“It’s here,” Amy breathed, her eyes bright with excitement. “We’re close.”
Nash felt his pulse quicken as he examined the carving. It was old—decades old, at least—and deliberately placed where it would be sheltered from the worst of the weather.
They expanded their search around the symbol, working outward in careful circles. Nash was so focused on scanning the ground that he didn’t notice the slight depression until his boot scraped against something that definitely wasn’t rock or dirt.
The metallic scraping sound made him stop dead in his tracks.
“What was that?” Amy asked, moving to his side.
Nash kicked at the spot where his boot had caught, and again came the distinctive ring of metal against metal. His adrenaline spiked as he dropped to his knees, brushing away loose dirt and dried grass.
“Amy,” he said, his voice tight with excitement. “Look at this.”
Together, they cleared away the accumulated debris of years, revealing the edge of what appeared to be another metal hatch. It was partially hidden beneath a large sagebrush that had grown up around it, providing perfect natural camouflage.
As Nash worked to expose more of the structure, Amy suddenly grabbed his arm. “Nash, look,” she whispered, pointing to a spot just visible on the metal surface.
There, etched into the steel, was another broken arrow symbol.
“Guys!” Nash shouted, his voice carrying across the prairie. “Come quick! We found another silo!”
The sound of running footsteps reached them within minutes as both families converged on their location.
“Well, I’ll be darned,” Porter muttered, dropping to his knees beside Nash to examine the hatch while Sadie peered over his shoulder. “Dad never mentioned this one.”
Trey appeared at Porter’s side, Ava and Kensi flanking him. “This is definitely military-grade construction.”
Porter nodded. “Same era as the other silos we found.”
Brooks knelt beside them with Serenity. “And if it’s hidden this well, there’s something important down there.”
“The broken arrow symbol is perfectly preserved,” Amy observed, running her finger along the etched metal. “Your father hid it perfectly and made sure this would be found by the right people.”
Colt, Chance, and Blaze dropped to their knees, pulling up the hatch. Nash felt Amy’s hand slip into his as they watched the others work.
Marshall appeared with Kat and a set of tools. “I grabbed these from the helo.”
Colt turned and grabbed a tool, using it to put leverage on the lid. “The real question is, why didn’t Dad tell any of us about it?”
Hunter and Cheryse nodded in agreement beside him.
Brooks grinned at them. “I might have to leave this out of the FBI report.”
Trent laughed. “Let’s do this,” he said, squeezing Liberty’s hand.
“Only one way to find out,” Chance said, and Kelly moved to stand supportively beside him.
Nash looked around at the assembled group—two entire families who had dropped everything to help him find Amy, who had risked their lives in a treasure hunt that had become far more dangerous than anyone anticipated. Now they were all here, ready to see this through to the end together.
Amy’s smile was radiant with determination as she squeezed his hand. “Let’s finish this.”
As the others worked to open the mysterious hatch, Nash couldn’t shake the feeling that they were about to uncover more than just gold. They were about to learn the truth about their father’s secrets and the treasure that had connected two families across decades of searching.
The sound of metal grinding against metal filled the air as the hatch finally gave way, revealing the dark opening below.
Nash felt Amy’s grip tighten on his hand as they all leaned forward—Cross and Stone families united.
CHAPTER 29
