by Laura Ann
He skidded to a stop as he reached the semicircle of men and bodyguards who were watching the door. Ridge’s heart felt as if it would twist in two as he saw Everly standing in the doorway with her head wrenched back. Her arms were behind her, apparently tied together, and a large black box was strapped to Everly’s chest.
Her chest heaved and tears poured down the sides of her face, her eyes wide with fear. “Ridge,” she mouthed when she spotted him.
Ridge nodded subtly, hoping she would understand he wouldn’t let anything happen to her. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll protect you. He projected the words, knowing she wouldn’t hear them, but hoping she could read the intent in his eyes. There was no way the crazy make-up chick was going to get away with all this.
“Come on down, Tiffany,” Harlan called. He held his hands in the air. “We want to see that Everly is safe.”
Leon twitched and Ridge’s eyes went immediately to him. “Cool it, man,” Ridge whispered into the headset.
Leon’s nostrils flared, but his fidgeting stopped.
“Safe?” Tiffany laughed. “It’s not her safety I’m worried about.”
“Tell us what you want, then.” Ridge could tell Harlan was working hard to sound and look non-threatening, but all the triplets were so large it was a difficult task, especially compared to a small woman.
“I want my car,” Tiffany shouted. “Since you all wouldn’t let me use my original plan, you’ll have to help me.” A set of keys flew through the air and landed at Harlan’s feet in a small puff of dust. “Drive it up to the door and then everyone needs to stand back.
No! Ridge shouted internally as Harlan bent over to grab the keys.
“I’ve got a better idea,” Harlan called out. “Why don’t you step on down and we can talk about this like the adults we are.”
“Talk?” Tiffany snorted. “Seriously? You all think I’m going to fall for that? I don’t need to talk. I need to get out of here. Now get my car or Everly is going to be blown into little tiny bits.” Tiffany laughed wildly. “And if we’re lucky, she’ll take out a few of us with her.”
“You would kill yourself in order to kill her?” Sawyer jumped in.
“As long as it meant I ruined her life, that’s fine.”
Ridge ground his teeth. An enemy who had nothing to lose was the worst kind because they were the most mentally unstable, and talking would do nothing.
“How does killing her ruin her life?” Harlan tried again. “Wouldn’t allowing her to live in some type of agony be worse?”
Tiffany was silent for a moment and Ridge prayed they had found a weakness.
“You want her to pay?” Harlan called out. “Then make her pay. Death will be a release. No more suffering, no more heartache. How does that serve your purpose?”
“Shut up and let me think!” Tiffany screamed, shaking Everly’s head.
Everly’s eyes had widened impossibly more as Harlan had been talking. No, no, no, baby. Don’t believe him. We just need to keep her talking. Time buys us options. Ridge kept chanting the words in his mind, but it was easy to see that Everly was breaking with each word that slipped from Harlan’s mouth.
A movement around the back corner of the trailer caught Ridge’s eye and he forced himself not to look in order not to draw attention. Come on, Archer. You’re taking too long, man!
“You know what?” Tiffany hollered. “You have no idea what I want, so quit trying to mess with my mind. Just get my car and we’ll all be able to relax.”
“I can’t do that,” Harlan said, tossing the keys in his hands. “And I know you better than you think. I know your boyfriend left you last year. I know he was a heartless jerk who walked away without a real explanation.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Tiffany’s tone had tightened and it was easy to tell they were getting to the bottom of the matter.
Thank you, Roman. The big guy had spent the last twenty minutes searching for anything he could find on Tiffany Summerset. Luckily, she wasn’t overcautious about her life on social media and the men were able to piece some things together.
“He didn’t appreciate you, did he?” Harlan asked, taking a step forward.
“One more step and she dies,” Tiffany screeched, once again shaking Everly. The deranged woman tipped a large knife just under Everly’s jaw.
Come on, Archer. Any time now!
