“We saw you guys kiss.”
She opened her eyes, met Noel’s, just visible in the disappearing light. The girl smiled at her.Sweet.
“I think he’s mad at me.”
Noel tilted her head. “Because you fell?”
“Because I kept something from him.”
Understanding flickered in the girl’s eyes. “How long have you two been together?”
“What?” Nimue’s eyes snapped open. “We’re not…I mean, maybe…”
Before she could untangle that mess, Liam reappeared at the top of the cliff, his form silhouetted against the sky that was a deep purple now. “We made a stretcher.” A beat, then, “Noel—what the—are you serious right now? Get up here.”
Noel stood up.
“No, stay there.”
“Make up your mind, ranger.”
He lay on the ground and extended his arms. “Guys, hold my feet.”
Somewhere in the now almost-complete darkness, the teenagers held his life in their grip.
He stretched his arms down and Noel reached up, grabbed his hand. She scrambled up the cliffside, scattering dust and pebbles onto the ledge.
Nimue covered her face with her arms, turned her head.
“Hang tight, Nim. I’m coming down.”
She closed her eyes. In a moment, he landed beside her. He wore what seemed to be an empty backpack.
“Okay, listen. This is going to hurt. But we need to get you off this ledge.”
“Whatever you have to do.”
His mouth tightened.
It turned out that “whatever” meant picking her up and maneuvering her onto his shoulders. Leaning into the rock while she reached up to grab Brian’s hand.
It meant her scream echoing through the canyon as many hands lifted her as if she weighed nothing and settled her on solid ground.
It meant Liam scrambling up after her, breathing hard.
“What now?”
“We pray that those lights belong to rescuers.” He pointed to the distant hikers, who now had flashlights. “Not…anyone else.”
“And if they aren’t?”
She stared at the beams cutting through the night like blades, moving with purpose along the distant trail. These weren’t casual hikers. These people were searching.
Hunting.
If it was the Bratva, her injuries had just signed their death warrants. She couldn’t run.
“You and the kids should go. Now.”