Page 31 of Surviving Love

Harold was pretty quiet around camp. I too had little to say to anyone. I was struggling with my desire to go further in the game and my desire to be a good person. It felt like those two things were impossible to reconcile in this game.

Sherry and Julia helped Jack clean the fish he’d caught, and soon the scent of smoked fish filled the camp. My mouth watered at the idea of protein. Rice and coconuts didn’t really give me enough nourishment, and even if it was only day two, my body craved animal protein.

Once the fish was cooked, we dug in. Even without spices or seasoning of any kind, the bangus was delicious. There were tons of tiny bones that I had to avoid, but overall, it was a satisfying meal. I worried it might be the last protein we had for a while if Jack was voted out of the tribe.

As the time neared for us to leave for the Fire Council, I felt sick. I wanted to be hardened because that was what it took to play this game. Unfortunately, I was fighting my real nature. I wasn’t inherently a backstabber. I wanted to succeed at the game, but smiling to people’s faces while plotting against them was already giving me an ulcer. Watching it all play out on TV had been more fun.

I was walking down to the beach to wash the pan we’d cooked the fish in when Rob pulled me aside. He glanced around and said, “It’s all set for tonight, right?”

My stomach tensed. “Yes.” As the words left my lips, I felt like puking. Just the smug expression that settled on Rob’s face was enough to make me sick.

“Okay, good.”

“But… it’s not too late to change who we vote out,” I said softly.

He scowled. “What?”

“We can still pick someone else. Jack is so useful to have around. We wouldn’t have had fish tonight if he hadn’t caught it.”

“I’m sure it’s not that hard to catch a fish.”

“It’s not easy. It takes hours for Jack to get enough to feed us all.”

Rob’s lips thinned. “You’d better get your head on straight, Mason. I’m sick of how wishy-washy you are. I know perfectly well you almost didn’t throw the challenge today. Don’t think me and Luciano have forgotten that.”

“Maybe I hesitated, but ultimately, I did what you wanted.”

“Yeah, barely.”

I gritted my teeth but held my tongue.

He leaned closer, an ugly expression painting his features. “Toe the line or get the boot—it’s that simple, dude.”

Anger pooled in my gut as I held his gaze. “Whatever you say, Rob. You’re the boss.”

He gave a self-satisfied smile. “That’s more like it.”

Above us, thunder rumbled in the night sky, and he strode away with a chuckle. I scowled at his retreating back and went down to the dark beach. I knelt at the water’s edge and scrubbed at the pan, grumbling to myself about what an asshole Rob was.

There was the sound of muffled footsteps behind me, and I rolled my eyes. When I turned my head, I fully expected to see Luciano coming down to the beach. I assumed Rob would have sent him to lecture me about daring to question their orders. I was surprised to find Jack approaching instead, and I straightened as he stopped in front of me.

“Need help?” he asked, gesturing to the pan.

“No, I’ve got this.”

The full moon poked out from behind some clouds, and I was able to see Jack more clearly. The ocean breeze blew his short blond hair around, and his dark eyes glittered. He smelled of coconut oil and smoke from the fire, and whether I liked it or not, I felt acutely aware of him as a man.

“I noticed you talking to Rob,” he said softly.

“Yeah. He cornered me.”

“What did he want?”

My pulse sped up. “Oh, nothing much.”

“He wasn’t talking strategy?”

“Of course he was,” I admitted.