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The man to the right of me shrugs his shoulders. His brown eyes flick to mine, and he gives me a once-over like he can’t help himself. “Hank.”
“I’m Reggie,” the other guy says, offering his hand out to Chase. “We should get moving. The place we’ll most likely find a water source is inland. I don’t know about you all, but I don’t want to get stuck in that rainforest after dark.”
All I can think about are all the things that can kill me as I head into the wilderness of this island. And now, I wish I would’ve chosen to be on a different team. I was just so thirsty that water was the first thing that came to my mind. Not snakes. Wild boars. Giant cats or something. Whatever else could be here.
As if Chase senses my sudden nerves, he reaches out and squeezes my shoulder. “We’re going to be okay. I’m an experienced hiker. We have to be more concerned about the creatures we can’t see than the ones that can attack us.”
Great. I wasn’t even thinking about spiders or venomous whatever that could be hiding everywhere. Man-eating ants. Disease-infected mosquitoes. Shit.
Instead of responding, all I do is tighten my hand around my stick and nod my head. Chase leads the way, and I stroll between him and Davian with the other two ending our line. At least Davian stays a couple feet behind me, so I don’t have to think about his naked body getting too close to mine. It’s bad enough that I have to trudge this forest with naked guys in the first place. I want to worry about the wild snakes hanging from trees and not the ones between their legs.
I swear. After we get our shit together, I’ll figure out how to cover up. Leaves will be my new favorite fashion trend. Maybe I can even try making a grass skirt. I know I have bigger concerns, but thinking about the small discomforts of the situation helps ease the anxiety clenching my heart.
We hike deeper into the rainforest and away from the shore, the humidity leaving my scalp damp with sweat. Chase marks our way by using a stick to draw a line in the ground while occasionally stopping to scratch the trunks of several trees. I’m glad he thought of it because I don’t think the rest of us would have. I can’t even remember the last time I was outside of the city. The city park was about as naturey as I’ve gotten.
“So, what do you all do for a living?” Hank asks, keeping his voice low. I almost wish he didn’t break the silence.
“Agriculture.” Davian flicks his gaze to mine. “Don’t tell Tiffany. She’s already gotten on my nerves, and I don’t want her ordering me around. I got enough of that before I tore my ex-boss a new one.”
“That’s fucking awesome,” Hank speaks a bit louder.
I tense and look around. I can’t shake the dread prickling down my back. I feel like we’re being watched by a predator, and I’m afraid that any sort of noise will provoke them. Would it be wrong to push Hank toward whatever wild animal might attack since he would be the one drawing it to us? Maybe. But in this moment, I want to be selfish. I want to protect myself first. Any of them could overpower me and feed me to the beasts of the rainforest if they wanted to.
“I’m a scuba instructor, and I had been working on a day cruise whale watching boat, but it took some damage recently. It’s the off-season, so...that’s probably why these fuckers jumped me,” Hank continues, answering his own question when the rest of us don’t.
“Recently fired,” Reggie murmurs.
Hank strolls up next to Reggie, and the two of them move in closer behind me. “Bummer. From where?”
“Doesn’t matter. It was fucked up and not even my fault. But you know how it is with the big businesses. Always saving face.” Reggie nearly growls with the words.
“What about you two?” Hank touches my shoulder, and I startle. I don’t know if it’s because of my nerves with the forest or what, but his touch sets me off.
I automatically take a few quick steps away and glare at him from over my shoulder.
Chase clears his throat, interrupting me before I snap. I don’t really want to talk about how I haven’t had reliable work for a while or what I’ve been doing to make money.
“I’m an MD. Family Medicine.” Chase slows down and motions for me to step in front of him. I think he can tell I’m on the verge of another panic attack. I just want to find the water and get back to the beach.
Reggie claps his hands once and chuckles. “Well, there goes my theory. I was going to say they kidnapped all of us because we were out of work. Yet you’re a doctor? Damn. I guess there always has to be one. Like the shows. Shitty luck that they targeted you.”
“Who said I wasn’t out of work? But that’s none of your business. Now, be quiet. We need to listen for water. Save the small talk for later.” Chase strolls up beside me, glancing at me in his peripheral vision. He stands close but not too close, almost protectively but cautious at the same time. It’s hard to explain. It’s also hard for me not to drag my gaze down the front of his body. I’m just so not used to being around naked people. But he doesn’t look at me once. If he’s truly a doctor, that’s most likely why. It’s probably why he also helped me in the middle of my panic attack on the yacht.
“Fuck. Just one question for Eliana, and I’ll shut up. Are you out of work?” Hank comes up behind me, leaning over my shoulder, getting into my space.
I pick up my speed again while nodding my head. “Yeah. Can you please backup? You might be comfortable with your dick swinging around, but—”
The ground falls out from under me, and I screech as I tumble down a steep ravine. Davian yells my name, but I can’t see where he is until I roll a couple times and land on my back. The four men stare in shock at me from above.
My breath escapes my lungs. I wheeze in exasperation, my heart feeling as if it’ll explode. I expect my whole body to scream in agony. I’m afraid I might’ve broken something, and I won’t feel it until the adrenaline wears off. If that happens, I’m dead. I know it.
“Yo, Elle! Get up! Grab your stick. It’s to your right!” Davian shouts the words from the top of the ravine. “There’s something in the trees.”
And then I hear the growl.
Holy fucking shit.
I’m about to be mauled to death.
