I was still confused by Spencer’s actions, but tried to put it out of my mind. I couldn’t afford to amble through the jungle with my thoughts distracted by why he hadn’t tried to claim me right then. I knew what he’d said, but had he really been giving me a chance to rest, or was there something else going on? The show was making me completely paranoid, and I shook my head to clear the thoughts running through my brain.

I froze at a slight sound to my left. I looked around, hoping for somewhere to hide, and while there was dense foliage around me, it wouldn’t do much to shield me if it was a hunter. I braced myself, hoping that at least it would be Spencer and not one of the other hunters.

Instead, Dai slipped into view a moment later. She didn’t seem surprised to see me, so I figured I must’ve made enough noise to alert her to my presence. I nodded my head at her. “I see you got away.”

She nodded in return. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I figured you would be captured by now.”

It was a bit insulting, but her assumption was understandable. I was amazed I’d made it this long myself. “I managed to escape a couple of times and…” I trailed off, deciding not to share my strange encounters with Spencer.

Dai wasn’t my friend, though I had nothing against her. I just didn’t know her. The audience was already observing enough of our interactions—or would be when the film crew put together all the footage for the episode that would air in two weeks—and they didn’t need my personal thoughts to add any entertainment factor to the viewing.

She arched a brow, but didn’t prompt me to continue. “You can come with me if you’d like. It’s going to be getting dark soon, and I plan to shelter in a tree.”

I looked at the trees around me. Climbing any of them was a daunting prospect. A lot of the branches didn’t start until above my head, and it had never even occurred to me to try to take shelter in one. “How will we get up it?”

“I’ll give you a boost.” She seemed unconcerned about it as I fell into step with her.

We walked for another half-hour before Dai suddenly froze. She put out her hand and pressed her finger to her lips for me to be quiet. I stopped moving and froze, waiting until she leaned closer to whisper, “I think someone’s following us,” before I moved again.

Unfrozen, I swiveled around to look, but saw nothing. “What makes you think that?” I strove to keep my voice as low as she had.

“It’s just a sense, and I thought I heard something a couple of times.” She looked around, holding her stick at the ready. She’d managed to whittle it to a sharp point on one end to make a rudimentary spear at some point during the day’s trials. I admired her ability, but the thought of her stabbing anyone with it made me queasy.

Finally, about five minutes later, she relaxed and gestured me forward. I started to take a deep breath, relieved we weren’t facing anyone yet.

It was unexpected when someone abruptly appeared in our path. He was a large man, and his light-blond hair whipped around his face when a breeze stirred. He had hazel eyes, and they were focused solely on Dai. There was hunger there, but he didn’t seem creepy. Maybe it was because he wasn’t looking at me that way, but I had no fear.

Dai stiffened again, and she held out her spear in a threatening fashion. “Walk away.”

He lifted his hands in a gesture that suggested he was approaching peacefully. “Why do you keep shutting me down?”

My eyes widened at the information, and I looked closer at Dai. She trembled for a moment, and I was certain she wanted to surrender. I could sympathize, as I felt the same way with Spencer.

A second later, her backbone stiffened, and she shook her head before gesturing with her spear. “Go back the way you came, and I won’t have to use this on your bony white ass.”

He looked wounded. “You haven’t even seen my ass yet. I’ve been told it’s perfectly taut and downright gorgeous. It’s never been called bony before.”

Dai apparently didn’t see the humor in his words, though my lips twitched for a minute before I conquered the urge to giggle. She just gestured with her spear again, staring at him without speaking.

He hesitated for a moment, clearly torn between what he wanted to do and what she wanted him to do. Finally, either because he was strategizing, or her spear intimidated him, the man turned and disappeared the way he came, calling over his shoulder, “I will have you.”

She didn’t mention it as we started walking again, and I didn’t bring it up until we stopped almost a half hour later. Is definitely getting dark, and I was apprehensive enough about climbing one of these trees when there was still light, let alone after dark.

“Who was that?” I knew he was a hunter, but their interaction suggested they knew each other, even if they’d only met today.

With a grimace, she leaned against a tree, putting her back to it. “Nash.” She almost spat out his name. “I’ve had a couple of run-ins with that guy. He wants to claim me.” She snorted. “He expects me to just surrender and fall at his feet? I don’t care how attractive he is—” She cut off abruptly, anger visible for a moment before her expression became impassive. “Use the bathroom if you need to, and then you can stand guard for me.”

It was a sensible suggestion, and I didn’t stray far. It was awkward to pee with a stranger close enough to hear me—though it wasn’t any closer than it would be in a public restroom, but I’d have walls and a door there—but the alternative was to get out of sight of her, and possibly into the sight of one of the hunters.

