Chapter 14 #2
He paused behind a group of rocks, waiting for the right moment. But they were too far away. In his condition, he’d never be able to cross the rock to where Kyle stood without being seen. He needed more time. And a distraction.
“All right.” Teague called down, his voice steady. Calm in a way he hadn’t earned but had been given. “I’m coming down. But I need to secure the gold first. In the chest, it will be too awkward. I’ll load it into different pockets of my pack to distribute the weight. Five more minutes.”
“That’s a lot of minutes.”
“It’s a lot of gold. I could toss the chest to you, but I thought you wouldn’t want it scattered across the canyon floor.”
Kyle’s eyes narrowed. “Four. Then I start making Eden uncomfortable.”
“You’re already making her uncomfortable. That’s what happens when you point a gun at someone.”
“Three and a half. Keep talking, it keeps going down.”
Teague moved back to the alcove, watching the clouds. Marcus. The first drops of rain beginning to dot the rock.
Not rushing. Not panicking.
Trusting.
His gaze landed on a grapefruit-sized rock a few feet away. He couldn’t take the gold down, but Kyle had to believe he was. He lifted the rock and dropped it in his pack. Then reached for another.
Three and a half minutes.
Three and a half minutes to trust that the Rock—the real Rock—would hold them. He wanted to believe that would mean rescue. That his half-constructed plan would work. And maybe it would. But he’d cling to the fact that even if the worst did find them, Teague could trust the Rock to hold him.
Strong. Steady. Unchanging.
Eden had spent days accusing Teague of being reckless.
Turned out she’d invited a murderer on the expedition. So there was that.
Three years. She’d known Kyle for three years. And somehow she’d missed the part where he’d become a psychopath.
Her judgment was really something.
Storm clouds gathered above, turning the sky dark and angry. Thunder rumbled closer as if warning what was to come. The air had that heavy, electric quality that came before a deluge as the wind picked up.
Teague made his way down the cliff face, the pack noticeably heavier with Roosevelt’s gold throwing off his balance.
Each move looked awkward. Dangerous. His ribs had to be screaming—she could see the careful way he held himself, the tension in his shoulders, the way he paused too long between placements.
And behind her, Kyle stood with a gun pressed against her lower back.
“So.” His voice dropped lower as he leaned in. “I can’t believe after all this time, we can finally do this. I’ve been thinking about where we should go first.”
Eden’s stomach clenched. “What?”
“I was thinking Costa Rica initially.” He said it as if they were discussing vacation plans and he didn’t have a gun pointed at her back.
“Somewhere we can blend in while we figure out the next step.” A pause.
His voice dropping low. Familiar. “You always said you wanted to see the cloud forests, remember?”
Her blood ran cold.
She had said that. Once. Years ago. At a dinner with Landon and Kyle, talking about dream destinations over Thai food. But why would she go anywhere with him after this?
She drew a slow breath and tried to keep her voice calm, her eyes still fixed on Teague’s descent. “Kyle, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You don’t have to pretend anymore.” His voice held understanding. Patience. The kind of tone you’d use with a frightened child. “No one can hear what we’re discussing.”
“What are we discussing?”
“Us. Finally being together. You’ve been so careful.
” Admiration crept into his voice now. Pride.
“The way you handled everything after Landon died. Disappearing for two years. At first I thought maybe you’d changed your mind about us, but then I realized—you were being smart.
You didn’t even leave a clue where you’d gone, so no one would connect us.
And letting just enough time to pass so no one would suspect. ”
“Suspect what?” But even as she asked, something cold formed in her chest, a terrible suspicion taking shape.
“His cam.” Kyle’s voice was casual. Conversational. As if he were discussing the weather. “I filed down the teeth just enough that they’d fail under the right load. Wasn’t hard—he always left his gear in the equipment room overnight. I just had to wait for the right day. The right climb.”
The world stopped.
Everything went silent—the wind, the growing thunder, Teague’s movements above. There was only Kyle’s voice, still talking, and the roaring in her ears.
“You killed him.”
“I freed us.” Kyle’s voice held conviction. Certainty. “He was in the way, Eden. He had you and he didn’t even appreciate it. Didn’t see how perfect we’d be together. You tried to show him—taking my side, including me, making him see that I mattered. But he just got annoyed. Got possessive.”
A pause.
“So I removed the obstacle. I knew it was what you wanted.”
“Kyle.” Eden fought to keep her voice steady. “I never wanted Landon dead.”
“I know you couldn’t be direct about it.” His hand touched her shoulder. Gentle. Almost tender. “But I understood what your actions meant.”
