Chapter 11 #2
Her chest cracked open—the same way it had when Landon walked out that door. Unwilling to listen. Unwilling to wait. Unwilling to put her above the climb.
Different circumstances. Same reality.
She wasn’t worth making a priority.
It wasn’t just that he’d left. She was a big girl—she could handle that. But he’d ignored her concern, ignored basic safety, shut her out, and told Xander to take her the long way like she was a burden.
He hadn’t even acknowledged what it would cost her to watch him jump.
Hadn’t cared that she’d have to stand there—helpless, frozen, screaming inside—and watch him die if something went wrong.
That was acceptable for a team leader making tactical decisions.
Not acceptable for someone who’d kissed her just hours ago like she was the only thing in the world that mattered.
She’d been a fool to think he’d be different.
“Xander.” Teague turned toward the tall ranger, who was already pulling out medical supplies. “I need to hike out. Get to base camp, call for that helicopter—”
And he was leaving again. Without even a conversation.
“I’ll hike out.” Xander checked his watch. “The South Rim is closer, and I know those trails better. They need you.” His gaze flicked to Eden—pointed, deliberate—as if Teague needed reminding. “If I hurry, I can make it just after midnight.”
Teague looked at Eden then. Swallowed. Nodded. Something like apology flickered across his face.
But what girl wanted the guy she’d fallen for to need reminding that she was there? That she mattered?
“Go fast. But go safe.” Teague gripped Xander’s shoulder. “We need that evac.”
Xander nodded, shouldered his pack, and disappeared into the darkness. His headlamp bobbed as he moved at a steady jog toward a trail that wound the opposite direction from the way they’d come.
Teague took a step closer. “Eden—”
“I said not now.”
She knelt beside Liam’s sleeping bag, watching the shallow rise and fall of his chest. The bruise on his temple had darkened to a deep, angry purple, spreading toward his cheekbone.
His dark hair was matted with dried blood—rust-brown against black—and even in the dim firelight, she could see how pale he was.
Too pale. Too still.
Teague sat on Liam’s other side, checking his pulse. His jaw was tight, his eyes shadowed with something that looked like grief—even though Liam was still breathing.
“Eden, please—”
“What part of ‘not now’ is confusing to you?”
She pulled out her flashlight, her movements jerky.
Be professional. Keep the focus on Liam or you’ll lose it.
“He’s going to be okay.” She kept her voice low. Steady. Clinical. “Head injuries are scary, but—”
A groan from Liam made them both freeze.
His eyes fluttered open—unfocused, glassy, like he was seeing something none of them could see. His hand came up toward his head, but Teague caught it gently.
“Easy. Don’t move too fast.” Teague leaned closer. “Liam? Can you hear me?”
“Teague?” Liam’s voice was slurred. Confused. His eyes tried to focus but kept drifting. “Where…? What…?”
“You’re in the canyon. A rock fell on you. Hit your head pretty hard.” Teague’s voice stayed calm despite the tension Eden could see in every line of his body—the rigid shoulders, the tight jaw, the fist curled against his thigh. “But you’re going to be okay. Help is coming.”
“No…not…” Liam’s eyes went wide. Panic flickered across his face. “Have to…” His breathing quickened, words tumbling over each other. “Saw something. Teague, I saw…”
“What did you see?” Eden moved into Liam’s line of sight. “Did you see the gold?”
“No. We were…” Liam’s eyes squeezed shut, his face twisting in concentration as if he were trying to grab hold of smoke. “Wrong. There was…” His hand gripped Teague’s arm. Desperately. Knuckles going white. “Where’s Trey? Is Trey—”
“Trey’s okay. Broken leg, but stable.” Teague kept his hand on Liam’s shoulder. Anchoring. “Can you tell me your name? Do you know what day it is?”
“Liam. I’m Liam.” But uncertainty flickered across his face. “Wednesday? No, that’s not…”
His eyes went wide again. Wild. “Kyle. Where’s Kyle? I have to—”
“Kyle’s fine. Right over there.” Eden tracked the disjointed thoughts, looking for patterns. “So is Sierra. Everyone’s okay.”
“You’re here. That’s good. I don’t…” Liam’s words trailed off, his eyes losing focus. “Saw…wasn’t…”
His breathing started to even out, consciousness slipping away.
“Saw what?” Teague leaned closer. “Liam, stay with me. What did you see?”
But Liam’s eyes had closed again, his grip on Teague’s arm loosening, going slack.
“That’s not good.” Eden sat back on her heels. Her heart pounded too fast. “The confusion, the panic, the way he keeps trying to tell you something but can’t get the words out.”
“Typical for head trauma.” Teague’s voice was tight. “Thoughts fragmenting. Memories jumbled. He might not even remember what he’s trying to say.”
