It took Ethan and the others a full hour-plus to climb back out of the pit.
Mostly because the shaft had been packed solid by the cave-in. They could only rely on Garrick to dig them up inch by inch—and digging upward was a nightmare compared to digging down.
Still, with Garrick there, they made it out in the end without any real danger.
When Oliver saw them emerge, something complicated flickered across his face. But he still walked up with a smile like nothing was wrong.
"Ethan—thank god you're finally out. When that pit collapsed, it scared me half to death."
"Yeah," Ethan said, dusting off his clothes. "Had a little accident."
Oliver hesitated, then couldn't help asking, "I have to know… why dig that deep? Was there something down there?"
"Mm." Ethan smiled. "There was treasure."
From Oliver's expression, Ethan could pretty much guess what he was thinking. But there was no chance Ethan was letting anyone else lay eyes on what they'd pulled out.
