Mountain Secrets by Elizabeth Goddard (good books to read for teens txt) 📕

ice crashed down, shattering in an explosive display. Fragments hit dangerously close to where Colin wrestled with Buck for the upper hand.

A truck-sized chunk of ice slid across the ground like a bull charging toward her. Jewel pressed against the frozen wall—deeper, harder—turned her face away. Cold seeped through her bones. Sharp edges pinched into her skin. She squeezed her eyes shut. There was nowhere else to go.

She waited for the impact, though it all happened in a millisecond. The deadly ice slammed against the boulder and broke into smaller pieces that slid to a stop near her feet.

Releasing her pent-up breath, she prayed harder. Cried out to God.

If the gun continued firing and more bullets ricocheted, the whole cave might come crashing down on them.

I’m helpless here.

She was no use to Colin.

God, what can I do? Help us, please!

Jewel searched for a rock. But wait. She could use the chunk of ice next to her foot with its sharp, cutting edges.

Maybe.

Carefully gripping the frozen weapon, she crawled from behind the protective boulder. Both men continued their struggle over just one gun now, and it flailed in all directions. Another shot rang out as a bullet whizzed past her ear. Jewel ducked behind the boulder again.

She would be deaf before this was over, if she even survived. If the ice above them didn’t react to the concussive blasts, crack and cave in.

What do I do? What do I do?

What if Colin lost this battle? Then what?

Jewel couldn’t let that happen. She picked up the broken ice again, as solid as a rock and just as deadly, and charged out into the open. Colin had Buck against the wall, beating his arm and wrist against jagged ice so he would release his weapon.

Buck cried out, fired the weapon, then released it.

Jewel dropped the rock to pick up the gun instead.

But Buck elbowed Colin in the nose and broke loose before grabbing Jewel from behind. Swinging her around to face Colin, Buck had pulled a knife from his pocket and pressed it to her throat. She gripped the gun and tossed it to Colin. It fell to the ground and slid toward him.

In her ear, Buck laughed. “Both guns are out of ammo now, so the gun is no use to the chief.”

Had they fired that many rounds? They were fortunate the ceiling hadn’t fallen down on them. With her thoughts, a resounding crack split the air. They stood frozen, waiting to see if the ice cave would collapse on them. Even Buck tensed. But nothing happened.

Then she saw it. Colin had been shot. Blood oozed from his shoulder and his nose. He staggered, almost imperceptibly, but she caught it.

Jewel searched Colin’s gaze. She wanted to fight back like Colin had taught her. She positioned her feet in a wide stance. But to her surprise, he sent her a subtle shake of his head.

No.

What? He didn’t even want her to try?

“Come on.” Buck tugged her back and away from Colin.

She held her ground, refusing to move. “You’re not going to kill me. Without me, you’ll never find the diamond.”

“Don’t test your theory.” He pressed the cold blade harder against her neck. A sharp sting pricked her skin; warmth slid down. Her legs went weak. “And I wouldn’t worry about the chief saving you. He’s in no shape to follow.”

“No!” she screamed as Buck dragged her away, pressing the knife into her throat. “You can’t leave him to die.”

“Believe me. This is not how I wanted this to end. I wanted him to suffer more.”

He dragged her deeper into the ice cave, where the greens and cerulean blues turned dark and ominous. And the deeper they went, the farther she was from Colin. Would he survive? Would she ever see him again? Why hadn’t he run after Buck again? He must be badly wounded, possibly dying; otherwise he would come for her.

She twisted, but any movement she made other than forward with Buck meant potential death as she felt the sting of the knife, the small trickle of blood already running down her neck.

“Colin!” she called back to him. Jewel sucked in too much air and won herself another cut. “Listen,” she said to Buck. “I’ll tell you where the diamond is and you can just let me go. Colin needs help. I can’t let him die.”

“Why not? He failed you, just like he failed the woman he loved in Texas. Why would you want to help him now? He deserves what he gets.”

“You’re a monster.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“It makes me shudder to think you’re married to my sister.” She tried to jerk away. “Where are you taking me?”

“Plans have changed. I can’t be sure others won’t show up looking for the chief or for you, so you’ll need to come with me. You can show me the diamond yourself. I might like that better. You can put the diamond in my hand and beg for your life. Let’s face it, if I kill you, Meral might inherit everything, but that doesn’t mean we’ll ever find it. You’ve hidden it well so far. And my business is overextended at the moment. Taking the diamond from you is like a moonlighting weekend, nothing more.”

“Then you should pull the knife away because you’re going to accidentally kill me before you have the diamond.”

Buck responded. Jewel was free from the knife.

Now that it no longer threatened her within an inch of her life, she pressed her face into her hands, stumbling as she went, thinking of all her regrets.

She’d never really trusted Silas, the man she’d loved, with her life. If she had, she wouldn’t have stolen the diamond in the first place, and all of this trouble could have been avoided.

If I had known what the future held, God, I never would have done it! But, God, I want to move past my mistakes. I want to live to see another day. I want a chance at love again.

She wanted a chance to love Colin. What