Target on the Mountain

by Elizabeth Goddard

  Alex took a second to gain his bearings. They were almost to the top of Plume Mountain, one of the many mountains neighboring Midnight Mountain.

  He couldn’t figure out how Victor McNamara or any of the events that had taken place related to Liam’s disappearance. He was positive the name was a fake.

  Frustrated, Alex shook his head. It was beyond him at the moment. Right now, with the steady climb, it took all his skills and concentration to keep on the mare.

  After they’d put sufficient distance between themselves and the men hunting them, Rachel slowed the horse’s speed and Alex caught up to her.

  Her brown hair was windblown. Her cheeks flushed from the ride. And she had never looked more beautiful to him...or more worried.

  “Are you okay?” Alex asked when he got a good look at her expression.

  She shrugged. “I don’t know anymore. What was that about back there, Alex? Why do these people want us dead? And why is someone trying to kill Liam? Liam is a patriot. He would never compromise his loyalty to our country for anything. So, if those men are CIA, why do they want him dead?”

  “I don’t think it’s a matter of Liam compromising his values, but someone else compromising theirs. That man back there, to name one. I’m not sure what Liam uncovered, but he’s in serious danger because of it.” He hesitated before voicing his concerns. “Rachel, we can’t do this alone, especially when we really don’t know what we’re up against. We could both end up dead. Let me call in my team.” He pressed when she didn’t answer. “I promise we can trust them.”

  She stared at him as if he had lost his mind. “We can’t. Even if we can trust your team, who’s to say that someone won’t mention what’s happening here to a colleague? We could all end up dead because of it. Please, we can’t reach out to anyone connected to the CIA.”

  He understood her reluctance was because of what Liam had scribbled on the back of the map, but that didn’t change the fact that they were grossly outnumbered.

  “All right, I’ll go along with it for now, but the sooner we get some breathing room between us and those thugs back there, the better.” He expelled a weary sigh.

  She smiled over at him and squeezed his arm. “Thank you, Alex. And thank you for coming so soon. I know it couldn’t have been easy.”

  To be honest, he hadn’t even thought about it. He’d just come. Her call had left him shaken. He’d gone against every instinct screaming inside of him that told him he was making a bad decision by not looping in his CIA Scorpion commander, Jase Bradford. He’d simply left Jase in the dark as to why he needed a few days off for personal time. Then he’d borrowed his buddy Aaron Foster’s plane and left Colorado right away, because something had happened to Liam and Rachel needed him.

  “You know I’d do anything for Liam and for you. You guys are like family.” He watched her draw in a breath, her eyes clouding with some unnamed emotion he’d give anything to understand. There was a time when he knew what her every little expression meant. Back before he’d screwed things up.

  “We should probably keep going. They could have men stationed farther up this mountain,” she murmured, looking away, breaking the spell.

  Before he could answer, Rachel nudged the mare and headed up the trail once more. After a moment, he followed, while rebuking himself over letting his emotions get the better of him. He had to stay focused. The past was over and done. He was here for Liam.

  So far, it didn’t appear that anyone was following them, but Rachel was right. They could have men everywhere. Until they had a better handle on what they faced, they needed to stay on the move. They’d be harder to track that way.

  It took more than a heart-pounding hour before they summited the top of Plume Mountain, one of the lesser mountains that was part of a chain of them stretching through the area. There was still a long ways to travel before they reached their destination of Midnight Mountain. Rachel reined to a stop and took out the binoculars once more to scan the area below them where Willow Creek was located before handing them to him.

  “I don’t see anything. Not even Tom.” She got off the horse and stretched out the kinks in her back.

  After he’d checked the area and was satisfied they were safe for the moment, he did the same back stretches. He had finally gotten a sense of where he was again. He’d been away for years. It took a while to reacquaint.

  “He should have been here long before us. I don’t see his truck and trailer.” She turned to Alex. “I don’t like it. What if he was being held hostage? What if they followed him here?”

  He went over to where she stood and placed his hands on her shoulders. He could feel her grow tense in reaction to his touch and he hid his hurt with difficulty.

  “Hey, we don’t know anything’s happened yet,” he said, and yet as much as he tried to reassure her, Rachel was right. By vehicle, the drive shouldn’t take more than a half hour.

  “Where would he normally park?” he asked while trying not to show his concern. If these people were somehow CIA, they’d have the full resources of the Agency at their disposal. They could make people disappear...for good.

  She pointed to some trees close to a trailhead. “Tom and his wife come here quite often. When my husband was alive, he and I would ride horses with them up here. Tom always parked over there.”

  The mention of her husband was a painful reminder of the things that could have been his. He found himself being jealous of a dead man. Pitiful.

  “Let’s not think the worst until we know for sure. Anything could have happened. A flat tire. Maybe it took him longer to load the four-wheeler than usual.” Alex tried to sound positive, but his worst fear was that the men coming after them had gotten to Rachel’s friend.

  “Wait, I see something.” She pointed down below, then took up the binoculars once more. “That’s him. But he’s riding the four-wheeler... I thought he would pull it on a trailer behind his truck,” she said with a bewildered frown. “Something’s not right.”

