Page 119 of Nothing But Air

Where were those nurses? “Can you tell me your name? What day it is?”

“Liam Kingsley.” Still rough, but stronger now. More present. His gaze slid to Noah, then back to Nimue, that hint of a smile returning. “That is Nimue, and you all need to leave so she can greet me properly.”

Noah’s chuckle broke through the tension. “I think he’s fine.”

Meg checked his pupils again. Much better. Crisp, equal constriction. The sluggishness from before was gone. “You’ve been out for a while. How do you feel?”

“Like someone hit me with a rock.”

A beat of silence.

Liam’s face twisted—not with pain, but with something darker. Memory flooding back behind those blue eyes. “Wait. Someone did hit me with a rock.”

“Sierra knocked one loose. She feels so bad about it.” Nimue’s voice was gentle. Careful. The voice of someone trying to smooth over a bad moment.

“No.” Liam’s jaw tightened. “Sierra didn’t…I was attacked.”

Everyone in the room went still.

The cardiac monitor beeped. The fluorescent lights hummed. Somewhere outside the window, a helicopter thudded past. The sound faded into the distance, leaving only that terrible, loaded silence.

“What?” Noah leaned forward in his chair. “What did you say?”

“Kyle.” Liam’s eyes went wide, panic flooding his expression in a way that sent his heart rate spiking on the monitor. Ninety. Ninety-five. One hundred. “Where’s Kyle? Is he—did he?—”

“Kyle’s fine.” Nimue’s voice stayed gentle, soothing, her thumb stroking across his knuckles. “He’s down in the canyon with Eden, Teague, and Marcus. They’re hiking out today. Everyone’s okay.”

But instead of relaxing at the news, Liam went pale. Paper-white beneath the bruises. His hand gripped Meg’s arm with surprising strength—the grip of someone desperate to be believed.

“No. No, they’re not okay. Kyle—” His breath came faster, shallow pants that made the monitor beep in warning. “You don’t understand. Kyle caused Trey to fall.”

The words landed like a punch to the sternum.

His face was desperate now. Pleading. The look of a man who needed someone—anyone—to believe him.

“Are you absolutely certain about what you saw?” She kept her voice clinical. Calm. The voice she used when delivering difficult news. “Head injuries can cause confusion, false memories?—”

“I know what I saw.”

His grip on her arm tightened until she could feel the pressure of each individual finger.

“Kyle caused Trey’s fall. Then he hit me with a rock to keep me quiet.” His blue eyes burned with intensity. “And now he’s down there with Eden and Teague and Marcus, and they don’t know. They think he’s one of them. They trust him.”

Monitors began to beep. Meg’s medical training kicked in even as her mind reeled, scrambling to process what he’d just said. “Okay. Okay, let’s keep you calm.” Respiratory rate elevated. Not good for a brain still recovering from trauma. “Your heart rate is spiking, and that’s not good for your healing right now.”

She shot Noah a look. Do something.

The door opened and a nurse rushed in. Her gray curly hair up in a messy bun. “What’s going on?”

But Noah was already moving. He pulled out his phone, dialing as he headed for the door. “I’m calling South Rim dispatch. Xander should still be there. He can radio them.”

“You need to calm down, young man, or I am going to have to ask these guests to leave.”

That had his attention. Liam drew a slow breath. His numbers dropped, and when he spoke again, his voice had gone flat as exhaustion seemed to be sneaking back in. “They won’t be able to reach them. Kyle must have sabotaged our radio. Had to be him.”

“I gave them a new radio.” Meg kept her voice steady. “Noah will reach them.”

The nurse seemed satisfied for the moment with Liam’s numbers. “I’ll call Dr. Carlson. But you must stay calm.” Then she disappeared out the door.