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

Don’t be taken in, Izzy.

One small act of kindness did not reveal a man’s whole character. “So you’re not really with the county, are you?”

“No.” He pressed his lips together and stared straight ahead, making it clear he wasn’t going to tell her anything else. “The less you know, the better.”

More secrecy.

As they forged through the quiet forest, Isabel felt a heaviness descend on her. What was God doing here? It felt like she was losing everything she’d fought for from the moment she’d given Him her heart in that jail cell. Her job was in jeopardy, her car had been sabotaged and she may be hooked up with another criminal.

Mel brushed the snow out of his hair. “We’ll get this straightened out. Trust me.”

She didn’t fail to notice the flatness in his voice as if he was trying to convince himself that everything was going to be okay.

Trust me. Those were some famous last words. Wind gusted and swirled through the trees. Isabel zipped the borrowed coat up to her neck and prayed that Mel was right.

As he trudged through the snow, Jason’s thoughts raced faster than a horse a mile from the barn. He glanced over at Isabel. Soft honey-colored curls covered her face as she bent forward to shield herself from the falling, blowing snow. She was pretty. He’d at least admit that.

She seemed innocent enough, but something about her just didn’t ring true.

The thief hadn’t found the bookmark yet or he would have left. Maybe the thief thought he or Isabel had it and that was why he was bent on taking them out. The guy was a fool to come after them. He wouldn’t be utilized again by the mastermind. Whoever was orchestrating the smuggling had kept it very under the radar. These low-level guys were sometimes more brawn than brains.

The one thing he knew for certain was that he couldn’t let this investigation fall apart. The agents at the Bureau had put in hundreds of labor hours to gather profiles of all the people involved. His job was just one small part of a bigger picture.

Once he got a signal, he’d call his contact at the Bureau to come and get them. He’d tell Isabel the guy was a friend. The less she knew, the safer she was.

A chill had settled on his skin and was making its way to his bones. He didn’t regret giving his coat to Isabel, though. His father had taught him to be a gentleman. A lot of good it had done his dad. The man had endured a difficult marriage only to have his mom leave for another man. After the end of his own bad relationship, Jason had concluded that if women weren’t cheaters, they were liars. Isabel might not be a thief, but she was still hiding something. He just wasn’t sure what.

While they were working their way back to the house, he might as well try to figure out why she seemed to be acting a part.

“So how long have you worked for this property management place?” The trees thinned and he caught a glimpse of the obnoxiously big house with its central dome.

“What are you doing up here, anyway?” She turned, her expression filled with challenge.

If they were going to get out of this mess, he needed her to trust him. “I’m with the law. That’s all you need to know.”

She bent forward with arms folded over her chest. “He thinks we’re partners.”

“What?”

She stopped and stared at the sky. “When he held that knife to my throat—” She lifted her chin and squared her shoulders, but her quivering mouth revealed she was upset.

His emotions whiplashed from rage that a man would be so violent toward a woman to compassion for Isabel. “It’s not right that happened to you.”

As quickly as she had lost it, she regained her composure. “Anyway, he accused us of working together to steal his fortune.”

Maybe he could still salvage this investigation. As long as the thief didn’t think he was connected to law enforcement. “I’m sorry about the knife.”

She shrugged. “It wasn’t you that did it.” She did a double take as though she were trying to ferret out some hidden motive in him or see beneath his skin.

She still didn’t trust him.

The trees thinned.

Isabel stared up at the house, her voice filled with worry. “Perhaps he’ll just go away.”

He doubted that.

“He made a mess in the foyer,” she said. “If we get out of here, I’ll have to explain that to my clients and my boss.”

Her priorities seemed a little out of order. “Let’s just focus on getting out of here before he has a chance to come after us again.” His phone still showed no signal.

Snow pelted them as they came out in the open and approached the circular driveway. “Hide behind my van. He might be watching.”

He didn’t want to worry Isabel. She seemed anxious enough, but another thought concerned him. How did the man with the knife have time to slash both sets of tires and come after them pretty much nonstop? He suspected there was not one but two thieves roaming around the estate. One of them had probably been waiting in the unseen car and been called in when things fell apart.

Isabel scurried up the driveway and crouched on the far side of the van. He slipped in beside her, leaning close to whisper in her ear. “Let’s figure out where he is before we go to that studio. Is there a back way in?” Though he didn’t want to alarm Isabel, he wanted to know if they were dealing with not one but two men.

She nodded. “Through the kitchen.”

She led him around the house using the bushes for cover, then opened a door to a kitchen fit for a four-star restaurant. Stainless steel gleamed everywhere. An array of pots and pans hung above the island. The granite countertop displayed every gadget and more appliances than