“Thank you,” Hazel said, jogging over. She hugged Barra, during which Barra spotted Allie over Hazel’s glisteningly tanned shoulder.
Allie was looking down at the sand. In that moment, something welled up inside Barra’s chest that could only be described as pity. She was feeling dreadfully sorry for Allie. Even more so when Margaret, a brunette with the tightest curls Barra had ever seen, picked Connie. Then it was Juniper’s turn, and she’d chosen Valerie, who couldn’t be taller than five foot two.
Allie was the last one left.
Sutton, who had won Season Four and was probably the most successful contestant to ever graceOutlast Her, didn’t get a choice. Not that Allie was a terrible one. But she was the only contestant who had managed to trip over her own feet. She was basically wearing half the beach, and in this game, first impressions mattered.
“Now that our pairs have been chosen,” Vivian said sprightly. “You’ll be spending the next twenty-eight days battling not only each other but the elements. This beach will be your home. Treat it with respect.” Then she gave a little wave as she turned to leave.
Barra had no idea where she was going. Was there a luxury villa just a few miles deep into the forest?
Vivian suddenly stopped and turned back. She smiled again, this time in a way that made something cold skitter down Barra’s spine. “Before I forget, somewhere on this stretch of jungle, there is a protection bracelet hidden. Find the bracelet and you’ll be safe from the next vote.”
What?!
“BEFORE WE START,” SUTTONsaid, scraping her hair back into a punishingly tight ballerina bun, a habit from the ten years she’d spent as a principal dancer with New York City Ballet. One look at her calves and no one would doubt she’d danced at the highest rank. “I think we can all agree that previous seasons have taught us that secrets don’t stay secrets for very long.”
Barra swallowed hard. What exactly was Sutton implying?
But she didn’t have to wait long before Sutton’s gaze travelled across the circle. “Is there anyone here who knows each other?” she asked. “Who has, you know, done a little more than just get to know each other?” She winked.
Barra’s eyes flicked to Allie before she could stop herself. Allie had turned a shade paler. Which was completely understandable. That was just the question that could blow up someone’s game. Poof. If anyone admitted they knew each other, like reallykneweach other, they’d be stamped as an alliance. A prior connection would ultimately make them a threat. And in the same way snitches got stitches in prison, threats got conveniently voted out early inOutlast Her.
Barra waited for Allie to say something. Her breath was literally bated as the silence stretched on longer. Allie flicked her gaze to the ground just as a macaw let out a piercing squawk somewhere above their heads.
Good. At least they were thinking the same thing.
“Then let us get to know each other,” Sutton said, looking satisfied, if not a little disappointed. “I’ll go first.”
Valerie cleared her throat. “Maybe the newbies should introduce themselves first,” she suggested. Then she looked to the sky. “It’s getting late.”
There were strips of pink and lavender, and the clouds were all feathery. Barra had no idea what the time was, but she did know that once it was dark, there would be no shelter building, at least not without fire.
Sutton looked properly surprised, like she hadn’t expected someone half her height to interrupt her, let alone tell her off for wanting to take all the spotlight. From every interview Barra had watched of Sutton, it was blindingly obvious that Sutton liked nothing more than to talk about herself. “Of course, the floor is yours,” Sutton said, her smile strained.
Barra caught Allie’s eye, and then immediately tossed it away like a hot potato. But then her brain decided to wander right into a memory of Dominique and Kiara’s wedding. Aggie had just stuffed a spoonful of the local Dungeness crab risotto into her mouth when her wife had said, “Why are you telling Allieyou love Luce McFerson? You literally told me the other day her paintings only sell because she used to take her shirt off in movies.”
Aggie froze mid-chew. “I never said that.”
“You literally did,” Pat had gone on. “Two nights ago. You’d flicked on the TV and when her face came up, you stuck out your tongue and rolled your eyes.”
“I think you’re mistaken, babe.”
Pat had shaken her head. “Allie won’t be offended. Just because her gallery exhibited Luce’s work doesn’t mean you have to like her.”
Barra had then caught Allie’s eye, and in that instant, the same thought had flashed between them. Can you believe this is happening? Then Allie had winked at her, and Barra had felt a swoosh of heat in her stomach that had grown tenfold when Allie had tugged up her strap in the bathroom. The feeling had only disappeared once they’d both stumbled out of that stall.
Her mind was just about to amble to the few minutes after they’d hooked up and right before the cab was called, but thankfully Valerie stepped forward into the circle and flicked her long, dark hair back over her shoulder. “I’m Valerie Lang, and I’m from Florida,” she said. “I am a marine engineer and work mostly on superyachts. I see more celebrities than Dr. Terry Dubrow.”
Barra wasn’t sure who that was, but she didn’t care. It was Hazel’s turn to go next, and she was more than curious to find out what Hazel did for a living.
“I’m a divorce attorney,” Hazel said. Barra was disappointed. Nobody trusted a lawyer. When had a lawyer ever won a game like this? The answer was never. But at least Barra could find some relief. Despite the physical similarities, Dominique and Hazel were nothing alike. “I work out of Phoenix. Mostly high net-worth cases and difficult custody battles,” she added.
Margaret didn’t step forward. She simply wound a finger around the end of one especially tight curl before tugging it gently. “I’m a search and rescue paramedic in Colorado,” she said, letting the curl spring back against her shoulder. “I work in the mountain division. I usually go up in helicopters and do cliff rescues or avalanche protocols.”
These women were all quite remarkable.
Barra was just about to ask her how many lives she’d saved when Tilly lifted a hand. “Tilly Sydney, and I’m a marine biologist,” she said brightly. Which was more than a little surprising. Tilly looked nothing like a marine biologist. In fact, Barra had pegged her for someone who worked indoors, like a pharmacist or a dentist.