“After all you did for him, he just left. How’s that for gratitude?” Harlan shook his head. “You need a man who understands all you have to offer. I mean, look at you!” Harlan held his arms out in front. “You’re a beautiful, independent woman! You do make-up for the stars! And someday, you’ll move beyond these little guys like Everly Madison and mingle with the real thing, right?”
A short but loud shot rang through the air, followed by a scream. The sound caused everyone to freeze. As if in slow motion, Everly’s jaw dropped and she began to fall forward. Without a second thought, Ridge was off, shoving his way through the front line and sprinting for all he was worth.
“Gotcha!” Ridge grabbed Everly around the waist just before she hit the ground face first. He paused for a moment, catching his breath, only to have the whole area turn to chaos.
He pulled Everly until she was standing upright, and others raced past them to grab Tiffany, who was screaming like a banshee.
“You shot me! How could you do that?” Curse words flew from her mouth as Harlan and Sawyer dragged her from the trailer, kicking and screaming. Blood ran down her right arm, soaking the dirt as they moved toward Harlan’s car.
Ridge was still trying to catch his own breath when Everly was ripped from his arms.
Leon was holding his sister at arm’s length, his face a concentration in horror as he looked at the box strapped to her chest.
“The bomb,” Ridge breathed. He hurried around so he could see what was going on. “Let me look,” he demanded, shoving Leon out of the way.
“Can you get rid of it?” Leon asked, his voice giving away his pain. “Can we save her?”
“Hey, baby,” Ridge said softly, stepping up close.
Everly’s face was swollen and red, and tears continued to pour down her cheeks. “You guys need to get back,” she said hoarsely. “I don’t want anyone hurt.”
Ridge put up his hands. “No one is going to get hurt. I won’t let them.” He winked at her, trying to ease the heaviness of the moment. “Remember, this is what I do. Sawyer got to protect you in your house, but this is my territory. And what kind of man would I be if I let the woman I love get hurt when I can stop it?”
“You...you love me?” Everly’s face fell and her body hunched forward.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Ridge reached out and straightened her back up. Cupping her face, he began wiping her tears with his thumbs. “If I’d known it would upset you, I wouldn’t have said it,” he murmured.
“I’m not upset,” she sniffed. “I just can’t believe you love me. I love you so much. I’ve loved you since you swapped with your brother, I think.”
Ridge grinned, unable to suppress the need to puff out his chest a little. “Then let’s get this thing off you so we can seal the deal properly, huh?”
Everly took a long, shuddering breath, then nodded. “Okay. But please be careful. I won’t be able to handle it if you get hurt.”
“The only thing that’s going to hurt me is losing you.” He stared straight into her eyes. “Which I won’t let happen.”
“Still,” Everly said softly, “please be careful.”
Ridge nodded solemnly and got down on his knees to look at the contraption. There was no evident timer and he couldn’t hear any ticking. Standing back up, he slowly walked around her body, trying to see how it was supposed to be triggered. He pursed his lips and shook his head. “I don’t see...” his voice trailed off.
“Don’t see what?” Leon shouted.
“I don’t see how this was supposed to go off.” A light bulb went off. “Your fall,” h
e said softly. Reaching into his pocket, Ridge grabbed a pocket knife and began cutting the duct tape to release the bomb.
CHAPTER 19
“What are you doing?” Everly screeched in panic. She craned her head to see Ridge’s actions. “You can’t just cut if off me! It’ll go off!”
Ridge shook his head, still working his way around her body. “No. She didn’t have a separate detonator. If I’m right.” He paused and looked her in the eye. “And we both know I’m always right. There’s a pipe bomb in that box and if you had hit the ground like she wanted you to, it would have blown.”
Everly gasped. “So you saved me when you caught me?”
Ridge grinned and winked. “It would appear so.” He came around front, cutting the tape and parts of her dress to get it loose. Once he was down to the last bit, Ridge carefully held the box in one hand and the knife with the other. “Easy now,” he murmured, his eyes focused intensely. “Don’t move, so I don’t cut you.”
