Page 104 of The Hunt

JJ’s eyes glimmered with excitement. “F3? That’s really close.”

“Yup.” I glanced at my watch. “The safe zone is closed now, but I overheard them saying they might hide in the cabin right next to it so they can get some sleep. I was gonna head back there and get them all myself. But I’m willing to let you have 50, as long as you let me get the rest.”

“Shit, yeah. Of course.”

I jerked my head toward the east. “Let’s go.”

JJ’s cocky grin never wavered as we walked through the woods, his swagger practically screaming that he genuinely believed this would be an easy score. Fucking idiot.

We reached the cabin, shrouded in fog, and I gestured for him to step around to the far side, where the dead zone was. “They’ve probably locked the door, but there’s a broken window around the back. We can get in there. Take them by surprise.”

JJ glanced back at me, suspicion flickering in his eyes for a split second, but his arrogance won out. He stepped around to the side of the cabin and leaned his face against the window. “They’re not in there,” he said, pulling back with a frown.

“Huh. Guess they already left.”

“Hang on.” He spun around to face me, frowning. “I thought you said this window was bro—”

I didn’t give him the chance to finish his sentence. Instead, I drove my fist into his jaw, the impact cracking through the silence like a gunshot.

JJ stumbled back, slamming into the wall, his shock giving me the opening I needed. I didn’t hesitate, following up with a punch to his stomach that doubled him over, a wheeze escaping his lips.

“You son of a—” he started, but I grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall again, cutting him off. His head hit the wood with a dull thud, and his face twisted into a grimace of pain. “Stop,” he spluttered. “Stop.”

As he spoke, he tried to swing at me, but I caught his arm and twisted it behind his back, forcing him to his knees. He let out a strangled yelp, but I didn’t let up, yanking his other arm and tying his wrists together with the rope I’d surreptitiously pulled out of my pocket as we trudged over here earlier.

He struggled hard, but I was stronger, fueled by rage and the cold, bitter satisfaction of finally cornering him. Once he was secure, I dragged him to the wall, shoving him into a sittingposition. Blood trickled from his split lip, and he glared up at me, defiance still simmering beneath his pain. I tied his ankles together next, then stepped back, breathing hard.

JJ spat blood onto the floor, and a smirk appeared on his face as he leaned his head against the wall. “You’re gonna regret this,” he said, voice low and venomous. “Do you think the others can’t see what you’re doing?”

My lips spread in a cold smirk of my own. “This is a dead zone, dumbass. No cameras,” I said, crouching down in front of him. I pulled my knife out, letting it glint in the faint light. There was still a drop of blood on the end from where I’d pressed it against Ev’s smooth skin earlier. “I thought you’d know about all the dead zones, given how your family owns this whole fucking island. But I guess you’ve never taken the time to study it properly, huh?”

JJ’s smirk faltered, and a flicker of fear crossed his face. “Why are you doing this?” he said. “You’re already winning. You don’t need to take out the competition.”

I laughed. “You’re not my competition, JJ. You’re fucking useless, and you’ve already proved that,” I said. I twisted the knife in my hand, letting the blade catch the light again. “I brought you here because of Ev.”

His eyes widened. “Ev?You mean… number 50?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know her.”

“I don’t! She’s just some gi—”

I plunged the knife into his left leg, a few inches above his knee. He howled, face contorting in agony as I pulled it back out.

“Don’t worry, I made sure not to hit any veins or arteries,” I said, my voice dropping to a deadly calm. “But next time, I might not be so careful.”

“Okay, okay!” JJ spluttered, face turning pale as he stared down at his bleeding leg. “You’re right! I know Ev!”

I pressed a hand on his wound to stem the flow, making him wince. “Tell me about her. I want to know every detail. How you met, why you pretended you’ve never met her, why you broke into her dorm and attacked her. Why you’re trying to kill her now.”

“I… we met when we were kids. Her dad works for mine.” JJ paused, wincing again. “She actually came to the island one summer. You were here too. Don’t you remember?”

I froze, my grip tightening involuntarily on my knife as my mind raced, rifling through dusty memories. A week on the island… kids running wild under the sun… a blonde girl, smaller than the rest of us, with big blue eyes and a perpetually nervous expression.

Everly.

Of fucking course.

That was why she’d always seemed so familiar to me. We’d met years ago, when we were just kids. So much had happened since then, so many new faces and new names, that I’d forgotten all about our short-lived friendship until now.

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