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I peered into the abyss, wrinkling my nose at the foul stench of sulfur wafting from the hole. “I doubt there’s a hot spring down there, and if there is, I don’t want to swim in it.”

“The smell doesn’t help.” Gavin tested the closest board with his foot. The wood creaked and detached from the rope, sending the plank plunging into the void.

My throat closed as I counted the missing boards and questioned whether the remaining few would hold. Judging by the one that had failed to live up to its purpose, the odds weren’t good.

“I’ll go first,” I said. “I’m lighter.”

“You might be lighter, but I’ve got a stronger grip and a complete disregard for danger.” Gavin rolled his shoulders, corded strength rippling beneath his shirt. “How about we flip for it? Heads, I go first. Tails, it’s you.”

I eyed him warily. “Fine. Let’s leave it up to fate.”

Gavin removed a familiar, weathered coin from a pouch on his belt. He rubbed the silver between his fingers for good luck, then flipped it into the air.

The coin landed in the dirt, heads up.

“ Damn. I thought I had that one.” He frowned and deposited it back into his pouch .

My hands curled into fists on my hips, and I narrowed my gaze. “You cheated. You know as well as I do that was a same-sided coin. It’s heads, no matter what.”

Gavin shrugged. “Don’t be a sore loser. Your time will come.”

“Before I joined this crew, you and I ran in the same gold-chasing circles for two years. And every time our paths crossed, you never let me go first.”

“And seeing how this is your last hunt…” He leaned in, his shadow swallowing mine. “I never will.”

I exhaled slowly, holding his gaze for longer than I should have. The words he said next, I’d heard a handful of times—ever since we became partners—and each time, it twisted something inside my chest.

“If I die…”

He waited for my answer; the same one I gave whenever we played this game.

“I’ll steal your share.”

The corner of his mouth curved softly. “You’re ruthless.”

“I learned from the best.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere. Except across this bridge. Stay here. I’ll toss you a line when I’m on the other side.”

Gavin dusted his hands on his trousers and worked the kinks out of his neck. He studied the gap, while I angled the moonstone to light his way. The beam only illuminated more cracks in the boards.

I tensed as Gavin gripped the rope. When he glanced over his shoulder, I forced a teasing smile.

“I’m going to remodel my master bedroom with your share,” I called out, trying to keep my voice steady as he took a wide step and planted a booted foot onto the closest board.

He wobbled with the sway of the bridge and let out a shaky laugh. “Yeah? Tell me more about what my gold will buy.”

“Marble floors and a crystal chandelier hanging in front of a majestic fireplace. Glass doors will open up to a huge balcony with a stunning view of the sea.”

He took another step, gripping the tattered rope as if it could save him from a fall. The knots creaked, the sound fraying my nerves just as badly as the fibers straining beneath his weight.

“It’s too bad I’ll be dead. I’d love to see it. What else?”

“The main floor will have vaulted ceilings and a grand staircase with ornate railings. Rosewood, polished to a shine so I can see my reflection in—”

I gasped as he lost his footing. For a heart-stopping second, Gavin hung over open air, muscles locked as he clung to the rope. His feet scrambled for the next board. I lurched toward the bridge, ready to leap to the nearest plank. I had no plan, only the instinct to pull him back.

Gavin recovered before I could act, and when he caught me, the intensity of his gaze froze every bone in my body.

“Don’t even think about it,” he growled.

I lowered my boot as he flexed his fingers, rivulets of blood seeping from cuts in his palm.

“I’m thinking about cutting the rope,” I croaked, closing my shaking hands into fists. “It’s the only way I’ll be able to pay for my library.”

“Your library?” Gavin asked, shaking out his hand and stretching for the next plank as if he hadn’t just looked death in the eye and snarled.

“Yeah. I’ve always dreamed of having one.

It’ll be the biggest room in the house. I’ll furnish it with velvet brocade chairs and a thick rug you can sink your toes into.

There will be books from floor to ceiling encased in hand-carved bookshelves.

Adventure novels. Who knows, maybe I’ll write my own one day. ”

“Marin Nichols—author. I like the sound of that. You’ll write stories in your mansion by the sea.” His voice took on a wistful note, in direct contrast to the rotted board listing beneath his feet.

My mansion by the sea.

I chanted the words in my mind, trying to stay focused.

But the image crept in anyway—the one where we were together.

Where I let myself believe his teasing meant something more.

And that a coin flip proved I wasn't just a partner to him, but someone special.