  Rachel headed back to the horses, ready to ride down into the valley, but he stopped her.

  “Hang on a second. We still don’t know if he’s here alone or by his own will, for that matter. Like you said, something’s not right.”

  She stared at him for the longest time. “There’s no way Tom would set us up.”

  He didn’t break eye contact. “Maybe not willingly, but he may not have had a choice.”

  She drew in a breath. “All right. What do you suggest we do?”

  He scanned the area below them once again. “Let’s leave the horses up here and go the rest of the way down on foot.” Alex pointed to the left. “There’s plenty of tree coverage through there. If there’s someone else with him, we’ll be better able to take them by surprise.”

  “Okay,” she agreed, and then led the mares into the woods to find a location where they could tie them off with plenty of grass for grazing.

  Once they’d strapped on their backpacks, with Callie glued to their heels, Alex took the lead. “Stay close to me and if anything happens, get back here and ride out as fast as you can,” he told her, knowing she wouldn’t do any of those things. She was a soldier at heart and a soldier would never leave a fellow comrade behind.

  The hike down the opposite side of the mountain proved just as treacherous as the summit had. All the while, Alex couldn’t get the man who had attacked him out of his head. Was he CIA? They were sworn to protect, but it wouldn’t be unheard of for one of their own to go rogue. Still, why come after Liam unless he’d uncovered the traitorous threat? Was it possible this new terrorist had gotten Liam involved in something way over his head?

  Once they reached the valley, Alex stopped long enough to bring out the binoculars and scan the area. There didn’t appear to be anyone else around but the man who had dismounted the four-wheeler and stood looking around with a rifle in his hand.

&n
bsp; The dog had stuck close to them the whole way down, as if sensing something was off.

  “I don’t see anyone but your friend.” He drew his weapon and turned to her. “Just in case,” he said in response to her raised brow.

  They stepped from the cover of the trees close to the man with the four-wheeler who stood at full alert. His body language alone seemed to confirm something had gone wrong.

  Callie spotted Tom and galloped toward him, tail wagging. A twig snapped beneath the dog’s paw and the man whirled at the sound, shotgun ready to fire.

  The moment he spotted Rachel, he visibly relaxed, then reached down and patted the dog’s head. When he saw Alex with a gun in his hand, his demeanor changed immediately. He clutched the rifle tighter. Alex had no doubt he was skilled at using it.

  “It’s okay, Tom. He’s my friend,” Rachel said, and then rushed over to give the man a heartfelt hug.

  Alex watched her with the older man and it was easy to see that she loved him.

  She stepped back and turned to Alex. “Tom, this is Alex Booth. We grew up here together. He and Liam are good friends.”

  Alex tucked the Glock behind his back and shook the man’s hand. “Good to meet you, sir.”

  “You, too,” Tom said with a firm handshake. He watched as the dog went to explore a nearby plant. Alex could tell the man seemed distracted by something.

  “Has something happened, Tom?” Rachel obviously saw the same thing he did.

  After a moment or two of silence, Tom looked at Rachel. “I wasn’t able to bring the truck. I used the four-wheeler to slip out the back way.” The man shook his head. “I’m not really sure what to make of it, but it scared me. I haven’t seen anything like it in my seventy-plus years.”

  He paused for a breath and Rachel shot Alex a worried glance.

  “Right before you called, a couple of men showed up at my place asking a whole bunch of questions about Liam and you.” The concern in Tom’s eyes was real enough. “They had IDs.” He shook his head. “They said they worked for the CIA... Rachel, they said Liam did something terrible. They said he wants to hurt a lot of people.”

  All the color drained from Rachel’s face. “That’s not true. Tom, you know it’s not true. Liam would never hurt anyone.”

  Tom’s expression softened and he managed a smile for her. “I know that. I’d trust Liam with my life. Jenny, too. But these men seemed determined to lay the blame on him for something. They said he betrayed his country.” Tom spat the words out and shook his head. “Jenny was in the kitchen when they showed up. I wasn’t going to let them inside, but they pretty much forced their way in. Something about them just worried me. When you called, I went in the other room. That’s why I couldn’t talk much.”

  He stopped for a second. “Anyway, Jenny told me after they’d gone that she’s pretty sure she saw at least a half dozen more men in the woods surrounding the house. They were coming from the direction of your place. She said they were armed to the teeth.”

  He blew out an uneven breath. “They’re coming after you, too, Rachel. And they’re not going to stop until they find you and Liam. And I don’t think they care if that’s dead or alive.”

  THREE

  It felt as if the ground had been yanked out from beneath her feet. Was it possible that this whole thing was all about someone trying to frame Liam for a crime they had committed? What were they trying to cover up?

  “You saw their IDs? They were definitely CIA?” she asked in shock.

  Callie trotted back from her exploring as if sensing her owner’s unease.

  Tom nodded. “I did. They looked like CIA to me, or a very good forgery.”

  Alex pulled out the driver’s license they’d taken from the man who attacked them. “Is this one of the men you spoke with?”

