Page 150 of The Hunt

“Well, itdid, because I’ve had to hear about it ever since,” Nikki said, giving him an exasperated look. “You know what that man is like.”

The chef’s expression shifted, suspicion giving way to grudging acknowledgment. “Fine,” he said, gesturing toward a stack of crates by the door. “The port is there. You can do your silly little testing over by the prep station. But don’t get in anyone’s way, okay?

Nikki smiled and promised we’d be careful. Then we stepped over to the crates and carried them together, one by one, over to what looked like a free space near the prep station.

My nerves were still jangling with every step I took, and every clang of a pot or shout from a chef made me flinch, but I swallowed down my fear and got to work on the bottles, pulling them out of the crates and lining them up in rows of four on the counter.

“See?” Nikki whispered with a grin as we opened the first one. “This is easy.”

I returned her smile. “I got the impression that the chef wouldn’t even care if he caught us poisoning these bottles,” I whispered back.

“Probably not,” she said, letting out a derisive snort. “Everyone thinks Peter is an asshole. But we should be careful just in case.”

I nodded. “There are twenty bottles, and we have four bottles of eye drops,” I said, forehead creasing. “So, one fifth of an eye drop bottle per port bottle. That should do the trick, right?”

“I fucking hope so,” Nikki muttered.

We spent the next thirty minutes carefully spiking every single bottle. The eye drop solution wouldn’t kill any of the Wilders who consumed the port, but it would be enough to trigger a sudden outbreak of vomiting, diarrhea, and crippling stomach pains.

That, in turn, would cause enough panic and chaos to force the Patriarchs to open the island for travel. The huge mess would also temporarily distract them from everything else Rhett, Nikki, and I had planned together.

“Okay, last bottle.” Nikki popped the cork back in and grinned. “Let’s head out.”

I breathed a heavy sigh of relief and exited the kitchen with her. We still had a lot to do and a lot to worry about, but one of the most dangerous parts of our scheme was complete now, and that made me feel like a full ton of weight had just melted off my shoulders.

The hallway ahead of us was bustling with uniformed staff and Wilders in their casual clothes, strolling through the manor as if they owned it.

I kept my head down, doing my best not to attract any attention, but then I heard it—the unmistakable sound of someone approaching, their footsteps slow but deliberate... and familiar. My stomach dropped.

I didn’t need to look up to know who was coming toward us.

Peter Jennings.

I could feel his presence before I even saw him, as though the air around him was heavier, charged with that same unnerving energy he always carried with him. I took a sharp breath, my pulse quickening, and forced myself to keep walking, even though my legs felt like lead.

“Shit,” Nikki muttered, confirming my suspicion. “Peter’s coming toward us.”

“I can’t fucking believe it,” I said under my breath. “We were so close to making it out.”

“It’s okay. Just stay calm.”

Stay calm.I repeated it in my head like a mantra, even as the world around me seemed to blur.

“Nikki.” Peter’s deep voice echoed through the air as he drew closer. “I thought that was you. What are you doing in here?”

Nikki smiled faintly as we drew to a halt. “I ran out of cigarettes, and there’s a guy in the north wing kitchen who always has spares.”

“Hm. I didn’t know you were a smoker,” Peter said. He turned his head slightly, gaze landing on me. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before. What’s your name?”

Shit.

Changing my appearance was one thing, but I couldn’t do much to change my voice, so if I spoke right now, he’d surely recognize me. It would all be downhill from there.

Nikki let out a light laugh. “You don’t remember Amy, sir? She’s been on the housekeeping staff for years!” she said. “She’s the one who showed me around the place when you first brought me here. After… well, you know what.”

I forced a smile and nodded. “Mm-hm,” I murmured, figuring the vague sound was enough to make it seem like I was replying without actually saying anything.

“She’s finished for the day, hence the lack of uniform,” Nikki went on, gesturing to the clothes I’d borrowed from her. “We were just going to go for a walk before dinner.”

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