Page 28

27

ADELE

Crouching, Adele organized her pack. Rope. Flashlight. Jerky. Water. Wipes. She wouldn’t need much. Outside, the wind had started to pick up; it pushed at the tent. She rolled up her sleeping bag, attached it through the loops. Not that she’d be doing much sleeping.

Her phone pinged, and she took a deep breath. But it was just Blake, his texts coming in quick succession.

That storm has picked up steam. Looks like they’re closing the airport.

Was that true? The weather didn’t look that bad yet.

That casita you found is your best bet. It’s on the highest elevation.

But did Extreme already know about her recon? How many cameras did they have? Where were they?

All you need to do now is be the last person found and you win, Mom.

She tapped out a response: I’m good, kiddo. Don’t worry about me. Aren’t you in Algebra 2 right now?

She checked the app, just to be sure he was in school. She didn’t want him cutting class because of this. She was comforted to see both Violet’s and Blake’s dots at the high school. They were safe, so she could focus. The butterflies in her stomach felt more like helicopters; she was so nervous she actually felt nauseated.

Mom, whatever you do, don’t fall for their tricks. They’ll do whatever they can to lure you from your hiding spot or to scare you into giving up.

I got this. I’ll be home tomorrow. Win or lose.

Outside, a distant rumbling turned to a roar. The approach of vehicles. She stepped out to see Malinka emerging from her tent.

“Oh, no,” said the other woman as she approached Adele, eyes looking past her.

The same ATV caravan from earlier roared into sight again; Cody emerged from his tent. With his hair pulled back and without his hat, he looked less like a kids’-show character and more like someone tough and rugged that you’d want on your team. But they weren’t a team, Adele had to keep reminding herself. Everyone was here to win. That was all. He’d said so himself.

Adele and Malinka both turned to face the road as the engines grew louder.

Finally, the ATVs came into view, the smell of gasoline heavy on the air. The older woman—Angeline had called her Petra—climbed off the lead vehicle when they came to a stop. Adele found herself a little mesmerized; the old woman was kind of badass. A rare power radiated off her, though she was small, maybe just five feet tall, unapologetically wrinkled.

The door to the trailer opened, and the Extreme team tumbled out, looking exhausted and stressed. Maverick took the lead, Angeline behind him, and Tavo and Hector trailing. Someone was missing. Alex, the CFO. Adele remembered the raised voices she’d heard.

Trouble in paradise , Cody had said.

It certainly seemed like it. If they weren’t in control of the game, who was?

Behind the ATVs, a small, official-looking gray-and-white Prius pulled up. Blue lights on its roof flashed languidly. As it came into better view, Adele read the words on its hood, Policia Municipal . Two slim men climbed out. Clean-cut and baby-faced, they looked like they were playing dress-up. Uniforms crisp, unarmed except for big radios buckled to leather belts.

Maverick strode over to meet them.

“Are you kidding with this right now?” he asked, his voice strained with annoyance.

Adele moved in closer, feeling Malinka and Cody flanking her.

“You should know that all incoming flights to the island have been canceled,” said Petra, moving a step closer to Maverick. She was so much smaller than he was that she had to look up at him. Still, her approach forced him to take a step back.

“We’re still waiting for a contestant,” he said. His voice came up an octave, a boy not getting his way. “His flight was scheduled to arrive yesterday, but it was delayed.”

“If he is not here, he will not be coming,” said one of the officers. “Most likely his flight has been diverted to the mainland.”

He seemed to be the more senior of the two, the other hanging back. On second glance, he was older than Adele first thought, hair graying at the temples. “And the last flight out is leaving our island in two hours. Air travel, including for private jets, will not resume until after the storm has passed. Our very strong suggestion is that your contestants evacuate.”

Maverick blew out a breath and shook his head. “We’re not leaving until the challenge is complete.”

Adele felt her shoulders stiffen, her stomach bottom out. Please, she thought. As much as she wanted to go home, she couldn’t face this challenge canceling, leaving here with nothing but more debt.

