Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 81887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Briar disappears briefly, returning with a bottle from the main house. “Bourbon,” she explains, pouring some over Viktor’s clothes, splashing his face and hands. “Makes the drunk story more believable.”
Smart. I wouldn’t have thought of that.
Finally, Damiano kneels beside the body, pulling latex gloves from his pocket that he always carries for handling toxic plants. With clinical precision, he begins manipulating the wound on Viktor’s skull. His fingers probe the broken edges where my statue had caved in the bone, carefully reshaping the impact point to match the corner of the marble bench.
“We need to make it look like a single impact,” he murmurs, using his thumb to smooth jagged fragments of bone that would reveal multiple blows. “The bench corner would create a cleaner, more concentrated point of impact.”
I watch as he meticulously works, pressing Viktor’s shattered skull against the bench edge to capture the exact pattern of the marble’s ornate corner. He uses water from a small bottle to wash away blood that doesn’t match the spatter pattern of a forward fall, then deliberately creates new blood spatter by pressing the wound against the bench in the right orientation.
“Head wounds bleed a lot,” he explains, sounding detached as if giving a lecture. “But the pattern matters. A fall forward would send blood in this direction, not that one.”
It’s both fascinating and horrifying to watch him work with such precision, transforming my frenzied attack into what convincingly looks like a tragic accident.
I look away, focusing instead on keeping watch. If another Hunt participant wanders in, we’re fucked.
“How do we explain Briar’s condition?” I gesture to her bruised face, the blood on her nightgown.
Damiano’s hand goes to his own throat, where darkening bruises form a telling pattern. “The Hunt,” he says. “We had our own private Hunt tonight. The three of us.”
I catch his meaning immediately. “Rough play. Not unexpected from us.”
“People at The Vault saw us together,” Briar adds, understanding dawning in her eyes. “They saw how we were with each other in that private room. It’s not a stretch to think we’d have our own Hunt.
She’s right. Half the island knows about my history with Damiano, how we’ve always liked it rough. The marks on his throat could easily be explained by choking during sex—we’ve both sported worse marks in public before.
“Your face, though,” I say to Briar, reaching out to gently touch her split lip.
“Things got intense,” she says with a shrug that’s too casual to be real. “First Hunt. We got carried away. I fell during the chase, hit my face on a rock. If anyone asks, I’ll say I loved every minute of it.”
There’s a darkness in her eyes that tells me part of her hates this story—hates reducing what we have together to something so base, so primitive. But she’s right. It’s the perfect cover. The island thrives on gossip, and nothing travels faster than news of a sexual scandal involving the Waters family.
“The three of us had our own Hunt while Viktor had his accident elsewhere in the maze,” Damiano summarizes. “We never saw him, never heard him. Too caught up in our own... activities.”
The plan is solid. Explains our visible injuries. Keeps us far from Viktor’s death. And most importantly, it’s believable because it’s built on what people already think they know about us.
“And let’s be honest,” I add, thinking ahead. “The island police aren’t exactly known for their investigative prowess. They’re going to do the bare minimum.”
Damiano nods in agreement. “Island business is handled by islanders. Always has been. It’s why nobody ever really looked into Erik’s disappearance.”
“And Viktor? Will anyone really investigate?” Briar searches our faces.
“Viktor was the last of the Bastian brothers,” Damiano says. “There’s no one left to push for answers.”
“Some might suspect,” I add, “but no one will say it out loud. That’s how this island works.”
“Viktor had enemies everywhere,” Damiano continues. “He was feared, not loved. I’ve heard the Vault staff talk—half of them have scars from his ‘disciplinary actions.’”
“And the other half were waiting for their turn,” I say bitterly. “Trust me, there will be relief more than grief when the news spreads.”
Briar looks between us. “So even if someone connects the dots...”
“They’ll keep it to themselves,” I finish for her. “No one’s going to be the hero who speaks up for Viktor Bastian.”
Damiano’s lips twist into something between a grimace and a smile. “The island has its own justice system. Always has. Some might even see this as... karmic.”
“It’s perfect. Get back to the house,” I tell Briar. “Clean up, get into bed. Look like you’ve been thoroughly fucked and fell asleep exhausted if anyone checks.” I turn to Damiano. “You go with her, make sure she’s okay. I’ll stay here and make the call once you’re clear.”
Damiano hesitates. “Flint—”
“Go,” I cut him off. “I’m the one who killed him. I should be the one to see this through.”