Page 22 of Surviving Love

“Not sure how he’d manage that with a camera on his shoulder.” I wasn’t sure why Harold didn’t just go look for a talisman by himself. Why did he need my company? Was it because he wasn’t athletic enough to climb up the trees to search and he needed me for that?

“Now’s the perfect time because everyone is full of pizza and beer.”

“You really want to go look for a talisman rightnow?” I was annoyed because I’d stuffed myself with beer and pizza too and had planned on having a lazy rest of the day.

“It would be better to look before the others find it.”

“I guess.” I didn’t want to go, but I also didn’t want to alienate Harold. I still needed him to help me stay on Jack’s good side. “To be clear, you’re actually saying that if we shared a Protection Talisman, you’d use it to protect me, not Jack?”

He lifted one shoulder. “Ifwefound it together, why would I use it on Jack?”

“Because you two are in an alliance.”

He twisted his lips. “The game is still very new. Things can change hourly.”

I frowned, uncertain of what he meant. “But… you’re still with Jack, right?”

His gaze flickered. “Let’s go look for the talisman, Mason.”

I glanced over at Jack and found him watching us. My stomach tensed as his alert gaze met mine. Against my will, my pulse picked up. My unwilling attraction to Jack made me feel stupid because I knew he’d cut me loose in a heartbeat if it suited his game.

I’d do the same to him, right?

Harold leaned closer and whispered, “We can have a chat while we search.”

I turned my head and met his gaze. “A chat without Jack?”

“Yes.”

“Uh, okay.” I had no idea what was going on inside of Harold’s head, but the fact he wanted to talk to me without Jack was interesting.

“Meet me by where those three kamagong trees grew together to the east of camp.” He kept his eyes trained on the fire as he spoke. “I’ll leave first, and you can follow in a few minutes.”

“All right.” He was definitely being sneaky. Last night, I’d thought Jack and him were tight. Now I wasn’t sure what was going on.

Harold turned to chat with Mary to the other side of him, and then he casually stood and disappeared into the trees. I waited, listening to the conversations around me. I was intrigued by Harold, although having a secret meeting also made me nervous. If Jack noticed me leave, would he get suspicious?

Trying not to look conspicuous, I forced myself to eat another slice of pizza. After I’d polished it off, I stood, hoping I looked nonchalant, and made my way out of camp. If luck was on my side, everyone would just think Mother Nature was calling.

Once I was far enough from the tribe, I moved quickly down the dirt path that would lead to the kamagong trees Harold had mentioned. As I neared the grove, I was shocked to find Luciano and Rob sitting with Harold. My stomach churned as I approached them because I didn’t really trust either of them. I didn’t trust Harold either, but at least I liked him.

“You actually came.” Luciano gave a tight smile. “I wasn’t sure you had the balls.”

“I’m sorry?” I frowned.

Rob laughed at Luciano’s obnoxious comment. “I think Luciano is simply trying to figure out if you’re here to really play the game or if you’re going to be super cautious the whole time.”

“It’s only day two,” I said. “There haven’t been a lot of opportunities to make any bold moves yet.”

“Maybe you’re wrong about that,” Rob said.

“Meaning what?” I asked.

“Luci and I have been brainstorming sincehourone. We’ve got lots of plans.” He glanced over at Harold. “We were thrilled when Harold agreed to work with us.”

“Work with you how?”

Rob’s gaze was wary. “To get Jack out of the game.”