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

Footfalls approached from behind. She stiffened.

“Don’t move,” a distorted voice said. “Toss the weapon and hold your hands up where I can see them.”

Tori tossed her weapon, but not terribly far. “My parents?”

“In due time. Now, toss the other weapon, the one you keep at your ankle.”

She heaved a sigh and removed the smaller pistol from the ankle strap, then shucked that, as well. Again, not too far. In a pinch, she might be able to reach it.

The distorted voice creeped her out. Then again, he was hiding his identity, which offered her hope that she and her parents might actually make it out of this alive. If he planned to kill them, there would be no reason to take such precautions to disguise himself.

“Keep walking and go inside the building.”

Again Tori complied, her mind racing with how she could overtake this man. But she had to make sure her parents were alive and then get them someplace safe before she took action that could get them killed.

She stepped up to the doors.

“Open it.”

“Look, there’s no need to involve them.”

“Open the door and go inside.”

Tori did as she was told, stepping into a condemned and dark building, even though that went against every bit of instinct she had and all her training. But the threat to her parents trumped everything else.

A flashlight came on from behind, lighting her way ahead.

“Keep walking to the end of the hallway and then take a right.”

Tori feared that her parents weren’t here at all and she was only walking into a trap.

Lord, help me to get us out of this. Please save us.

In the long, dark hallway, she could see light up ahead of them, coming from beneath a doorway. A room in the middle of the building so no lights could be seen on the outside. No sniper shots to take out the person or people orchestrating the abduction.

She paused at the door from which light beamed. “This one?”

“Yes. Go inside and see your parents.”

Tori opened the door and stepped inside. Her parents were both gagged and bound, sitting in chairs. Their eyes widened when they saw her. Short-lived relief rushed through her.

She started to move toward them to hug them.

“Stop.”

Tori stopped, fear and anger surging through her. The terror in her parents’ eyes nearly stole her breath. They both subtly shook their heads as if they wished she had stayed away. It shocked her that they expected her to save her own life and leave theirs to this monster.

“I assume the package is in your bag. Empty the contents on the floor.”

She dumped everything out, suddenly wishing she’d done a more thorough search. What if Katelyn had planted another tracker and that was revealed now? She and her parents could die for that mistake. Who was she kidding—they would die anyway. Even if the abductor hid his identity, they still knew too much. Sarah had known too much and had died for that.

Still, the thought of a tracker gave her hope. What if there really had been another tracker she hadn’t found? That meant Ryan would know she had left the airport and wasn’t on a plane to the far side of the country, if Katelyn still followed the tracker’s data and shared that information with her brother.

“Kick the envelope away from you.”

Tori kicked it away. The man morphing his voice stood behind her. She still hadn’t seen his face. “All right. You have your package now. If you’re thinking of killing us now, then you’d better think again.”

He didn’t respond.

“You told me if the information ever comes to light, then my parents’ lives will be threatened again. The reverse is true—if something happens to them or to me—then I’ve made arrangements for everything to be revealed to the authorities. Do you understand?”

The words she was trying to use to gain their safe passage from this situation fell flat to her own ears.

“You’re bluffing.”

“I’m not. But if you kill us, you’ll find out.” Would he kill them and dump them in the river, or try to tie their murder to drugs like he’d tried with Sarah’s death? He’d tried to make it look like she’d been in the wrong place at the wrong time and with the wrong group of people.

Whatever happened, she trusted Detective Ryan Bradley to discover the truth about their deaths.

Except Tori had no intention of letting it go that far.

She slowly began turning around.

“Stop!”

She continued turning, because if she wanted him to believe her about her threat, then she’d better start acting the part. Soon she faced off with a smallish figure dressed in black and wearing a mask.

Something looked strange about him.

He pulled off the mask.

Only he was a she. Blond hair spilled out over her shoulders.

“Who are you?”

That she’d revealed herself didn’t bode well for them. Tori had pushed too far.

“You think you’re so smart.” The woman turned off the voice-distorting device. “I’d let you try to figure out who I am, except you’re not leaving.”

“What? That was our deal. And you know what’s going to happen.”

“It’ll be too late by the time they figure it out, even if your threats are true.”

Tori didn’t get it. Why would it be too late? Unless... “You’re leaving the country.” Could Tori reach and disarm this woman in time?

“None of that is your concern any longer. Don’t worry, I’m not going to kill you.” The door opened and in stepped a muscular guy. “He is. Meet Vincent. It’s easy to hire an assassin online these days. I’m glad he was around to finally get rid of Eddie, who botched everything, starting with those four murders.”

The woman turned and then glanced back, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “Have fun, Vincent, but not too much fun. I want this all erased within the hour.”

And she was gone.

Tori would have to face off with Vincent, but at least she had a chance to survive. A chance to save her parents. She wished she had called Ryan