Chapter Twenty
Savannah had gone through several stressful moments in her life: waiting for the MRI results to confirm she hadn’t suffered any severe permanent damage to her spinal cord after the car accident, sitting backstage on The Kelly Clarkson Show before her first-ever book review segment, and watching Abi win the quarterfinals at the West Village Country Club’s annual tennis invitational, knowing full well she would have to go up against her.
The woman was a condescending snob who acted as if her husband had personally performed lifesaving brain surgery on every last member of the club, but her backhand was spectacular.
But none of those felt as nerve-wracking as this moment.
“Come on out, contestants,” Naomi called, waving them out of the jungle. On cue, Kate, who was leading the final six, walked out onto the sand while the rest dutifully followed.
The sun was so hot and so bright that Savannah had to squint against the glare of the beach.
She blinked several times until her eyes focused and then immediately wished she hadn’t.
Up ahead, rising just out of the shallow surf where waves were breaking weakly against the bank, were three raised platforms. Mounted on each platform were two narrow wooden pedestals facing one another across a six-foot gap.
Planted directly in the middle of that gap, rising straight up from the platform deck, was a single post no thicker than Savannah’s arm, and balanced on it was a long beam slumped heavily to the left.
“What do you think they’re going to make us do?
” Amy whispered behind her. She was walking close enough that if Savannah were to stop, she would collide right into her.
Close enough that Savannah could feel her hot breath on her neck.
Close enough that Savannah physically felt the regret for not confessing to Amy the other night that she didn’t just like her, she might actually be in love with her. “Because that looks heinous.”
Savannah chuckled softly but didn’t get a chance to reply. She could only imagine the kind of death trap the show had cooked up this time.
“Welcome, contestants, to the final challenge,” Naomi announced.
She stood right at the water’s edge. For the first time this season, her feet were actually in the water, and no wonder, it was a gazillion degrees outside.
Every time Savannah wiped sweat off her forehead, more perspiration seemed to leak directly out of her soul.
“Twenty-four days ago, twelve of you swam to these shores and now only six are left.” Naomi paused for dramatic effect, and it worked.
Savannah felt the words settle over her heavily.
“Every sacrifice, every scheme and alliance made comes down to this final challenge. There will be no second chances today. The pair who wins will go on to The Sending where the Final Council will determine who is worthy of the title of Ultimate Outlast Her.”
Savannah got chills. Literal chills in this heat.
She smoothed a palm across her goose-bumped arm and caught sight of Amy doing the same thing.
Then Amy’s head turned, and their eyes met, and Savannah felt herself crumble.
Not under the pressure, or the stress, but from the ridiculous desire to quit this show, to whisk Amy away on a speedboat toward the mainland.
To grab a cab to the airport and fly somewhere warm but dry.
Somewhere like Londolozi in South Africa, known for its dry and mild winters where they could feast on cocoa-crusted springbok loin—Savannah had spent a week in the bush several years ago doing nothing but devouring Wild Honey & Thorn, an absurdly steamy bushveld romance—and sip glasses of chilled MCC and skinny dip in their private plunge pool with the most dreamy view of the Sand River.
It would be so romantic that she might even go down on one...
No! Savannah shook that outrageous thought out of her head before it could even materialize. She hadn’t even fully told Amy how she felt. What if she didn’t feel the same?
“Are you ready to have the time of your lives?” Naomi said, yanking Savannah out of her own head.
She walked two steps forward out of the surf.
Savannah spotted a soaked pair of white Veja sneakers on the host’s feet.
Paired with her navy linen shorts and white linen blouse, she looked like a Hamptons mother of two who had accidentally stepped into the sea trying to wrestle Brutus, her unruly Labrador, back into the frame during a family photo shoot.
“Here’s how this challenge works. When the timer starts, each of you will step onto one of the two pedestals and place your palms against opposite ends of the beam.
Your job is to keep the beam perfectly level by applying equal pressure from both sides.
” Then she pulled a bright red ceramic sphere from her pocket and tossed it into the air.
“In the center of every beam sits a ball just like this, resting on a flat disk. If you push too hard, the beam tips toward your partner. If you ease up for even a second, it tips back toward you. The ball will topple either way, and if it does, if it falls off... you’re out of the game.
