by Mary Alford
Alex stared at the fire, unsure of how she would take this new piece of news. “I need to tell you something, Rachel.” He glanced her way. Immediately he could see he had her full attention. “A few days before you called, I received a letter in the mail from Liam.” Alex stopped and shook his head. “I don’t know what to make of it. It’s nothing but ramblings to me. Liam talked about our childhood here in Midnight Mountain and some of the places we used to explore together. One in particular is underlined.”
Alex took out the letter and handed it to her. When he’d gotten her call, he’d shoved the letter inside his jacket pocket and brought it with him. She unfolded it and read through it, a tear slipping slowly down her cheek.
“I have no idea what he’s talking about,” she whispered sadly, and then handed him the letter back. He tucked it back in his pocket, the desire to comfort her running deep. Alex reached over and touched her face gently, brushing aside the tears.
Before he could voice the regrets of his heart, a noise close by had them both jumping to their feet, weapons drawn.
A woman and man emerged from the shadowy woods. The woman spotted their weapons right away and quickly raised her hands.
“Oh...we’re so sorry. We didn’t mean to frighten the two of you. We just lost our way in the dark. When I saw the fire, I was so relieved,” the woman said with the tiniest of giggles, her voice accented.
Dressed in dark clothing, she was tall, almost six feet. She stepped closer and Alex got a better look. Her dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail; she wore a baseball cap that covered part of her face.
The man hung back a little ways in the shadows. He held his hands up, too. There was something familiar about him, too, and an uneasy feeling sped through Alex. What was going on here?
Alex moved closer to Rachel’s side in a protective gesture that came naturally. “It’s okay. We just weren’t expecting company tonight.” Like her, Alex hadn’t lowered his weapon yet.
“We’re really sorry to bother you, but would it be okay if we camped out with you tonight? We’re both exhausted and I promise we won’t be any trouble.”
There was something in the woman’s voice he couldn’t place. Fear. Some type of warning. He was unsure, but Rachel’s reaction to hearing the woman speak triggered all sorts of alarms. Was it possible that she recognized the woman?
Rachel reached out and clasped Alex’s hand, squeezing it once, then letting go. She was definitely trying to warn him of something.
“Why don’t you both come warm yourself by the fire?” Alex said when Rachel stood, silently assessing the woman.
The woman glanced oddly at Rachel, almost as if she knew her. She moved over to the fire and warmed her hands. After a brief hesitation, her partner joined her.
Once Alex got a closer look at the man, he was positive he recognized him. He had no idea how.
Slowly Alex lowered his weapon. Rachel did the same and the woman let out a breath, relieved.
“Sorry to draw down on you like that. We thought you might be a bear.” Alex came up with the best explanation he could.
The woman smiled again, but it didn’t seem sincere. “No problem. I’m Michelle Mullins, by the way. This is my husband, Peter. We’re from Colorado. We’ve been hiking all the mountains in the Midnight Mountain Range.”
Alex strove for calm and eventually found it. He held out his hand and she shook it. Her husband wasn’t nearly as friendly.
The woman turned to him. “Peter, shake the man’s hand. They’re keeping us from freezing to death,” she said with another laugh.
The two seemed to be communicating something to each other. After another second, the man smiled and took Alex’s hand. “Nice to meet you both.”
“You, too,” Rachel said with an attempt at a smile once he’d shook her hand.
“Thank you so much for saving us. We got caught up in the spectacular views from the top of Midnight Mountain and lost track of the time. A foolish mistake, I know.” Michelle shook her head. “And one I’m embarrassed to say we made. We’ve been hiking for years. You’d think we’d know better.”
Rachel’s gaze met Alex’s briefly. He could see she was troubled.
“It’s no problem,” she said. “Are you two hungry?”
The woman smiled genuinely. “Starving. I’m afraid I didn’t pack enough food for the evening meal. I wasn’t expecting to be up here.” She shrugged.
“It’s okay. We have plenty.” Rachel brought out some extra sandwiches and a bottle of water and handed them to Michelle.
“Thanks.” She took it and gave Peter one of the sandwiches.
“It’s easy to get lost up here at night if you’re not careful,” Alex told the two while keeping a close eye on Peter. Where did he know the man from?
Peter nodded without answering and took a bite from the sandwich.
“Do you guys have sleeping bags with you?” Rachel asked, and looked around at the gear they carried.
From the looks of it, they had prepared for a long stay in spite of what Michelle had said.
“We do. It just makes good sense to be ready.” Michelle unzipped her backpack and brought out a sleeping bag. Alex caught a glimpse of what looked like a pistol before she closed the bag again.
He wondered why such knowledgeable hikers would allow themselves to get lost at night. Their story didn’t add up.
“So what did you say you did for a living, Alex?” Michelle asked, pinning him with her sharp gaze.
“I didn’t.” Alex didn’t elaborate. He wasn’t even trying to pretend anymore. These people were not who they said they were, and his mind had already begun to try to figure out a way to get Rachel and himself out of there safely.
