"Don't touch me! Get off! Help! Bertram!"
I kicked him off and scrambled to the door, pounding on it with everything I had. Even now, in danger, the first name that tore from my throat was his.
But all that came through the door was a love song, followed by Alexis and Bertram's voices entwined in a tender duet.
The man seized my ankle and dragged me back to the bed.
Seconds crawled by. My voice gave out, shredded raw.
In the silence that swallowed my last scream, I closed my eyes.
I opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was Bertram's profile.
He must have sensed me looking, because he glanced down. Our gazes locked, and something complicated flickered through his eyes before vanishing in an instant.
He cleared his throat twice.
"What happened at the club was Alexis's fault. She got too excited about her birthday and forgot to screen those people beforehand. I'm apologizing on her behalf."
My lashes trembled.
When I spoke again, my voice was raw but dripping with sarcasm. "How long are you going to keep playing dumb, Mr. Delgado?"
Bertram watched me in silence, his eyes unreadable.
After a long pause, he drew a deep breath.