Dex grunted with the blow and grabbed his face, but Bailey knew there wasn’t enough force behind it to do any serious damage.
She moved to her feet as quickly as she could and shoved with both hands at Dex’s chest, hoping to throw him off balance and send him overboard. The boat wasn’t very big, so she didn’t have to move very hard or far to reach him. She shoved and pushed but lost her footing and landed sideways on the vinyl bench as Dex fell backward over the port side of the boat.
She moaned and grabbed for the pain in her head as she fought to get her footing and reach the driver’s seat before Dex could make it back on board.
She vaulted over the seat back into the driver’s seat and nearly went over the starboard side when she did it. Dex yelled threats at her, but she didn’t have time to spare him. She pushed hard on the throttle, and the boat lurched, almost sending her over the back of the seat, but within seconds, the boat’s engine stalled, sputtering from over-acceleration.
“You bitch. You fucking crazy bitch!” Dex screamed as he lifted himself, dripping wet, up the stern ladder.
Bailey looked around frantically, screaming for help, but there was nobody around. She saw boats in the distance, but they were too far to hear what was happening. She screamed again, but when Dex reached out for her, she jumped off the boat and into the water.
She was a great swimmer. She could get away from him. She had to. But it was no good. Dex dove in and had several inches on her dive. He was longer and stronger and also an excellent swimmer. She knew that well enough after spending several weekends with him on the lake over the last year.
He grabbed her by the ankle and pulled her back and against him faster than she expected. He held her to his chest, breathing heavily, then shifted so her head was stuck in a headlock underwater.
Oh, God! Oh, God! She couldn’t breathe. She wasn’t ready. She didn’t have air. She fought him, grabbing at his clothes and arms, pulling, scratching, and fighting. Then she tried stroking to break the surface of the water, but he was too strong. To her surprise, he brought her head up above the waterline. She inhaled too deeply and instantly sucked in lake water. She choked and sputtered, trying to get air.
Dex gripped her by the arms, shaking and shouting at her. She didn’t understand what he was saying. He was so angry. The palm of his hand came in contact with her cheek, and pain exploded through her face. Stars danced, and her head lolled back.
“You stupid bitch. Did you really think you could fight me?”
Bailey grimaced and tried to shake free of his grip while he towed her back to the boat. With his arm gripped around her midsection, he used the other hand to pull them both onto the stern ladder. Bailey kicked out, trying to get free, and eventually slipped from his arm, but that just pissed him off further.
He had her around the throat in a headlock within two strides, towing her back to the boat again. She fought to breathe against his hold, but Dex tightened his grip. When he grabbed for the ladder again, he adjusted and wrapped his beefy arm around her waist, then with two heaves up the ladder rungs, he pulled them both onto the boat’s small stern swimming deck.
Once he had his feet steady under him, he swung wide and smacked her across the face again. With the blow, she threw her hands up to cover her face. Oh, God, it hurt. Blood instantly dripped from her nose and down over her mouth. Everything hurt. She couldn’t think about anything but protecting her aching head.
“I don’t have time for this shit,” he said, his breath coming in pants and water dripping from every part of him. He threw her to the floor, and she arched up as her head hit the side of the boat, but before she could move, he flipped her onto her stomach and yanked both her hands behind her back. She had to twist to keep her arm from snapping.
She didn’t stand a chance against him. He was so strong, so damn big. She felt like a mouse fighting off an angry lion. He tied the same scratchy rope around her wrists again, but tighter this time. It pinched as he tightened the rope, forcing her to cry out.
He threw a fist into her back and knocked the air from her lungs. Bailey gasped, and, with a stark realization, she began to sob. He was going to kill her. His roughness was proof of that. He had no concern for her whatsoever. When he grabbed her legs, he twisted her so her face pressed into the floor of the boat. He pulled again, forcing her body into a stretch, then began tying ropes around her ankles. When she released another quiet sob, he squeezed her ankles together tighter.
“Shut up,” he said, but his voice was different and he was panting heavily There was something wrong with him. She didn’t know what, but he wasn’t right. He was on something, and it wasn’t just adrenaline or from the exertion of their fight.
He knotted the rope around her ankles and left her there, facedown, her head wedged against the base of the driver’s seat and the paneling along the interior of the boat.
Bailey couldn’t move. He left her in that awkward position, her body arched and her feet hanging from ropes. Then he grabbed her hands again and tugged. She felt the ropes being tousled around and pulled tight again. She tugged on her feet, then on her hands,