Everly held her body still, which was a feat in and of itself as her legs were shaking and tremors kept ricocheting through her spine. With one last slice, the box was free and Everly felt herself collapse to the ground. She wasn’t there long before Leon snatched her up, pressing her face into his chest.
“Don’t you ever scare me like that again,” he scolded into her hair. “I thought I was going to die while you were in that trailer.”
“I promise not to be kidnapped by a deranged make-up artist ever again,” she murmured.
“Not funny,” Leon said, squeezing her tighter.
“I know.” Everly sighed. “I’m not thinking clearly right now. My emotions are all over the place.” She leaned her head back. “Can you please untie my hands?”
Leon spun her around and began working the ties that held her wrists together. “Geez, that woman knew how to tie a knot.” It took a moment for her to be free and the blood began rushing back into her extremities.
BOOM!
Both Leon and Everly jerked at the loud explosion, ducking their heads, with Leon covering Everly’s back. When nothing else happened, they looked up and Everly felt a sudden burst of fear. “Ridge!” Wiggling free from her brother’s grasp, she took off toward the sound, running as fast as she could in her long dress and sandals. “Ridge! Ridge!” she screamed, searching for the blond curls she loved so much.
When she spotted him walking back across the meadow, a grin on his face, her fear turned to anger. She continued running and slammed right into his chest.
“Oof! Hey, baby. Slow down, huh?” Ridge said with a laugh, wrapping her in his arms.
“What were you doing?” Everly yelled, pounding her sore fists on his shoulders.
Ridge frowned. “I got rid of the bomb. What did you think I was doing?”
Everly’s bottom lip trembled and she blinked rapidly. “I thought it had blown up and you got hurt.”
“Ah, sweetheart.” Ridge tucked her under his chin and held her tight, rocking them back and forth. “Don’t you know by now that I don’t go down that easily? I have too much going for me to let a crazy lady get me now.”
“Oh yeah? Just what do you have going for you?” Everly asked, wiping her eyes and sniffing.
“Well...see, there’s this woman I’m in love with and we haven’t had much time together.”
Everly glanced up from beneath her lashes.
“I’m going to take a couple weeks off and spend every waking moment with her so I can know everything about her.” Ridge tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled softly. “I want to know what her favorite breakfast food is. I want to know what movies she loves.” He leaned his forehead against hers. “I want to know what actor she can’t stand.”
Everly laughed lightly, then began to cry again.
“I want to kiss her until she can’t breathe and then do it again the next day.” Ridge lifted his head and kissed her forehead. “I want to tell her I love her without anyone threatening to beat me up or kick me out of the house.”
Everly smiled and buried her forehead in the crook of his neck, wrapping her arms around his torso and snuggling in.
“I want to find all her ticklish spots and figure out if she’s a mountain or beaches type of girl.”
Everly smiled and shook her head.
“But most of all” —he pulled back so she was forced to look up— “I just want to hold her and know she’s safe, and maybe get her to play me a song or two on her guitar.” He wiped her tears again. “How does that sound to you, baby?”
“It sounds perfect,” Everly rasped. “Absolutely perfect.”
“Good. Because I have a feeling the next twenty-four hours are going to be a doozy.” His gaze was going over her head, so Everly turned around and nearly groaned at the group of men waiting for them to finish.
She sighed and turned back to Ridge. “I guess we better get this taken care of, huh?”
“Yep. And then it’ll just be you and me.”
“Thank you, by the way,” she said, kissing his cheek, even though she wanted to do a lot more.
“For what?”
Everly rolled her eyes. “For saving me, of course. For being there to catch me when I fell. For getting the bomb taken care of. For keeping me sane when Harlan was trying to stall. For giving me five minutes of paradise before I walked into a nightmare. For fighting for me—”
Ridge cut off her monologue with a sweet kiss. He grinned when he pulled back after a second. “You’re welcome. Now, come on. The sooner we get this taken care of, the sooner we can be by ourselves.”
Everly nodded and let Ridge lead her back to the others, where Leon grabbed her and pulled her into a strong hug.
“I sent the director, Sammy, home. I’m pretty sure the video is off the table right now.”
