Taking the Heat (29 page)

There were small green handgrips on the side of the faux berg, and I clung to them for dear life as I ascended. My arms and legs were burning and ready to give way in exhaustion; in spite of my wetsuit, my skin stung from the dozen or so falls I'd taken on the previous station.

When I had almost reached the top, my hand slipped. My feet fell away and I hung on by one arm.

‘You can do it, Tara!' Henry's words of encouragement came at just the right moment. In a final, adrenaline-fuelled push, I latched back onto the iceberg and climbed, panting and heaving, over the top.

With the final tag safely in my hand, I gave Henry the thumbs up. ‘Meet me over here!' I called, pointing to the beach side of the berg. Then, rather than climbing back down, I threw myself from the top.

With a heavy splash, water exploded around me, the sea sucking me down in a torrent of bubbles. I kicked for the surface, flicking my hair up as I broke through. I wiped my eyes and searched for my gallant knight on his yellow steed, ready to scoop me up and carry us home to victory.

Instead, I watched, helplessly treading water, as a black jet ski powered towards me at lightning speed. Over the handle bars, Dante's face loomed, evil intent written in his eyes and a malicious grin twisting his lips in revenge.

He's just trying to scare me. He's not going to actually run me over.
I tried to reassure myself, but as he sped closer, he didn't slow down and didn't turn aside. Dante was out for blood.

With the pointed prow of the ski only seconds away from my face, I realised it was hopeless. I threw my arms over my head and braced for the impact.

Chapter 27

Crash! Bang! Splash!

I fluttered my eyes open, shocked to be alive and uninjured. Chris was swimming towards me in powerful strokes.

‘Babe! Are you okay?' His voice was filled with worry and care.

He reached my side and started to feel my skull, checking me. Despite the circumstances, I oozed into his hands, my skin delighting at his familiar touch. ‘I'm fine! What happened?'

Chris cupped his hands around my cheeks. ‘Thank god. I thought I wouldn't make it in time.'

Past his shoulder, I could see Dante's jet ski, empty and broken, with a massive gaping hole in the side where smoke poured out. A second jet ski floated nearby, its front end mangled. Dante was off in the distance, swimming for shore.

‘You rammed him? But, your ski?'

Other jet skis had arrived, roaring around us in the water, and Chris pulled me protectively to him. Henry appeared, navigating through the floating pieces of debris.

Chris called out, ‘Henry! Over here!'

‘What happened!' he shouted, pulling up next to us.

‘Dante. Tried to run her over.' Chris helped lift me, while Henry clasped my hands and pulled me onto the ski. ‘Quick, you guys,' Chris pointed to the beach. ‘Get to the finish line!'

I didn't even get a chance to say thank you before Henry hit the throttle and we streaked away towards shore. We easily passed Dante, flailing like a waterlogged poodle a few meters out from the breakers.

The jet ski slid smoothly up the beach. Henry helped me off, my shaky legs barely able to support me as we staggered up the sand. Unenthusiastically, we broke through the winner's tape at the finish line. Drained and shivering, I dropped to the soft warm sand.

Miles moved forward to congratulate us, but Henry pushed past him. ‘Where's the producer? You there, I'd like to report an incident, please.' He pointed to the bedraggled Dante, making his way out of the surf. ‘That man tried to mow down my partner in the water. He's a menace and he should be charged.'

The producer consulted his iPad. ‘Well, we'll have to review the footage, and Maxine needs to be informed before we can get outsiders involved—'

‘Oh, sod it,' said Henry, spinning, walking up to Dante and punching him square in the face.

Dante dropped like a puppet with the strings cut. ‘
Owee!
My nose! Somebody, call the
politzia!
I want that man arrested,
pronto!'

Henry ignored him and walked back to me. ‘Are you okay?'

‘I'm good. Don't touch me or we'll get a strike!' Henry's hand froze in the air.

‘Of course. Silly me.' He sounded so very calm for a man who'd just raced a jet ski flat out around an island and punched a guy in the face.

‘You didn't have to do that, by the way.' I pointed to Dante, who was mewling like a wounded ferret. ‘He's not worth any trouble you get in.'

‘But you are.'

