That explained the rope’s pathetic condition. Had probably had been out here for years, decaying.
“Where’s the bridge?” Nimue said.
He pointed to the other side of the wash.
“Another crossing’s suicide,” Nimue said quietly, low enough that only he could hear.
“Agreed.” He scraped water from his hair, mind racing through options.Focus. Kids first. Survival. Escape.
“That leaves one choice.” Nimue squared her shoulders, jaw set. “Back to the North Rim.”
His chest tightened.
Right where the Bratva was most likely to be. And where they just might be waiting with open arms and loaded weapons. But staying here with no supplies, kids weakening by the hour, wasn’t viable either. The canyon offered no forage, no easy clean-water sources.
He gave her a curt nod.
Time to move.
“Listen up.” His ranger voice cut through their nervous murmurs. “We move as a group. Stay close, pick a buddy, don’t lag behind. Long climb ahead.”
A lanky girl with a braid shifted her weight, voice brittle with panic. “Our cars are at the South Rim.”
“And our phones,” one girl mumbled.
“Again with the phone, Noel?” Jeff let out a grunt as he lifted his hands in frustration. “There is no service down here and no way to charge it. How would carrying around a dead phone possibly help us?”
Her pale blue eyes sent the boy a glare, but then she turned back to Liam. “If we go to the North Rim, how do we get?—”
“We’ll figure it out.” His hands flexed, fighting the urge to snap at her. One crisis at a time. “First priority is getting out of this canyon alive.”
These kids had no clue how much trouble they were in. The phone calls their parents would get. The headlines that might follow.
“Keep moving. There is a trail ahead that will lead us out, hit the steep rise of the canyon by sunset. The moon should be nearly full once it rises tonight so hopefully that will give us enough light to get to the top by midnight.”Maybe.He kept his voice even, calm. No point panicking them further. “This ground is a rough go, but it will be easier once we get back to the marked trail. So we need to keep moving at a good speed unless you’drather spend the night down here in wet clothes, trying to start a fire with soggy wood.”
That shut them up.
The teens fell in behind Nimue as she set the pace, boots finding purchase on muddy stone. Liam would take the back for now until he was confident they could keep up. His gaze traveled back to Nimue, his chest tightening as he watched her lead. She possessed a quiet strength, her calm rooting inside him.
Maybe they’d left the worst of it down there in the wash. Maybe the Bratva had bought their phone decoy. Maybe they’d make it out of this alive.
You’re not losing me.
He’d never meant anything more in his life.
I promise.
His shoulders relaxed. Slightly.
But as they climbed toward the rim, one thought echoed in his head:Please don’t let them be waiting for us up there.
That was it. Meg was asking for a refund from her trainer.
You’re in great shape, Meg. Don’t worry about keeping up with the guys.
Right.Tell that to her screaming lungs.
Meg’s chest burned as she fought to match Noah and Teague’s relentless pace. They moved like machines—steady breathing, easy strides—while she felt like she was suffocating in the desert air.