Page 65 of The Grandest Game

If someone had snuck aknifeonto the island—

“I have to tell them,” Gigi blurted out. “Avery. The Hawthornes.” She made it two steps toward the emergency button before Brady caught her. She didn’t realize at first why his hands were on her shoulders, why he’d stopped her.

“You can’t tell them, Gigi.”

She stared at Brady. “I have to t—”

“You’re not telling anyone a damn thing, pixie dust,” Knox growled.

Gigi frowned. “Pixie dust?” That probably wasn’t the important thing here, but still.

“Nicknames,” Knox said, sounding almost defensive. “You said mine needed work.” Catching himself, he scowled. “And if you press that button, if you tell the game makers any of this, whatdo you think happens next? What happens to the second annual Grandest Game?”

The game was supposed to be fun. It was supposed to be mind-bending and awe-inspiring, the challenge of a lifetime. It was supposed to besafe.

“They wouldn’t cancel it,” Gigi said.

“Are you sure about that?” Knox jerked his head toward Brady. “Because his mother is the best woman I have ever known, and not all of us have trust funds to fall back on.”

That hurt, but it was true. Gigi looked down. “I can help. I already told Brady—”

Shifting the sword to his left hand, Brady put his right hand under Gigi’s chin and lifted her eyes to his. “The way you help,” he said gently, “is by saying nothing. Knox is right. We can’t run the risk that they’ll cancel the game. If there is someone on this island who shouldn’t be here, there’s no way that person is coming anywhere near this house unless they want to be caught. Besides which…” Brady’s gaze shifted to Knox. “If there is an unknown sponsor in play, that sponsor’s goal is to win a bet against a bunch of other rich people with too much time and money on their hands, not to go after anyone.”

“But the knife,” Gigi said.

“Is inyourpossession,” Brady finished, bringing his eyes back to hers. There was something about the way he looked at her, something so unexpectedly raw, that Gigi remembered that the thing that made Brady happy was his mama’s dog.

And his mama.The gamehadto go on. In the morning, once their team had made it down to the dock and on to the next phase of the competition, Gigi would find a way to talk to Avery one-on-one,reallytalk to her. She’d come clean about everything,and she’d make sure that the heiress took care of Brady’s mother, one way or another. But for now…

Gigi would do what she’d come here to do. She’d play. “I figured something out.” Gigi stepped back from Brady’s touch. “About the riddle. A horse named Lily or Rose is amare.”

Brady turned back to the wall. “A mare.”

“Wait.” Knox held out a hand. “Where’s the bug?”

“The bug?” Gigi said innocently.

“What did you do with it?” Knox demanded, scanning her hands.

“I tucked it in my cleavage, next to my pen.” Gigi shrugged. “I mean, I don’t really have cleavage, but it is a locationally helpful term.”

Knox kneaded his forehead and bared his teeth. “Someone could be listening to usright now.”

Gigi shrugged again. “And yet, the bug is in my cleavage, and I’m betting neither of you is going to go after it, so there we are.”

Brady cocked his head to the side.

“Don’t,” Knox warned him sharply, and then he adopted what he probably thought was a very pleasant tone. “Why would you want to stay bugged?” he asked Gigi. “Why not crush that thing and be done with it?”

Because Xander might need it whole to track its source.

“Because I don’t think this necklace was meant for me.” Gigi realized, after she’d said those words, that they were probably true. “Andof coursethe nefarious party or parties would expect us to destroy it. I am nothing if not optimistically contrary, so I’m not going to.”

Brady considered that. Crossing his arms over his chest, he studied her like a rare book and accepted whatever it was that he saw with a subtle nod.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Knox muttered.

“A horse named Lily or Rose is a mare,” Brady said, repeating her earlier revelation.