” She flashed a TV smile and added in a tone that was almost grating. “Easy as pie.”
Yes, if the pie was determined to rip the muscles right off your bones.
“Now let’s get to it,” Naomi added, flourishing an arm out toward the platform.
“Now?” Amy muttered from Savannah’s side, and for a second Savannah wasn’t sure what she was referring to. Now what? But then she remembered...
“Yes,” she replied, nodding softly.
Amy cleared her throat loud enough for every head to snap in her direction.
“Before we start,” she said, her voice a little ragged.
She slipped her hand into her back pocket, where Savannah was sure the envelope was burning a hole into her shorts, and added, “We found an advantage and we’d like to play it today. ”
There were several gasps and one mouse-like squeak that might have come from Luna.
Savannah risked a sideways glance and was glad for it.
Luna’s jaw was almost all the way to the sand.
Kate blinked like she was trying to dislodge a gnat from her eye, and Ezra had gone ghost white.
Maya looked as though she hadn’t understood a word Amy had said.
“What advantage did you find?” Naomi asked. Then she held out her hand, palm facing up, and wiggled her fingers.
Amy carried the folded parchment across the sand and placed it carefully into Naomi’s open palm.
A stray breeze could carry it out to sea, and Savannah found herself holding her breath.
Luckily, Naomi gripped it tight and held it up just as Amy stepped back to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Savannah.
“This is the ultimate advantage,” Naomi read, her brown eyes flicking up to meet theirs before dropping back to the page. “The holder of this advantage has the ultimate power to send one pair home...”
Silence stretched across the beach. Even the waves seemed too afraid to crash. Neither Luna nor Kate nor even Ezra said a word. They were all shocked silent, and no wonder. Hearing Naomi read it aloud even sent a fresh swish of adrenaline through Savannah’s veins.
“Well,” Naomi said, smiling widely after a few shocked seconds. This had to be the best Outlast Her twist ever. “Who would you like to vote out of the game?”
Amy cleared her throat. Two nights ago, in the darkness, sitting on Wyn’s belongings still strewn across the forest floor, with Amy’s arm slung around Savannah’s shoulder, they had come to the same conclusion. Luna and Kate were their biggest threat. They had to go. “We’d like to vote off—”
Suddenly, Luna dropped to her knees. “I know you’re going to choose us to go home,” she said, her hands clasped together. Her forehead was so bunched up it had to hurt. “But I ask that you don’t. Give us a chance to fight for it. Please.”
Amy let out a strangled-sounding yelp. Savannah resisted an eye-roll. They’d even practiced this last night. Come on, Amy, just call out their names.
But Amy didn’t.
Savannah was just about to do it for her when Luna intercepted again.
“You’re a romance writer, Amy, and a damn good one at that.
” Savannah did roll her eyes this time. Surely Amy saw right through this.
“You know as well as I do that every great heroine has to earn her happy ending. Winning means nothing if you don’t face your biggest obstacle.
” She pushed herself up with Kate’s help and didn’t bother dusting the sand from her knees.
“Ezra and Maya are fair competitors, but you’ve been competing against me ever since we set foot on this island.
You can’t deny that. One romance author against the other. ”
Another strangled sound came from Amy. This one was so pathetic Savannah wanted to hug her tight while simultaneously drop-kicking Luna to the other side of the beach. Instead, she stepped forward. “No,” she said loudly and clearly. “We’ve made up our mi—”
Amy cut her off. “We’d like to vote off Ezra and Maya.”
Savannah’s head whipped toward her and, oof, a white-hot spike shot straight down her neck. That very same neck pain that had plagued her during week one roared right back to life. She slapped her hand to the base of her neck and winced.
Amy didn’t even seem to notice. She just locked eyes with Naomi, her expression completely unreadable. “Our choice is Ezra and Maya.”
SAVANNAH’S NECK WAS throbbing. It felt like someone had taken her C5 vertebra, wrapped it in barbed wire, set it on fire, and shoved it straight back into her neck. They had only been ten minutes into the challenge, and she’d considered quitting ten times already. One quit for every minute.