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

“It’s been one of those days, okay?” He winked at his sister. To Tori, he said, “I texted her earlier when I knew we had to move again.”

Tori nodded.

Katelyn’s long brown hair pulled back in a flattering ponytail, she flashed a brilliant smile, letting them know she was teasing. “Hey, Tori. It’s good to see you, though I’d prefer it were under much different circumstances.”

Tori looked from Ryan to Katelyn. So he’d brought in a chaperone? He didn’t trust himself to be alone with Tori? Oh, she wished that thought hadn’t even occurred to her.

“It’s nice to see you, too. So why exactly are you here, if I may ask?” The question sounded kind of rude, but she wanted to know what was going on.

“I can see those wheels spinning in your head.” Ryan’s wink brought on a blush.

That he could read her mind made her cheeks all the warmer.

Ryan cleared his throat. “Katelyn can take you where you need to go, if you actually need to get out. Let’s hope we get this guy, and soon. Things seem to be ramping up.”

“You mean whoever killed Sarah is becoming desperate to find and kill me for whatever they think I know. Their actions seem counterintuitive to me. Escalating the murder attempts only increases the heat on them.”

Arms crossed, he nodded. “Agreed. But it doesn’t seem likely the guy is going to back down now, even if he could better protect himself by hiding rather than attacking. In the meantime, we’re on the lookout for the two vehicles that approached the original safe house, so I hope we get a hit there. Jasper has security cameras so we can use those to see if we can get more details. But if solving this case takes much longer, then we’ll have to make different arrangements for you—that is, unless you’re willing to go back to your job on the other side of the country.”

Katelyn appeared thoughtful, her blue-green gaze startlingly similar to Ryan’s.

“I’m here to help you, Tori,” Katelyn said. “As a friend, of course, but also to help out my twin brother. But I should mention he’s paying me, too.” She offered a silly grin. “I’m freelancing right now.”

“Freelancing?” Katelyn worked in law enforcement in the town of Shasta, Tori had thought. What happened to that?

“Let’s just say I’m in between law enforcement jobs.” Katelyn lifted her jacket to reveal she was armed, then unpacked the groceries. Looked like they were eating Italian tonight. “And I can also cook a mean pot of pasta.”

Tori chuckled. “Well, this should be interesting.”

Ryan opened the fridge. “Three heads are better than two.”

“Three heads?” Tori asked. “What about your entire sheriff’s department? What about the FBI?”

“When it comes to you, Tori,” he said, “I’m holding your safety close.”

Meaning this time, no one besides Ryan and his twin sister knew where Tori was staying. That is, unless someone had followed them here. Maybe someone had followed them to the last house, despite their best efforts to conceal their travel destination.

“Fair enough.”

Ryan had grabbed three sodas and set them on the counter. “You thirsty?”

“Sure, but...” She shifted the purse on her shoulder and eyed her duffel and laptop case. “Can I put my things somewhere?”

He studied Tori for a moment, the hint of his grin barely revealing his dimples. “Pardon my manners. You’ll find the guest bedroom down the hallway. Second door to the right.”

Tori found the room decorated in shades of sage and brown. Comforting and practical. Had Katelyn been the decorator? When Tori and Ryan had dated years ago, he hadn’t owned a house. He’d lived in an apartment.

An image flashed through her thoughts of her and Ryan together. Married. Living in a home of their own, busy and active with their law enforcement careers. A small framed picture sat on the side table. She lifted it to get a closer look. The picture was older and portrayed his parents and siblings—they were all much younger. Ryan was probably only ten.

Kids.

Sarah had wanted that life. She’d wanted to get married and have a family.

Tori had kept pushing that part of her dream further out each year. She might have even put it off until it was too late. She chewed on her lip. Focusing on her career first had made sense at the time...but Sarah’s death had changed her perspective and, in fact, was still changing the way Tori viewed life. The way she viewed everything.

Ryan.

She set the picture down. What about Ryan’s brothers? What were they doing now? Oh, why was she feeling so nostalgic when there was work to be done? Tori shoved the mushy feelings over to the far side of her heart so she could concentrate on helping Ryan get to the bottom of this.

Plus, Tori had a decision to make. Should she ask for a longer leave and stay or go all the way and give up her job? Or when her bereavement leave was up, should she go back to her job and leave Ryan to find Sarah’s killer and Tori’s attacker without her help? Thoughts of stepping away from the investigation left her unsettled. Not that she didn’t trust him, but she was worried about him, too. The killer had already murdered five people. If Tori got far enough away, she should be safe, but Ryan would still be here in the midst of it. Touching the image of a young Ryan in the photograph, she pursed her lips.

Uncertainty weighed on her, though she needed to make a decision. She would need to know the answer to her own questions soon.

She left her duffel and purse on the queen bed and snatched her laptop from the case. She brought it with her back into the kitchen and set it on the table. Katelyn had already filled the room with the delicious smells of Italian food. Tori’s stomach rumbled in response.

“Where’s Ryan?” she asked.

“He’s on a call. Something about the