She exited the airplane with her suitcase in hand. A driver would be waiting and take her to the New Hope Orphanage. She’d start her visit there, but most of this trip was focused on outlying villages to assess the quality of nutrition and water and help teach the parents how to care for their children and keep them safe from diseases.
A driver waited by the airport exit with a sign with her name on it. She strode up to him.
“Avalyn Shaman?” he questioned with a slight Spanish accent.
“That’s me.”
He didn’t smile, just gestured with his head. “This way, please.” He reached for her bag, but she held on to it. He shrugged as if he’d tried.
Avalyn walked to the airport exit, but he put a hand on her elbow. “No, this way. Your agent made some changes to the trip.”
Avalyn sighed, more annoyed than anything. She liked her agent, but the woman was much more bent on making money than giving it away like Avalyn was prone to do. She let the man direct her back through the airport and then out a side door. There was a helicopter ready. “What kind of publicity stunt does Sarah have planned?” she asked. “Are we not going to the orphanage first?”
He cracked his first smile. “No, ma’am.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against his side.
She tried to struggle free, but he was too big, too strong. Panic rose in her chest, making it impossible to catch a full breath. The annoyance she’d felt moments ago was crowded out by the rush of fear. What was this guy doing? There was no one around, but she screamed anyway, praying someone would hear and come help her.
He put a cloth over her nose and mouth. It was an odd-smelling mixture of sweet and chemical. Chloroform? Avalyn threw her head back but couldn’t escape him or the cloth. As darkness edged in on her vision, she wondered who she’d ticked off this time and what they were going to do to her.
Bridger had finished a hard workout in the gym and was running sprints along the short length of beach in front of the resort in Cancun. He’d spent a nice week with his family. Luckily the wedding guests were mostly gone, especially one Britney Nolan, when he returned from New York, so he could just focus on his parents, his siblings, and their wives and fiancées. Callum and Lexi returned after a couple of days spent with her family. It was great to be with everyone, but by New Year’s Day he was ready to throw himself out of an airplane without a chute.
He loved his family and they were fun and entertaining, but being without Avalyn was excruciating, especially when each of his brothers had a wife or fiancée by his side. Bridger was humiliated that he’d not only thrown himself at Avalyn repeatedly in Cancun but actually followed her back to Long Island, knocking on her parents’ front door Christmas Eve. What kind of a loser did that? A desperate one, for sure.
He knew how unworthy he was of her, of course. Avalyn not only noticed the discrepancy; she wasn’t willing to bridge it. He didn’t blame her, only mourned the fact that he’d never have a chance with her. He could only blame his desperate actions on his brothers being infected by the love virus, and he’d gotten all caught up in chasing his woman down like Callum was doing. It obviously worked out a lot better for Callum than him. He snorted. Why was he surprised? Everything worked out a lot better for Callum. The man was like Midas with his golden touch.
Bridger’s phone rang, and he pulled it out of the pocket of his running shorts.
“Bridger,” Ramsey greeted him warmly.
“Ramsey, my friend. How was Christmas?” He loved Ramsey. The guy had some screws loose, was even crazier than Bridger, but he was a lot of fun. The two of them were always competing for the number one and number two spots. Ramsey was constantly calling Bridger out on social media, doing some daring stunt and taunting that Bridger Hawk couldn’t do it as well as him. Bridger hated to admit that he always rose to the bait, but he loved that he usually bested his longtime friend. Ramsey was a talented athlete, but he had a lot more money and power than common sense. Bridger guessed some people might say the same about him.
“It was great.” But something in Ramsey’s voice didn’t sound great. “Lots of women, lots of sun. What more could you want for Christmas?”
Bridger grimaced. He only wanted one woman, and he couldn’t have her.
“How was Creed’s wedding?”
“Really great.” How did Bridger tell Ramsey how badly he’d screwed things up with Avalyn? Ramsey had teased him about Avalyn Shaman a few times throughout the years, but he doubted his friend recognized the depth and stupidity of Bridger’s devotion.
