Page 59 of The Hunt

I grabbed a glass from a nearby tray and chugged it before finding a buffet table laden with food on silver trays. After I loaded up a napkin with mini pumpkin quiches, I walked over to the edge of the deck, my gaze drawn to some lights in the distance. Civilization was close… but not close enough. I couldn’t even make out the skyline of the city I was seeing. Just the colorful lights twinkling like stars.

I shoved one of the quiches in my mouth, barely even registering the taste as I chewed. My mind was still reeling too much to focus on anything beyond my endless questions.

A voice broke through the silence.

“You looking forward to things kicking off tomorrow?”

I turned to see a man standing beside me. His casual stance didn’t match the tension I could feel crawling up my spine.

I swallowed my mouthful of food and replied. “Sorry, what do you mean?”

He smiled, but it didn’t quite meet his eyes. “Tomorrow’s game,” he said, tilting his head slightly. “Are you looking forward to it?”

“That’s what this party is for?” I said. “Agame?”

The man’s expression soured. “Ah, so that’s how you’re going to play this,” he said. “Flying solo before we’ve even begun. You might regret that tomorrow, you know.”

I frowned, trying to process his words. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said. “I don’t know why I’m here, or what game is happening tomorrow. Could you tell me?”

He rolled his eyes. “No need to play dumb with me, sweetheart. You’ve got the wristband, which means you must’ve been accepted into the party at the dock earlier. Andthatmeans you’re a contestant in the game.”

My hand instinctively went to the silver wristband on my wrist. “I don’t remember coming here,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “Could you please explain what this party is for, and what this game is that you keep mentioning?”

The man shook his head with a small laugh and walked away. Before he could go far, he stopped another man who looked like he was considering approaching me. “Don’t even bother,” he said snidely. “She’s one ofthosepeople. Not the type to team up.”

I stood there, completely baffled, watching both men disappear into the crowd. Then I sighed, scanning the deck for another waiter to question.Someonehad to answer me at some point, didn’t they?

Unfortunately, the wait staff were all rushing around, too busy to spare me so much as a glance. Frustrated, I turned my attention back to the edge of the deck and spotted a man leaning against the railing, staring out at the water with a cigarette in hand.

I approached him and gave him a tight smile. “Hi.”

He dipped his chin in a brief nod. “Hey. Looking for a light?”

“No thanks. I just wanted to ask you something.”

He shrugged. “Okay.”

“So, this is going to sound really weird, but… I woke up below deck about fifteen minutes ago, and I found a note telling me to join this party. But I have no idea what the party is for, or who brought me here, or what this game is that I’ve heard other people talking about. Can you tell me?”

The man’s brows rose. “Are you serious?”

“Yes. I just want to know what’s going on. I’m really confused, and no one will tell me anything.”

A slow grin spread across his face. “Ah. I know what this is," he said, voice laced with amusement. "You're a plant, right?"

"A plant?" I echoed.

He chuckled and mimed zipping his lips. "You're not a real contestant,” he said. “You're just here to see if any of us are willing to break the NDAs we signed before the game starts.”

“No, I—

He cut me off. ”Sorry, honey. You won’t get a word from me. Not falling for that."

Before I could respond, he turned and walked away. I stood there, mouth gaping, still trying to process what he'd said.

“Is that true?” a sharp feminine voice said from somewhere on my left.

I turned to see a tall, middle-aged brunette woman staring at me.

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