After finishing and trying to wipe my hands on some leaves, I stood up and traded places with her. She handed me the spear, and it felt weird in my hand. I couldn’t imagine using it in any capacity, but then I recalled the feel of the second man who grabbed me, ripping my shirt. He reminded me of Dimitri. Not just because of his build, but because of his cold eyes. Suddenly, I welcomed the weight of the spear in my hand and gave it back to her almost reluctantly when she finished and returned to stand beside me a moment later. I could see its appeal now.

Dai was even stronger than she looked, because she seemed to be able to lift me up on her shoulders with no problem. It was just enough for me to reach a branch, and I clung to it with my hands as I scrabbled up the tree. She placed a supportive hand on my butt, but it didn’t feel intrusive.

Once I got my feet on the branches, it was a lot easier to climb, and I kept going until I was at least ten feet above where I’d started. The branches were starting to be thinner, and I didn’t think it was safe to go up any further. Plus, this bough formed what looked like a little niche that was almost a seat. It wasn’t going to be comfortable, but it would work for now.

I looked down, expecting to see Dai climbing up the tree as well, but there was no sign of her. I had an instant of fear, thinking she had abandoned me, and clung tightly to the tree. How would I get down?

After a moment of deep breathing, I realize that I’d get down the same way I came up. I’d simply claimed down the branches, and then when I reached the last one, I would drop to the ground.

Besides, she wouldn’t have abandoned me. I was certain of that and wondered if someone had snatched her what I was climbing the tree.

I heard a small commotion to my left and looked over to see Dai breaking through thick branches covered with green leaves to settle into a nook just a little bit higher than me. Vines wrapped around her tree, and her spot looked slightly more comfortable than mine. “How did you get up the tree?”

She shrugged as she settled back, arranging her backpack to fill in a spot between the branches, appearing almost comfortable. “I just took a running start.”

I wondered what it would be like to be that flexible, but decided I’d probably never know. I didn’t have the discipline to put in hours to hone my body like she had, and while I was by no means a klutz, I certainly wasn’t graceful either.

My lips twitched as I remembered being eight years old and in ballet class. I’d cried when Madame Russell suggested to my mom that I might enjoy gymnastics better. At the time, it had broken my heart, but she’d been correct. Gymnastics had been a lot more fun, though I was never all that good at it either.

Realizing I was reminiscing about the past to avoid the present, I pushed aside the thoughts and leaned back in an attempt to get comfortable. I didn’t want to get so comfortable that I fell out of the tree though. “I can’t believe I’m here doing this. This is the most insane thing ever.”

“Sleeping in a tree, or coming on the show?”

“Both, I guess, but mostly the show.”

“You never said why you’re here. You don’t have to,” she added quickly.

I licked my lips as I debated on what to say. “My father made a series of bad choices that left me responsible for my two sisters and a huge debt that isn’t mine. I need the money to pay off that debt and try to take care of my sisters.”

“Yeah, I understand that. My dad died recently, and his medical bills were substantial. Mom’s lost just about everything trying to cover them, and I want to make sure she can retire in comfort.”

“That’s admirable of you.”

Dai grunted, but didn’t reply. Instead, she sank into silence.

When it was obvious she had no intention of talking, at least for a while, I turned my attention to my rumbling stomach. It was interesting trying to figure out how to cook the MRE as I struggled with it during the last of the fading light, relieved it didn’t require a stove or fire to heat. It seemed crazy to build a fire in a tree, even if I confined it to a single branch.

Once I conquered the process, I had food less than fifteen minutes later. It was something called Southwest chicken, but it was difficult identify any individual part of it. Fortunately, I was hungry enough not to care, and I shoveled it down like I was starving.

After that, I tried to grab a few hours of sleep. I was sure I’d be awake, fretting about where I was and being discovered, if not stressing over the less pressing, but no less dangerous, threat of Dimitri Ivanov looming over me. Instead, the day of strain and unaccustomed exercise weighed heavier on me than expected, and I was soon dozing off.

* * *

It wasn’t quite light out yet when I woke up fully, with no hope of getting back to sleep. I shifted restlessly in the tree, counting down the minutes until it was light enough to depart. I glanced over and upward, finding Dai still sleeping. I waited until the sun broke over the horizon, though it didn’t do a whole lot to improve the gloominess of the jungle. Abruptly, I recalled I was wearing the headlamp that I had switched off last night and switched it on.

When the beam of light accidentally arced to Dai’s face, her eyes blinked open, and she sat fully upright. She appeared instantly alert, and her hand gripped the spear. I didn’t think she’d dropped it all night.

“We should probably get going.” I whispered the words so she could hear me, but hoped no one else was nearby to hear them.

She nodded and gestured downward. “I’ll go first and stand guard, and then you can start down.”

