Page 85 of Surviving Love
Rob frowned and looked around.
“Next vote is also for Rob. That’s two votes Jack and two votes Rob.” Shep grabbed another slip of paper. “Next vote is for Rob.”
Scowling, Rob looked at Harold, and the older man appeared confused.
Shep continued. “Another vote for Rob.”
“What the hell?” Rob groused.
My heart thudded as I watched Shep once more reach for a piece of paper. As he pulled it out of the chest, I steeled myself for Rob’s reaction. Hopefully, he’d have more self-control than Luciano had.
“That’s five votes, which is enough. Rob, the fourth person voted out ofDevious Island. Rob, go ahead and join me up here.”
Rob stood, appearing stricken. “Harold, what happened?”
Harold was glancing around, scratching his head. “I have no idea. Someone must have flipped.”
Jack had a half-smile as he met my gaze. He didn’t say anything, and neither did I, but he had to know I’d saved his ass. It wouldn’t take the others long to figure that out either.
Rob left the Fire Council looking shell-shocked. I was relieved he didn’t throw a temper tantrum the way Luciano had. He simply walked away, looking like he had no idea what had just happened.
Shep shook his head. “Looks to me like that was another blindside by the Matapang tribe. At least we didn’t need security this time around.” Shep grinned. “All right, guys, you’re free to go back to camp. Sweet dreams.”
As we left the set and went out into the humid night, I stayed back, letting Harold walk ahead. I knew he’d figure out eventually that I was the turncoat. If he asked me directly, I wouldn’t be able to lie to his face. Best if I kept my distance for now.
Billy looked paranoid as he walked beside Harold. “I thought you said we had enough votes, Harold.”
“We did,” Harold muttered, glancing around uneasily. “Someone turned.”
I slowed my pace even more, letting them pull further ahead. Trying to let go of some stress, I stared up at the night sky, noticing patchy white clouds surrounding the big buttery moon. I needed to remember this was just a game.
Jack fell into step beside me. “Thanks,” he whispered. “You saved my bacon.”
“Sure thing.” I kept my voice low, so I didn’t draw any attention to myself.
His hand brushed mine, and when he took hold of my fingers, I nervously glanced around. It was dark on the trail that led back to the camp, so odds were no one would be able to see he was holding my hand. My gut fluttered with attraction as he swept his thumb over my skin.
He’d been so blunt about the fact that we were going nowhere romantically, I wasn’t sure what he was up to. Why was he risking discovery by holding my hand? Did he just want to have more “fun” with me? As much as I liked him, I wasn’t sure I was up for that. I liked him too much already, which had caught me by surprise. Continuing to be involved sexually might just suck me in deeper. Odds were I’d never win the million dollars. I didn’t want my heart broken at the end of this game as well.
With that in mind, I tugged my hand from his. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him glance over, but I kept my gaze straight ahead. I’d saved him from the chopping block, but that was all he was getting from me. I needed to keep my focus on the game, not Jack.
Chapter Eighteen
“I can’t believe you votedRobout instead.” Harold’s white hair stuck up around his head like feathers, and veins bulged in his neck. “What were you thinking, kid?”
“I tried to talk to you about keeping Jack, but you wouldn’t listen.” It was the morning after the Fire Council, and Harold had cornered me while gathering firewood. He was naturally livid that I’d gone against his wishes.
Oh, well.
Looking to the heavens, Harold shook his head. “Don’t you understand that the guy is dangerous? He’s going to take the whole thing. Now with this sob story about his sister, we’re definitely all doomed.”
I bristled. “It’s not a sob story. It’s a tragedy, and it happened to Jack in real life.”
Sighing, Harold grimaced. “Yeah, I know. I don’t mean any disrespect. I simply mean he was a huge threat before that. Last night was probably our last chance to get rid of him.”
“I felt like he deserved to be here more than Rob.”
“This game isn’t about who deserves to be here.” Harold sounded exasperated. “It’s about slitting someone’s throat before they slit yours.”
