Page 11 of Nothing But Air

“Three rescues last week alone,” Liam added. “Two of them not far from where the cave entrance had been. Even though we’ve released statements that the second chest is now buried under fifty thousand tons of rock.”

Jake, a guy in his mid-thirties who worked at the welcome center, laughed bitterly. “But that still leaves the third and final chest. Let’s face it, with two million dollars in gold bars waiting to be discovered, they won’t stop.” He shoved back from the table. “I’ve spent the last three years building the interpretive program at the welcome center. Now I’ll be reassigned to a new park and have to start over because people don’t think park rules apply to them if there’s treasure involved.”

The conference-room door opened. Eden slipped back in, pale-blonde ponytail swinging, and leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. Her blue eyes found Teague’s immediately.

He looked away first. His gaze landed briefly on Noah’s hunched posture, Jake’s clenched jaw, Liam’s thousand-yard stare.

Eden’s gaze swept the room. “So what’s the plan?”

Silence.

If it all shut down, would she leave? There had to be a way to stop this.

Teague pushed away from the window. “We fight it.”

Eden’s eyebrow arched. “Fight a federally sanctioned shutdown. That’s your plan.”

“I didn’t say it was a good plan.” He moved toward the table, grabbing a trail map and spreading it flat. “Look, Virgil said they’re only closing the trails at the South Rim. Maybe we could do that here. That would free all the backcountry rangers to keep a better watch for treasure hunters.”

“You and I both know there’s access to the canyon other than the marked trails at both rims.” Eden stared off, unfocused. “Maybe Virgil is right.”

Close.

The word hung in the air between them.

Noah cleared his throat. “She’s got a point, Teague. I’ve been saying for a month that we need to shut down until we find all the gold. No one listened.” He touched his side gingerly. “I got a knife for my trouble. You almost got crushed. Then today…” He stared at his hands a moment and shook his head, then met Teague’s gaze once more. “Maybe this closure is the smart call.”

“Smart for who?” Teague looked around the room. “Jake loses his job at the welcome center. Anya at the lodge. Our friends are being reassigned across the country.” He turned back to Eden. “You really want to walk away from this place?”

Something shifted in her expression. Softened, just barely. “What I want doesn’t matter. We’ve had too many close calls. I’d rather not wait until one of us is dead.”

“A bit dramatic.”

“Realistic.” She held his gaze. “There’s a difference, Hamilton. Maybe someday you’ll learn it.”

Liam stood, his chair scraping back. “I need some air. And to call Nimue.” He paused at the door. “Teague, I know you want to fix this. But maybe Eden’s right. Maybe some things can’t be fixed by throwing yourself at them.”

“That’s not—” Teague started.

But Liam was already gone.

Teague’s phone buzzed. And again. And again.

Anya nodded toward his pocket. “Someone really wants to reach you.”

He pulled out the phone. The name on the screen made his stomach drop.

Mom.

She never called during work hours. “I need to take this.”

He stepped into the hallway, the door clicking shut behind him. “Mom? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, sweetheart.” Her voice was gentle. Careful. The way it always got when she was about to bring up Chip. “Your father and I are planning a hike to Half Dome next month. For the fifth anniversary.”

Five years. Had it really been that long?

“September sixth,” she continued. “We thought you might want to join us. No pressure. We just…we wanted you to know.”