It’s barely seconds later when the rope gives and we’re plummeting into the water. I surface, coughing and cussing, “Yeah. We totally figured it out.”
“It’s a trick. We’re not supposed to go back the way we came.”
“This is utter bullshit,” I shout, hoping they can hear me.
“It’s almost over,” Luca says as he searches around then starts swimming. “This way. Looks like a shoreline in the distance.
“Great,” I quip as a splatter sounds behind us. “Someone else fell for the trick too. I bet the bastards are laughing at our misery because they’re miserable as fuck too.”
“Probably,” he agrees surprisingly.
When we reach the bank, we climb onto it and sink ankle deep in mud. There’s a ladder nearby that we trudge to. I’ve never been scared of snakes, but I really don’t want to find any right now. Once we get close, I ask, “What if it’s another trick?”
“Won’t know until we try.”
“True.” I notice he bounces on the first step before he says, “Come on.”
I follow him and hope we don’t crash to the ground. Mainly because I’m ready for this to be over.
“Welcome back,” Decider announces before he informs us, “you’re the first team to jump and the first team back.”
“Yippee fucking yay,” I mumble. Exhaustion weighs on me as I sit on the pavement. Maybe the orgasm challenge wasn’t as bad as I thought. Because it was a lot more enjoyable than this.
I hear Micah shouting before I see him and Brooke approach. She drops down on the ground beside me. “That was horrible.”
Remy arrives then as he plops next to us, “Who are you telling? I think a gator tried to swim up my ass.”
Decider announces, “Back on the bus.”
“Oh my God,” Brooke gasps. “Where’re Matthew and Hannah?”
Micah chimes in, “Doesn’t matter. We made it.”
Four more of these idiotic events then I’m done. Unless I lose my mind and do something hasty first.
45
LUCA
“I’m still getting mud out of my hair,” Brooke bitches as she enters my bedroom.
“Why are you in here?”
She lowers her tone, “I need to talk to you.”
“Talk.”
“It’s about Micah.”
That’s a given. “Brooke, either say it or get out.”
“He’s really scaring me. He’s planning something and won’t tell me what.”
“Why are you telling me this? He’s your teammate.”
“I know. But she’s my friend and after seeing the pain she was put through with the photographs of her mom, I can’t watch her get hurt like that again.”
“You think it involves Ivy?”
