Chapter 13 #4
Eden’s hands fisted in his shirt, pulling him closer. His arm tightened around her waist, lifting her slightly so she fit against him better—chest to chest, heartbeat to heartbeat.
The kiss deepened. Turned desperate.
Weeks of attraction and days of conflict combusting into something that made her forget where they were. Why they’d come out here. Everything except the way he kissed as if she were air and he’d been drowning.
When they finally broke apart—both breathing hard, foreheads pressed together—Teague’s voice was rough.
“We should probably—”
“Check in.” Her voice came out shakier than she intended. “Let them know we found the map.”
“Right.” But neither of them moved. “Professional.”
“Very professional.”
“We’re excellent at professional.”
“The best.” She could feel him smiling against her temple.
“Eden.” His voice turned serious. “When we get out of this canyon—”
“We’ll figure it out.” She pulled back just enough to meet his eyes. “Whatever this is, we’ll figure it out.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Teague’s smile was slow. Genuine. The kind that crinkled his eyes and made her stomach flip. Then he stepped back with visible reluctance and pulled out the radio.
“This is Teague Hamilton. Do you copy?”
Static crackled.
Then Xander’s voice came through—clear and urgent. “Teague! Thank goodness. We’ve been trying to reach you for hours. Where are you?”
Eden’s stomach clenched at the tone. Teague’s hand found hers, squeezing once.
“We found Marcus’s grandfather’s letter and a map to the final cache. We were going to head that way, but—” Teague glanced at Eden. “What’s wrong? You sound—”
“Liam woke up.” Xander’s voice was steady but urgent. “He told Noah what happened. It was Kyle, Teague. Kyle caused Trey’s fall. And when Liam saw it—when Kyle realized Liam had witnessed it—Kyle hit him with a rock.” A pause. Heavy. Telling. “Kyle’s dangerous and you need to warn them.”
The blood drained from Eden’s face.
The world tilted. Shifted. All the pieces she’d been trying to fit together snapped into place—but they made a picture she hadn’t wanted to see.
Kyle.
The guy she had called. The guy she’d invited onto the team. The guy she’d told Teague to trust.
She’d accused Teague of being reckless.
But she’d been the reckless one all along.
“Listen to me.” Xander’s voice was urgent. “There’s a storm headed your way. It won’t last long, but it’ll be strong. We’ll send a Black Hawk after it passes. But it could be a few hours.”
“A Black Hawk?”
“We don’t know what Kyle’s capable of, so Virgil requested a tactical team.” Static crackled. “You need to get away from Kyle. Now. Get to high ground. Find a defensible position. Wait for rescue.”
“We have to go back for Marcus.” Teague’s voice was steady despite the tension in every line of his body.
“Be careful.”
“Copy that.”
Teague killed the transmission. They turned to head back to camp, moving quickly now. His hand found hers again—solid and sure.
But the weight in Eden’s chest was crushing.
She had done this to them.
This was on her.
She’d let her trust in Landon’s old climbing buddy blind her to the warning signs. Had argued for Kyle. Had made Teague feel guilty for being suspicious.
And now Marcus was alone with a man who’d already tried to kill two people.
The camp came into view.
Kyle sat near the packs, relaxed, unconcerned. His posture easy.
Marcus was nowhere in sight.
Eden’s stomach dropped. “Where’s Marcus?”
Kyle looked up, his expression shifting to something like regret.
Practiced. Smooth. “He took off about five minutes ago. Said he couldn’t wait any longer—that he was going to get the gold himself before we could claim it.
” He shook his head, the picture of concerned disappointment.
“I tried to stop him, but he was determined. Practically ran toward the coordinates.”
A pause. A smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Don’t worry though. I remember them.”
Every word was a lie.
Eden knew it with bone-deep certainty. Marcus hadn’t run off. He wouldn’t. Not after waiting so long to find his grandfather’s letter. Not when they were so close. Not after crying over those words in the cave just a few hours ago.
She could see it now—the slight tension around Kyle’s eyes. The way his hand stayed near his pack. The practiced ease that wasn’t ease at all.
Teague must have seen it too, because his body went rigid beside her. “Kyle?”
“Yeah?” Kyle’s voice was casual. But his eyes were sharp. Watching. Calculating.
Teague’s voice went flat. Hard. “Liam woke up. He told them everything. About Trey’s fall. About what you did.”
A beat.
“So I’ll ask you again. Where is Marcus?”
For a long moment, Kyle didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Just sat there on a rock, his expression cycling through surprise, calculation, and finally settling on something that looked almost like resignation.
Almost like relief that the game was finally over.
Eden saw the gun before her brain could fully process what she was seeing.
Small. Compact. Unmistakably deadly.
Kyle stood slowly, the weapon steady in his hand. “I really, really wish you hadn’t said that.”