Page 50 of Close Your Eyes and Count to 10

Then the two figures came together. Were they fighting?

No. They were kissing, arms wrapping passionately around one another. After a moment, the two moved off down the path.

Okay. Whowasthat?

Malinka? Angeline? She waited a few moments, crouching in the silence, listening. Angeline was with Maverick. And Hector certainly didn’t seem like Malinka’s type.

So who was that? But they were gone now.

Adele puzzled over it another moment, then she continued down the path, determined to know everything she could about her environment, having learned more than she’d expected about the game.

After a while, she came to the place she’d been looking for. She’d seen it on the satellite image Blake had sent. A casita, nestled in overgrowth, not the farthest from the hotel but the one on highest ground. It was a ruin: a tree had fallen and rested against the tile roof, and the door stood gaping. The sun had disappeared behind a thickening cloud cover, casting the world in a dusky gloom.

Maybe this game was rigged, maybe it wasn’t. Maybe she was fearless, maybe she wasn’t. But Adele knew one thing for sure. She going to use every resource at her disposal, and for once, she was going to win.

And then no one would ever have her by the throat again.

15

MALINKA’S Private Video Diary

The Game

“I don’t know if anyone will ever see this. I’ve lost service and the charge is running low. If I die here, maybe no one will even find my phone. So this might be pointless.”

In the distance, the sounds of the storm are an oncoming train. The focus is tight on Malinka’s bright, heavily lashed eyes. The area around her is dark. Her voice is low and urgent. She’s crying.

“The game has begun, and I am in my hiding spot. But the storm is out of control. And I don’t know if anyone is coming.”

She shifts, eyes red-rimmed. The wind howls, and there’s a low groaning. She startles at a loud clap of thunder.

“If anyone does find this, please, I just wanted people to know the truth. I haven’t been totally honest about why I’m here. I came to play. But there were other reasons, too.”

She takes a breath. “It’s been a full year of asking questions, digging deep.”

For a moment she goes quiet, glances around her.

“I came here to confront Maverick Dillan, to demand answers about my missing friend, Chloe Miranda. But I’ve failed her. I’m no closer tounderstanding what happened to her than I was, except that I might be next. I might be the next person to hide in an Extreme challenge and never go home.”

There’s an unidentifiable noise off camera. Malinka’s eyes dart around beyond the lens.

“Chloe and I met at a Tough Be-atch competition on Kauai a couple of years ago. We already followed each other on Photogram. I loved her body-positive, mental-wellness message, and she was a fan of my you-go-grrl empowerment stance, and an influencer for my clothing line. When we met…it was like an instant friendship connection. Like we were sisters separated at birth. Have you ever felt like that? Ever met a person that you felt like you’d known your whole life?”

Malinka wipes away a tear.

“I haven’t had many friends. I didn’t have a normal childhood, always so busy with the mission of summiting and tutoring for all the school I missed. Then my dad was sick.”

She shakes her head, rubs at her forehead with her free hand.

“Then I started my company. So the few friends that I have are like family to me, you know. Anyway, Chloe and I bonded because we tied for third place, basically getting our asses kicked and emerging from the course injured. Her elbow, my knee. Who won that day?”

Malinka rolls her eyes at the camera.

“Angeline Alba. She finished the course a full five minutes before everyone else. Some people thought it was rigged, like she had a shortcut or something. But nah. She was one of the strongest, fastest, most focused competitors I’ve ever seen in those games. So hats off—even though she was fully five years older than we were.”

Malinka pulls the camera out so that more of her is visible. She’s wearing a tight red puffer jacket and cap. Around her the walls are cracked and covered with graffiti. That low groaning gets louder, and Malinka glances up at the ceiling.

“When I met her, Chloe was already a little obsessed with Maverick. She said that they’d hooked up in Colorado earlier that year and that he’d essentially ghosted her. But she was looking to rekindle whatever sparkthere had been between them. She approached him at the after-party, where he was going to present the check to the winner later that night. From where I was sitting, he looked very happy to see her. Big hug, a quick kiss on the lips. It was allhey, girlandit’s been a minute.”

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