How had they known where to find them? Not for a second did he buy they’d been atop the mountain. He believed they’d been deliberately searching for him and Rachel. The path Alex and Rachel were on wasn’t the most direct way to the meet location. In fact, only the locals knew about Midnight Valley, so they didn’t just happen here by accident.
“We should probably get some more firewood,” Alex told Rachel. “We don’t want the fire to go out overnight. Why don’t you come with me?”
Rachel nodded and they headed for the woods behind the camp when Michelle stopped them. “Wait, why don’t you let us help you?”
Alex believed she was trying to keep an eye on them. “There’s no need. We can handle it. You two stay warm. You must be frozen.”
He waited until Michelle sat back down before he and Rachel headed a little deeper into the woods and out of earshot.
“I don’t know about the man, but she looks familiar. I only got a glimpse of the woman who showed up at my house this morning, but I think Michelle might be her. I recognize the voice.” Rachel stepped closer, keeping her tone low. “She’s armed, too. I’m sure he will be, as well. We need to get out of here as fast as possible. We don’t know if they’ve called in backup yet.”
Alex couldn’t let go of the feeling that he knew Peter from somewhere. Was it just a coincidence that there were two bad guys who appeared familiar to him?
“You’re right. There’s no doubt that they know we’re onto them. We’ll have to find a way to neutralize the threat they pose.” He glanced back at the couple by the fire.
“I have an idea. We said we were going for wood, so let’s get some.” She quickly gathered a few nearby sticks, as did Alex. “We should get back before they become too suspicious. Follow my lead and keep your weapon close.”
Alex nodded and she drew in a breath and led the way back to the camp. As they neared, Alex could see the couple whispering to each other. They glanced back and saw them and broke apart guiltily.
“There you are. We were wondering if you two had decided to take off,” Michelle said, and Alex attempted a smile.
“Now why would we do that
?” While Alex didn’t see a weapon, he suspected that they had them close by, which wouldn’t leave him and Rachel much time to disarm them. He sure hoped her plan worked.
He watched as Rachel dropped her logs close to the fire. Alex placed a couple of sticks on the blaze itself, waiting for Rachel’s cue. She held the final log in her hand and moved around the fire, pretending to stir it. She was now closest to Peter.
Without warning, she swung the log hard and hit Peter across the face. He keeled over backward, out cold.
Right away, Michelle searched beneath her sleeping bag, no doubt for a gun.
“I wouldn’t if I were you.” Rachel drew down on Michelle, her voice reminding him of when they’d worked missions together.
With Rachel standing guard, Alex went over to the woman and grabbed the weapon she’d hidden, then checked under Peter’s sleeping bag. There was a second gun.
“We were just worried for our safety. You guys were acting strangely,” Michelle said, trying to convince them.
Alex ignored what she said and snatched up both backpacks. “We need to tie them up,” he told Rachel. “I’ll see if I can find some rope and secure him first.”
Rachel kept the gun trained on Michelle’s head. “Don’t try anything foolish,” she warned. “Or I promise you’ll regret it.”
Peter had just begun to regain consciousness when Alex retrieved some rope from one of the bags and forced Peter’s hands behind his back, then secured them.
The minute Peter realized what was happening he fought against his restraints and raged. “How’d you let this happen?” He glared at Michelle and the woman actually shrunk away from the animosity on the man’s face.
“That’s enough,” Alex ordered, and then moved to the woman. Once he’d tied up Michelle, he did a thorough search of both backpacks. What he found in one of them scared the daylights out of him. A phone. He brought up the number. It was the same phone that Liam had called him from. They had Liam’s phone. What had they done with his friend?
FOUR
Across the burning fire, the look on Alex’s face was alarming. He held Peter’s backpack in his hand. Something was wrong. What had he found inside?
Please, don’t let it be bad...
She held her breath. Their gazes locked and he silently tried to communicate something. He dropped the backpack and came over to where she stood, every step bringing more turbulence to her pulse.
“What is it?” She managed a whisper. The thought of losing her brother was terrifying.
Alex still held something in his hand. He silently motioned for them to step a little ways from the camp.
When they were out of earshot, he showed her a cell phone. She didn’t recognize it. She shook her head. She didn’t understand.
“I checked the number.” His tone was tense, so unlike Alex. Rachel braced for bad news. “This is the same phone Liam called me from before.”
She stared at him as the implication of those words finally dawned. “Why would they have Liam’s burner phone if they didn’t know where he was?” When Alex had no answer, without thinking, Rachel charged back to Michelle and yanked her to her feet. “Where is he? What have you done with him?”
Taken aback, Michelle stared at her with fear in her eyes, struggling to get away. “I don’t know who you’re talking about. Let me go.”
“You’d better keep your mouth shut.” Peter glared over at his partner. Michelle visibly flinched. She was clearly terrified of Peter.
Alex went over to the man. “You’re in no position to try to intimidate her. If you want to help yourself, you’d better start cooperating.”
Peter wasn’t swayed. “I have nothing to say.” He shot Michelle a venomous look. “And neither does she.”
“She can speak for herself.” Alex took Michelle by the arm and pulled her away from Peter’s hearing.
