Page 69 of These Reckless Hearts

Lance focuses on me. “Tell me you’ll assist us.”

Stone shakes his head, drilling his gray-blue eyes into me. But when Mr. Blade Happy unsheathes his knife, I panic. Revulsion nearly swallows me whole. I can’t go through with seeing him hurt. I can’t even pretend it wouldn’t shatter my world.

A hollowness creeps into my limbs as the guy holding the knife smirks at me. The sparkle in his eyes hardens my heart. He starts to bring the blade down slowly toward Stone’s cheek, and I can’t rush the words out fast enough. “Stop!”

A knowing smile forms over Lance’s face. I turn toward Stone who sits up straighter. “What are you doing, Dakota? Don’t.”

I shake my head. “No, they’re not going to hurt you, too.”

Memories of my father flash through my head. Wilders have always protected the map, protected our legacy, but I’m not willing to risk the people I love.

I bite the inside of my cheek and fight back the emotion rising to the surface. I take a deep breath and hold it before moving my gaze to Lance. “I’ll help.”

“Dakota,” Stone warns again.

I shrug and glance back at him. “You gave me no choice. I’m not going to sacrifice you.” I pull my shoulders back and address the elder Jacobs. “I’ll try my best, but what I said before is true. We’ve had the map for a century and that still didn’t help us.”

“You’ll find the treasure or Stone dies,” he states simply.

I think he’s bluffing, but I also see the warning in his dark gaze—if it’s not his son, it’ll be Wyatt or Lucas. I can only hope they’re someplace safe. Some place far, far away from us.

But I also know that’s highly unlikely. Stone didn’t say as much, but they must know where we are. They won’t stay away for long.

Which is why I need to press forward. “I imagine all of our gear got ruined in the flood?”

Stone glares at me but nods anyway. “We’ll need new.”

“And since daddy dearest is funding this, I’m sure he can handle that, right?” I lift a brow at Jacobs, as if I’m begging him to counter me. When he doesn’t, I grumble, “You better get some gear for yourself, too.”

He lifts his brows. “Me?”

“Absolutely. It’s about time you actually put in the work. Don’t you want to make sure everything goes according to plan? It’s kind of hard to run the show from the sidelines. You do know the treasure’s in the mountains, right?”

“I’m well aware,” he retorts.

“Wyatt and Lucas will want to help, too,” Stone notes. “Now that we’re in this.”

A flash of fear tightens my gut. He just said the last thing I wanted him to say. “No.”

“Yes,” he practically growls at me.

We lock gazes, but I know it’s already done. I shake my head, wishing we could take it back. I want to keep them safe, and wherever that is, is going to be miles away from us and Lance’s hired group of money-hungry assholes willing to do anything he says if given the right price.

I scowl, turning toward Jacobs. “No one’s to hurt anyone.”

He grins. “As long as you keep working toward the treasure, I can promise you that.”

The spark of darkness in his eyes makes me wary. Why do I think he wanted Wyatt and Lucas involved all along? I close my eyes, hoping we didn’t just put everyone we love in the path of a madman, even though it’s a fruitless wish. “We’ll leave in the morning,” I tell him. “So you better get the gear we need today.”

Stone starts listing off equipment like he’s reading a grocery list, and his father scrambles when he realizes he doesn’t have an assistant to take notes. Instead, he gets his secretary on the phone, and the list is repeated, Stone detailing to the lady that we need it all delivered to the trailhead by five am the next morning. When his father hangs up, Stone glares at him. “Better get some sleep, old man. You’re about to get a rude awakening.”

Lance lifts his chin in the air. “I’m sure I can manage.”

Now that is laughable. Stone and I glance at each other with matching smirks. Lance is going to be less than a treat up there. No fancy chairs, no boardrooms. We’re talking about real, physical work. He won’t know what to do with himself.

Stone stands. His father waves the two military men away when they look to him for their next move. My blond-haired guy crosses the distance between us and reaches for my hand. I wrap mine in his, and he squeezes before helping me to my feet.

We start down the hallway when Lance calls out, “You can come home.”

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