Sierra appeared from near the fire, her face drawn and pale beneath her pixie cut. Dark circles shadowed her eyes. “How is he?”
“Awake for a minute but confused. Agitated.” Eden stood, her legs protesting. “He kept trying to tell us something about the climb but couldn’t finish the thought.”
Sierra’s hand shook as she reached toward Liam, then pulled back. “I’ve never dealt with a head injury this serious. I didn’t know what to do.”
“You did everything right.” Teague’s voice softened. “Kept him still, monitored his breathing, got help. That’s all anyone could do.”
“But if the radio had worked—” Sierra’s voice cracked. “We should have been able to call base camp hours ago. I don’t understand why we could only reach you.”
Eden’s mind snagged on that.
The radios.
They should have reached base camp from anywhere in the canyon. Equipment they’d used successfully for years. Yesterday she’d chalked it up to atmospheric conditions.
What if it was more than that?
“I want to look at your radio.” Eden moved toward the fire ring. “Where is it?”
“By the fire. But it’s dead—I kept trying until I killed the batteries.”
“Our batteries are dead now too.”
Sierra followed her. “I checked the antenna, everything I could think of.”
Kyle stood near the flames, firelight casting strange shadows across his face. Relief crossed his features when he saw Eden. “How is he?”
“Confused but conscious.” Eden moved past him toward the equipment pile. “How’s Trey holding up?”
“Better now that help’s here.” Kyle stepped back to give her space, but something in his posture was off. Too casual. Too careful. “I tried everything with that radio earlier. Couldn’t figure out what was wrong.”
“Kyle, could you check on Trey?” Sierra’s voice was gentle. “Make sure he’s comfortable?”
“Right. Of course.”
Kyle moved toward Trey, glancing back once before disappearing from view. That glance—quick, assessing—sent a chill down Eden’s spine that had nothing to do with the night air.
What was wrong with her? This was Kyle. Landon’s best friend. She’d known him for years. She’d let Teague’s suspicions get to her.
Eden used her multi-tool to remove the radio’s back panel, grateful for something to focus on besides the anger simmering beneath her skin. “The range on these is excellent. We shouldn’t have issues reaching base camp.”
“Maybe it’s the canyon walls?” Marcus’s voice came from near Liam. “Blocking the signal?”
“We’ve used these radios in this canyon for years.” Teague appeared beside Eden. But his eyes kept flicking toward where Kyle had disappeared.
Eden studied the interior, her headlamp illuminating the maze of wires and components. At first glance, everything looked normal. Standard configuration. Nothing obviously damaged.
Then she saw it.
A small component wedged between two connection points.
Something that shouldn’t be there.
Her breath caught. Ice spread through her veins.
“What is it?” Teague’s voice was sharp. Low.
Eden’s eyes flicked to Marcus across the fire. Then to where Kyle sat by Trey—close enough to hear if she spoke above a whisper.
She kept her face neutral.
“Nothing. Everything looks standard. Normal wear and tear, maybe some dust in the contacts.”
Teague’s eyes met hers. Understanding flickered—quick, sharp, dangerous.
“So nothing obviously wrong?”
“Not from a quick inspection.” Eden closed the back panel, her fingers steady despite the lie. “Could be atmospheric conditions, battery degradation, antenna issues. Hard to say without better equipment.”
She moved toward their gear, pulling out their radio and opening it with quick movements. Keeping her back to the fire. Keeping her face hidden.
Their radio was the same.
Both had been tampered with.
But by whom?
“Same.” She closed it up, her voice barely audible.
“Don’t tell anyone what you found.” Teague’s words were low. Urgent. His breath warm against her ear. “Not Sierra. Not Kyle. Not Marcus. No one. We don’t know who we can trust.”
Eden’s hands stilled on the radio.
Trust. He wanted to talk about trust.
“You think—”
“If it were just theirs, I’d think someone on Liam’s team sabotaged their communications.
” Teague’s voice was barely a whisper. “But it’s ours too.
So whoever did this planned ahead. Had access to the radios before we left.
Could be Marcus. Kyle. The janitor who cleans the equipment room.
” His eyes were hard. Calculating. “Until I know more, I don’t want anyone knowing we’re on to them. ”
Eden’s mind raced backward. The equipment room at the ranger station. Both teams’ gear staged together the night before departure. Kyle had volunteered to do final radio checks—said he wanted to make sure the frequencies were synced properly. But Marcus had been lurking around all evening too.
Her stomach turned.
“And don’t go where I can’t see you.”
Now he wanted to care?
“Sounds good, boss.” The word came out sharper than she intended. She set the radio down with deliberate care, her movements controlled even as her pulse hammered.
Teague went still. “Eden—”