Before I could agree, she was already scrambling down the tree. She made it look easy and graceful, but I was certain I would be anything but as I descended. I wasn’t sure when she reached the ground, but I heard a slight whistle and assumed that must be my signal to descend.

As expected, it was awkward and slightly terrifying to climb down the tree, just as it had been to go up. When I reached the last branch, I clung with both hands and dangled in the air for a minute, waiting to see if Dai would offer me help down. When she didn’t, I let go and expected to fall heavily to the ground.

Instead, a pair of strong arms enfolded me, catching me halfway through my fall, and I was shocked to see Spencer, though not entirely surprised. That didn’t make sense, and yet it did. He’d found me once more, and he must’ve waited for me, but it was a relief that it was him.

I looked around. “Where’s Dai?”

He gave me a grin that didn’t look at all repentant. “Nash was waiting for her. They’re settling their differences now.”

I strained to hear, detecting the rustle of foliage a few feet away that seemed to move farther away with each passing second. “Is he going to hurt her?”

Spencer shook his head. “Nash wants her about as badly as I want you, I think. I have no intention of hurting you, and I’d venture he feels the same way.”

I wanted to melt against him, but the million dollars was closer than it had ever been. I’d made it through one night, and I just had to make it through the rest of today and tonight, and if no one captured me by nine a.m. tomorrow morning, a million dollars was mine. Yesterday, it seemed impossible, but today, I was feeling more confident.

I started to struggle, knowing I needed to escape even if I didn’t really want to. I had to at least try to get that money.

Spencer grunted as I started twisting in his arms, and his hold tightened on me. I bucked my hips and tried to kick out at him, and he lowered us to the forest floor with his weight atop me. I was still struggling against him, while he was making soothing sounds, but he was also holding me tightly. When his cock dragged against the crease of my ass, I realized my fight was doing nothing to turn him off. “You have to let me go. I need the money.”

“And I need you.” He subdued me, holding me against the damp forest floor as his body curved over mine. I whimpered and tried to escape when his hands moved over me, one arm keeping me securely locked in position with my ass in the air, and my face almost buried in the leaves, but not quite. I couldn’t move, and I wasn’t even sure I wanted to.

One of his hands moved to the waistband of my jeans in the back, and his hand slipped inside to squeeze the lush globes of my ass. I whimpered and then moaned as he slid his thumb down the cleft, pausing to press against the quivering ring of muscle that refused to yield.

He chuckled. “I’m going to claim your ass this weekend too. There so many things I want to do to you, and time is ticking away. I’m claiming you, and we’re going to a cottage now.”

I shook my head, still trying to fight. A moment later, two of his fingers penetrated my pussy, pushing into my channel until he encountered resistance. I was afraid he was going to fuck me right there, which seemed so sordid and dirty, especially since I was still fighting him when I got the chance. The idea was repulsive, which didn’t explain why I was practically dripping wet for him, and his fingers glided in and out of me easily as long as he didn’t go too deep.

“I think you’re a filthy fucking girl, who likes it dirty and rough. I can give you that. I can give you sweet seduction too. I want to give you everything with the time I have.”

I bit my lip, trying not to moan as he continued pumping his fingers in and out of me. His words were a sharp turn-on, and my nipples were tight in my bra. I still wore his flannel shirt, and his scent surrounded me, but it wasn’t just from the garment this time. The heat of his flesh against mine stirred my desire to a fever pitch.

I was in a position where I couldn’t look up to see what was going on, but heard another grunt, and it didn’t sound like one of passion. His hand slipped away, and his weight rolled off me. I rolled over for a better view, realizing I was free.

The mystery of why was quickly solved. There was a wiry young man, who looked like the thug type, except for his Gucci loafers and designer leather jacket. He was clearly a trust fund baby playing at badass. He was also armed with what looked like a shield of bark, and a heavy branch. He’d taken advantage of Spencer’s distraction to hit him, likely planning to take him out of the game that way.

Spencer moved, so he wasn’t unconscious, but was clearly woozy. Blood trickled from a wound at the side of his head, and he reached up to touch it before pulling back with crimson on his fingers.

I needed to run while I had the chance.

Instead, I found myself scrambling to my feet and approaching the little jerk who’d hit him in such an unsportsmanlike way. He was raising the branch, holding it threateningly over Spencer while taunting him with something I couldn’t quite understand. I thought he was calling him a pussy, but it was difficult to tell, because he was saying it so quickly. He seemed to be high on more than life, and I was genuinely afraid for Spencer.

I was also afraid for myself, because if he managed to take Spencer out of commission, he’d probably be able to take me. I really needed to run, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave Spencer there alone. He was defenseless.

