Chapter Six #2
“You do realize you’re out here, right?” Allie said, pointing to Barra.
“Are you looking for the bracelet?” Barra asked without answering Allie’s question.
Then she flicked her gaze to Allie’s wrist as if she’d already found the bracelet and was dumb enough to wear it.
Which she wasn’t. If she ever set eyes on that protection bracelet, she’d shove it into her backpack so no one would ever know. Not even Sutton.
“Are you?” Allie said, snapping the question right back. She did it all the time when dealing with collectors and artists.
Barra toed a rock lying on the ground, and Allie nearly reprimanded her. Who knew what kind of thing lurked beneath it? Did she really want to get them both killed tonight? “No,” she said, shaking her head. “I got turned around looking for Moon Pit.”
“Moon Pit?” Allie said, frowning. If that was Barra’s excuse, it was the flimsiest one she’d ever heard. The small clearing that had been designated as the communal bathroom, called Moon Pit, was on the opposite side of the beach. “That’s a terrible lie. Try again.”
“I’m not lying,” Barra replied, though her voice wavered, and if that wasn’t another tell, then Allie wasn’t sure what was. “Fine, I couldn’t sleep,” Barra added before Allie could shake her head disappointedly.
“So you came wandering out into the jungle,” Allie said, folding her arms over her chest. She wasn’t cold; she was dignified. “Try again.”
“Fine,” Barra sighed. “I came looking for the bracelet, alright. What’s your excuse?”
Allie chewed the inside of her cheek. Was she really going to share?
It felt humiliating enough just thinking about it.
She’d thought she would come into the game and automatically rise to the top.
Queen bee. But there were so many other queen bees she’d fallen down a few statuses to the worker bee.
“I’m at the bottom,” she said. “I need that bracelet.”
Barra frowned, and for some reason Allie was reminded of Kiara’s wedding and of Barra on the dance floor when the song Fix You by Coldplay blared from the speakers. She’d stood there with her hands on her hips, frowning at the DJ. “Who the hell can dance to that song?” she had said.
But then that memory was cut clean in half when something skittered overhead.
“We should probably get back to camp,” Barra said, looking up at the trees.
Allie, whose heart had leapt into her throat, did the same.
But there was nothing there besides branches and more branches of a tree she couldn’t identify even if she had a guidebook in her hand.
“I’m going to stay here and find that bracelet,” she said, though she wanted nothing more than to mosey on back to camp.
The bracelet was her only chance to feel safe in this game, and she wasn’t going to let anyone else get it. Especially Barra.
“Are you always this stubborn?” Barra asked.
“Me?” Allie spluttered. “You’re the one who hasn’t even apologized. If that isn’t stubborn, I don’t know what is.” She wasn’t going to say for what exactly; Barra was a smart cookie, she could figure that out on her own.
Barra pressed her lips thin, and Allie’s eyes betrayed her for the quickest second.
She glanced down and wondered if she still remembered how they’d felt against her own.
Yes, of course she did. She never forgot a woman’s lips, especially when they’d felt like soft pillows.
Then suddenly Allie was thinking about closing the gap and kissing Barra.
No. No. No.
Lips that couldn’t manage something as basic as an apology were certainly not lips she was ever going to kiss again.
“Apologize?” Barra asked, gasping. “How are you turning finding the bracelet into—”
A sound exploded through the jungle. It was a howl so loud Allie felt the ground beneath her vibrate. She didn’t think about her actions. She just flung herself forward and happened to land in Barra’s arms.
“That’s just a howler monkey,” Barra said as her arms closed around Allie.
Though she didn’t sound at all convinced.
In fact, she sounded more like she was trying to convince herself it wasn’t a fricken jaguar.
“They’re not dangerous.” The words landed somewhere between Allie’s cheekbones.
Her breath was warm against Allie’s skin, her arms strong and tender all at once. “We don’t have to worry.”
Allie nearly believed her. She nearly forgot about the jungle pressing in around them and about the possibility that something vile was watching them right this minute.
In fact, she’d nearly forgotten her own name.
Barra’s body was warm. Allie’s cheek was half turned into Barra’s shoulder, and she caught the faint scent of lavender.
But then the wail sounded again. It was longer and closer.
And Allie shuddered. “That sounds like a wolf.”
“There are no wolves in Costa Rica,” Barra replied, her tone a touch patronizing.
That was the only catalyst Allie needed to remind her how Barra had spoken to her at the airport, and how she’d overlooked her at the pairing.
“I know that,” she muttered harshly, peeling herself away from Barra. “I have to go.”
And go she did. She didn’t wait for Barra to respond. And she certainly didn’t wait for another howl to split the night open. She just turned on her heel and strode toward camp, hoping she was headed in the right direction. Tomorrow was another day to look for the bracelet.