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Sara’s eyes land on mine and her lips twist sideways. I know she wants to earn the money, but at the same time, it’s unfair the way Jane has flipped the script. None of this shit has been relevant to survival. More so, it seems she’s intent on making trouble between the four of us. That other team must not be getting any airtime.
I sit up from the bamboo floor of the enclosure and rub the base of my back. Turns out, sleeping on solid wood all night long isn’t the best for spinal support. Sara follows me up, her long, dark hair sweeping against her bare back. She’s still just holding Zane’s t-shirt out in front of her. I grab the bandana from beside me and wrap it over her breasts. My thumb sweeps past her hard nipple as I tuck the thin fabric into place, and she lets out the tiniest sigh. Every part of me wants to tell her right now how I feel. Let her know that I can’t go back to the mainland without her, that something happened between us and we need to make this work at all costs.
Jane calls out for us again and my heart rattles against its cage, anxious for me to speak. For all I know, she could be kicked off the island after this game. Though, I highly doubt Jane would let that happen. To her, Sara is a ratings hound.
Sara scoots to the edge of the camp and dangles her legs out, hanging them free. “I guess we should do this then,” she says, reaching for my hand.
My hand extends to hers and a shot of happiness runs through me. She’s so tiny, yet so strong for being out here, for putting up with this shit. I think a lot of women would’ve given up by now and let Jane win. That said, maybe I should wait until later to spill my emotions. I don’t want to throw her off her game, whatever that may be. Plus, I should probably talk to Zane and Colin first.
“Come on out,” Jane calls, her voice like a siren calling all the clowns to center ring.
The sand is warm, and the sun is already beaming in the worst possible direction, its rays gleaming and bouncing off the water and into our eyes. I take a swig of water and encourage Sara to drink as well before we make our way over to the group of people standing in a circle on the shoreline. With the sun in our eyes, it’s hard to see, but it looks like the other team has joined us as well. The thought takes the rock rolling around in my stomach and lodges it in my throat. It’s one thing to have Sara kissing Zane and Colin but seeing her touch these strange fucking men would be enough to get me kicked off the island.
The closer we get, the more apparent it becomes that the group gathered is the team from the other side of the island. Two of the men look to be about my age, early thirties. While the last man is significantly older, maybe in his early fifties with silver hair. He looks familiar, but I can’t quite put my finger on how. To the left of them, Colin and Zane stand with wide stances, their arms crossed over their chests, a grimace on both their faces as though they too might just lose their shit.
“Does that guy look like Kemp?” Sara asks, a shake in her voice. “Or is it just me?”
I’m still not completely sure who Kemp is, but the way she says his name, I surmise that it’s the man from the bar yesterday. Not only that, but the second those dots connect, I realize without a doubt that’s where I’ve seen the man before.
“Did he have a spot on the sho—”
“No,” she says, holding tight to my arm as we get closer to the circle. “I don’t think so.” I can tell her mind is running a mile a minute as she processes all that’s happening. I expect her to cling close to me and wait to see how everything plays out. But the second we reach the circle of men, she lets go of my arm and stomps toward him, her shoulders stiff, her arms waving.
“What are you doing here?”
I follow behind her in the sand, ready to beat the shit out of this asshole. I have no idea what he’s done, but it doesn’t matter.
Kemp pulls back his head and tilts it to the side, a sly grin on his face that I want to punch the fuck off.Who the hell is this guy?
“I should be asking you the same question,” the thin nosed man says back to Sara. “Did you follow me here?”
She looks down at the sand and digs her foot in, then glances back up at the man. “Why are you doing this?”
“We had a deal, Sara, and you ran off. You have to pay up sooner or later.”
A deal? What deal did she make with him? He’s probably full of shit.
I step in between the two of them, eye to eye with the man but he doesn’t look intimidated until Zane and Colin join me.
“Are you okay?” Zane asks Sara, though still staring at Kemp.
Colin draws up his hand and lays it on Sara’s shoulder, his gaze contending with her and that sense of brotherhood we’ve always had comes flooding back.
“I’m fine,” Sara says. “I just want to know why this asshole is here.”
Kemp stands still in the sand, his stance wide, his arms crossed over his chest. “You can run your monkeys all over this beach, Sara, but you know the truth.”
The truth? A deal? This guy is talking more cryptic than a fucking terrorist.
“Can we get started with our game, gentlemen,” Jane asks with sarcasm. “Or is there a fight happening? I’m sure our viewers would enjoy a good wrestling match.”
Zane looks toward Jane, his jaw set flat. If it were anyone else, I’d wonder why he was feeling so protective over Sara, but that’s who Zane is. He’s a protector at heart. We all are, really, but Zane takes it to the next level. He’s the kind of guy that’ll pull the car over to beat the shit out of someone for walking their dog with a collar that is too tight.
“Good,” Jane says as we all line up on the sand. “Now we can get started. This is going to be a fire-starting competition.”
Finally, we’re getting back to basics.
“Sara, I’ll need you up here at the finish line.”
