Chapter 2
Two
Maybe he shouldn’t have tacked on that extra mile at this altitude, but Liam had energy to torch after waking to a couple dozen notifications branding him a hero after yesterday’s rescue.
If they only knew. The weight of that word—hero—sat like a stone in his chest. He wasn’t a hero.
Heroes didn’t let friends plummet to their deaths in the Swiss Alps.
And now, of course, Christiana’s face blazed through his mind again—the image he couldn’t seem to escape no matter how much he punished his body.
Liam let the fire scorching his lungs and muscles drive him harder.
Each breath at this elevation sliced like glass shards, but he craved the pain.
It muffled the chaos, drowned the noise in his head.
Between the gravel grinding under his running shoes and the wind whipping pine and sagebrush against his face, Liam almost believed he could outrun it all—the guilt, the shame, the hollow ache that thrummed in his soul.
His watch buzzed at the five-mile mark. He dropped to a walk, chest heaving, sweat streaming down his temples.
Heart rate: 165 bpm. Dangerous, but he didn’t care.
He paused at the canyon’s edge, letting his lungs recover.
The North Rim stretched out before him, a vast expanse of rugged beauty, the sky pale blue and streaked with gold from the climbing sun, casting shadows across the rocky ledges.
A place that was supposed to offer a fresh start.
His watch buzzed again. Twenty minutes until breakfast. Just enough time to scrub off the sweat.
He jogged toward the Ranger Roost—the park service’s attempt at giving staff housing a friendly name. The cluster of rustic cabins nestled among towering ponderosa pines, their stone foundations and weathered wood siding designed to blend with the forest.
Liam’s cabin sat third from the end. He shouldered open the heavy wooden door, the scent of pine and aged timber greeting him.
The park service had built these quarters for function, not comfort—two small bedrooms, a shared bathroom down the hall, and a common area barely large enough for a couch and kitchenette.
But after months of European hostels and temporary lodging, even this felt like luxury.
He pushed open the door to his shared room with Teague, another backcountry ranger.
Teague seemed solid, if reckless—a trait Liam recognized all too well. That kind of recklessness had once defined him, back when he’d launched first into any adventure with no thought of consequences. Now, that version of himself felt like a ghost.
Haunting him.
The room reeked of cedar and gear musk—boots, ropes, and dirty laundry colonizing Teague’s side of the space.
A narrow window leaked in light, but not enough to banish the shadows.
Liam stepped over and ripped open the curtains.
Morning sun flooded the room, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air.
“You really have to do that?” A groan erupted from Teague’s bed, his voice muffled by the pillow smothering his face.
“Seven forty. Breakfast in twenty.” Liam collapsed onto his bed’s edge, the mattress creaking under his weight, and kicked off his shoes.
Teague sat up, groaning, then swung his legs over the edge and ran a hand over his auburn curls, without much luck.
His hair spiked in every direction—chaos that matched his personality.
“I may be late to breakfast, but I had three more hours at the bonfire than you did because you needed to turn in. What are you, eighty?”
Not eighty, but if he’d had to listen to one more person gushing about the rescue, Liam would have lost his mind. “I needed sleep for my run. Training for the Rim to Rim.”
“Thought that was in October.” Teague rubbed sleep from his eyes.
“The big one is. There’s a smaller one a few of the staff and campers are running in a few weeks.” The Rim to Rim run was supposed to prove that he still had a bit of that old adventurous Liam left in him, but even that felt hollow now.
Teague perked up, a grin spreading across his face. “A group of us decided to go bungee jumping this weekend. You in? Making the reservation today.”
“You can bungee jump into the Grand Canyon?”
“Nah. But there’s a canyon two hours away with a bridge and quite the reputation for epic jumps.”
Why was he hesitating? The old Liam wouldn’t just have agreed—he’d have led the charge, whooping as he launched off the bridge, adrenaline flooding his veins.
What was wrong with him? Maybe this was exactly what he needed to come back to life, to feel like his old self again—even if just for a moment.
“Sure. Why not.” Liam grabbed his clothes and headed for the shower—a closet-sized bathroom down the hall barely big enough for one person.
The water ran lukewarm at best, but it washed away the sweat and grime.
