He needed the gold bars secured and the frenzy choking the North Rim ended before another fool got injured—or worse.
No more rescues pulling Meg into danger.No more watching her hands shake as the environment asked her to do the impossible, asked her to save lives with equipment meant for scrapes and twisted ankles.
Noah yanked the zipper on his pack closed, the teeth catching for a second before sliding home.The sound was sharp in the quiet of the ranger station.Meg’s rough map was folded neatly in his shirt pocket, the paper warm against his chest.Her careful sketch was incomplete, with question marks and dotted lines marking out as best she could remember.But hopefully it was enough.
Teague clapped him on the shoulder, the impact solid and grounding.His grin was wide under the brim of his cap, infectious as always.His auburn hair stuck out from the edges in unruly tufts that no amount of hat-wearing could tame.“Ready to play treasure hunter, boss?”
Liam tested his headlamp, clicking it through the settings from low to high, then added it to the side pocket of his pack.His face was set in those focused lines Noah recognized from too many tight spots.“If we grab this, then we’ll be one step closer to being left in peace.”
The guy had been more serious since a couple weeks ago when all this treasure-hunting nonsense started, the lightness gone from his usual banter.Maybe it was that he had a reason to stay safe now with Nimue in the picture.Or maybe it was also…
Noah met Liam’s gaze and caught the shadow there.“You know none of this is your fault, right?”
“In theory.”Liam shrugged, the movement stiff and uncomfortable.His blue eyes were distant.“But if I had been more careful, then Brian would never have seen the gold and?—”
“Enough of that.”Noah clipped his radio to his belt.“Your focus was on keeping Nimue safe, saving her.That’s exactly where it should’ve been.”
And now he needed to keep Meg safe.
Not that it was the same.He and Meg weren’t together, weren’t anything official.But with the memory of her curled in his arms last week—her weight against him, her tears soaking through his shirt, the way she’d trembled—he knew he’d do whatever it took to keep her safe as well.
Noah handed a radio to Liam, then Teague.“We don’t have a lot of time.Straight shot to the cave.Get the gold.Get out.No risks.”
They both nodded, both their faces serious now.
He led them out to the Jeep, the engine rumbling to life.They drove to the lesser-known trailhead—a tough, steep path but the quickest to the entrance.Then, without more conversation, they hiked through the sunbaked trails and pushed themselves to the limit.
Forty minutes later at the cave mouth, with their lungs burning and shirts dark with sweat, the jagged opening loomed—narrower than before, as if the mountain was closing its mouth.Fresh rubble piled at the base from the last collapse.
Noah pulled out the map and unfolded it under the harsh midday light.“Meg marked the chamber here.Hopefully we’re done with the aftershocks and everything’s settled.But keep your eyes and ears open.”
Liam shone his flashlight into the dark, the LED beam cutting through floating dust motes.Then he eyed the rock faces around the entrance.“Looks like the place had another party without us.A few new long cracks since we were here last.”
Hairline fractures spiderwebbed across the sandstone face.
Not good.
One at a time, they ducked in and left the blazing sunlight behind.Noah hunched his broad frame through the entrance, his shoulders scraping sandstone.The air turned cooler against his skin.The passage tightened and forced them to sidestep some newly fallen boulders.Noah’s boots crunched over loose gravel, with each step echoing in the confined space.
About fifteen feet in, the passage opened into the main chamber.
Noah’s light hit the stained ground where Lydia had been—dark patches that made his stomach turn—then the spot Meg had described, behind a boulder and tucked in shadows.
He moved forward with his heart rate picking up.“This is it.”
Liam crouched beside him and cleared the loose debris.“Nothing.Just rock.”
Teague swept his beam wider.“She said what she saw was angular, solid.Boxlike.Maybe it shifted in the last fall.”
Liam pointed his light at the rock formation in front of him.“This looks pretty boxy.I can see it looking like a chest from twenty feet away in dim light.”
Noah walked over and inspected the rock, then ran his hand across the surface.Cold.Rough.Definitely stone.
Liam was right.It could easily be confused with a box from a distance, especially with adrenaline pumping and limited visibility.
A low rumble vibrated through the stone beneath their feet.Dust sifted from above and coated their hair.
Noah froze, his hand shooting up.“Hold.”
