Page 65 of Surviving Love
As I held Jack’s smug gaze, my heart pounded so hard, I could barely hear. Jack hadpromisedme he wouldn’t use anything I’d told him against me, and he’d literally just pointed out my number one weakness to the entire tribe.
Chapter Thirteen
“You have asthma, Mason?” Harold asked, sounding flabbergasted.
As my rage bubbled, I managed to say, “It’s under control. I haven’t had a flare-up in years.”
Jack laughed. “Now, that’s not actually true, is it, Mason? You had an attack while we were trapped on the other side of the creek.”
I glared at him, yearning to take a swing at his arrogant face. “That wasn’t a full-blown attack,Jack.”
“You seemed to be struggling pretty bad, in my opinion.”
The more he talked, the sicker I felt. Why was he doing this to me? What possible reason did he have for backstabbing me and sharing my personal business? I was supposedly in his alliance. Why try and make me look weak?
Seething, I said, “Your opinion doesn’t concern me.”
“I thought I heard you wheezing when we gathered firewood the first day,” Rob called out. “You should have told the tribe the truth, Mason.”
Jack smiled, and it took everything I had not to try and strangle him.
Heart thudding, I managed to say calmly, “You’re mistaken, Rob. The only time I had any trouble at all was when Jack and I were gone. Even then though, it wasn’t serious.”
“But you definitely had trouble breathing when you were with me,” Jack said.
Gritting my teeth, I said, “That was because I’d exerted myself in the damp weather. If you’ll remember, I was justfine, and I didn’t even have my inhaler with me.”
“I see.” Sherry sounded relieved. “So it’s no big deal, then.”
“No. Jack’s just being a jerk, as usual,” I spat out.
Chuckling, Jack rolled over and faced the other way. “I’m glad we got that settled.”
Are you, asshole?
Needless to say, sleep eluded me for most of the night. My brain buzzed as I tried to understand what possible motivation Jack might have had to out me like that. I couldn’t think of a damn thing that made any sense. He’d seemed so sincere when we’d been alone with each other. I’d actually trusted him when he’d promised not to use anything I told him against me.
I stared at his broad back, seething. He, however, seemed to be sleeping like a baby. His breathing was slow and deep, as if he hadn’t a care in the world. When the sun came up, the rain had slowed, and I got out of the shelter before anyone else.
I put wood on the fire and then turned to James, who stood beside me with his camera. “I need to use the restroom.”
“Okay.” He nodded. “I’ll wait here.”
The only time we were allowed to move around without our camera guys was when we used the restroom. Otherwise, they were glued to our side. I made my way out of camp toward the grove of trees that had been designated as our place to pee. Lots of people used the ocean to relieve themselves as well.
The humidity was awful, and sweat slicked my skin. I took care of business, but instead of returning to camp, I headed to my favorite bathing cove. I’d tucked my soap in my pocket earlier, and planned on having a nice long soak in the ocean so I could clear my head. James might be annoyed with me, but I didn’t care. I was still furious at Jack and trying to figure out how to contain my rage. If I was honest, I was also a bit hurt. I’d stupidly trusted him.
I stripped my clothes off and walked into the cool water, letting out a long breath. More and more, I really was feeling like I wasn’t cut out for this game. I should have known Jack couldn’t be trusted. Yet, he’d completely fooled me.
Would he tell everyone about my car accident next? Who knew what that bastard would do? I stopped knee-high in the water and soaped my body. Before I’d come here, I’d known what a cutthroat game this was, but I could no longer remember why I’d thought I had it in me to play.
Maybe Jack had done me a favor by pointing out my weakness. Now I could accept that I didn’t have the guts to finish the game. If turning on people who trusted me was the only way to win, I didn’t want to play anymore. I’d thought maybe I could come out here and play semi-honorably. But Jack had just cut me off at the legs. My tribe would no doubt now think I was a physical liability.
“Sulking, Mason?” Jack’s voice came from behind me.
Jumping, I turned to find him standing at the water’s edge. He didn’t look smug like last night. He looked uneasy. “What the fuck do you want?” I snapped.
His gaze ran over my naked body, and my face warmed. “We need to talk.”
