Allie handed the bracelet over.
“I can confirm this is the protection bracelet,” Vivian said, lifting it into the firelight. The gold charm gleamed bright orange. “Who are you playing it for?”
Allie glanced back over her shoulder, and Barra immediately felt a spike of panic that slid down her arms like ice-cold water. She didn’t know why, or maybe she did; maybe it was the blank stare on Allie’s face.
“I’d like to play the protection bracelet for Barra,” Allie said.
UGH! Had Allie seriously just broken her promise?
“Alright,” Vivian said. “Let’s count the votes.”
“THANK YOU,” BARRA WHISPEREDin Allie’s ear. It came out softer than she meant, but then Allie leaned into her. Her hair brushed Barra’s cheek and set her skin alight with pricklygoosebumps. Then she said even softer, “I had a gut feeling I needed to play it for you,” and Barra’s insides felt all warm and toasty.
There had been two votes against Barra—which hadn’t counted because of the protection bracelet—and two against Anna.
Which meant Toph and Tilly could still be trusted, but also that Valerie and Margaret could not. Had Barra expected anything different? Not really. What she had expected was a few more shocked gasps when Allie had pulled out the protection bracelet. Clearly, Elodie and Anna had run their mouths off to the other contestants. But then again, Barra would’ve done the same thing. Information like that was like currency in this game.
“Remind me to always trust your gut,” she said, pushing a branch away from her face and holding it out so it didn’t snap back and hit Allie. When she let it go again, she caught sight of something flickering through the thinning trees. A tiny stab of light. At first, she thought it was a camera flash. But no, the closer it got, the stronger it became.
Wait. Was that their fire pit?
If it was, then surely the fire was taller and brighter than it had ever been. Flames licked the night sky orange. For a brief second, Barra actually stopped walking and imagined the jungle opening its mouth and spewing flames. But that image was smacked away by Tilly speeding right past her. She clipped Barra’s shoulder and shouted, “CAMP’S BURNING DOWN!”
She got halfway to the trees when Toph called, “IT’S A BONFIRE, TIL!”
And it was a bonfire. The moment they stepped onto the sand, Barra could see that the flames were perfectly contained in the makeshift stone pit. They rose high and wild, but controlled. And basking beside it was a long wooden table set for six.
Barra gasped. So did everyone else.
“Is this real?” Allie said, dropping her rucksack to the sand. “Or am I just dreaming?”
“Definitely dreaming,” Margaret said, already swinging one leg over the wooden bench.
“Does it matter?” Tilly asked, grinning so wide her lips were lost behind her teeth.
It didn’t matter.
Nothing mattered other than the stack of buttermilk fried chicken dusted with paprika salt that sat in the middle of the table. Or the tray of BBQ ribs lacquered in a deep mahogany glaze that smelled sweet and smoky. Barra imagined pulling the meat clean from the bone. Her eyes then drifted to the heavy ceramic dish of mac and cheese that was somehow still bubbling, and then to a pizza-sized plate of lamb sliders with glossy brioche buns and melted cheese sliding down the sides. There was cornbread, still steaming, in a woven basket lined with a cloth, a bowl of coleslaw with thinly sliced cabbage Barra knew would crunch under her teeth.
“Is that a Paper Plane?” Toph asked, pointing toward the far end of the table where three rows of drinks stood on a silver platter. “Please, someone tell me that’s a Paper Plane.”
Yes. In fact, it was. Six coupe glasses of amber-colored bourbon, Aperol, Amaro Nonino, and fresh lemon juice sat lined up beside six classic piña coladas piled high with whipped coconut cream and pineapple wedges.
Barra’s eyes snagged the highball glasses of Gin Rickeys. London dry gin, fresh lime juice, and soda water. A drink so simple it went down easier than it should. She swiped one off the table and handed it to Allie before she could stop herself. “This tastes like home,” she said, her voice every bit as flirty as it would be if they were at some swanky rooftop bar with chrome and leather barstools and the skyline glittering behind them.
Toph noticed. But she was the only one. The rest were already swarming the table and filling their plates. Toph waggled her eyebrows at Barra, but since she was already privy to Barra and Allie’s philandering, Barra only smiled sheepishly and her stomach unclenched in relief.
But then her gut twisted for another reason as Tilly picked up an envelope and tore it open. “As the last three pairs in the game,” she read, then paused, drawing it out. Barra nearly yelled at her because she had already had enough stress this evening. Instead, she batted her eyelashes as Tilly continued. “Enjoy a feast together to celebrate making it this far in the game. Tomorrow will come with new twists.”
“That’s it? It doesn’t say what twists?” Valerie asked.
“That’s it,” Tilly replied. Then she lifted an eyebrow. “Unless you don’t trust me and want to read it yourself.” She held out the slip of paper, which Valerie eyed hungrily. But then, to everyone’s shock, Valerie shook her head and smiled. “I trust you.”
But did she really? And did Barra trust Valerie? Not on her life. Still, all of it faded against the sight of dripping barbecue ribs and the baked top crust of mac and cheese. In fact, the game itself felt momentarily suspended, like someone had called a truce in the middle of a war. Alliances meant nothing. Advantages didn’t exist. There were just six hungry people who couldn’t wait to dig in.
Barra slid onto a bench and Allie climbed in beside her. Beneath the table, Allie’s hand found her knee almost as if she was checking that Barra was still there. After everything that had happened tonight, there was honestly nothing better than Allie’s fingers warming her skin. Barra reached down and squeezed Allie’s fingers back. For half a second, she considered leaving her hand there—consequences be damned—but the camera crewwas circling like vultures. Then there was also Valerie sitting beside Barra, and well, the woman had eyes like a hawk.
Besides, they needed both their hands to eat.