“You up for a little friendly competition?”
“Always.” His spirits lifted. He didn’t care what Ramsey threw his way; this was his chance to get away from it all and forget about Avalyn, at least for a few seconds.
“I thought you’d say that.”
“Name the time and the place.”
“Fly into the Belize City airport. Text me your arrival time. I’ll have my man meet you there. I’m finally going to beat you.”
“You know it’s hard being the best all the time. Maybe I’ll let you win.”
Ramsey laughed heartily. “I love you, man, but you’ve never let me win. I think you’ll want to trash me on this one.”
“I always want to trash you.” Lately Bridger felt like he was slowing down, tiring of their never-ending competition, all the cheap thrills, the media, the parties. Yet risking his life for a stupid adventure and YouTube video might be the only way he could stop thinking about Avalyn.
Chapter Six
Bridger took Callum’s Airbus down to Belize, a short half-hour flight, and then sent the pilot back. His brother was great to him. Bridger usually just chartered planes or boats. He had plenty of resources, investments, and sponsors but he wasn’t interested in owning the world, just conquering it.
In the airport, he spotted a burly, bald guy in a suit holding a piece of card stock with Bridger’s name on it. Bridger approached him and inclined his chin. “You my ride?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Bridger Hawk.” Bridger extended his hand.
“Mike.” The man returned his handshake with a crushing grip.
Mike tilted his bald head toward a different airport exit. Bridger followed him. A chopper was waiting. He carried his bag himself; the guy hadn’t offered, and Bridger didn’t care about pomp and service.
They climbed into the chopper. Bridger greeted the pilot, who simply nodded to him. Another burly guy was waiting for him inside. “Ramsey expecting me to put up a fight?” Bridger joked.
Mike cracked a grin as he shut the door and the chopper took off. “He said you could take us both down, so we shouldn’t start anything.”
Bridger smiled too. “Aw, that warms my heart.” His internal radar was pinging strangely. He and Ramsey had been friends for a long time. They teased and tormented each other like brothers. Why the security presence?
“You know what the competition is?” Bridger asked.
“No, sir.”
Bridger nodded. He wasn’t getting anything more from this guy. He pulled out his phone. Might as well delete emails and deal with sponsorships and questions from his agent while they flew.
He was halfway through an email to Under Armour when Mike yanked the phone from his hand, tossed it on the floor, and ground it under his boot heel.
Bridger cursed and jumped to his feet. “What was that all about?”
The guy simply stared at him and inclined his head. “We’re here, sir.”
Bridger looked out the window, his stomach churning with anger. Had Ramsey told this idiot to shatter his phone? Why would his friend do that? Bridger wanted to take the guy out, but he’d save it for the thick-necked, thick-skulled idiot’s boss.
Ramsey’s massive white yacht waited below. Bridger had been on the yacht for parties several times. The pilot expertly descended and settled the bird onto the landing pad on the top.
Mike shoved the door open and gestured. “After you, sir.”
Bridger shook his head. “My fist and your face are meeting soon, dude.”
The guy smiled and pulled out a semi-automatic rifle. “He told me you could take us down, but you don’t want a bullet in your skull, now do you?”
Bridger’s stomach rolled. He and Ramsey had competed for years and definitely both wanted to be the alpha, but they were friends and they respected each other. It’d never gotten weird or violent. What was going on?
Avalyn had awoken with a huge headache, lying on a soft bed. She started breathing hard and fast, her stomach churning with fear. Why had she been kidnapped? Neither she nor her family made enough money for it to be about ransom. Maybe because she was associated with the Hawks? No, that would be stupid. They’d kidnap Kiera, Lexi, or Cambree, not just a friend of the family. She’d ticked somebody off, then. That was the worst-case scenario, because it meant they’d want to hurt her or try to make her stop working on one of her causes.
