Gwen Ryland held up her phone to take a panoramic photo of the breathtaking canyon spread out in front of her. Even from where she stood, halfway down the steep wall of the chasm, the view was spectacular. She took a string of photos, then turned back toward her brother, her feet slipping on the loose gravel. His hand gripped her arm.
“Hang on, sis.” Aaron pulled her back a couple feet from the drop-off. “A photo isn’t worth falling off the edge.”
“I wasn’t going to fall.” She laughed away the comment, but that didn’t stop her heart from pounding. And while she was still a good four feet from the edge, Aaron was right. A fall here could be deadly. Three months ago, a twenty-year-old hiker had plunged to his death, and his body had finally been recovered two days later at the base of one of the cliffs a quarter of a mile from here. No, she couldn’t be too careful. And besides, in all honesty, a photo of the canyon could never do the view justice.
She slipped her phone into her pocket and decided to simply take in the beauty of the canyon walls. The sunlight cast gray and purple shadows across the wide ravine and impressed them into her memory. Above them, on the top of the deep chasm, was a thick forest of oak trees, while below a scattering of Douglas firs and cottonwoods spread out along the river.
On the way down, they’d already seen some mule deer, bighorn sheep and an eagle soaring above them. It was definitely a world away from the hectic pace of her life in Denver. She’d been telling herself for months that she needed to take some time off and come back here. There was more to life than just working, and standing here in the middle of God’s creation today had reminded her why.
“I’m glad you talked me into this,” she said, breathing in the fresh mountain air.
“Rough week?” Aaron asked.
“Rough month, actually, but one of my toughest cases is finally over, and now I’m just trying to forget it.”
“What happened?” he asked. “You seem... I don’t know. Tenser than normal.”
“There were threats made by a defendant, but it’s nothing I haven’t faced before.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because it’s over.”
At least she hoped it was.
She felt a shiver run down her spine despite the warm weather as she tried to push back the vivid memories. Carter Steele had caught her gaze in the courtroom, then slowly traced his finger across his throat. The implication had been clear, and she’d tried to shake the fear for days. But giving in to it wasn’t an option. Instead, she’d reported the threat and was thankful that Steele had been convicted and locked away.
She took another sip of water, then shoved the bottle into the side pocket of her backpack. Threats against her were simply a hazard of being a prosecutor, and not something she could dwell on. Which was exactly why she’d needed this weekend to get away.
“You know you can always come to me if you’re in trouble,” Aaron said, interrupting her thoughts. “I’ve got more than a little experience with people like that.”
“I’ll be fine, Aaron. Really.”
“Then here’s what I want to know. Are you going to be able to make it back up to the top once we reach the bottom of the canyon?”
“Are you kidding me?” She shot her brother a grin. The off-the-beaten-trail trip down into the canyon might have been one of the toughest hikes she’d ever attempted because of the steep slope, but while it was a welcome challenge, it was also a chance to catch up with her brother. “Not only am I going to make it to the top, I’m going to beat you there. But first we need to keep going.”
She grabbed her backpack and started back down the trail, knowing she’d pay for it physically over the next few days, but that was okay. For as long as she could remember, she and Aaron had been competitive about everything they did together. And, as the oldest, she’d always had a burning desire to win. That drive had begun to mellow over recent years, and while she still enjoyed their lively debates and friendly competition, fostering their relationship after the death of their parents was what she was really interested in. That and making sure she avoided the poison ivy and didn’t slip off the edge of the steep trail.
They continued chatting about his last bounty-hunting job and her next case for another forty-five minutes, then he signaled her to stop at a relatively level section. She pulled out her water bottle again and adjusted the straps on her backpack, being extra careful this time to watch her feet on the loose gravel that made up the majority of the trail.
Her heart raced as something rustled in the trees. Seconds later, a falcon soared out from its perch above them.
“You really are jumpy today,” Aaron said.
“I’m fine. I just thought I heard someone—or something—coming down the trail.”
She glanced behind her, but there were no other hikers for as far as she could see. Which was what she liked about this portion of the canyon. It was possible to spend all day in this isolated part of the world and not run in to anyone.
She heard another noise, this time the distinct sound of falling gravel, and looked behind her again. The two masked men ran up behind them on the trail.
The taller man immediately grabbed her, pinning her arms behind her and throwing her off balance. Aaron lunged forward to stop him, but the second man pointed his gun at Aaron’s head. Gwen’s mind spun. While it rarely happened, she’d heard of hikers being robbed at gunpoint, or their cars being broken into while they were on the trail, but she never expected it to happen to her. Not here.
She screamed and tried to pull away from her captor, terrified he was going to shove her over the edge.
Instead, he pinned her tighter against him. “There’s nobody around to hear you, so shut up.”
“What do you want?” Gwen asked.