When he emerged fifteen minutes later, Teague was gone, likely already at breakfast. Liam finger-combed his wet hair, strands sticking to his forehead, and grabbed his day pack just as his phone rang.
Logan.
He didn’t have much time, but he hadn’t talked to his twin in too long.
“Looogan.” Liam forced lightness into his voice—a shield to hide behind. With luck, his brother wouldn’t see through it.
“You are still breathing.” In the background, squeaks—maybe a swing set—and kids laughing.
Logan was probably at the park with his soon-to-be kids, the ones he’d decided to adopt less than six months ago.
The idea that Logan was engaged with three children still blew Liam’s mind.
His twin had vaulted into middle age overnight, while Liam was still here, floundering. “How’s the new job?”
“Outstanding.”
A pause stretched between them.
Oh. “You heard about the rescue, didn’t you?”
“Three different people sent me the link. Way to make headlines in your first few months. And here I thought you’d just be handing out maps at the welcome center.”
“I’m a backcountry ranger. I don’t work the welcome center.
” Liam stepped out of the staff housing, the heavy door thunking shut behind him.
The morning air bit his skin as he adjusted the phone against his ear and started walking across the small village that served as the heart of the North Rim’s ranger operations.
The crisp air carried pine scent and woodsmoke from the Grand Canyon Lodge’s massive stone chimney.
The village clustered behind the iconic lodge—a masterpiece of rustic architecture that had welcomed visitors since 1928.
Its golden limestone walls and soaring timber-frame roof commanded the landscape, while smaller buildings scattered around it like satellites—the general store, maintenance sheds, and employee quarters all built in the same stone-and-timber style that made the North Rim village feel like a frontier outpost carved from the wilderness itself.
Gravel crunched under his boots as he passed a group of early-rising trail hikers loading their packs near the lodge’s entrance. He scanned their supplies. At least they were taking a decent amount of water.
“How’s your roommate?” Logan’s voice pulled Liam’s attention back.
“He stays up late, sleeps late, and only thinks about his next thrill.”
“So you’re rooming with yourself. Awesome.”
Logan’s words punched him in the gut. Because that’s how everyone still saw him—the one who’d leap without looking, who’d chase adrenaline regardless of consequences.
Liam’s throat tightened. “Not anymore. It’s time to grow up.”
Logan let out a soft chuckle. “Bro. I’m all for growing up. But just so you know, we all liked that Liam too.”
“That Liam got other people hurt.” The words slipped out, sharp and raw, before Liam could stop them.
“Seriously? Are you talking about my broken leg in sixth grade? Let it go. You had longer legs and made the jump. I didn’t have to follow you.”
That hadn’t been what he was thinking about, but Liam latched onto it because there was no way he’d discuss Switzerland.
“Mom was pretty steamed at me.” He forced a laugh with the words as his mom’s words drifted back.
Reckless people get other people killed.
This time it was just a broken leg, but it could have been worse.
“She was steamed at both of us, more because we had to cut the vacation short. You know how Mom is about her plans.”
He knew. Their mother’s meticulous planning was legendary—a trait Liam had never inherited. “How is everyone?”
“Devin’s settling into her new job at the church. The kids’ summer break just started. And Mom and Dad are basking in their ten grandchildren. When are you coming home again?”
“I don’t get more than a couple days off until the summer rush ends.
” He reached the lodge’s wide front steps, the massive wooden planks groaning under his weight as he climbed toward the entrance.
The building’s grand timber-frame architecture soared above him, with its peaked roof and exposed beams.
“But you will be at my wedding this fall.”
“When is it again?”
“For the love—the weekend of September 20. I’ll text you. Again.”
Liam laughed. “Hey. I’ll be there. I have best-man duties.” He hoped that by then, three and a half months away, he would have fixed whatever had shattered inside him. “But chances of seeing you before then are slim.”
“Actually, I have an author event at the end of the month in Las Vegas. Luke is going with me. How far are you from there?”
“Four, five hours.”
“That’s farther than I thought. But maybe you could drive over for a day to hang with us.”
“That might work. Make a weekend of it.” Liam forced enthusiasm into his tone, though his chest tightened at the thought. He did want to see his brothers, but all it would take was one look for Logan to know Liam was broken. Empty.
People here didn’t know the Liam from before, so they didn’t recognize he was a shell of himself. But his twin would.