“What actions? When?”
“Like that time at the climbing gym when you took my side about the new route setting. Landon wanted to keep the old routes, but you said I was right—that we needed to change things up.” His voice warmed with memory. “You were telling me you saw me. That you valued my opinion more than his.”
Eden’s mind reeled.
She’d agreed with Kyle about the routes because he’d looked hurt that Landon had dismissed his suggestion. She’d been trying to include him. To make sure he didn’t feel like a third wheel.
“That’s not what I—”
“Or when you invited me to that dinner with your parents,” Kyle pushed on, his voice more insistent. “Landon didn’t even want me there, but you were adamant. You said I was important to you. That I mattered.”
She had said that.
Because Kyle had looked devastated when Landon mentioned the dinner in front of Kyle, and she’d been trying to be kind.
Kind.
Her kindness had killed Landon.
“Kyle.” She kept her voice calm. Reasonable. Trying to match his tone. “I was being polite. That’s all. I was engaged to Landon. I loved Landon.”
“You thought you loved him.” Kyle’s confidence didn’t waver. “But you were settling. I could see it. The way you’d light up when I walked in. The way you’d laugh at my jokes—really laugh, not that polite thing you did with him.”
“I laughed at your jokes because they were funny. That’s what friends do.”
“We were never just friends.”
“We were absolutely just friends.”
“Then why did you call me?” His voice took on an edge. “After two years of silence, you called me. Invited me on this expedition. If that’s not a sign—”
“I didn’t call you. I called Sierra. She reached out to you.”
“Because you needed more help. You needed me.”
“I needed people who could handle a 5.12.” Eden heard her voice rising and forced it back down. “Kyle, listen to me. Whatever you think happened, whatever signals you think I was sending, I wasn’t. I was being friendly. Being kind. That’s it.”
“Don’t do this.” His voice hardened, the patience cracking. “Don’t pretend now. I know you’re scared. I know this is overwhelming. But we’re so close. Once we have the gold, once Teague is dealt with—”
“Dealt with?” She might be sick. Right here at her feet.
“He’s another obstacle.” Kyle’s voice was matter-of-fact. Clinical. “Just like Landon was. But it’ll be easier this time—an accident during the storm, during the hike out.” A shrug. “Nobody will question it.”
“You’re planning to kill Teague.” Of course he was planning to kill Teage—she’d been sure he was planning to kill both of them until about three minutes ago.
Kyle’s hand squeezed her shoulder. “I understand. This is a lot to process. But once we’re in Costa Rica, once we have time to really be together without all these distractions—”
“I’m not going anywhere with you. Ever.”
“Eden—”
“You murdered my fiancé.” She jerked away from his touch. “Your best friend. You killed him, and you actually think I wanted that? That we planned it together?”
“We did plan it together.”
“I didn’t want that. Because I loved Landon and I wanted to marry him and spend my life with him.”
“I know that is what you told everyone but—”
“No. I did. I absolutely did.”
“Then why did you keep choosing me over him?”
“I didn’t!”
Kyle was quiet for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice had changed. Colder. Harder.
“I saw how you were with Teague. Testing me. Seeing if I’d still want you. If I was still committed.” His voice dropped. “That’s why you kept taking his side. Kept defending him. You were making sure I’d fight for you.”
“I took his side because he was right.”
“You were testing me.”
“I was disagreeing with you.”
“This morning when you took my side—I knew I was winning.”
“There’s nothing to win. This isn’t a competition.”
“Everything is a competition.” His wild gaze landed on her. “And I’ve already won. I removed Landon. I’ll remove Teague. And then it’ll just be us. The way it was always supposed to be.”
Eden looked at him—really looked—and saw it clearly for the first time.
The certainty in his eyes. The absolute conviction that he was right. That they belonged together. That everything he’d done—the murder, the sabotage, the violence—was justified.
There was no reasoning with this.
She turned and ran.
Didn’t think. Didn’t plan. Just bolted toward a group of rocks, toward anywhere that wasn’t within reach of Kyle’s twisted fantasy. Her feet slipped. Her lungs burned.
His hand caught her arm after maybe ten yards. Tightened.
He spun her around, wrenched her arm up behind her back. Pain shot through her shoulder, her wrist—sharp and immediate.
The gun pressed against her spine.
“Don’t.” His voice was low. Hurt. Betrayed. “Don’t make me do this. I don’t want to hurt you, Eden, but if you’re going to choose him over me, over everything we’ve planned—”
He twisted harder, forcing her to face him.