She pushed herself off the bed with a groan. The windows were all drawn in the room, but it was a decent-sized suite with a table and chairs, a sofa, and the king-sized bed. She could see a bathroom through one of the doors. Everything was high-quality. The floor rocked slightly. It must’ve been the aftereffects of the chloroform.
She padded to the closest window with her hand on her head, willing it to stop pounding. She pushed the shade up and gazed out. Sunshine sparkled off water for as far as she could see. Her stomach clenched as more fear poured over her. Someone had gone to a lot of effort to kidnap her, and they obviously had money. The possibility of escaping a world of water wasn’t very encouraging. No wonder everything was rocking. She took some deep breaths, telling herself not to borrow trouble. Soon enough she’d know what she was up against. But she had nothing to bargain with. Nothing but her brain and her iron will.
She heard the distinctive whir of helicopter blades, and at the same time, her door burst open. Two large men with guns strode into her room. “Miss Shaman,” one said by way of greeting. He gestured with his gun out into the hallway.
Tilting her chin up, Avalyn marched in front of them down a wood-paneled hallway and into a large gathering area. Everything was pristine with tan leather seating, gleaming wood, metal accents, and lots of windows looking over the ocean. The water was a true blue, so she was probably still in the Caribbean, but there was little hope of anyone finding her out here. If anyone was even looking. Her pilot and stewardess didn’t expect her until the end of the week. Her family had said goodbye for the month of January. The director of the orphanage in Belize might contact her agent and start a search, but there were no guarantees of that. What she wouldn’t give to be kicking a soccer ball around with the children right now.
“Wait here, please,” the man said.
“What do you want with me?”
The man gave her a big grin and a wink. “Oh, I wouldn’t mind a lot with you, ma’am, but it’s my boss who will have some answers for you.”
She shot him an imperious glare, not appreciating the way he looked her over. “Take me to him.”
“Patience, my beautiful lady.”
The other guy suddenly grabbed her, whipped her away from him, and pulled her hands behind her back. Avalyn cried out and tried to struggle free, but he was too strong. She kicked back at him and heard a grunt as the heel of her tennis shoe connected with his leg. He held her tighter, and the first man bound her hands with zip ties.
Avalyn’s terror whipped into a frenzy as another man appeared from a different hallway, carrying a heavy anchor. “What are you doing?” she cried out. “Stay away from me!”
He simply smiled and knelt down next to her. She kicked at him, but he easily dodged it. The first man held her upper body while the second wrapped his arms tightly around her legs. The third man secured a rope to her ankle that attached to the anchor. They were going to drown her. She pulled in and pushed out breaths, teetering on the edge of hyperventilation.
Chapter Seven
Bridger jumped out of the helicopter, leaving his bag—the idiot could put it in his room. He strode down the first set of stairs he saw, toward the main deck. The two burly guys followed close on his heels. He noticed Mike was carrying his bag.
Ramsey reclined on a cushioned chair on the main patio. He opened his eyes as Bridger strode up to him. Languidly, he stuck his hand out. “Bridger, my friend. You made it.”
Bridger batted his hand aside, seconds away from throwing punches. “What’s going on, Ramsey? Your dude shattered my phone.”
“Ah, now.” Ramsey stood and spread his hands innocently. He looked like a jaguar with smooth, lean muscles, too-tanned skin, and a silky smile. The women loved him almost as much as they loved Bridger. “I couldn’t have your Navy SEAL brother tracking us, now, could I?”
Bridger straightened. Everything felt off, and he could sense danger all around. He glanced at his nine o’clock to see two more men strolling up, each toting guns that meant business. The guys from the helicopter were behind him, and two more men sauntered out of a glass door at his three o’clock with their own huge weapons. “What is all of this?” Bridger’s throat was dry and his abdomen tight. He could fight his way out of any situation, but not when bullets were involved. Unfortunately, he was mortal.
“I have a little surprise for you, my friend.” Ramsey wrapped an arm around his shoulders.
