Rad was already moving, scanning the tree line for a solid anchor point. He found a thick pine set back from the edge, tested it with both hands, and started securing the rope with quick, practiced knots. Willa held the flashlight steady on his hands while he worked.
“Margo,” Willa said quietly, noticing that Margo was still on her knees staring down at Ace like if she looked away, he’d disappear. Margo turned and looked at Willa, her eyes wide and wet. “He’s okay.” She kept her voice low and cooing. “Ace is talking to us. He’s okay.”
Margo pressed her lips together and nodded, but didn’t rise. She turned back to look down at Ace. Willa left Margo and turned her attention back to Rad.
“The rope is all set,” Rad said, moving back to the edge. “Ace, I’m dropping the rope down to you. Tell me when you’ve got it.”
“Great,” Ace called back. “I’m ready whenever you are.”
Rad fed the rope down carefully, keeping the tension so the wind couldn’t take it. The end disappeared over the edge, andthey heard Ace’s sharp intake of breath as he shifted to reach for it. Then there was a grunt of pain as the movement pulled at whatever his ribs were doing.
“I’ve got it,” Ace confirmed.
“Get it around your waist and knot it,” Rad instructed. “Take your time and don’t rush it.”
There was a pause. The sound of wind and rain and the distant crash of water against the island’s shore.
“Don’t worry,” Ace called up. “I’ve no intention of falling any further.” There was another pause. They could hear the rustle of branches. Willa and Margo both sucked in air as they heard some rocks Ace must’ve dislodged tumble down the rock face. Both of them breathed a sigh of relief when Ace yelled. “I’m secure and ready to be pulled up.”
“Margo, get on the rope behind me,” Rad said, moving into position. “Willa, I need you on the anchor side keeping the line taut against the tree. If we need to lower any slack, you have to control it.”
Willa moved to the tree and wrapped the rope around her forearm the way she’d been taught, planting her feet wide on the wet rock. “I’m in position.”
Margo rose and moved to where Rad wanted her to be. “I’m in position,” she echoed.
Rad scanned them both, then nodded. “Ace, we’re going to start pulling you up. Get ready.”
“Okay,” Ace called back.
“On three,” Rad called down to Ace. “Then you’ll need to push off the rock face with your feet, and we’ll pull from up here. Don’t try to climb, just walk your feet up the face as we pull. Ready?”
“Ready,” Ace called back.
“One,” Rad said. “Two. Three.”
Rad and Margo pulled. Willa held the tension at the anchor, feeding the rope carefully as the slack came out of it. Willa could hear Ace below them, the scrape of his boots against the rock face, another sharp grunt of pain that he didn’t comment on, and the slow, grinding effort of the whole thing working together. She sucked in a breath when the rope tugged a little too much, or Ace suddenly stopped, and they could hear rocks being dislodged.
“Keep going,” Rad urged through gritted teeth, taking most of the strain and Ace’s weight. “Keep going, you’re almost up. Don’t lose momentum.”
It took almost five long, exhausting minutes before Ace’s hands appeared at the rock edge. Rad dropped the rope to grab Ace’s wrists, Margo grabbed his jacket, and Willa was there the moment she’d secured the rope around the tree. All three of them pulled until Ace came up over the edge to land hard on the rock apron before rolling onto his back with a sharp sound that he immediately tried to suppress.
Nobody was fooled.
“Your ribs,” Willa said, dropping to her knees beside him. Her eyes took in the torn yellow slicker and smears of blood.
“I’m all right,” Ace said, but his jaw was tight, and his color wasn’t great.
When he sat up, Rad ran his flashlight over Ace. Willa’s eyes widened at the blood smeared on his face.
“We need to get you into the cave,” Margo said from over Willa’s shoulder.
“Let me see your hands,” Willa told him. “You said they were all scraped up.”
Ace held them out. Both palms were raw and torn, the skin scraped back in places from the rock, his fingers stiff and slow to straighten.
“We’ll deal with all of this inside,” Margo told them, her tone of voice brooking no argument.
“Can you stand?” Rad was there offering Ace a hand.