I smiled. ‘That was pretty fun to watch though.'

‘I'm glad you think so.'

Beaming gratefully at Henry, I realised something: while I would always treasure him as a friend, there were no romantic feelings there. He was my English brother from another mother, and I loved that he'd look out for me and defend me, but neither of us were pretending that there was any pull between us. It was liberating.

The rest of the competitors made it back to the beach, and we all cheered for each other as people crossed the finish line. Chris, Pauline and Dante's partner, Rafaela, were last. They'd been picked up by the little white boat and ferried back to shore, while the broken jet skis were hauled away.

I ran to meet Chris. ‘Hey.'

His crystal blue eyes were calm under his dark fringe, plastered to his forehead. I restrained the urge to brush it away as he said, ‘Hey, you won?'

‘Thanks to you.' There was a long pause; so much was unsaid between us, and it wasn't the right time. ‘I should say sorry to Pauline. She must have been pissed you crashed the jet ski to save me.'

‘Actually, she was the one who saw it happening. She jumped off onto the iceberg and yelled at me to help.'

‘Oh … good.'

‘Tara—'

‘Will our winners please join me on the stage? Henry and Tara! Get up here, you speedsters!'

Groaning at Miles' poor timing, I shrugged at Chris. ‘Can we talk later?'

He nodded. ‘Call me whenever you're ready.'

***

I didn't get the chance. As soon as the cameras stopped rolling, Chris, Henry, Dante and I were all dragged off to have our statements taken separately about the incident that had nearly cost me my life. Strangely, I didn't feel that traumatised, which is probably a reflection on how dangerous this whole experience has been. A concussion, a cyclone, an almost sexual assault—hell, what's a measly jet-ski mow-down?

The questioning took hours, but the producers assured me that they would be investigating immediately, and Dante would be speaking with the Fijian authorities in the next few days. Mysteriously, no one seems to have witnessed Henry punching Dante, and it wasn't caught on camera, so Henry won't be charged. At least there's some karma in the universe.

By the time they released me, it was late evening. I ordered mashed potatoes from room service and fell asleep in a carby haze.

***

Transcript of Tara M's video diary: Day 20

Back on the water today, I felt much more comfortable on the deck of a fancy yacht. Compared to straddling a tiny jet ski, it was as if we were cruising on an aircraft carrier.

‘What do you think, bro?' yelled Nik over the sound of the rushing air.

Clinging to the rail, I answered, ‘It's really pretty!' I was happy to have my last date with Nik; he's a fun guy, plus I love Kiwis. The distraction was just what I needed. Miles had told Henry and me that we would receive our envelopes tomorrow, the morning of the last full day on the island—just before our last chance to enter the fantasy cabin. The wait was killing me.

Nik leaned his enormous arms on the rail. His eyes twinkled. ‘Did you see anything interesting yet?'

‘Just water. And some seaweed.' I gazed out to the horizon and something caught my eye. ‘Nik! Did you see that?'

‘What?'

‘That!' I squealed like a car alarm. ‘There, over there! Did you see it? Nik! Oh my god!
Dolphins!
'

A pod of shiny bodies surrounded our boat, leaping and playing in the pressure wave under the bow. I raced to the front of the yacht and leaned out as far as I dared. The happy creatures darted around each other, vying for the best position as they launched into the air.

‘Oooo! I love dolphins!'

Nik laughed at me. ‘You girls, you're all the same. I'll tell you a secret, cuz.'

He gestured me closer, and I took the bait. ‘What?'

‘I love them too!' Nik pointed to the inside of his upper arm, where, among the clustered tattoos of his tribal sleeve, a dolphin lay disguised. ‘I've been bringing all my dates out here, ay.'

‘Ha! That's awesome!'

‘Do you want to go in?'

I'm pretty sure there were dogs back in Australia who flinched when I screamed. ‘
Yes!
'

The captain slowed the yacht, and Nik and I grabbed snorkel masks. ‘Have you ever used tail fins?' Nik asked, holding up what looked like two flippers melded together.

‘No. Do they work?'

‘It's like being a mermaid; you kick both legs together and you go further on less energy. The Navy developed them—'

‘You had me at mermaid.' I snatched a pair up, admiring the blue rubber, childishly glad it matched my blue and silver swimsuit.