Bridger shrugged him off. “I haven’t liked your surprises much today,” he spit back. Ramsey was a nut job, and Bridger had the feeling he’d underestimated the amount of crazy bouncing around in Ramsey’s head.
“Well, you’re going to love this one. Shane,” he hollered, “bring the woman.”
Woman? Bridger’s stomach took flight. What woman had Ramsey involved in whatever he was planning?
Two men came out the sliding glass door, hauling a woman in a black fitted shirt and yoga pants. Her beautiful dark hair spilled down her back.
“Ramsey, no!” Bridger yelled, hurrying toward her.
Guns cocked all around him, stopping him in his tracks.
Avalyn lifted her head and pinned him with a glare. “You’re involved in this?” Her eyes were wide and filled with fear and loathing.
Bridger shook his head, holding his hands up. “Ava, I …”
“Ah, this is beautiful.” Ramsey clapped his hands a few times. “I hoped I would find the woman Bridger Hawk loved desperately, and it appears I’ve chosen correctly.”
Bridger blinked at the bright sunlight and Avalyn’s angry glare. He needed to play this right if Avalyn had any chance of escaping unscathed. For some reason, Ramsey had snapped. Too much money? Too many drugs? Who knew? But his friend definitely wasn’t acting friendly today.
Bridger forced a laugh. “So, what, this is some fun publicity stunt? We should get a lot of attention and new followers. Maybe even some new sponsors with Avalyn Shaman involved.”
“I refuse to be part of your stupid publicity stunt,” Avalyn said. She looked glorious with her dark eyes sparking fire at him, standing tall and unafraid, even as she had her hands bound behind her and … why was there an anchor tied to her ankle? His heart thudded faster and faster. “And if you wanted the woman he loved, you should’ve kidnapped Britney Nolan, not me.”
Bridger couldn’t believe that he was worried about contradicting Avalyn. Ramsey had definitely gone off the deep end. No wonder he’d ground Bridger’s phone to dust.
Ramsey pursed his lips. “The supermodel? Yeah, she would’ve been a lot of fun.” He sidled over to Avalyn and walked a circle around her, his eyes traveling over her body in the fitted clothing.
Bridger’s fists clenched. Could he kill Ramsey before his men filled him full of bullets? Nobody but Bridger could look at Avalyn like that.
“No. I think you’ll be the perfect motivator for our boy here. I’ve watched him. Whenever anyone mentions Avalyn Shaman, he lights up like a Christmas tree.” He sneered. “And I need him to have the proper motivation to make this stunt wo
rk. I’ll have so many people following my YouTube Channel, I’ll be more famous than any of the Hawk brothers.” He ran his hand down her cheek.
“Don’t touch her!” Bridger yelled. He started forward again.
A man stepped in his path and pushed his gun into Bridger’s chest. “Where do you want me to shoot him, sir?”
Ramsey smiled. The smile was familiar, but there was something in his eyes Bridger had never seen before. Obviously he didn’t know his friend as well as he thought he did. “We can’t kill him … yet. But a bullet in his arm would slow him down and help me win the competition.” Ramsey walked away from Avalyn and up to Bridger. “And I think you’ll want to win this competition. The winner of each round … gets to spend the night with Avalyn Shaman.”
Bridger froze for a second. His heart thundered in his chest. Was Ramsey serious? What made him think he could use Avalyn like this? The gun jabbed harder into Bridger’s chest, and ice trickled through his veins. It appeared Ramsey was more than serious.
Bridger glared at him. He could beat Ramsey any day, but Ramsey was right that the motivation of protecting Avalyn would make him up his game. He still was having trouble processing that Ramsey would threaten Avalyn like this and tell his man to shoot him. Bridger had no clue what was going on with a man he’d considered a friend, but he couldn’t afford a bullet right now. If Ramsey somehow won … He couldn’t stand to imagine what his former friend would do to Avalyn. Ramsey loved a lot of women, and he didn’t stop at kissing like Bridger did.
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