Page 129 of The Hunt

“And that all sounded okay to you?”

“Of course not! It sounded horrendous. But I was desperate. So I tried to rationalize it in my head. Those people were going to die anyway. And they were horrible, evil people, so it wasn’t the same as an innocent person dying,” he said. “I needed the money, or else your Mom’s treatment would have to stop, and then…”

His voice broke, and he stopped talking for a moment.

“Dad,” I said. “Keep going. When did you find out the truth about the Hunt?”

“After I’d worked for them for a few years,” he said. “Like I said, I knew they were running an annual death game on that island, but I compartmentalized it. My work for them took up a few weeks or months every year, depending on the scale of the projects, and then I could go home and pretend it wasn’t happening. But then… I finally realized what wasreallyhappening.”

“How did you find out?”

“Well, when I was there, I always worked in an office they gave me in the guest section of the manor. I—”

“The west wing?” I cut in.

“Yes, that’s right. The same place you stayed in when I took you there one summer,” Dad said. “One day, Peter told me we’d be working in the northern wing instead, in his personal office. I think he trusted me by that stage, seeing as we’d been working together for years.”

“Uh-huh.”

“That same day, he received a phone call. He was expecting it, and I suppose it must’ve been important, because he told me it would probably take a while,” he said. “It was a nice day, so he told me he’d take it outside, and I could stay in the office by myself and keep working on the designs until he returned. I did at first, but being left alone in his office… I eventually got curious.”

“You snooped?”

“Yes. I knew I wouldn’t be caught, because I could see him through the window, pacing the estate grounds while he talked on the phone. So I tried a few drawers and filing cabinets and eventually found one unlocked. It was filled with player profiles.” Dad fell silent again for a brief moment. Then he coughed and went on, voice thick with emotion again. “The topfolder contained information about a young female player from the previous year. I found it hard to believe that a twenty-three-year-old middle school teacher could’ve been on death row, so I Googled her to see what she’d supposedly done. Instead of articles about her terrible crimes, or whatever else I expected to see, I found a Facebook page set up by her family and friends. She’d been missing for a year. They were all heartbroken.”

“So she wasn’t a death-row prisoner.”

“No. By all accounts, she was a much-loved and valued member of society,” he replied. “That was when I realized I’d been tricked. The Hunt involved anyone and everyone who signed up for it, for whatever twisted reasons, including innocent people. Or perhaps they were even kidnapped and forced to participate. I had no idea, and I couldn’t exactly ask Peter or any of the other guys.”

“How long had you worked for them at that stage?”

“Four years.”

Something twisted inside me. “But you’ve worked for them fortwelveyears, Dad. That means you kept going for eight more years, even after you knew they were killing innocent people,” I said, voice dripping with fury. “How could you?”

“I had no choice.”

“Yes, you did! You could’ve quit!”

“And then what? Let your mother die when I couldn’t pay for her treatments anymore?” he shouted down the line. “Is that what you think I should’ve done?”

“In case you didn’t notice, shediddie!” I snapped. “Three years ago!”

“She was supposed to die all the way back in 2012! That was the date the doctors initially gave us,” Dad snapped back at me. “That’s what you’re not getting here, Everly. The Wild Hunt bought us an extranineyears with her! Do you have any idea what that means?”

“I…” I trailed off, not knowing what to say.

“She was able to see you grow up into a beautiful young woman,” Dad went on, voice husky with emotion. “You were able to make so many more memories with her. So was I. If it wasn’t for all that money coming in, you would’ve lost her when you were only eight years old. Can you even imagine how different your life would’ve been then? What it would’ve been like for us without her there for us all those years?”

“No,” I murmured, sagging against the bedhead. “But she’s gone now, Dad. So why the hell are you still working for Peter?”

He let out a heavy sigh. “Because I still haven’t finished paying off some of the medical debts,” he said. “Like I said before, they were astronomical. That’s why I couldn’t help you with college, as much as I wanted to.”

“When will you stop?”

“I… I don’t know. A few more years, maybe.” He began to sob, his breath hitching through the phone, each sound jagged and raw. “Oh, honey, I don’t understand why you’re there. You can’t be there. Youcan’t.”

“Well, I am,” I said in a low voice.

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