The dolphins seemed to vanish as we jumped in the water, but with my ears under the surface, I could hear clicks and pops, indicating they were still nearby. Without the jet skis around, the sea was a much gentler place as Nik and I kicked away from the boat.

I lost track of how long we spent diving under the surface, following the pod around. The younger dolphins were very interested in us, coming close enough to touch before speeding away again. With their wise black eyes and smiling mouths, they seemed to enjoy our company as much as we did theirs.

The dramas of the last few days washed away as Nik and I played with the sea mammals. Honestly, it's pretty hard to worry about anything when you're swimming mermaid-style in the warm ocean, surrounded by dolphins. I don't know if I believe that dolphins can cure the sick, but they certainly left me feeling amazing.

The pod finally moved on. Nik and I swam back to the yacht where we rubbed down with gigantic fluffy towels.

‘That was brilliant, Nik. I can see why you've done that on every date.'

We sat at the waiting table, where a Greek-style feast was laid. Nik slathered tzatziki on a pita, saying, ‘Yeah, it's good, ay! I want to bring my little man back here. He loves whales and stuff; he'd lose his mind if he got to pat a dolphin.'

I popped a salty black olive in my mouth. ‘Tell me about him.'

‘Tane … he's amazing.' Nik's face lit up. ‘He's starting school next year, but I'm telling you, man, the kid is already so smart …'

We scoffed down our lunch while Nik regaled me with stories about his little sidekick and how he planned to use his winnings to open a foundation promoting Maori cultural awareness back in New Zealand.

When the food was gone, I asked, ‘So, what about Meghan? Have you guys spoken about what's happening next?'

He leaned back in his chair, muscles rippling under his beautiful dark skin. ‘Nah, bro. Not really.'

‘It must be really hard to not know what's going to happen with Callum and all that going on.'

‘It doesn't matter to me.' Nik laced his fingers behind his head, the picture of contentment.

‘What do you mean? You guys are stuck in this crazy triangle, and I'm pretty sure she loves both of you. Doesn't that upset you?' I couldn't imagine how Nik could feel so relaxed.
Unless …
‘Don't you love her?'

Nik raised an eyebrow in amusement. ‘Man, of course I love her. I'm not upset, because that won't change anything. It'll just make things harder for Megs, and that's the last thing I want, ay.'

‘Oh. So, you're giving up?'

‘Course not! I'd cut my little toes off for that girl! I just meant, I'm not gonna make her feel bad. But I'm in this for her heart, and I'll fight until she sends me away, and even then, I'll still keep trying. When you love someone, you fight for them.'

I felt very small and petty. ‘I thought I loved someone. But I seem to be fighting against him, rather than for him.'

‘Then, maybe,' said Nik, sounding like an oracle, ‘you need to cross to the other side of the battlefield, ay?'

***

In a fitted black jersey dress, I navigated the stairs up to the bungalow. Chris sat by the entrance, and he jumped up when he saw me.

‘Where've you been?' we both asked simultaneously.

Chris laughed. ‘You first.'

‘I've been looking for you all afternoon! I went by your room, here, the beach, the cliff.'

‘I was sitting outside your room, waiting for you.'

I had to giggle. ‘Chris, I need to say—'

‘Contestants!' boomed Miles. ‘Roll up, roll up! It's the final ever
What You Don't Know!
'

‘Goddammit, Miles!' I wished I was a dragon so I could toast him to a cinder with my breath, or snap up his jiggly body in one big bite. Failing that, I could grab Chris in my claws and fly him away to another island where we could finally be together.
Although the sex might be a little weird …

Chris sighed. ‘It's fine. Hey, why don't you meet me on the beach after this is over? We can go for a walk and chat.'

‘I'd like that.'

Miles was practically wetting himself with excitement. ‘Oh, kiddies! We've saved the best until the very last! For those who've been keeping count, we have dished secrets on all but one of our competitors. And this one is my personal favourite!'

Because I'd missed a few days in the hospital, I had no idea who had been ‘dished' and who hadn't.
Who's left? Jen? Henry? Who?