by Katee Robert
“Yes.” Another of Amarante’s cold smiles. “If she’s still free by sunset of the seventh day, she will win the promised favor. I’m sure that’s an impossible feat with such a … qualified … group of competitors, don’t you?”
Envy didn’t answer, instead turning to speak with her companion. Luca couldn’t be sure, but he thought she might be Lust. Nothing in Envy’s dossier had given any indication if she’d be in her element in this kind of competition—her special brand was mimicking other’s murders in a perfect copycat—but he couldn’t imagine she’d sign up without being sure she was capable of winning.
He put it from his mind.
Dolph was right to be pissed Luca had entered the competition. He knew that island. As far as they were aware, he was there to ensure none of them won the favor Amarante offered as a prize. What remained to be seen was whether the temptation to knock him out of the game completely was enough to quell their protests.
Amarante nodded. “You’ll be collected from your villas at six tomorrow morning. After being searched to ensure you’re in compliance with the rules, you’ll be transported to your individual drop-off point. Let the games begin.” She turned and walked through the door, Ryu falling into step behind her.
Dolph walked up, his chest out, his legs stiff as if he were a junkyard dog about to attack. “Playing this game is going to be the worst mistake you ever made, Famine.”
Famine. The persona he wore when facing the outside world. Only three people called him by his given name. There were a handful of people in Thalania who knew who he was, where he came from, but they kept the knowledge close to their chests. Losing a potential heir to one of their noble Families wasn’t a good look. Losing him, only to have him turn up later as one of the Four Horsemen?
Yeah, they had their reasons for keeping their mouths shut.
He met the other man’s gaze steadily. “Time will tell.”
“Do you think Death will mourn your loss?” Dolph looked over his shoulder as his cronies. “Maybe I’ll have to comfort her afterward.”
Luca gave himself a full ten seconds imagining what would be left of Dolph’s body after Amarante got through with him. A ruin. Something barely identifiable as human.
No one went to Amarante’s bed without her explicit permission, and in all the time they’d known each other, he could number on one hand how many times it had happened and still have fingers left over. All four of them carried scars from their time in hell, and they each had their own way of dealing with the nightmares that followed them through the years. Kenzie became more, extra outlandish in her determination to grasp life with both hands and never let go. Ryu withdrew, preferring to keep a shield between him and the rest of the world. Amarante craved control as much as she craved vengeance.
Luca?
He carved off pieces of himself in order to stay on his feet, to keep moving forward. He kept people at a distance, because he could trust no one. A betrayal of the highest order landed him in hell, and he’d never make that mistake again. Ever.
He forced himself out of the past and into the present. What had Dolph said? Ah, yes. Luca smiled. “I may crawl out of my grave just to see how that works out for you, Dolph.” Before the other man could dredge up a response, he turned and walked away.
There was no point in chatting with anyone else in the room. He knew their strengths, just like he knew their weaknesses. Luca headed back to the hub, his past nipping at his heels. This Hunt wouldn’t be easy. Kenzie might find freedom away from civilization, but that wasn’t Luca’s path. The opulence of the little island might strain him at times, but it didn’t remind him of what he’d survived.
Going to the big island would.
It didn’t matter that the jungle and ocean and beaches were nothing like the pine trees and mud of that place. It was still closer than he ever wanted to get to hell again.
He ignored Ryu’s questioning gaze as he walked through the hub to his private quarters. Twelve hours until the Hunt began wasn’t much preparation time, but he had a permanent bag packed. A weakness, a testament that he didn’t quite believe the safety Amarante had woven around them, but they all had their ways of coping. Luca knew he could grab his bag and run at a second’s notice and so he was able to sleep. End of story.
He dumped it onto his bed and went through the process of repacking, leaving out the things that were forbidden during the Hunt. No guns, no weapons of any kind aside from a single knife. After the first year of having some idiot try to justify a machete as a knife, they’d put clear size restrictions on the blade allowed. He picked up his and slid it out of the sheath. The blade was matte black, so it wouldn’t shine in the light and give his position away in the dark. He set it aside. It would go in the holster at his waist, rather than the pack.
A spare set of clothes, extra socks, MREs, a water filter and a canteen.
The big island held secrets the competitors didn’t know about, secrets he had to be careful he didn’t reveal. But the knowledge served as an ace up his sleeve. He might have agreed to Amarante’s terms, but he would ensure that Cami remained safe. No matter what.
Luca expected the knock on his door, but he still tensed at the sound. “Yeah?”
Ryu stepped into the room and leaned against the doorframe. “You good?”
“I’m fine.”
“Uh huh.” Ryu tilted his head to the side, examining Luca as if he’d never seen him before. “Not like you to let someone get under your skin, let alone so fast.”
No, it wasn’t. He couldn’t explain it, either. It was more than wanting to fuck Cami, though he’d be a liar if he said the desire didn’t exist. The thought of her being hurt made him sick to his stomach. He wasn’t even sure he liked her, but she didn’t move in the same world they did. She might not be a complete innocent—after fucking his hand on the beach, he couldn’t quite keep the label attached—but she was innocent. He couldn’t allow her to be mercilessly used, no matter how it served their endgame. There had to be lines Luca wouldn’t cross. This was one of them.