Maverick looked over to Adele, Malinka, and Cody. “We can still do this,” he said. “With three hiders. That’s still a good game.”

Petra seemed not to hear him, spoke to everyone else. “We are here to offer you all safe passage to the airport. If we leave now, you can leave safely before the storm arrives.”

No. No way. Adele had come too far, had too much at stake. She wasn’t leaving here with nothing to show for everything she’d spent. She stayed rooted; the other two did, as well. She wasn’t afraid of weather.

“There’s more,” said one of the officers. “Is there an Alex Tang present?”

Angeline stepped up. “He’s not here. He might still be at the hotel.”

“He’s not at the hotel,” said the other officer. “His wife has called to report him missing. She expected him to come home, and she has lost contact with him.”

Angeline shook her head, looked confused.

“Who saw him last?” asked the senior officer. Adele was not close enough to see his name tag.

“I did,” said Mav. “We had a meeting this morning. I left him at the hotel.”

The older officer offered a slow nod, looked at the group. “His wife seems to think that there was some kind of fight or altercation.”

Mav shook his head vigorously, lifted a palm. “No, nothing like that. Just a normal meeting between CEO and CFO.”

“Was anyone else present?”

“No,” said Mav. “It was just us. I should tell you—his wife? She’s a little unstable, gets very, very antsy when she can’t reach him. I would not overreact based on a call from her.”

“So then, where is he?” asked Petra, her voice edged with suspicion.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” said Mav turning to face her. “Are you the police now, too? Town elder, spiritual leader or whatever, and—cop?”

Petra’s smile was an ice-water plunge.

“Look,” said Angeline stepping in. “Maybe he left the island. Went home?”

The younger of the two officers stepped forward, seemed to find his voice.

“He did not leave on a commercial flight. And your jet is still in its hangar. The pilot said that no one from Extreme had yet contacted him about a departure time.”

Adele found herself watching Tavo’s face. Mav and Angeline were still as statues, poker-faced, but Tavo’s eyes were wide, his hand rubbed at his chin. There’s always one in the group of misbehaving kids, one good egg who can’t lie like the rest, who wears his emotions on the surface.

“I mean, I don’t know what to tell you. Alex is a grown man,” said Maverick. “We’re not in the business of keeping tabs on each other.”

“Oh, hey,” said Hector, taking out his phone. “We can check his Pop Map.”

“Good idea,” said Angeline, moving over toward Hector.

He took out his phone and tapped it a couple of times.

“Weird,” he said after a moment, looking up at the group. “He turned his location off.”

“His wife said that he texted her this afternoon, said he’d text again from the plane. But never did,” said the older officer. “Then turned off his location, which is apparently out of character.”

“Totally,” agreed Hector with a frown. “It’s really not like him to be out of touch. He and Lucia talk constantly.”

“It’s true,” said Angeline thoughtfully. Mav stared at her. “It’s not really like him. Were he and Lucia fighting, maybe? Maybe he needed some space from her. Like Mav said, she could get a little clingy. She wasn’t thrilled about him taking off to come here and leaving her with the baby.”

Adele felt goose bumps come up on her arms. That sense she had was firing on all cylinders. What the hell was going on? She turned to look at Malinka who was watching the scene with interest but surprisingly had not gone live on Photogram.

Petra turned to them, her back to the Extreme group now. “If you are not part of Extreme, this is your last chance to get off the island before the storm comes. I suggest you pack your things and go with the officers. Go home to your families. This site is not safe when heavy rains come.”

Adele looked back at the hotel. It slouched, black with menace against the gunmetal sky. The clouds were moving fast, foliage wild in the wind.

Almost. She almost accepted. The deal wasn’t that she would risk her life for money. She knew that the kids needed her in their lives more than they needed a million dollars. It was just a game.

Was someone really missing? Again?

“I’m good,” said Cody. “I’m staying. Hey, with one less contestant, the odds just went up for all of us.”

A man with nothing left to lose.

“Me, too,” said Malinka, sounding slightly less certain. “We got this.”

A young woman with no children, no one waiting for her to come home.