“Don’t try anything foolish while we’re gone,” Rachel warned, and then followed Alex.
“He can’t hurt you anymore,” Alex told her. “We’ll protect you, but you have to tell us what’s going on here. Who are you working for? Where’s Agent Carlson?” Michelle’s brittle laugh cut through what he’d said.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Michelle said in a hushed tone. She was visibly shaken and immediately seemed to regret her outburst. “My husband and I told you who we are. We came to you because we were lost and needed help, but you two have all but taken us hostage and we’ve done nothing wrong.”
Alex held up the phone. “And this? I found it in Peter’s backpack. It belongs to a friend of mine who’s gone missing up here. A federal agent. How did you end up with his phone?”
Michelle glanced back at Peter and then looked Alex in the eye. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You two are the first people we’ve run into. Maybe there are others here. People with bad intentions aimed toward your friend...and you.”
Rachel sucked in a breath. “What do you mean by that?” She was convinced Michelle was trying to tell them they weren’t alone up here. Or was she simply trying to dodge the question?
Michelle turned back toward Peter. “I have nothing else to say to you. And I would suggest you get out of here before you find yourself facing far worse trouble than you’ve seen so far.”
Shocked, Rachel riveted her gaze to Alex. There was no doubt in her mind the woman was trying her best to warn them without giving away too much.
Alex took Michelle back to where Peter was silently fuming. Then he motioned to Rachel and they stepped out of earshot once more.
“We need to get out of here now, Alex. I don’t know what her intentions were for saying what she did, but I believe she was warning us there are others up here, searching for Liam and probably for us, as well.”
Alex nodded then glanced over her shoulder to where the two sat. Michelle still looked afraid. Peter appeared to be browbeating her. “I think you’re right. Their driver’s licenses seem to back up their claim of who they are, but they could have been forged. And I’m positive I know this guy Peter from somewhere.”
This bit of news was unsettling. He’d said the same about the man who had attacked them earlier. Did Alex recognize the men because they were part of the same organization as he was? It was an uneasy thought.
“Do you have any idea how?” It was too big of a coincidence that Alex would know two of the men that were hunting them down. They really needed to figure out why they were being chased so aggressively. Perhaps in the process it would lead to answers into Liam’s location.
He shook his head, obviously frustrated by the elusive recollection. “I wish I knew. It’s on the edge of my memory, but I just can’t bring it out. Anyway, you’re right. If what Michelle alluded to is correct, they could have men on the way here right now.”
Which meant their window of escape was rapidly closing.
“What do we do about those two? We can’t leave them up here in the elements.”
“We stoke the fire and get out of here as quickly as possible before the people they’ve called catch up with us. Make no mistake—they didn’t just happen upon us.”
He was right. They’d probably been stalking them for a while.
“You need to let us go now.” Peter talked in an overly loud voice once they’d returned to camp. Was he trying to alert his comrades to their location? “You can’t leave us here. We’ll freeze to death.”
Alex ignored the man’s raging and piled enough wood on the fire to last until morning.
“That should get you through the night. I’ll be calling the authorities to let them know where they can pick you two up as soon as possible. I would suggest you tell them the truth.”
“You can’t leave us here,” Michelle pleaded with Rachel. She could almost swear there was real fear in Michelle’s eyes. Was it just an act? She’d had her chance to tal
k and had refused.
“You’ll be fine until the authorities arrive,” Rachel assured her. “The fire will keep any predators away.”
Alex gathered up their phones and camping supplies. Rachel slipped on her backpack and they headed out in the opposite direction from where they believed Liam’s meet had happened, trying to throw the two off as to where they were really heading.
Once they’d gone some distance from the campsite, Alex slowed down. “How are you holding up?” he asked.
Rachel glanced up at the sky filled with stars. “Okay, I guess. But I hate trying to make our way up to the top of Midnight Mountain at night.” She thought about Michelle’s warning. “I don’t doubt for a second that Michelle was warning us there are more people up here searching for Liam and us. They probably called them to let them know they’d found us before they came into the camp.”
Alex nodded. “I can’t figure out her motives. She seemed genuinely scared, but when given the opportunity, she chose to back Peter. It could all be an act. Right now, we can’t afford to trust her.”
Rachel placed her hand on his arm and he turned to look down at her. “We can’t really call in the authorities, Alex. We don’t know who’s really behind Liam’s disappearance. You saw the note Liam left. It’s too dangerous.”
Alex looked around the area uneasily. “I know. There’s no doubt in my mind that there are others out there. I think Peter was trying to warn them of our exact location by talking loudly.”
She’d thought the same thing. “We should be far enough away by now to circle back in the right direction.”
They started off in the different path that would take them up to the top of the mountain. “It’s getting colder by the minute.” Alex turned the collar of his jacket up.
He was right. It felt as if the temperature had dropped at least ten degrees. Rachel rubbed her gloved hands together. “We need to keep walking just to stay warm.”
The rugged mountain terrain made it impossible to keep up a good pace. Not to mention that they were traveling in the dark, unable to use flashlights to illuminate their way. They’d be sitting ducks if they were to happen upon the enemy.
