Page 36 of Surviving Love
“Sorry I didn’t just let you vote me off,” Jack rumbled.
Rob winced. “Don’t get offended, Jack. It’s just a game.”
“I don’t think Luciano would agree,” Sherry said. “He obviously took this very seriously.”
“Well, whether he did or not,” Shep said, “thisisjust a game. Keep that in mind, people, because I can promise you, there will be plenty more blindsides in the future. It’s the nature of the beast.”
“I’d be upset if I got voted off too,” Julia said. “But hopefully security wouldn’t need to drag me out.”
Shep chuckled. “You never really know what the heck can happen onDevious Island.”
“Definitely,” I said softly, very aware of Jack sitting safely beside me. Somehow, he’d escaped the vote. I was clueless how.
“You guys can head back to camp,” Shep said. “Supposedly a big storm is moving in late tonight or early tomorrow. That means you guys get a day off. I’d suggest you try to keep dry and conserve your energy. The next challenge is right around the corner.”
Some people groaned, and I stood and followed the others from the set. I kept obsessively running over what had happened in my head. Jack had obviously put something together last minute and ambushed Luciano, instead of the other way around. I shivered, remembering his words to me, right before the council had begun.
Don’t fuck with Jack.
Would Jack want revenge against me and Harold? I still had no idea who Harold had voted for tonight. Maybe that was the first thing I needed to figure out tomorrow. Harold had brought me into that dysfunctional alliance with Rob and the dearly departed Luciano. I needed to find out where Harold’s head was at now that Luciano had been voted out.
One thing was for sure: I needed to proceed with caution.
Chapter Eight
I woke up right before the sun rose and headed out to gather firewood. Since Shep had warned us about a huge storm coming, we’d need all the wood we could stockpile. Nobody else was awake yet as I left camp, and I was glad. I needed some alone time to think about the insanity of last night.
As I worked, I ran different scenarios in my head about where I now stood in the tribe. No one had really talked when we’d returned from the Fire Council last night. Or, maybe it was simply that no one had bothered to talk tome. There was no question I wasn’t the top of the food chain. I liked to think maybe I wasn’t the bottom either, if only because I was capable of performing well in the challenges.
My faithful cameraman, James, and I were on the way back to camp when Jack and Harold met me on the path. My stomach somersaulted as I met Jack’s light brown eyes. I had no idea what he was thinking because his gaze was emotionless.
“Just the man we need to speak to.” Harold slapped my back and caused me to drop several pieces of wood.
“You both wanted to talk to me?” I’d have thought Harold would want to talk to me privately. Without Jack around.
“Yep.” Harold picked up the firewood I’d dropped.
Jack still hadn’t said anything, which did nothing to relax me. I set the wood on the ground, and when I straightened, Jack still watched me with an enigmatic expression.
I wiped my hands on my jeans. “That was… uh… a crazy night last night, right?”
“Very.” Harold nodded. “Luciano completely lost his mind.”
Jack grunted.
I really wished Jack would stop staring and say something. He was making me extremely uneasy. “So, what did you want to talk to me about?”
“Oh, this and that.” Harold smiled.
I swallowed. “Maybe you could be more specific.”
“I want to know who you voted for last night,” Jack said softly.
My face warmed. “Does it matter?”
Jack narrowed his eyes. “It matters to me. Word has it I was supposed to be on the chopping block.”
I flicked my gaze to Harold. Why did he look so unconcerned? Shouldn’t he have been worried that I might let the cat out of the bag about his alliance with Luciano and Rob? “Oh, yeah?”
