At the line of the jungle, Hunter appeared near the leaning palm tree. My knees buckled when I drew near him, and he caught me by my forearm, wrapping his strong arms around me.
“You’re okay.” Hunter pressed a kiss on my head. I nodded, sobbing into his chest. He leaned back to look at me. “Did Garry hurt you?”
I shook my head.
“Where is he?”
“Snakes,” I croaked, hot tears slipping into my mouth. “I took him there.”
Hunter pulled me into a hug again. “I’m so sorry I didn’t stop him.”
I wiped my nose on his dirty shirt. “I can take care of myself.”
“I have no doubt. What happened to the hut?”
“Remodeling.” I joked, and Hunter chuckled.
God, I was so glad this was almost over. All that remained was to wait for Jack to come back—if he was coming back—and take over theNauti Guy.
“Hunter, we should move off the beach if we want to surprise Jack. He is still on the boat.”
The boom of the gun ripped through the air. Then the gun went off again. We were too late. Jack had spotted us.
“This way.” I pulled Hunter into the jungle.
Hunter jerked me to the left on the beach. “No. This way.”
We were white targets against dark woods. Even with one bad eye, Jack could see us.
“You are dead!” Tom yelled, then broke into the harrowed cough.
What the hell? Tom wasn’t supposed to be here. He should have been in the hole. Hunter’s head whipped around to look over his shoulder. Gray smoke made it impossible to pick out any movement in the jungle. The gun went off again, and this time, something—a bullet—struck the palm tree. Could Tom see us, or was he firing at random?
Hunter yanked on my hand, and this time, I followed, running after him along the beach, staying close to the edge of the woods. I twisted to see a figure running out of the jungle and charging in our direction.
Hunter turned into the darkness of jungle and pulled me with him. Was there a plan? Or were we just running? When we reached the workshop, I skidded to a halt.
“Hunter, wait.” I bent, planting a hand on the side of my stomach, where the cramps hurt the most. “We need to find a tool or something.”
“We need to lose him.” He tugged on my hand.
“Let’s hide in the grotto.” We would be cornered rats, but that was fine. They couldn’t stay on this island forever. “Please,” I pleaded, choking on the word.
The snap of the branches nearby and the rush of a body through the woods gave a shove to our feet. Taking an extra zig-zagging turn to confuse Tom, we ran toward the undisclosed cave. The path inclined. The taste of blood coated my throat with each deep breath I took. Our safety was within reach.
We neared the entrance, and Hunter gripped my hand and pulled me behind him up the hill until we were out of the jungle. Fright soared through me. He kept taking me higher. We reached the cliff jumping spot.
I dug my heels into the ground, wrenching my hand out of his.
Hunter swiveled around, his chest heaving just as fast as mine. The wind lifted strands of his tousled hair in a chaotic dance. “Do you trust me?”
“Yes, but?—”
He pointed down at the ocean. “This is the way out.”
A breeze battled with the hem of my shirt. Chills ran up my skin from the morning air or was it Hunter’s suggestion.
“We have to jump?” I squeaked.
