping her face and arms apart. She glanced over her shoulder and could see the men were coming now. They were both lying down and angled right at her.
Avalyn wondered if she could steer to the left so Bridger could reach her more easily, but then she wondered if she shouldn’t lay down herself and try to go faster and have neither of them catch her. She’d demand Bridger get his own bedroom, and she could sleep in peace tonight.
She lay back and the sled sped up, but as she looked back, the men were still gaining on her and there was a lot of mountain left. She needed to try to steer the thing to the left. As frustrated as she and Bridger were with each other, she couldn’t risk Ramsey winning this challenge.
She could hear the whoosh of their sleds coming closer and closer as she sat up and tried to pull at the handles to guide her to the left. It didn’t work. Shoot. She put her feet out and pushed her right foot in, thinking she could shove herself to the left. The sled veered to the right instead, like she’d dug a rudder in.
She glanced back and saw Ramsey shove Bridger’s sled to the left with his foot. Avalyn cried out and tried to pull on the handles to avoid him. Ramsey grinned, angling closer. He was almost upon her. Bridger was too far to the left. He would never reach her first. No, oh no!
Ramsey was only a few feet away. She prayed and tried to turn the stupid sled somehow. Going to the right would take her farther from Bridger; turning to the left would let Ramsey run right into her. She couldn’t escape. Ramsey edged nearer, nearly touching her sled now.
“Bridger!” she yelled.
“Ava!” Bridger was closing in on them, but he’d never reach them in time.
Ramsey leapt from his sled and landed right behind her on her sled. He spread his arms wide and stood behind her like he was surfing. “Yes!” he hollered. “Yes!”
Avalyn’s heart slammed against her chest. “No,” she whimpered.
Ramsey sat down behind her as the sled whooshed down the hill. “Isn’t this fun?” he asked.
Avalyn didn’t answer. Her heart was thudding against her rib cage and her grip was so slick she could hardly hold on to the handles.
They coasted down the last of the incline as it leveled out. Ramsey jumped up and extended his hand to her. Avalyn ignored his outstretched fingers and stood on her own. Her legs were shaky, but there was no way she was relying on Ramsey. Fear clawed at her throat and her stomach turned over and over again. Even being pushed out of an airplane wasn’t as terrifying as the thought of fighting him off all night long. If she even could.
Bridger’s sled came to a rest and he stood. Avalyn looked at him. His proud shoulders were bent forward and a look of misery clouded his handsome face. He said nothing, and that scared her as much as anything, as if he were resigned to her fate.
“I finally won!” Ramsey punched a fist in the air and jumped around a few times. “You guys ready for lunch?” he asked as if Avalyn’s world wasn’t crashing down around her.
Ramsey led the way to a covered picnic area. There was a large lunch spread on the table, sandwiches, salads, sushi rolls, veggie and fruit platters. The entire group was somber, except for Ramsey. He didn’t rub anything in, which surprised her, but he just had this perma-grin on his face as he ate and chatted with one of the guards about a heli-skiing competition in Switzerland that he and Bridger had competed in last year. Bridger had won, but that didn’t bother Ramsey. Nothing seemed to bother this guy.
Bridger ate methodically, not looking at any of them, even her. Avalyn couldn’t stomach food right now. She pushed some around on her plate and drained a couple of water bottles, but that just made her stomach more squeamish. If only Bridger would glance at her, somehow reassure her that it would all be okay. But they both knew the truth. It wasn’t going to be okay.
* * *
Bridger felt the pain of his failure rounding his shoulders, weighing him down like no burden he’d ever experienced. The unthinkable had happened. He hadn’t won. Avalyn would be subject to that monster Ramsey tonight. How could he have failed her? He wanted to yell out his anguish and pound at his chest. Instead he ate slowly, forcing food in as his mind scrambled for an option, any option.
They finished lunch and Ramsey said happily, “Let’s go, boys.” He gestured toward the helicopter.
Bridger was having an out-of-body experience as they trudged back to the chopper. He wanted to grab Avalyn and shield her with his body as Ramsey’s men pumped him full of bullets, but what would that accomplish? Then Avalyn would be subject to Ramsey every night instead of just tonight. Pain lodged in his chest. Ramsey touching Avalyn. It was too horrific to allow his mind to go there.
Avalyn was going to hate Bridger even more for failing her. Why had he fought with her last night and this morning instead of holding her close and begging her to not think about the other women he had kissed, to concentrate on how much he loved her and only her?
He stewed through the chopper ride, but no brilliant ideas to protect Avalyn hit him. They arrived back at the yacht in the late afternoon. How was he going to survive when Ramsey took Avalyn to his room? He cast a guilty look at her. Her eyes were closed and she’d wrapped her arms around her abdomen like she was praying. He should pray too, but there wasn’t much hope or faith left in him. He’d tried so hard, and he’d failed her.
They walked down the steps from the chopper, stopping on the rear balcony. Ramsey spread his hands wide. For once, his perma-grin was nowhere in sight. “This is where we part ways.”
Bridger knew he couldn’t fight them all, but he had to try something. He stepped up to Ramsey and said, “Please don’t do this.”
Ramsey’s blue eyes glinted at him. “Why not? I’ve earned my night with her.”
Bridger swallowed, but the lump in his throat stayed firmly in place. “Ramsey. We’ve competed for years. We respect each other. We’ve been friends a long time.”
Ramsey nodded in acknowledgment.