It might be enough. Enough to pay Teresa. Buy freedom for both of them.
Wait—what was she thinking? This didn’t belong to her.
The practical side of her brain kicked in.
She needed to tell Liam. Let him in on this crazy discovery. But the more he knew, the deeper he’d sink into her quicksand. And wouldn’t he be duty-bound to turn this over to the park service?
Plus, when this nightmare ended, he needed to walk away clean. Paying off criminals with stolen gold? Not exactly clean.
But the chest looked old—maybe twenty years or more, rusty and dirty.
Whoever put this here wasn’t coming back. Probably. So, what—finders, keepers?
“You done yet?”
“Nope,” she said, her throat burning.
She couldn’t haul all of this out on her own.
One bar though. One might work as a down payment. Untraceable gold had to be better currency than digital transfers.
She wrapped the bar in her wet shirt, nestled it deep in her pack under spare socks. Something to show Emberly. Let her sister’s tactical brain figure out the next move.
For now, it could be her secret.
She shut the chest and shoved it back into the crevice, just a little deeper, where sunlight couldn’t hit it. Then she shoved the rest of her stuff back in her pack. “Done.”
When she turned around, Liam had changed too. Fitted thermal replaced his soaked T-shirt, the fabric hugging his shoulders in ways that made her mouth go dry. He sat onthe cave floor, emergency blanket draped across his lap, face softened by the gentle light stretching in the cave from the gray sky.
The rain still fell.
Their eyes met. His arms opened. “C’mere.”
She hesitated—then sank into the embrace he offered, leaning back against his chest. His arms came around her, blanket crinkling as he tucked it over them both.
His warmth surrounded her, steady and solid, and for the first time in days her racing pulse slowed. She’d never felt this safe. Not in the bus. Not in Florida. Nowhere.
The realization hit like cold water.
What if home wasn’t a place? What if it was a person?
What if it wasLiam?
And now she was hiding more secrets from him.
Her fingers gripped the blanket’s edge. The gold bar’s weight in the pack was a reminder of all the secrets still wedged between them. She wanted to spill everything. The money demand. The threats. The wild hope that gold might buy her freedom.
But this moment felt too fragile. Too perfect to shatter with harsh realities.
She rested her head against his shoulder. Breathed.
“You okay?” His voice rumbled against her ear, warm breath stirring her hair.
“Yeah.” The word came out soft. Even. “Just…glad you’re here.”
His arms tightened, a silent promise that he wasn’t going anywhere.
She closed her eyes, letting the rain’s rhythm fill the space between them. The Bratva were out there—maybe closer than she wanted to think. But here, now, with Liam’s heartbeat steady against her spine, she felt untouchable.