The old woman’s eyes fell to Adele. There was wisdom there, a kind of steely calm.

Almost.

If she left now, she’d be home in time to tuck the kids in tonight.

And then she’d have to face the sting of failure, the look of disappointment on Blake’s and Violet’s faces, even if they tried to hide it. Even if they said all the right things, and they would. She couldn’t let them down on this one. Everyone else—their dad, most of their friends—had hurt or disappointed them. But not her. She was going to stay. She was going to win . Cody was right. The odds had just improved for all of them.

“Thank you,” said Adele, her voice catching mutinously. “I’m staying, too.”

Petra smiled sadly and nodded as if she knew the plight of all mothers everywhere, how you’d risk everything for your kids. Even when you were risking more than you had to give.

The old woman raised a gnarled, ringed hand. In response, the men on ATVs formed a line along the property’s exit and killed their engines.

After the roar ceased, one of the officers spoke. “Now, we ask that no one associated with Extreme leaves this island until Mr. Tang’s whereabouts are known.”

“What?” Mav barked, outraged when just moments ago he’d refused to leave the site and the island. “That’s ridiculous. I’ll do whatever the fuck I want .”

But Angeline had his arm, whispered something in his ear. And, finally, he lifted his palm.

“Fine,” he said. “Let us know when he turns up. And, when he does, I expect an apology. And you can forget about your fucking donation . This island sucks.”

Angeline stepped in front of him, speaking directly to Petra. “We’ll make good on all of our promises. You have our word.” Then to the police officer, “And all of our cooperation in locating Alex.”

The two officers moved toward their vehicle which was parked on the other side of the ATVs, with access to the road.

“Finish your game,” said Petra to Mav. She moved to leave with the officers. “Whether you want to pay or not, the bill will come due.”

Mav lifted an arm toward the men on the ATVs.

“And what are these guys going to do if we try to leave?” Maverick asked. “Shoot us?”

One of the men laughed, and Maverick glanced over at them, ran a hand through his hair, tried and failed to look tough. The men—were they soldiers of some kind?—all stood stone-faced; Adele had no idea where the laughter had come from. Angeline put a hand on Maverick’s arm, but this time he shook her off.

The older officer turned toward them. “These men are empowered to detain you by any means necessary and bring you to the police station if you leave this property. For your own safety, we will be closing the roads and establishing a curfew due to the storm.”

“ By any means necessary? But who are they? They’re not cops,” said Maverick. “Are they soldiers? What is their authority?”

“Maverick,” said Gustavo, coming to stand in front of him. “Stop.”

“But seriously, right? They can’t keep us here. Who are they?”

The police officers and Petra climbed in the car, and it hummed away.

“So are they mercenaries, then? Like a private security force?” Maverick obviously could not let it go.

“Look,” said Gustavo. He tapped Maverick on the chest. “Do you want your ass kicked again?”

“Hey, guys!” Maverick raised his voice, pushing past Tavo. “Whatever they’re paying you? I’ll double it. Come work for me. I want my own private army.”

“What a tool,” said Cody under his breath.

Not one of the men even looked in Maverick’s direction. It was like they were behind a wall of glass.

Adele examined them. There were fifteen of them, all of different builds but similar in shape, muscled, with that ready posture of military. All armed, big guns at their waists. One man had a deep scar over his right eye. Another had an illegible tattoo on his hand. The only blond among them had his hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. The largest man on the far ATV was missing a finger.

Okay. Wow.

Who were these guys?

It was just the Extreme people who couldn’t leave, right?

“Holy wow, you guys.” Malinka was live. “The crazy factor on this challenge has just gone off the chain.”

Adele turned to look, and Malinka was backing up toward the men, speaking into the camera. “A storm is bearing down, and these men don’t want us to leave the property until it has passed.”

“Stop her,” said Angeline to Hector.

“Let her do it,” said Mav. “We need the views, especially now that Scotty G can’t come.”

Hector looked worriedly between Angeline and Mav, a kid caught in the middle of warring parents.

“Stop her,” said Angeline again.

But no one moved.