  Tom took the ID and studied it before shaking his head. “Nope, that’s not one of them. The two who did the talking were both dark-haired. Average looks. Around the same age as this guy, though. They were definitely trying to be intimidating and let me say, they accomplished it.” He handed the ID back to Alex.

  Perplexed, Rachel turned to Alex. “It could be the same man from this morning. Was one of them injured?” she asked Tom.

  Tom appeared alarmed. “No, at least not that I could tell. What happened this morning?” His concern was obvious. Rachel gave him the amended version.

  He shook his head. “Unbelievable. I told Jenny I thought I heard shots pretty early this morning. I’m sorry I didn’t come to your aid, Rachel.”

  She patted his arm. “I’m glad you didn’t. They might have killed you.”

  That chilling reality hung between them, keeping everyone silent for a while.

  “Still no word from Liam?” Tom asked, breaking the quiet.

  “No.” And she was terrified for Liam’s well-being, especially after what the man who broke into her house had said. She had no idea how many days her brother had actually been missing or if the person he’d gone there to meet had set him up. The only information she had was where he was going, a dangerous location near the top of Midnight Mountain.

  “Do you need me to help with the search?” Tom asked, and his generous offer came as no surprise even though she knew she couldn’t accept.

  “Thank you, Tom, but it’s too dangerous. We’ll be okay.” Rachel wished she felt as confident as those words sounded.

  Tom bowed his head. He had been so protective of her since Brian’s passing.

  Alex touched her arm. “I hate to say it, but we should probably get going. Those men know the general direction we’re heading. They’ll keep coming after us.”

  She swallowed deeply. She hated to let Tom go. Would she see him again?

  Please, God...

  “You’re right.” She faced the older man again. “We left the horses up on top of the mountain.” She didn’t want to leave them in the elements too long.

  “Don’t worry about it. Callie and I will fetch them and take them home with me,” Tom assured her. “You two get going. The less time spent out in the open like this, the better. Jenny packed you food in the four-wheeler’s storage compartment.”

  Tom stared at her for a long time with worry creasing his face. She knew he was concerned for her safety and so she tried to ease his mind.

  “We’ll be okay, I promise. Thank you for the use of the four-wheeler. And thank Jenny, as well.”

  Tom and Jenny had been like family to her since her own parents passed away three years ago. Without them and Liam, she wouldn’t have gotten through losing her husband.

  After years in the trenches of a different and terrifying kind of warfare, Rachel had thought she’d left behind the dangerous life she’d once led. Yet here she was right back in the thick of it again, and suddenly she wasn’t so sure she could survive this time.

  She hugged Tom one more time, hating to leave him, but Alex was right. Tom needed to get home to Jenny and they’d need to put distance between themselves and the men hunting them. And she had no idea what they’d face once they got up on the mountain.

  “Be careful, Tom. Those men could still be close and watching your place.”

  Tom stood up a little taller. “Jenny stayed behind in case they came back with more questions. She thought it might look suspicious if we were both gone. She’s a better shot than I am and can handle herself in any situation. If they know what’s best for them, they’ll steer clear of her. And don’t worry about me. I know this countryside better than anyone. I’ll give them the slip if they’re still hanging around my property. You two just watch your backs.”

  Alex pulled out a piece of paper and wrote something down. “If anything comes up and you feel threatened, call this number. Ask for Jase Bradford. Tell him what’s happened and he’ll send help right away. He’s a friend and you can trust him,” Alex said, and she believed it was just as
much for her benefit as for Tom’s.

  “I will.” Tom put the number in his shirt pocket and then hugged Rachel once more. “Stay safe. And find Liam.”

  “We will.” She drew in an emotional-riddled breath and turned to Alex. “It’s been a while since you’ve been up on the mountain. Do you mind if I drive?”

  He smiled at her and some long-suppressed memory resurfaced of a time they’d spent together on a moonlit night. He’d looked at her much in the same way. She’d been crazy about him back then. She still loved the way he smiled.

  “I’m fine with that. In fact, I’m happy to act as lookout. But the sooner we get on our way, the better. We have a long trip ahead of us, and this machine can only take us so far.”

  She got on the four-wheeler and he hopped on behind her. Suddenly having him so close was a little too unsettling. It reminded her of all the times they’d spent in each other’s company in the past, both here and in the field. It made her want to protect her heart from the inevitable time when he left her again...and he would.

  They were still some distance from Midnight Mountain. With a final wave to Tom, Rachel headed the machine off in the same direction her friend had entered the valley.

  The four-wheeler’s powerful engine took the steep incline easily enough, but Rachel was concerned that once they reached the higher altitudes, the snow and ice would make it a dangerous trek. They’d be on foot and vulnerable. She just hoped the weather held.

  They said Liam did something terrible...

  There was no way she’d ever believe her brother would hurt anyone without cause. So why was someone so determined to brand Liam a traitor? What exactly had he uncovered?

  If someone from the CIA was a double agent, then they’d stop at nothing to keep their crimes from being uncovered, and chances were, they hadn’t acted alone.

  Alex leaned forward so that she could hear him over the roar of the engine. “We may have a bigger problem. There’s no way we can conceal the noise this thing makes. And the location where Liam indicated on the map is close to nine thousand feet in altitude.”