Page 130 of The Hunt

“I’m going to call Peter. Tell him it’s a mistake. He’ll let you out of the—”

“No!” I cut him off, sitting up straight again. “You can’t do that!”

“I have to,” he insisted. “You think I’m just going to keep my mouth shut and let my baby girl die out there?”

“Dad, if you make that call, you won’t be saving me. You’ll be guaranteeing my death instead,” I said. “Because they’ll realize I got access to a phone, and then they’ll focus all their efforts on tracking me down and killing me.”

“But I can’t sit here and donothing. I have to get you out of there!”

“It’s okay,” I said. “I have a way to survive. I have help.”

“From who?”

I glanced at Rhett. “From a hunter.”

“Everly,no,” Dad said sharply. “That’s a trap. The hunters do this sometimes. They like to toy with their targets before they kill them. I know because I’ve designed some of their traps. So whoever that man is… he isn’t there to help you.”

“He is. I’m sure of it.” I swallowed hard and went on. “You know about the prize, right? For the last player standing?”

“$5 million, I believe,” he said quietly.

“That’s right. I’m going to be the last one standing. I’m going to win that prize, and then I’ll come home and pay off those debts for you. But you have to help me. And helping me means keeping your mouth shut for now. Okay?”

“But—”

“Dad.You can’t say a single word to anyone,” I said, voice rising. “Promise you’ll stay quiet. Promise you’ll do that to help me survive. Or else you’ll be burying an empty coffin for me right next to Mom.”

I knew that last comment was a low blow, but it was the truth, and he needed to see that.

“All right,” he finally said. I could tell from the sound of his voice that he was crying again. “I won’t say anything.”

“Thank you,” I said stiffly.

“I’m so sorry, honey. If I hadn’t gone to work for that man, you wouldn’t be in this situation right now. It’s all my fault.”

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. “Dad, I’m really sorry, but I can’t do this blame-game thing with you now. I need to focus on surviving.”

“I understand,” he muttered.

“Is there anything you can tell me that could help me?” I asked. “Anything at all?”

He was quiet for a moment. “I don’t know if this will help,” he finally said. “But travel from the island is locked down while the Hunt is on. Did you know about that?”

“Yes.”

“Well, several years ago, I heard about an incident involving one of the elderly society members. He was watching the Hunt from one of the rooms in the manor, and he had a massive heart attack. After one of the maids found him, the lockdown was temporarily lifted, and he was taken to the nearest hospital. So, my point is… it’s possible to end the lockdown, if you can figure out a way.”

I looked over at Rhett. His lips were twisting in contemplation, and his brows were drawn into a deep frown.

“Is there anything else that could help?” I asked. “Maybe a secret bunker somewhere that hardly anyone knows about? Or some sort of code? Like for Peter’s office, perhaps?”

“No.” Dad’s voice cracked again. “I’m sorry, honey. I really don’t know what else to tell you.”

“Okay.” I took a deep breath. “I should go. If Tessa calls again, please tell her everything is going to be fine.”

On the other end of the line, I could hear Dad drawing in a deep, shaky breath of his own. “Stay safe out there, Everly.Please.”

“I will. I promise I’ll come home soon,” I said.

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