“Please,” Bridger repeated. “You can’t do this. I’ll do anything you want. Lose any competition to you. Shout all over the media how great you are.” He was desperately trying to think of anything that might convince Ramsey not to touch Avalyn. Money meant nothing to him, only fame and women. Women. Not Ava. Not the woman he loved.Please Lord, help us.
Ramsey silently smirked at him.
“Please,” Bridger tried again. He glanced at Avalyn. She was the picture of beautiful innocence with her dark hair trailing across her shoulder and her dark eyes staring at him with such tenderness and fear. He couldn’t let Ramsey hurt her. He lowered his voice and admitted to Ramsey, “I love her.”
Ramsey’s blue eyes lightened. “That makes it even better.”
Bridger let out a growl and lunged at Ramsey. A taser hit him in the back, and a shock of pain surged through him.
“Bridger!” Avalyn yelled.
His face slammed into the slick floor. He jerked and grunted in pain as his body writhed from the electricity. The taser finally released its agonizing grip on him, but immediately arms grabbed him from behind. The four men each took an arm and a leg. Gripping him tightly, they hauled him through the main area, down the hall, and into the suite he and Avalyn had shared. He could hear Avalyn screaming for him until they were out of earshot. They tossed him on the bed, and one of them secured his hands behind him with some kind of strap.
Then they walked out, the door closed, and he was left horribly alone. His body slowly stopped quivering in pain, and Bridger slid to the edge of the bed and off. The pain had receded, but he felt exhausted and drained. He couldn’t let that stop him, though. He had to protect Avalyn.
He ran and threw himself at the door. It quivered but didn’t budge. He backed up and rammed it again, leading with his shoulder. The door held and he heard grunts on the other side. The guards had to be pushing their weight against it, holding it closed. Why didn’t they just let him bust through and shoot or tase him again?
“How long do you think he’ll fight?” he heard one of the guards ask.
“How long would you fight if it was your girl?”
“All night.”
Bridger nodded. At least they knew he wouldn’t give up. If he stopped, it would be conceding the love of his life to Ramsey. Anger and hatred coursed through him. Today, somehow, someway, he was going to rip Ramsey apart.
“Avalyn!” he screamed, slamming his body against the door again.
ChapterFifteen
Avalyn followed Ramsey to his suite, climbing up a set of stairs above the main living room of the yacht. She felt detached and cold, so cold. She noticed details that didn’t matter. That his suite was bigger than hers. That the idiot never stopped smiling. Would the guards come into the room with them, or would she have a fighting chance with Ramsey alone? She knew he was strong, but this was her virtue she was fighting for.
“Thanks, guys.” Ramsey nodded to the guards, then shut the door and turned the lock. The lock turning was like a death knell to her heart. “Why don’t you go shower?” Ramsey asked, pointing toward an open door.
Avalyn didn’t want to do anything he said, but at least in the bathroom she’d be away from him. It was prolonging the inevitable, but at this point she’d take any reprieve she could get.
She hurried into the bathroom, shut and locked the door, and dropped her dirty clothes on the floor. The shower was a huge granite enclosure. She let the warm water pound at her scalp for a while. What was she going to do? How was she going to escape? Her stomach rolled with apprehension and terror, but for some reason, her thoughts kept turning back to Bridger. Had he really begged Ramsey and said, “I love her”? Was that just his ploy to get her away from Ramsey? It hadn’t sounded or felt like a ploy. Tears mingled with the shower water. She loved Bridger, and there was little hope of her getting away from the psychotic Ramsey.
She thought she heard the bathroom door open. She gasped and backed into the corner of the shower.
“I set out some clean towels and clothes for you,” Ramsey called.
“Get out!” Avalyn yelled.
His only response was a deep chuckle and the bathroom door closing a moment later.
Avalyn’s heart thumped uncontrollably. Ramsey forcing himself on her seemed worse than free-falling without a parachute.
She shut the water off and carefully stepped around the shower wall. Ramsey was gone, and there were a couple of towels on the counter, next to a silky floral dress. Her clothes were nowhere in sight. So it was go face him in only a towel or put his stupid dress on. Avalyn let out a frustrated and terrified yelp and then forced herself to dry off, brush out her tangled hair, and slip into the dress. There was perfume and makeup on the counter also, but she ignored them.
The dress was flattering with a V-neck and no sleeves. It came a few inches above her knees. She hated what Ramsey had dehumanized her to—a pretty face and a hot body. That wasn’t her. She hated him worse than any media person who’d made fun of her causes or politician who tried to block her efforts. She’d never loathed a person like she loathed him.
Avalyn took a deep breath. She wondered what Ramsey would do if she stayed in here all night. She eyed the small window. Could she squirm out through it? She’d rather take her chances with the sharks than with Ramsey.
The door swung open and Ramsey stood there. His dark hair was wet, and he was wearing a button-down white shirt and khaki pants. Had he showered in another suite? Could she have escaped while he was gone? Despair and frustration traced through her.
He gestured out of the bathroom. “Let’s eat.”
Avalyn drew in a breath, squared her shoulders, and stalked out to face him. No matter what, she would show how strong she was. She was Avalyn Shaman. He could take advantage of her body, but he would never kill her spirit.