Page 25

Eddie manned the truck and had the rope set up to unravel every few seconds for Zack’s descent. The line ropes would give Zack and Ridge the ability to pull Naya back up.
Ridge went first, then Zack sat back in his harness and let the pulley drop him down the side of the cliff.
“Good so far,” Ridge yelled.
“Keep going,” Zack echoed.
He used his feet to scale the rocks and guide his weight down. Ten more feet and they’d be able to assess Naya’s condition.
His rope jerked to a stop.
Zack braced his foot against a rock, but the unstable stone cracked under his weight. It broke away from the cliff with a groan and tumbled down the side, echoing across the open expanse. His foot skidded across the terrain, grasping for another landing point.
Ridge dodged the falling rocks. He went to stop, but his foot missed a landing, and he swung into the side of the mountain. His head knocked against the boulders. “Ow,” he mumbled.
Zack peered over his shoulder. “Sorry.”
“It’s all good, man.” Ridge rubbed his forehead and waved his hand, but blood dripped off his fingers.
Zack grimaced. He went to keep moving, but his rope didn’t follow suit. “Why’d the pulley stop?” He spoke into the radio.
“We’ve got a predicament up here.” Eddie’s voice crackled in his ear. “There’s a brush fire. Lieutenant wants me working with him to contain it. I need to drop you guys down faster.”
“Copy.” Zack wrapped one hand around the rope and scaled the wall faster next to Ridge. One hand over the other. “Naya!”
“Zack? I’m gonna fall.” She leaned against the wall of rock, as far away from the edge as possible.
He gauged the distance between them. “I won’t let that happen.”
The rocks were uneven, and Ridge stood a few feet away, higher up on the other side of Naya. Zack shielded his eyes from the sun with one hand and studied the ground, calculating each step. He refused to let a blind spot take him by surprise.
Although, he recognized the area. If it was the same strip of the pinnacle he’d explored a few months ago on a day off, there was a cave nearby that overlooked the river.
He climbed up a few rocks on all fours, then eased onto the ledge and grabbed his radio. “Hold.”
“Copy. How’s the patient?”
Zack crouched. “Assessing now.”
He did a quick perusal for physical signs of injury. Naya’s cheeks were damp with drying tears, while blood stained the middle of her right arm. “Where does it hurt?” He took note of her left foot, slightly swollen.
Ridge came down next to them, then unzipped his medical bag. “Did you hurt your ankle?” His eyebrow was caked with blood from the wound on his forehead.
“I slammed my arm against the rocks when I fell. I kept sliding until I finally caught myself.” A few tears slid down Naya’s cheek, but she lifted her chin.
“We’ll get your ankle in a splint and bandage the wound.” Zack bent down to inspect Naya’s ankle. “It’s bruised.” He pulled a few supplies from the bag while Ridge bandaged her arm.
“What’s your status?” Bryce’s voice came through the earpiece.
“We’ll be ready in four,” Zack replied. This cramped space wasn’t the most ideal place to help a patient, and it was taking him longer than he wanted.
Ridge dabbed at his forehead. He pulled away the cloth, now covered in red, and grunted.
“Make it two.” Bryce’s command echoed loud and clear. “We’ve got smoke up here from the brush fire. There’s no telling how fast it’s going to spread.”
Zack turned to Ridge and furrowed his brow. His partner’s face had turned a shade paler. More blood trickled down the edge of his face.
“That should hold your ankle for now.” Zack stood up and returned the supplies to the bag.