Everly barked a manic laugh. “Yeah...I’m not sure I’ll ever record this one. It feels too tainted.”
“Don’t let her win,” Leon said, loosening his hold. “This is your song and it’s great. Take it to the world, but maybe not right this second.”
Everly nodded.
“Everly?”
She turned to find Sawyer watching her with concerned eyes. Funny how I can so easily tell them apart now. I guess I just had to spend enough time with them. She stepped out of her brother’s arms and wrapped them around Sawyer, who immediately hugged her back. “Thank you,” she murmured. “I wouldn’t have made it without you.”
Sawyer let go of her and stepped back with a shrug. “Nah. I didn’t end up being the right one for the job here, but I’m glad you’re safe.” He grinned and ruffled her hair. “You’ve become like a kid sister. I’d have hated to see you get hurt.”
Everly scowled and patted down her head. “Watch it,” she scolded.
“Oh, that’s right. You’ve still gotta look good for the ugly one over there,” Sawyer teased, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder.
“I heard that,” Ridge called out from where he was talking to Harlan.
Everly punched Sawyer in the shoulder. “That’s for insulting my boyfriend.” She socked him again. “That’s for insulting yourself.” She punched him a third time. “And that’s because I needed to get out some aggression.”
Sawyer laughed and wrapped an arm around her neck. “Guess I better be careful. You’re probably going to be my sister someday, and with fists like that, I’ll have to keep myself safe.”
Even though Sawyer’s words were said nonchalantly, Everly felt a flutter in her stomach. What I wouldn’t give...She cleared her throat and felt her cheeks heat. Sawyer took one look at her and laughed again before taking her over to Harlan.
RIDGE HELD OUT HIS hand to Everly as she approached with Sawyer, without ever taking his eyes off Harlan. “It was a simple pipe bomb, but despite her bragging about her skills, there was no detonator, which means there had to be a tripwire inside the box.”
Everly grasped his fingers and Ridge tucked her under his arm.
“If we had opened the box or if she ha
d actually fallen on her way out of the trailer, it would have blown.”
Harlan sighed and rubbed his hands down his face. “That was too close.”
Everly cringed and Ridge gave her a squeeze. “Sorry,” she said softly. “I had no idea that one of my friends was behind all this.”
“I guess Ridge’s thought that it was a woman was on point,” Sawyer said with a raised eyebrow.
Harlan nodded. “Yeah. We should have looked deeper into that.” He turned and his eyes went to the small woman in Ridge’s arms. “We did some digging while she held you hostage, but other than a bad break-up last year, we can’t quite figure out why she was doing this. Any ideas?”
Everly nodded and snuggled deeper into Ridge. “The break-up was it. Her ex made some comment about me when he left and Tiffany took it to mean he was leaving her for me.” She shook her head and her voice broke. “But something was really wrong with her. She was acting out of control and crazy. The break-up was just an excuse.”
Ridge leaned down and kissed her head. “There’s usually something seriously wrong when a person acts this way, babe. Don’t take it personally. None of this is your fault.”
Her tear-filled eyes looked up at him. “But maybe if I’d kept in better contact with her or something, I could have prevented this. It seems like she may have bottled it up and the dam just burst.”
“Don’t you dare,” Sawyer growled, catching all their attention. “You had nothing to do with her actions. Ridge is right. There’s definitely something broken inside. Healthy individuals do not go around threatening people with guns or bombs, especially friends.”
“What’s going to happen to her?” Everly asked quietly.
Harlan sighed and pity filled his gaze as he answered. “She’ll be turned over to the authorities and they’ll see she gets the help she needs.”
Everly nodded. “So can we go now?”
“Not quite,” Harlan said, his gaze on the horizon. “Tiffany is cuffed in the back of my car, but I don’t really have the right equipment to transport her. The police have been called. I’m sure when they arrive, they’ll have questions for everyone.” His eyes turned back to Everly and Ridge. “It would be best to simply get it done now rather than delay the inevitable.”