The older man took a step forward. “I’ll make it simple—”
Without waiting for an explanation, Aaron lunged forward in an effort to disarm the man, but his plan backfired as both men slammed into Gwen. The man holding her lost his grip while Gwen lost her balance and slipped off the steep slope of the canyon.
Caden O’Callaghan heard a bloodcurdling scream and immediately tried to determine the direction of the source. It seemed to be coming from right above him. As a former army ranger, he was trained to run toward trouble—never away—and this was no exception. Because what he’d just heard could only mean one thing in this isolated spot—someone was in trouble. And out here, with resources limited, the consequences could be severe. His hand automatically rested on his Glock. Spending five days alone on the trail, the extra protection was a no-brainer for him. And while he hadn’t had to use it so far, he’d always rather be prepared.
Seconds later, he caught sight of three men in a standoff on a slight ledge on the trail, with two masked men holding a gun on the third man. Caden pulled his weapon out of its holster and continued up the trail.
One of the armed men shifted his aim to his hostage’s head and shouted at Caden. “Back off, or I will shoot him.”
“Don’t do it,” Caden said. “Drop your weapons now.”
Caden kept the barrel of his weapon trained on them as he evaluated the situation. Their hostage looked to be in his mid-twenties and had all the telltale signs of a military service member, judging from his short haircut and stance.
“They shoved my sister over the edge,” their hostage yelled. “You’ve got to find her—”
“Shut up.” One of the men gripped his arm tighter as they started backing away, keeping him in front of them. “Stay out of this.”
Caden held his weapon steady, unwilling to withdraw. “Sorry. I’m already involved, and I said drop your weapons.”
“Back. Off. Now. I will shoot him.”
Caden hesitated, then lowered his gun to his side, unwilling to risk the man following through with his threat.
“Don’t follow us.”
The two men continued to edge their way up the trail, forcing the hostage with them. Ten, fifteen...twenty feet... Caden weighed his options. He could go after the men, but if the sister really had fallen over the edge, she needed to be his priority.
He watched as the three men disappeared around the bend, then immediately moved to where there were scuff marks off the side of the trail...but no sign of the woman. He pulled out his cell, hoping to call for help, then frowned when there was no signal. He was going to have to do this on his own.
Caden pulled a pair of binoculars from his backpack, then studied the terrain below that was sprinkled with trees and brush. He followed the trajectory of where the woman would have fallen, but still couldn’t see any signs of anyone. Which had him worried. Unless something had stopped her fall, there was no way to know how far she’d dropped. And on top of that, in order to find her, he was going to have to veer off the trail. Depending on where she’d landed, the chance of her surviving a fall without injury was slim.
“Hello?”
He stood still for a moment, waiting for a response, but there was nothing.
The steep, unmaintained trails leading down to the base of the canyon were known for their difficulty, and there were even warnings posted to visitors regarding the dangers. The sun wouldn’t set for a few more hours, but because of the steep, narrow walls, shadows had already begun to fall across the bottom of the canyon. Even with his climbing skills, the descent was going to be difficult.
He started down the incline, careful to secure his footing with each step, while trying to avoid the poison ivy snaking across the slope. While deaths here were relatively rare, they did happen, typically from either falling off the steep walls of the canyon or rafting-related accidents in the water below. Most of the time tragedy struck because of people’s unpreparedness. Sometimes, it was simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
His feet skidded on a patch of loose dirt, and he grabbed a branch to stop himself from sliding any farther. So much for his quiet few days of solo backpacking in God’s wilderness. He continued on, moving as fast as possible while still being careful. These off-trails were marked as self-rescue, meaning if you did get hurt, you couldn’t rely on the authorities to help you out. Once he reached the missing woman, he’d have to figure out how to get her the help she needed on his own.
Thirty feet down, he found a red backpack that had gotten snagged on some brush. He stared ahead of him. It had to be hers. But where was she? Another five hundred feet below him, the river roared through the narrow canyon bottom. If she’d fallen that far, there was no way she would have survived.
A flash of movement caught his attention. He zoomed in on the site with his binoculars and found her, wedged between the slope and a shrub tree. His heart raced as he scrambled down the last twenty feet to where he’d spotted the woman and tried not to push any of the loose rocks down on her in the process. He’d seen movement—which implied she was alive—but depending on how badly she was injured, he still had to figure out how to get her out of this canyon.
She was lying on her side when he got there, blood running down her forehead where she must have hit it on something. There were scratches across her arms and a long gash on her right calf. He watched her chest rise and fall and let out an audible gasp of relief. A foot or two to the right and she could easily have ended up at the bottom of the canyon.
He crouched down beside her, surprised at how familiar she looked. He searched his memory for a name, but came up with nothing.
“Ma’am...” He gently grasped her shoulder. “Ma’am, I’m here to help.”
She groaned as she tried to turn toward him.
“Hold on...” he said, recognition still playing in the back of his mind. “I need you to stay still until I can determine where you’re injured.”