Ryu still waited for an answer, so he said, “She doesn’t deserve to be hurt because of this—because of me.”
“Your armor’s a little tarnished to go chasing after damsels to save, don’t you think?” Ryu shook his head. “It’s a moot point. She’s more capable than you’re giving her credit for.”
“How would you know?”
Ryu gave him the look that question deserved. Ryu knew everything. His skill with computers bordered on magical, and he comforted himself with knowledge the same way Luca comforted himself with his bug out bag. Ryu pushed off the door frame. “She might surprise you.”
“No matter how capable she is, she’s out of her element in this Hunt. She’ll get hurt.”
Ryu shrugged. “Guess we’ll see.” He turned. “The bets are rolling in faster than they have in all the past Hunts combined. Your girl is looking at 73-3 odds.”
“She’s not my girl.” The protest came too quickly, too harshly. It made a liar of him.
Another of those infuriating shrugs. “Guess we’ll see about that, too.” Ryu walked away.
Luca loved his siblings, his chosen family, a whole hell of a lot. Some days he still wanted to throttle all three of them. He turned back to his bag and went through it again, ensuring he was as prepared as he possibly could be. After that, there was nothing left to do but catch some sleep.
He lay down and stilled his racing mind through sheer force of will. Luca had never seen combat in the traditional sense of the word, but he acquired the skill of being able to sleep anywhere, in any given condition, the same way many soldiers did. He closed his eyes, and between one inhale and the next, he was out.
Only to be shaken awake what felt like seconds later by Kenzie. She wore a pair of black jeans and a slinky shirt that seemed like it was more straps than actual fabric. “Get up, lazybones.”
“You’re one to talk.” He groaned and sat up. “If you didn’t want to pla
y in the jungle, you should have said so instead of tossing someone out there in your place.”
“Yeah, yeah, you can be pissed at me later. We need to move. If you miss the boat to the big island, then you’re shit out of luck.”
He pulled on his boots, grabbed his bag, and followed her. There was no sign of Amarante or Ryu in the hub, but he hadn’t expected them to show up. Goodbyes were just an invitation for fate to make sure a person never returned home. He knew how they felt about him, just like they knew how he felt about them. No reason for emotional bullshit and prolonged farewells.
He’d be back inside a week.
Luca ignored the uneasiness the thought brought. No matter what he’d told himself up to this point, this wasn’t a simple mission. Maybe if he could have charged over there, hauled Cami to one of the extraction points, and finished this inside of twenty-four hours. But Amarante had hamstrung him with her conditions. He could keep Cami safe, but he had to make sure it didn’t look like he was doing it for the cameras.
He had to ensure one of the Bookkeeper’s people won.
That last one would be the most difficult. It meant at some point, she’d be completely outside Luca’s safety net, completely at the mercy of those fuckers. He could shadow them, could maybe save her from the worst of it, but Luca would have his hands tied.
She’d never forgive him.
He gave himself a shake. Who gave a fuck if she didn’t forgive him? He wasn’t leaving the island, and he had every intention of putting her ass on the next chopper out the second the Hunt was over. Cami was a woman built for the protected life she enjoyed back in Thalania. Her brother, the king, might even be so grateful to have her returned, he’d leave Luca the fuck alone.
The whole plan rang a little flat, but he ignored that, too. The future wasn’t a given. The only thing he could control was what would happen on that island. He’d worry about the rest later.
“Luca?” Kenzie’s tone said this wasn’t the first time she’d spoken.
“Yeah?”
“Be careful, okay? I know I make that shit look easy, but the big island is no joke. Don’t let your girl be the reason you get your ass handed to you.”
He slowed. “I’ll be okay.”
“You better. If I have to cut my way through the Bookkeeper’s people to avenge your death, Amarante will throw my ass in one of Pain’s deprivation tanks for ruining our plans.”
He pulled Kenzie into a rough hug. “I’m coming back. I promise.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” She nudged him back and, just like that, all vulnerability was gone from her face, replaced by a saucy grin. “Let’s get your ass on that boat!”
7
Cami pressed herself against the side of the rock as a boat motor cut through the early morning air. She hadn’t made quite as good time as she would have liked, but the terrain was more challenging than she’d expected. The large rock outcroppings meant she had to skirt inland time and time again to get around them. The jungle was also thick enough in places that she would have done unforgivable things to get her hands on a machete instead of the six-inch knife she’d been allowed.
Now here she was, hiding like a fox as the hounds circled.
She closed her eyes. No. I am not defenseless. It just felt that way in that moment, with her crouched down and listening to the boat cruise closer. They must be aiming for the beach just south of her, a couple of meters away. She kept still as the boat stopped. Two people spoke, but between the motor and the distance, she couldn’t make out their words. Only when the boat retreated again did Cami risk a look.
It was one of the only other women competitors. Not the pretty Hispanic assassin. No, this was the one who’d been part of the larger alliance. Her dark skin already shone with sweat and though she moved with purpose, she seemed to be cursing the sand getting into her boots already.
