Chapter 81 - 81: Can’t live without me

The sofa is made of delicate sheepskin.

"If someone's going to kidnap and possibly torture and kill me, at least I can know I died in luxurious surroundings," Avery thinks sarcastically.

"Stay here and be good," the man warns.

Avery hears the sound of jingling keys as the man opens and shuts the door.

"So he's carrying the keys with him," Avery thinks, "That means he must also have the keys for the handcuffs."

She begins to plan possible ways to take the keys from him, but her thoughts are interrupted by a voice outside the room.

"I swear I just heard someone say the Summers family name," Avery thinks, "Could Leonie or Diana seriously be behind this?"

Avery kicks herself mentally. Before she jumped out the window she snuck into Leonie's room to use the other woman's phone. She needed to get in touch with Charles and she knew that Evan was unlikely to monitor Leonie's phone. Though she deleted the message after she sent it, she wonders if Leonie was somehow able to recover it.

Avery knows that Leonie hates her and wants to get her away from Evan, but she never suspected the woman would try to kill her. Avery takes a few steadying breaths.

"Just because she kidnapped me doesn't mean she's going to kill me," Avery reminds herself.

The thought has a calming effect, and Avery feels some of the panics leave her body. It's quickly replaced with rage.

"If I manage to escape this, I swear I'll get revenge," she thinks.

Charles Meyer stands in the Presidential Suite at The Underwater Hotel. He looks at his watch and frowns worriedly. At the last minute, the plan changed and he had to get Avery's nanny onto a plane by himself. He had to send other people to take care of Avery. He looks at his watch and frowns again—she should have arrived over half an hour ago.

Suddenly a man bursts into the room, panting as if he's just run a long distance.

"Dr. Meyer, our plane was hijacked," the man pants, "Mrs. Howel has been kidnapped."

"What?" Charles asks as the color drains from his face, "Who hijacked it? Was it Evan Howel?

Suddenly a gunshot sounds in the hallway. Charles grabs a gun from one of his bodyguards and runs into the hall. In the dimness of the hall, Charles sees one of his bodyguards lying on the ground. Blood is quickly spreading across the man's shirt, but he's still breathing.

Charles crouches down and grabs the man's collar. His instincts as a doctor take over and he begins to examine the man and try to staunch the bleeding.

"Who shot you?" Charles asks, glancing wildly around the hall.

"It was me," says a cold, familiar voice behind Charles.

Charles sees an expensive leather shoe kick his pistol down the hall and Charles curses himself forever putting down the gun. Slowly and calmly, Charles stands and turns to face Evan. 

Evan Howel points a pistol at Charles' chest. The silver barrel glints in the dim light in the hall.

"Where is she?" Evan asks coldly.

"Why the hell are you asking me? Didn't you kidnap her?" Charles replies.

Charles feels his heartbeat rapidly, and he knows it's not because Evan is aiming a gun at his chest. He's terrified that Avery may be hurt.

"I'll ask you just once more—where is she?" Evan growls.

"I don't know," Charles says, "She was kidnapped. She never arrived here."

Evan flicks his wrist and squeezes the trigger. A bullet tears through Charles' shoulder. In spite of the pain, Charles barely flinches.

"Mr. Howel, you should calm down. If your grandfather knew you were here—"

"If my grandfather finds out, I'll show him this," Evan says, pulling a folded paper from his pocket. He gives the paper a rough shake, revealing a lab report.

"We both know what you put in those contraceptive pills you gave my wife," Evan growls. 

Charles has to admit he's surprised. He always knew that Evan Howel was a suspicious man, but he never expected that he'd test the pills. Evan presses the gun into Charles' temple, and the metal makes him cringe.

Suddenly, Charles laughs. Evan stares as if the other man has gone crazy.

"Mr. Howel, you should be happy. You may hate your wife, but many people adore her—including me," Charles says.

Evan's reaction is instantaneous. The cool, emotionless mask he wears slips away, revealing a man on the edge.

"I'll kill you," Evan hisses.

"Do you think I'm afraid of death?" Charles laughs.

"I always knew this was a possibility," he thinks, "It was the price for a chance with Avery, and it was well worth it."

"Do you have the courage to kill me?" Charles asks, "If Avery knows you killed me, she'll hate you even more than she does already. She can't live a day without me."

Charles smiles calmly. If Evan kills him, he'll spend the rest of his life regretting it.

"She can't live a day without you?" Evan snarls, "I'm willing to test that claim."

Evan slowly moves the gun so it's pointing directly at Charles' heart.

"You thought you could have her, but I'll kill you," he whispers dangerously.

Charles smiles unperturbed, "Then do it already. But think twice before you do."

Without a second of hesitation, Evan squeezes the trigger. The gun fires and a bullet slices through Charles' heart. Charles' eyes widen in shock. He continues to smile, but blood burbles from his mouth. Evan steps back and looks coldly at the blood that's stained his shirt. Charles' body stiffens and then he falls to the floor. Though he's still breathing, he won't be for long.

"Mr. Howel!" Robert gasps with horror.

"Clear the area and keep looking," Evan commands.

"Mr. Howel, that's Dean Meyer, son!" Charles whispers, "When your grandfather finds out—"

"If my grandfather finds out, give him the report," Evan interrupts.

Robert nods, but he's horrified to think of the consequences.

"Avery will be furious," Robert thinks, "And in the last few days, she's definitely proven that her rages are a true match for Evan's. The things she could still do to him—"

Evan interrupts Charles' revery, "Kill everyone who has witnessed this."

Robert feels his blood run cold. Over the years he's killed many people for his boss, but something about this feels different. He has a foreboding feeling that the consequences for this will be huge.

Before Robert has to carry out the instructions, his phone rings. He answers it, nodded curtly, and whispers something to Evan.

Avery lies on the plush sofa and strains her ears, but she can't hear a thing. She stretches her legs as best she can and tries to kick them out in front of her. Her feet connect with something and she hears the coffee table slide across the floor. She kicks harder and the table flips over.

Her kidnapper hears the sound and rushes into the room.

"What the hell are you doing?" he screams, "I swear I'll tie you to that chair."

"I want to go to the bathroom," Avery says, twisting her body.

Since her hands were handcuffed and her arms and ankles are tied with a rope, she can't really move.

"Fine," the man snarls, "I'll help you get there."

He's happy about her ring, and he can't help but notice the seductive curves of her body, so he's inclined to be gentler with her.

"How can I walk if my ankles are tied? You don't have to worry. I'm all tied up and I can't see a single thing. I can't escape," Avery lowers her voice seductively, "You can hold me close and guide me there. I don't mind.'

If the man holds her, she'll be close to the key. Even with her hands locked up, she's hopeful she'll find a way to steal it. The man crosses the room in a few quick steps. Avery feels his hands brush against her ankles, and then the rope loosens. The man grabs Avery's arms and pulled her up from the sofa.

"Thank you," Avery says gently.

Avery walks a dozen steps and then stops, leaning weakly against the man as if she can't stand on her own. She hears a hitch in his breathing as her body brushes his. Avery smiles to herself—the man is definitely attracted to her. She can use this.  

"I'm feeling a little weak. Please help me get to the bathroom," she says softly.

Avery doesn't want to go to the bathroom, but she hopes to steal the keys from him as he guides her. Once inside the bathroom, she clumsily unbuttons the top three buttons on her shirt. She knows her figure is irresistible to most men and she's hoping to distract the guard with her curves.

She takes a deep and steadying breath and knocks on the bathroom door to let the man know she's ready to leave. This is her one chance.