He unzipped his backpack and pulled out a bandana and his water bottle. After soaking the cloth in the water, he started wiping the blood off her forehead. There was a cut along her temple that probably needed stiches, but it didn’t look too serious.
Her eyes widened as she looked up at him. “Caden?”
He pulled back his hand and stared at her a few more seconds as the realization hit him like a punch to the gut.
“Gwen?”
Of course. Gwen Ryland. How could he forget the woman who’d accused him of breaking her best friend’s heart? A flood of memories surfaced, but none of that mattered at the moment. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder how he’d managed to run into the one woman in the entire state who hated him.
But what she thought about him didn’t matter at the moment.
“How did you find me?” she asked.
“I was out hiking the falls today.” He hesitated. She had to have seen the two men that had taken her brother, but he wasn’t sure how much she knew.
She pressed her hand against her head, as if trying to remember what had happened. “Where’s my brother? They grabbed him. Had a gun on him.”
“They took him up the hill. There was nothing I could do to stop them, but he told me you’d slid off the trail. You became the priority.”
“I need to find him.” She managed to sit up.
“Slow down.” Caden pressed his hands against her shoulders. “We’ll figure out where he is, but you’re not going anywhere right now. I need to know where you’re hurt.”
She frowned. “It might be easier to tell you where I’m not hurt, but my left shoulder is throbbing pretty badly.”
Caden started carefully checking her over. “It doesn’t look like it’s fractured, though I can’t be 100 percent sure until it’s x-rayed. Do you think you can walk down the rest of the way if I help you?”
“Do I have a choice?” She winced as she tried to stand up.
“Does your ankle hurt? It looks a little swollen.”
“It feels sprained. But only mildly. I think I can walk.” She put pressure on it, winced again, then took a step. “What I need to do is find my brother, and if they took him up the trail—”
“You’ll never make it back up the trail like this—”
“I have to find him.”
He heard the sharpness in her voice and bit back his frustration. He might have purposely buried memories of her and Cammie all these years, but he did remember how stubborn she’d been. Clearly nothing had changed. But she was right. Her brother’s life was in danger, but his wasn’t the only one. Finding her had only been the first step. He had to get her out of this canyon.
“Let’s take one thing at a time. Even if there were enough hours of daylight left, there’s no way you can walk back up before it gets dark. But if I get you down to the bottom of the canyon, I’ve got a camp set up not far upstream with a first-aid kit.”
“And my brother?”
“We’ll search for phone service and try to get help.”
She frowned, but he knew he was right. Traversing the trail was difficult enough for a fit person, which meant it was still going to take them two or three times as long to reach the bottom of the canyon with her injuries. On top of that, even if they could get a hold of the authorities, it might take hours for help to arrive. Their best plan was to get her down to his camp and clean her up the best he could, then try to find help in the morning.
“Do you have any idea why they targeted you?” he asked.
“I don’t know. It all happened so fast.”
“Did you get a look at their faces?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Me, neither.”
“I’m pretty sure they weren’t expecting any witnesses to whatever their plan was,” she said.
“What about enemies?” he asked.
“It’s possible.” He didn’t miss the hesitation in her voice. “I’m a prosecutor, so I’ve faced my share of run-ins with bad guys, but this... I don’t know.”
He’d press for answers later. Right now, he needed to get her off the canyon wall and somewhere safer.
“Stay behind me and be careful. The actual trail is difficult enough since it’s not maintained, but this is going to be even rougher until we can get back to the trail.”
Caden let out a sharp huff as he stared down the steep terrain toward the trail. Gravel slid beneath her feet behind him. He reached and grabbed her hand, then immediately caught the look of irritation in her eyes. Still, he held on to her a few more seconds to ensure she was okay.
“Thanks,” she said.
He would have laughed if he didn’t know how serious the circumstances were. He was certain that if he was the last person on the planet and she was in trouble, she still wouldn’t want to accept his help. And that was fine. In truth, he didn’t blame her. She only knew one side of the story, but at the time he knew it wouldn’t have mattered what he said. Maybe he’d handled the situation wrong back then, but he knew the truth, and for him that was all that had mattered. And, in the end, he’d never regretted his decision to walk away. He’d never looked back.
“You remember who I am, don’t you?” she asked.
“Of course.” He needed to find a way to cut the tension between them. “You haven’t changed at all.”
It was true. After ten years, her blue eyes were just as intense, and her hair, while a few inches shorter, had the same honey-blond highlights.
“Do you still live near here?” she said.
“I work on my father’s ranch.”
He paused, wanting to ignore the questions he knew were hanging between them. Questions she had to assume he was going to ask.
How is Camille? Has she gone on with her life?
But they were questions he had no desire to pose. Instead, he decided to shift the conversation back to her.
“Are you—?”
He didn’t get a chance to finish as a shot rang out and a bullet slammed into the tree beside them.
Copyright © 2020 by Lisa Harris