“I never said you didn’t.”
Adrienne laughed. “Let’s talk about something else.”
“Like what?” Valerie asked.
“Mmm,” Adrienne said, obviously teasing. There was something on her mind, and Valerie was desperate to know what it was. “Did you really mean it when you said that you liked me? Do you really like me, or was it just your orgasm talking?”
“I do like you,” Valerie answered truthfully. “And if I had to go back and tell my old self that had just met you aboardThe Valentine, that I’d end up liking Adrienne Vale, I’d think I’d gone completely insane. Insane enough to be admitted to—” She suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Ahead of her, deep in the shadows from two twisty olive trees, she could hear the murmur of voices talking so low itwas obvious they didn’t want to be overheard. Two steps closer and she spotted Sienna and Isla hunched over a flat limestone boulder. They had their backs facing them and shoulders touching. Valerie could just make out their fingers tearing at a small wooden container.
Wait. Was that what she thought it was?
Before Valerie could even consider the possibility, she grabbed Adrienne by the crook of her elbow and pulled her off the path until they were hiding behind a chest-high thicket of Jerusalem sage. Moon Pit was the only part of the island where the silver leaves and their whorls of buttery-yellow flowers thrived.
“Do you think they found something?” Adrienne whispered. Her breath brushed the skin at the back of Valerie’s neck, and every single hair stood straight up. “The—”
“Advantage,” Valerie interrupted grimly. And yes, that was exactly what she thought.
In every single season ofOutlast Her, production hid a game-changing advantage inside a box of treats and finding that box meant holding the ultimate power.
“I’m going to confront them,” Adrienne said.
Ugh! Did Adrienne have zeroOutlast Hertact? You were supposed to watch from the shadows, gather information, and use it for leverage later. Before Valerie could even open her mouth to stop her, Adrienne strode out of the tree line.
“Sharing is caring, ladies,” she declared, swinging her hips.
Isla whipped her head back so fast that she lost her balance. Sienna let out a shriek that sounded like a cat screeching and then slapped a hand to her heart. “What the hell, Adrienne,” she said, her breath as raspy as sandpaper against wood. “You scared the crap out of me.”
Adrienne laughed. “As my dad would say, a guilty conscience has better hearing than a hunting dog.” Her voice dripped withso much honey, it practically drowned the insult. “I’m surprised you didn’t hear us coming.”
Isla rolled her eyes, but she was smiling, and Valerie took that as her cue. She stepped out into the clearing and stood next to Adrienne. Neither Isla nor Sienna seemed surprised to see her, but then again, Valerie and Adrienne had been spending a lot of time together.
“Are those cookies?” Valerie asked, pointing toward the wooden box half-obscured by Isla and Sienna’s legs. When it came to sweet treats, Valerie had the nose of a bloodhound.
“I’m sure I can smell vanilla and almond nuts.”
“They’re Kourabiedes,” Isla said, stepping back to pick up the box. She flipped the lid shut and held it like a baby. “Sienna found the box out by the well this morning when we went to fill the water bottles. And if you’re going to ask, which I know you are, we had every intention of sharing.”
“That’s a lie,” Adrienne said without missing a beat. Her voice was still sweet, but the words were not, and Valerie had to admit this was exactly the type of game she’d expected Adrienne to play. After all, she was a Sinner. “If you were going to share, then surely your pairs would be here? Last time I checked, Safiya and Tamera were fast asleep.”
Sienna looked terribly guilty. Isla, on the other hand, did not. “Fine. You got us. But don’t act like you wouldn’t have kept it a secret if you found it.”
“I’d tell Valerie,” Adrienne said without pausing to think about it, which was not only terribly satisfying but also the truth. And not just because Valerie and Adrienne were growing closer than ever, but because in a game like this, trusting your partner wasn’t an option. It was survival. “But I wouldn’t tell any of you. So don’t worry, we’re equally as evil.” She winked.
Sienna gave a nervous little laugh that bounced off the nearby rocks. “So you’re not going to tell Tamera and Safiya?”
The sinful thing to do would be to say no and then go behind their back and do exactly that. But Valerie had a feeling Adrienne wouldn’t do that. Besides, Isla and Sienna were big players and right now they could use them on their team. If this were a game of football, Sienna and Isla were the heavy-hitting midfielders protecting the back line. And Valerie and Adrienne needed all the protection they could get.
“No,” Adrienne said, shaking her head. “This can be our little secret.”
Sienna’s shoulders visibly relaxed. Isla didn’t. And Valerie knew why. Sharing the advantage was somehow more difficult than sharing the crumbly, pale almond shortbread biscuits dusted so heavily in powdered sugar that they reminded Valerie of Sitka winters and pine branches heavy with fresh snow. Her mouth was literally watering at the thought.
“I assume you know all about the advantage then?”
“I do,” Adrienne replied. Her fingers wrapped around a thick, woody stem of Jerusalem sage and snapped it clean in half. Then she smiled and cocked her head in a way that even Valerie got goosebumps. Honestly, watching Adrienne take control of the situation did things to Valerie that were wildly inappropriate for where they were standing at this very minute. If she could, she’d rip Adrienne’s bikini top off with her teeth. “Every season they give away an advantage that can send a whole pair home. I’m assuming that’s it and it’s not a protection bracelet.”
“It’s not,” Sienna said before Isla could speak.
