Page 25 of Surviving Love

Luciano chuckled. “That’s the beauty of this plan. He really thinks he has us all under his control.”

“Right?” Rob grinned. “I can’t wait to see his face when he realizes he’s been played.”

Harold hung his head. “I feel kind of bad because I like Jack. But I want to win that million dollars, and that’s never going to happen if I have to go head-to-head with Jack.”

Luciano laughed. “You think he’s the only thing in your way?”

“No.” Harold sighed. “But he’s a force to be reckoned with.”

“He is that.” Rob stood. “We should probably head back. Everyone might get suspicious with this many of us missing at the same time.”

“Good idea.” Luciano also rose, and he and Rob started down the dirt trail toward camp. “Mum’s the word, guys. If Jack catches wind of this, we’re all toast.”

“We won’t say anything,” Harold called after them. “That would be suicide.”

Once they were out of earshot, I glanced at Harold. “So then, you didn’t really want to search for the Protection Talisman?”

He snorted. “Nah. I just needed to get you out here to meet up with Rob and Luciano away from the others.”

“I see.” I pushed my hands into my jean pockets and started down the trail.

Harold hung back, but he said, “Remember, don’t say a word to Jack. This is a good thing for us, Mason.”

“I won’t say anything.” I could feel Harold watching me, but I just kept walking as if I didn’t have a care in the world. In reality, the level of stress I felt was making me a little sick. I didn’t like or trust Luciano and Rob. Neither of them were people I respected. They hadn’t even performed well today in the challenge. Harold had seemed so shrewd in the beginning. Why was he joining forces with such weak players? Had greed blinded him to what snakes Luciano and Rob were?

When I entered camp, I made my way to the shelter. I needed to think about everything, and make some kind of plan. If Luciano and Rob truly did have people willing to turn on Jack, I didn’t know what my next move should be. Logically, if they had the numbers, the smart thing to do was to go along with them just to keep myself safe. But being in cahoots with those two really rubbed me the wrong way.

I reached the shelter and stiffened when Jack walked up. He stopped in front of me, his dark eyes curious.

“Oh, hey,” I said breathlessly, guilt eating at me.

“Where have you been?” he asked.

My face warmed. “The pizza and beer caught up to me.” I gave a wary glance at the camera guy who hovered beside me.

Jack narrowed his eyes. “You sure that’s all you were doing?”

“Yes.”

“You weren’t looking for a Protection Talisman?”

I shook my head, relieved that was what he thought I’d been doing. “Nope.”

“Hmmm.”

I forced a laugh. “I’m allowed to leave the camp. I don’t need your permission.”

“I didn’t say you did.”

I moved to go around him. “You’re practically interrogating me.”

He pivoted so that I was still under his intense scrutiny. “You were gone a while. I’m not the only one who noticed.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. Sherry noticed too.”

“Pfft, I’m surprised she even notices there are other people in the tribe besides you.” As the words left my mouth, I regretted them. I almost sounded jealous, which was definitely humiliating and not even a little true.