Or so I thought. For someone who had a head injury, he moved pretty quickly—one moment sitting on his butt and holding his head. The next, he lunged forward and knocked the little creep to the ground by hitting him in the knees. They wrestled together, and the thug-wannabe dropped his shield and branch. I rushed over and picked it up, waiting until I had an opening before whacking him upside the head in much the same way he must’ve done to Spencer. With a small groan, he went completely slack, and I was terrified I’d killed him.

As though reading my mind, Spencer touched the jerk’s neck. “He’ll live.”

A surge of relief filled me, and I tossed aside the branch as I looked at Spencer. For a moment, I was tempted to reach down and offer him a hand up, but instead, I did the sensible thing. I turned and ran.

He must’ve been slightly impaired by the head injury, because he wasn’t keeping up with me. I ran as hard and as fast as I could, somehow discovering my feet were fleeter today than they had been yesterday.

Either I was more accustomed to my environment, or panic was just giving me a surge of surefootedness, because I didn’t trip, and I managed to leap over several obstacles and keep running without even stumbling. It was an impressive feat of athleticism, at least by my standards, and I ran like that until my chest was burning, my side was aching, and I was forced to stop and bend over for a moment to catch my breath.

I dropped my backpack on the ground beside me as I struggled to regain my breath. My thoughts were finally crystallizing again, and the panic was fading. I wasn’t sure why I had freaked out, since I was sure Spencer didn’t plan to hurt me. Perhaps it was just the circumstances in that moment. Knowing he was on the cusp of literally claiming me, and ending any hope of winning the million dollars, plus surrendering to him for the rest of the weekend, had combined to give me a massive freak-out.

“How does he keep finding me?” I whispered the question aloud as it suddenly occurred to me. Spencer seemed to be able to find me far too easily. It was like he knew exactly where I’d be, but how could that be?

It seemed obvious he was tracking me somehow, and I didn’t know if it was some kind of electronic device he had smuggled along for the show, or if the producers had sold me out. That seemed just as likely a scenario after the way they had lied to us about our head start yesterday.

I couldn’t recall anything in the contract consenting to allowing them to share our location with the hunters, but I had signed off on an entire paragraph that talked about electronic tracking. Maybe it had been buried somewhere in there and couched in legalese, so I didn’t know to what I was agreeing. Or maybe they just didn’t bother to tell us or put it in the contract. Maybe it really was just incredible luck on his part, but that seemed like too neat and convenient of an explanation.

So how was he tracking me? My first thought was he must’ve put something in the flannel shirt, and I quickly stripped it off. I had no idea what I was looking for, but felt through all the seams and over the fabric, not finding any suspicious lumps or bumps.

If the tracker he used was similar to the one our vet had inserted in our cat a few years ago, it was probably about the size of a grain of rice. I wasn’t sure I could even detect it visually or tactilely, but eventually slipped on the shirt again. The idea of running around in just my bra was even worse than leaving a tracking device on my person.

The next option was the head cam, and I unclipped it. Looking into it, I said, “If you’re tracking me for him, the chip has to be either in here or in something you gave me.” I set it down on a nearby partially rotted log, not intending to put it back in my hair when I took off in a minute.

If it was in something they gave me, and if it wasn’t the camera, it had to be either the backpack or an item in it. Without knowing which article it might be, I couldn’t risk taking any of it—other than the water and the food, which I didn’t see how they could track.

I opened the backpack and removed the last bottle-and-a-half of water, shoving the full one in the pocket of my jeans. It was tight and uncomfortable, but would work for now. I carried the half-filled one and stuffed the rest of the energy bars into my other pocket. There was still an MRE left in there, along with my mess kit, but I couldn’t take them. I didn’t want to have both my hands busy should I need to defend myself.

The last thing I took was the fire starting set from the survival kit, which was thin enough to slide into the back pocket of my jeans. I was burdened with the bundles and feeling uncomfortable, but it couldn’t be helped. I no longer trusted the backpack, or any of the contents inside, including the tools and the emergency blanket. Any of those could hide a tracking device.

I still wasn’t sure if I was being proactive or paranoid as I took off, leaving the rest of my things behind. Being on this island had distorted my perception, and the show was starting to feel disconcertingly real. It was like being trapped in the jungle and hunted.

I hadn’t expected this edge of realism, at least not until I was captured. I’d known that would be plenty real, especially if I ended up caught by someone who only wanted to use or hurt me, but I hadn’t expected the hunt itself to feel like a life-or-death situation. It was strange and bewildering, but also kind of exhilarating in its own dark fashion.

As I started walking again, no longer able to jog because of the soreness in my legs, ankles, and hips, coupled with sheer exhaustion, it began to rain. I thought briefly of turning back to retrieve the emergency blanket, hoping to use it as an umbrella, but decided against it. Right now, it was just a light rain, and the leaves did a fair job of shielding me from the worst of it.