Cami did some quick calculations. If this competitor was dropped here, the other six must be roughly equidistance around the island. Wait a minute, you can’t afford to assume that. They might be lining them up on the east side of the island, which would make Cami avoiding them all nearly impossible.
She could simply stay there and wait for them to move inland and then resume her path south. It was probably the safest bet. They would expect her to rabbit, and they would plan their pursuit accordingly. When they looked at her, all they saw was prey. A little girl playing with the big bad villains.
A victim in waiting.
She shifted down the rock a little to get a better look at the competitor. The woman had reached the end of the beach, was looking at the jungle encroaching on the sand as if it might reach out and take a swipe out of her. Scared. She was scared of the dark green world she stood on the edge of.
Apparently the prize from catching Cami was too tempting, though. She took a visible fortifying breath and charged into the green.
She leaned back with a sigh. That woman wouldn’t last long in the trees. She’d make some excuse and circle back to the beach. A quick look at Cami’s watch told her that the true heat of the day was just beginning. As much as the white sandy beaches felt like paradise when she was in a bikini and stretched out on a lounge chair, right now it represented a special kind of hell. She needed cover from the sun, and she wasn’t going to get it here amongst these rocks, even though a few of them were taller than she was.
What to do?
Frustration bubbled up beneath her skin. This wasn’t part of the plan, wasn’t what she signed up for, definitely wasn’t the big break she needed to finally secure her independence. No, it was just Princess Cami again, the helpless little girl who couldn’t stand on her own two feet.
Stop that.
She was here. No, that didn’t look like she’d thought it would, but she made it all the same. She had to remain free the next seven days …
Cami went still.
Wait a damn minute. The competitors had to find her and transport her to an extraction site. That’s it. Those were the only rules of this game.
There were absolutely no rules saying she couldn’t neutralize the competitors.
She grinned for the first time since Death announced her playing the White Stag. It was a risk to seek the competitors out. They were here because they were the best—and had the deepest pockets. She couldn’t afford to underestimate the hunters, and she certainly wouldn’t be able to overpower nearly any of them.
She had to outsmart them. There were traps all over this island. If Cami could find them and trap the competitors, one by one, she might have a chance of winning this thing after all.
She pulled her pack back on and climbed through the rock formation. Following directly in the woman’s footsteps was too risky, but she could move parallel and shadow her. Once Cami found a trap, she could lure the woman in and remove her from the competition.
There are other ways to remove them.
Permanent ways.
She wasn’t willing to take that course of action. Not yet. Not over a game. If she had to defend herself, that was one thing. Cami wasn’t going to literally hunt the competition. Murder may be allowed on this island, but that didn’t mean she’d suddenly turned into a killer overnight. Or that she even wanted to.
This hunt is sending you spiraling. Focus, Cami.
Right. Focus. First deal with this competitor and then figure out the next step.
Cami took a deep breath and melted into the jungle after the woman.
Luca hated this shit. He hated the sticky heat. He hated the bugs buzzing around his face. He hated the trees and vines that seemed determined to trip him up with every step. Even knowing he wouldn’t get any special treatment, he’d still hoped for better than Kenzie’s, “Figure it out, brother.”
The only advantage Luca had was knowing Kenzie’s past strategies and guessing that she might advise Cami, one White Stag to another. His sister would love that shit.
Kenzie always headed down the coast. Sometimes she looped up and around the north
end of the island first, but he doubted Cami would make that choice. The western cliffs gave the impression of nowhere to go, and she’d want to keep her options open.
So here he was, in a different kind of hell than his past, searching for evidence of her trail.
She’d made it farther than he would have expected, nearly halfway down the coast. At that point, she’d decided for some reason to cut inland. Luca stared at the tracks. They weren’t as obvious as he would have expected, either. She’d purposefully moved around the softer dirt and sand and posted up on the rocks where it was harder to see if she’d been there.
Smart.
Really smart.
There was a time after they escaped from hell when his life had hung in the balance, dependent solely on his ability to track down animals for them to eat. In the weeks it took them to transverse the relative wilderness until they reached civilization, it was the only thing that kept them alive.
Fifteen years later, as much as he loathed it and what it represented, he couldn’t control the compulsion to keep up on the skillset. Somewhere in the deepest, darkest part of his mind, he feared that all this could be taken from them. It didn’t matter how many fortifications, literal and figurative, that they put up to prevent that very thing from happening. He’d had protections before, when he was still the pampered son of a Thalanian noble. Protections and security and a life designed to keep him safe.
It hadn’t helped then.
He still wasn’t convinced it would help now.
Christ, get a hold of yourself.
Easier said than done. The weight of the jungle pressed against his sanity, edging him closer to the precipice. Luca braced his hands against the rock formation and took several slow breaths. It didn’t stop the sun or the pounding in his temples. It didn’t cause his rising stress to suddenly disappear.
But his mind cleared, just a little.
Get Cami. Keep her safe until he could figure out how to arrange one of the Bookkeeper’s people to take her to the extraction point.