I imagined the cool salty air on my neck, warm sand between my toes, and Gavin chasing me into the waves, laughter bursting from my throat until my cheeks ached.

I blinked the daydream away, feeling silly. It was pure fantasy. Gavin wasn’t the settling-down type. He was a wanderer with no home or family, and he liked it that way.

But sometimes I wondered.

An orphan himself, he’d spent years going from hunt to hunt searching for information about his past. The weathered compass hanging from a chain around his neck, with the mysterious crest etched into the back, was his most prized possession and only clue.

Besides, even if I let down my guard and convinced him to give up the hunts and the thrill of danger, what did I have to offer?

A crumbling manor, choked with weeds and probably crawling with snakes.

Basically, a ruin with a roof and no jewels hidden in the foundation.

And it wouldn't change his nature. Odds were, the second he got bored, he’d strip my newly restored manor of anything valuable.

My crystal chandelier would end up on the black market, sold for parts.

No, better to leave things as they were. I had my empty ruin. He had his hunts.

Gavin made it across the bridge, and my shoulders sagged in relief.

It was my turn.

But it wouldn’t be as difficult. All I had to do was follow in Gavin’s footsteps. He unwound a coil of sturdy rope and tossed it across the chasm.

“Tie the end around your waist and go slow. I’ll catch you if you fall.”

“If I die—” I shouted, only half-joking.

Gavin didn’t miss a beat. “I won’t let you. You’ll haunt me, and I’ll never hear the end of it.”

I snorted at his blunt response. The last time we played this game, we were climbing a razor-thin ledge up the side of a mountain. Gavin claimed he wouldn’t let me die because I was carrying our food rations. And the time before that? Because he might get blood on his favorite tunic.

Gavin Blackwood—a ceaseless charmer.

Maneuvering across the bridge was as daunting as I’d feared.

Each step threatened to topple me into the pit.

The boards swayed and rocked, and I let out a vicious curse when I tilted hard to the right.

My pulse pounded in my ears, and the only thing keeping me from plummeting to my death was the rope taut around my waist.

Gavin gripped my hand and hauled me to the other side.

“See? The bridge wasn’t so bad. On the peril scale, I give it a three out of ten.

” He made quick work untying the knotted rope, then he stowed the coil away in his gear.

“Looks like we still have to share the treasure. Fingers crossed you get lucky next time.”

I wiped my sleeve across my brow. If anything, I’d used the last of my luck, crossing that bridge.

“After you, partner.” Gavin gestured toward the shadowy mouth of the tunnel.

Holding up the light, I walked through the opening. “No coin this time?”

“Nah, you take the long, boring tunnels. I don’t even see any bats. We’ll meet up with the others and find the treasure in no time. Then, when we get back to civilization, I’m going to take a hot soak, devour a delicious meal, and sleep for a week.”

“You and your simple pleasures. But the bath sounds nice. Rose scented with lots of bubbles and—”

Gavin jerked me to a stop. “As much as I love listening to all the details of your bubble bath, did you hear that?”

I held my breath, trying to catch whatever he’d heard, but there was nothing besides the faint creak of the bridge settling back into place.

“No. What was it?”

“A rumble.”

I rolled my eyes. “It was probably your stomach.”

“I don’t think so.”

“You’re imagining things.”

He cocked his head, his eyes taking on a faraway look. “That’s true. But I always pictured you covered by apple blossoms in your bath instead of roses.”

“You’re impossible!” I knocked him on the shoulder, wiping the smug look off his face.

And that was when I heard the rumble.

The ground shook.

Rocks rained from the ceiling, pelting me in the head and shoulders. The ropes anchoring the bridge snapped, whipping upward before the entire span plunged into the deep cavity. Ice solidified in my veins as the ledge crumbled, too, collapsing faster and faster, racing straight toward us.

Gavin pushed me hard, his sharp cry forcing me out of my daze.

“Run!”

The ground behind us splintered and cracked. I raced through the tunnel, my breath surging in frantic gasps while I blindly searched for a way out.

There was none.

The cave walls reached high over our heads.

No handholds.

No crevices.

Only a straight shot into the unknown.

My panic sharpened into a razor of fear slicing through my body. I choked on the dust, eyes burning as the cloud of debris thickened.

Up ahead, the light bounced against the walls and revealed another ledge. I skidded to a stop, loose pebbles sliding under my boots as I surveyed the distance to the other side.

It was far.

We might not make it.