Target on the Mountain by Elizabeth Goddard (the chimp paradox .txt) 📕

“Get a medical chopper up here right away. We have injured men,” Jase told one of his guys.

But Rachel was no longer listening. She ran to Alex and threw her arms around him. She was so grateful that they’d made it through alive.

He held her close for the longest time. Then he framed her face and kissed her tenderly.

She loved him so much. She didn’t want to deny it any longer. She loved him and she was so afraid he would choose the job over her once more.

“Temple shot his own guy dead,” Alex told his friend. “He wanted to surrender. Temple wasn’t going down without a fight.”

Jase came over to where they stood. “We need to get these two to a hospital. The rest of the men will be taken into custody. We’ll interview them separately. Let’s see if we can get one of them to talk about who was supposed to buy the sarin gas.”

Rachel still couldn’t believe how close to dying she’d come. “Is there any news on my brother?” She had to know Liam was okay.

Jase’s smile broadened. “The cell service up here is horrible, but I just got the word. He’s going to be fine. He’ll be in the hospital for a while, though. Deacon’s touch and go. He was in pretty bad shape when Ryan reached him.”

She said a silent prayer for Deacon’s recovery. He’d fought so hard to live even though his injuries had been severe. Deacon had tried to help Michelle get away from Temple. He’d done his best to bring down Temple and his thugs. He didn’t deserve to die because of his loyalty.

“I know where the gas is hidden.” Alex glanced down at Rachel as he spoke.

Jase stared at him in surprise. “Where?”

“The cave Liam mentioned in his letter,” Alex said to Rachel. “He was trying to tell me without saying it directly in case the letter fell into the wrong hands. Liam must have realized that Seth was dirty and was fearful he’d find the letter somehow.”

“We need to find the sarin as soon as possible,” Jase said. “And we need to find the rest of Temple’s men. I have the state troopers combing the woods. There were some at the lodge. They’d been digging up the floor. They said they thought the gas was there.” Jase shook his head.

“I guess they bought my story after all.” Alex told him what had happened before they arrived.

“Unbelievable.” Jase gave them both the once-over. Alex couldn’t imagine how horrible they must look. “Ryan’s on his way back here to take these injured men to the hospital. I want him to take a look at the both of you. You look as if you could use a little medical attention.”

Once air emergency services arrived, they prepared Temple and the other injured man for the trip. Ryan and Aaron were with them.

Exhausted to his core, Alex asked Ryan to take a look at Rachel first. She’d been through so much and she wasn’t used to being in the field anymore.

Alex wasn’t about to stay behind until he’d found out the ending of the story. Why Liam and Deacon had risked their lives.

He waited until Ryan had finished his exam of Rachel and had treated her cuts and scrapes. “I’m going with them,” he told her gently. “I want to know that the sarin is safe. Liam and Deacon deserve as much.”

“I’m coming with you, Alex.” But he shook his head. “No, you’ve been through enough. Go be with Liam. I’ll find you again.”

He could see all the doubts in her eyes and he understood each of them. He’d let her go once. She believed he would choose the job again.

Before he could reassure her, Ryan came over. “It’s time to go. We need to get these guys to the hospital as soon as possible.”

Alex nodded. “Give us a second.” Ryan faded away and when it was just the two of them again, he didn’t know what to say.

She leaned over and kissed him gently. “Go. I’ll see you soon.”

He hated leaving her, knowing that she had doubts about his love, but he’d see the mission through to the end, because in his mind it was his last.

Once Rachel had left with Ryan, Alex found Jase.

“So where’s this cave?” Jase asked.

“I can take you there. It’s some distance away. We can reach it by chopper faster.”

“Good. Let’s get back to the chopper where Liz and her two prisoners are waiting.”

Liz was standing outside waiting for them when they arrived.

“Has he given you any problems?” Jase asked.

She shook her head. “Nothing I couldn’t handle.”

Before long the state troopers arrived and took Michelle and the other man to a location where Jase and his men could interrogate them.

Aaron piloted the chopper to the cave where Liam had indicated. Alex led the way inside. At first glance, the cave appeared empty. Alex’s spirits sank. Had he been wrong? Was Liam simply reminiscing?

“I don’t get it. I was positive Liam was trying to tell me something. Let’s keep looking. Chances are, he wouldn’t have hidden it too close to the entrance in case one of Temple’s men stumbled across it.”

As they went deeper into the cave, it opened up into a room that was filled almost to capacity with the sarin gas.

“What were Temple and his men planning to do with all this sarin?” Jase asked in amazement.

“I don’t know, but whatever it was, it could have had deadly consequences. Thankfully, we found it before it fell into the wrong hands.”

“Yes. It’ll take a while to safely get this stuff out of here and stored. Do you want to be part of that? You’re the one who brought it to our attention. This is big for you,” Jase told him.

Alex shook his head. He had found the sarin for his friend’s sake. He’d finished the mission. Now all he could think about was Rachel and the future. She needed to know