Page 75 of These Reckless Hearts

Wyatt nibbles his lips. “Two of us should go down there and stand underneath the first two.”

Lucas drops his voice and peers at our surroundings. “We’ll be way outnumbered, then.” Lance’s team still hold guns on us, as if we’re suddenly going to find a way to attack them.

“At least you’ll be away from them.” I hold his stare, the fear that ripped through me when Lance so casually gambled with his life bubbles to the surface again.

Lucas grips my shoulder. “Don’t worry.”

“Wyatt, you stay with Dakota,” Stone demands, taking charge. “Lucas and I will go down and stand in front of the two outermost squares, and we’ll see if they align.” Once we agree, Stone turns and informs his father of our plan. The leader nods toward Stone and Lucas’ retreating forms, and I suck in a breath as two men follow after them. Of course they would. Goddamnit.

Wyatt threads his fingers through mine. “Just relax, Tits.”

I close my eyes and breathe in. My heart pings in my chest as Stone and Lucas eventually take their places underneath the carvings in the rockface. They both yell to me where their symbols are, and with their help, I can just barely make them out, though the one above Stone is obscured by a bush growing out the side of the mountain.

I keep the traced map out in front of me while Wyatt guides me over the terrain, being my eyes and ears for poisonous creatures and trip hazards. The closer I get to the square on the left fitting into place, the hair starts to stand on my arms.

First, we found the lantern together. If this is the next clue, this is huge. All those years my father and I searched together, and all those years he searched before me, he never got to this step. He’d be ecstatic to know that I did it.

“We’re almost there,” I breathe, checking both sides. We’re pretty far into the valley now. The terrain is trickier, so Wyatt holds my forearms to keep me stable. “Right...here,” I murmur, stopping.

“They actually match?” Wyatt tightens his grip on me. I hand him the map and move so he can stand exactly where I was. “Holy shit,” he whispers.

I give Lucas and Stone a thumbs up. “We got it!”

Lance scrambles forward, tearing my attention away from Stone and Lucas’ excitement. “What did you find?”

“The two carvings on the map match up.” I bite my lip, praying that the rest will, too.

“So, where do we go next?” he rushes out.

If I could, I’d grab one of the bigger rocks at my feet and hit him over the head with it. “We have to match up the other carvings,” Wyatt answers for me before I lose my patience.

The man who’s used to air-conditioned offices sighs.

“We’re a step closer,” Wyatt confirms. We exchange an exasperated glance at Lance’s impatience. I hope he’s right. If not, Lucas could become a target again. And after him, it will be Wyatt.

Then Stone. Or me. I don’t know whose life Lance would value more at this point.

Wyatt places his hands around his mouth. “Go to the next carvings!”

Stone and Lucas start moving up the valley, their followers trailing behind with their guns drawn. “We need to get rid of them,” I whisper to Wyatt.

He presses his lips together, barely humming out a response. “We’ll figure it out.”

“If you know something I don’t....” I trail off, hoping like hell they do. Cole wouldn’t let us come up the mountains alone unless he had a plan, right?

Wyatt checks behind him. Whatever he sees, he lowers his voice again and moves in closer. “We had a plan, but then that fucker destroyed the SAT phone.”

I close my eyes. I figured as much. “I have a kitchen knife in my pocket,” I tell him. “They don’t know I have it. It’s Lance’s fault. He’s kind of an idiot.”

Wyatt holds back a smile. “You want us to fight off five dudes holding guns with a kitchen knife?”

“Did I mention it’s probably dull?” A laugh bursts from me. It’s not funny at all, but I’m teetering on the high wire of stress and it feels damn good to laugh.

“This is why Lucas calls you Wild Girl.”

I pull myself together. “Do you want the knife?” I ask him, lifting a brow.

He shakes his head slowly. “Keep it. Use it if you need to. Just start swinging but aim for the throat. Even a dull knife can puncture skin.”

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