Page 101 of One Kind Hand

One month later . . .

“We want to welcome you to the final challenge of this season of Extreme Explorers,” Pete Navis, host of Extreme Explorers, said as he faced the cameras. “Our remaining two teams will duke it out in this last battle to become our winners and earn the official title of Extreme Explorers. You’ve watched them slog through mud, zipline through trees, race through obstacle courses, test their physical and intellectual abilities, solve puzzles, and ultimately get to this coveted point in the game. Only one team will emerge victorious today, but take a look at what we have coming in season two.”

“Cut!” the director called and Pete rolled his shoulders. “Nice job. Let’s pick it up with the teams in place and ready to duel.”

Austin and Charlie stood on blue circle-shaped mats on the ground in front of an enormous rock wall. They had no idea what waited for them on the other side, but they were both determined as fuck to find out. Beside them, Angela Cappi, a famous comedian, and her teammate, Ryan, stood on their orange mats, ready to scale that wall and get to the finish line first.

“Aww, look at them,” Charlie whispered to Austin as she adjusted her black baseball cap. The one with the skull on it that Isabel had given her for good luck. That hat had become quite the social media topic as Austin and Charlie competed in the game. “They actually think they might win this thing.”

Austin glanced at their opponents. “Too bad today isn’t their lucky day.” He held out a fist to Charlie and she bumped hers to it. “We got this, baby.”

“Yes, we do.”

Throughout the entire season of Extreme Explorers, Austin and Charlie had dominated the game. While the other teams were perfectly nice people, they hadn’t gelled as partners as Austin and Charlie had. Once a challenge began, it was as if Austin could hear everything Charlie was thinking and he could anticipate her moves, her needs, what she was planning. It had made them able to work together seamlessly. Some of their remarkably synchronized plays had become memes and GIFs that had circulated online like crazy. While Austin wasn’t the only celebrity playing in the game, it seemed his fans had come out in droves to cheer him and Charlie on.

Austin had enjoyed every moment he’d spent in Vermont with Charlie after filming for Hunting Justice had wrapped up. They’d spent Thanksgiving in Maplehaven with his sisters, Cody, and Charlie’s friends, and it had taken Austin back to when he’d celebrated that holiday with his family before his parents’ death. Having people you loved around—and damn good food—made such special memories and Austin was happy to have that back in his life.

They’d spent Christmas in New York at Austin’s estate after visiting Charlie’s mother and father before leaving Vermont. Her mother had adjusted well to her new residence and she was clearly being well cared for. Charlie’s father had appeared to have gotten his shit together too now that he wasn’t trying to manage his wife’s care single-handedly.

After Christmas, Charlie had flown them to Texas for Extreme Explorers. They’d filmed all the episodes and the episodes had aired, but this final challenge was a live event. Millions of viewers were glued to whatever screens they had available, waiting to see who won this grand prize.

Austin had no doubt the money, the pickup, and the motorcycle were theirs.

“Live in three, two, one . . .”

“We’re at that moment you’ve all been waiting for,” Pete said. “Will Austin and Charlie or Angela and Ryan be crowned the winners of Extreme Explorers? But first, let’s run through a few of this season’s most talked about moments.” Pete narrated as a medley of the more extraordinary parts of the game rolled across viewers’ screens.

As Austin watched, he was once again struck by how powerful Charlie was. She’d met every physical challenge with strength and agility. She’d cruised through puzzles, often finishing before other teams even had the pieces out of the bags. She’d crushed the competition in memory games and never shied away from a single challenge throughout the game. She’d been the perfect partner.

And he wanted to make that official.

“Okay, in a moment, our teams will race up this rock wall to the course on the other side. Some of the pieces of the course will be familiar as they’ve been borrowed from previous challenges,” Pete said. “However, some parts will be completely brand new. As in all the other challenges, the first team to successfully finish the course will win the challenge. The difference today is winning this challenge means winning the entire game.”

Austin rocked from side to side on his feet, stretching his legs. He was more than ready to tear through this thing. One, he wanted his team to win. Two, he had a little surprise for Charlie after they won.

“Teams, are we ready?” Pete asked.

Both teams clapped and cheered.

“All right then.” Pete held up his hand. “Explorers . . . it’s time to . . . GO!”

Austin shot forward with Charlie right beside him. He ignored the other team, learning early on in the game that the best way to be successful was to worry about the progress of his own team and not the competition. He kneeled before the rock wall, making a step of his leg for Charlie to hop up on as she reached for a knotted rope and pulled herself up the wall. He popped up to both feet and grabbed a second rope.

They were over the wall in no time. The course on the other side, however, was long and complicated. Pushing aside daunting thoughts, Austin set to work on freeing a set of planks from a knotted rope. Charlie attacked a rope on her own set of planks. They were successful at the same time and slapped down those planks in record time, allowing them to shoot across the bridge they’d built to the next leg of the challenge.

Austin and Charlie worked together as the well-oiled machine they were and soon they were at the last portion of the challenge—the only thing that stood between them and victory. The other team, however, was hot on their tails and one slip up, one lost moment of focus could spell disaster if Austin and Charlie weren’t careful.

Charlie ripped the top off a crate and pulled out an intricate puzzle box. “Figure out how to open this box,” she read from the bottom of it, “to release the key that will unlock your team’s flag.” She glanced up at the furled blue flag ahead of them.

On the other side of a small body of water.

Austin let out a groan over swimming. There had been no other water challenges in this game as Cody had promised him. Until today. Until when winning mattered the most.

He kneeled beside Charlie. “Work your magic on that puzzle box, baby, and I will get that key across that water.”

Nodding, Charlie slid parts of the box around, pulled on sections, and pushed on others, mumbling to herself as she worked. Austin’s gaze volleyed between the stretch of water between him and winning and the other team opening their crate that contained the puzzle box.

“You can do this,” he assured Charlie. Or was he assuring himself? While in Vermont, Austin had visited the indoor pool at the hotel several more times with Charlie. Each time they spent longer in the water. Each time he associated water with the pleasures of being in Charlie’s company instead of the horror of losing his parents. Had he chipped away at his phobia enough not to choke here in the game?