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I wasn’t sure we could even call it a jungle. Technically, maybe, but tiny and far from thick. The moonlight alone made it possible to see some ten, fifteen feet in. Lots of shrubs and fallen trees, mangroves and ferns… I really didn’t wanna hide in there.
Shay slowed down, visibly focused and in the zone, and he took deep breaths as he scanned our surroundings.
Lane and I came to a stop too.
“In no way will they leave us on our own tonight,” Shay stated. “I’m not calling the threat empty, but if they take the rock from us, they’ll stay on the island too.”
I was with him on that.
“And Mack’s right,” he continued. “The jungle won’t shelter us for more than a few minutes if they have flashlights.”
“It’s enough time to twist an ankle and become useless in a fight.” Lane threw in his two cents.
“And snakes. Let’s not forget the snakes,” I said.
He merely grinned crookedly.
“So we stay here, and we brace for the fight,” Shay decided. “We make a show of keeping the rock with us, but we hide it—and that should prolong the torture.”
Oh, I liked that.
“I’m on board. Good idea.” I nodded. Then another idea struck, as did a heavy urgency because I didn’t know how much time we had left. “We’ll hide it here,” I said quickly. “Then we trace back—just a minute or so the same way we came—”
“So we’ll guard the tracks behind us.” Lane was with me. “Shay, you hide it. Mack and I can disturb the sand and make it more difficult to know where we’ve been.”
We could do the same where we ended up later, to confuse the Tops further.
It was a plan, and we sprang into action. Shay hid the rock under a small fern along the tree line, and Lane and I planted our tracks all over the sand. Last but not least, we ran back out to the water’s edge.
“Four Sadists, three subs—what’s wrong with this equation?” Shay muttered.
I laughed. “Hey, you chose two of them.”
“Uh, they put out the fire,” Lane said.
I lifted my gaze and peered toward the end of the beach, or where I believed we’d started earlier, and Lane was right. Where we were right now…we should be able to see the fire.
“Time’s up, then.” I nudged Lane out of the water, and Shay followed us. “We’ll wait for them here.” We left our tracks everywhere between the water’s edge and the jungle, hoping the Tops would suspect we’d hidden the rock close by—if we didn’t keep it on us.
We wore similar boardshorts with pockets, and Shay had on a tee too.
“I’m first, aren’t I?” Shay asked.
Lane and I looked at each other. We could divulge that much.
“Yeah.”
Shay nodded once.
River and Reese wanted their takedown with Shay. Lane was getting a rape play scene, and I…had no freaking clue. Walker’s imagination was from another world—but I hoped it was different enough. Something that set us apart a bit, because otherwise, we’d be three couples at the event presenting similar photos.
I went rigid when I suddenly heard the distinctive sound of a rattlesnake, and I hurried my ass closer to the water in an instant. Holy fuck—I did not need—
“Out here?” Lane’s voice was laced heavily with skepticism and fascination. “Don’t get me wrong. I know they’re good swimmers, but—” We heard it again, and Lane cocked his head toward the sound. It came from the jungle. “No way. Nuh-uh. That’s a recording. I have limits for what I’ll believe.”
Oh, thank fuck. “Don’t ever change, baby. You weird, snake-loving dork.”
Recording made perfect sense.
Wait.
That meant we weren’t alone.
I stiffened all over again and looked around me. “But get ready. Reese loves sound effects.”
“Who has the rock?” Shay asked. Good acting.
I automatically said, “Shh, they can probably hear us.”
Something rustled in the jungle, sending my pulse through the roof, and the movements were so forceful—as if someone was shaking a damn palm tree—that I was instantly convinced they wanted us to see it. That hadn’t been a mistake.
“And so the mindfuckery begins.” Shay spoke under his breath.
Look over there while we do something over here…
With that thought, I looked over my shoulder and— “Jesus Christ, those creepy fucking monsters.” Good luck to my heart. It was permanently lodged in my throat now. Two figures stood completely still out in the water, maybe some forty feet out.
It was impossible to see who it was.
“Oh my God, over there.” Lane grabbed my arm and pointed down the beach, same direction as our campsite. Another dark, immobile figure. Just one this time. Same distance, about forty feet.
“Uh, guys.” Shay pointed in the opposite direction, near where we’d hidden the rock. Fourth figure.
I swallowed dryly and balled my hands into fists. So who’d been in the jungle? Who could run so fast in that environment that they first shook a random tree and then appeared on the beach, so calm and unmoving—
