Page 112 of Nothing But Air

Exactly what she’d asked for when she called him boss. When she ended things between them.

So why did it feel like slowly freezing from the inside out?

Eden rinsed her cup—the water cold against her fingers, numbing—as Kyle pulled out a map and spread it across a flat rock near the dying fire.

“I’ve been thinking.” He smoothed the creases, his finger tracing topography lines. “We still have four people here. No reason we can’t get in at least one more climb before we hike out.”

Teague’s head came up. “You’re not serious.”

“Why not?” Kyle’s expression was earnest. Open. “We’ve got supplies. We’re already here.” Kyle pointed to a marking on the map. “There’s a cave entrance about two hours out, practically on our way. Easy approach. Moderate climb. We check it and still make the rim before dark.”

“Liam and Trey are in the hospital.” Teague’s voice went hard. “And you want to keep going?”

“I want to finish what we started.” Kyle’s jaw set, something harder flashing beneath that easy smile. “If we don’t do it now, you’ll have to come back anyway. More time, more resources, more risk.” He spread his hands. “Might as well check another potential site while we can. Face it. Getting out of the canyon a few hours earlier won’t help them one lick.”

“No.” Teague reached for the map. “We’re hiking out. Now.”

Eden studied the map before he could fold it.

The cave Kyle had pointed to was close—closer than she expected. And the approach did look straightforward. Nothing like yesterday’s technical climbs.

“He has a point.” The words were out before she could think better of them.

Teague turned to stare at her. Something flashed in his green eyes—hurt, betrayal. “What?”

“We do have the supplies. If we don’t check it now, someone will have to come back.” She moved closer to the map, not looking at Teague even though his gaze burned into her. “And we are passing right by it.”

“Eden—” His voice held a warning. And something else. Exhaustion.

“I know what you’re worried about.” She met his eyes—saw the tension, the fear he was trying to hide. And underneath it, the walls he’d built overnight.

Same walls she’d built.

“But this is a straightforward climb. Probably not more than eighty feet. Two pitches. We could be up and down in an hour.”

“You’re siding with him.” Flat. Not a question.

“I’m not siding with anyone. I’m looking at the facts?—”

“The facts.” His jaw worked. “Right. Because that’s all this is. Professional assessment.”

The bitterness in his voice made her want to take it back—take everything back.

But she couldn’t.

Kyle stood, brushing dust off his pants. “I’m in. If Eden thinks we can do it safely, that’s good enough for me.”

Teague’s expression darkened at Kyle’s too-quick agreement. At the way he sided with Eden like they were a team.

Like Teague was the outsider.

“Marcus?” Eden looked toward where he sat holding his empty cup. Anything to break the tension. “What do you think?”

Marcus blinked, seeming to surface from deep water. “I—if there’s a chance the cache is there, we should check. That’s why we’re here, right?”

Teague looked ready to say something but stopped, jaw tight. Whatever he’d been about to say stayed locked behind his teeth.

Eden moved closer, lowering her voice. “I know you’re trying to protect everyone. I appreciate that. But we also need to do what we came here to do.”