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

thief must have parked his car a ways from the property.” That meant even if the thieves wanted to leave, they probably couldn’t until the storm let up. They wouldn’t risk freezing in the blizzard. Jason and Isabel were trapped here and so were the two thieves.

What would be the best thing to do? To wait it out and hope they wouldn’t be found here...or to go back to the house? One thing was certain: they needed to stay together.

He stood up and looked out the window.

Night would be falling soon. They’d have the cover of darkness. It wasn’t that long a walk from the studio to the house, but in blizzard conditions, it would be easy enough to get disoriented.

As a boy, he remembered his father, a sheriff in another county, telling stories of men who froze to death walking from a barn to the house in whiteout conditions.

Isabel shifted a little closer to him. “We don’t know anything about the other guy. What if he has a gun?”

Jason had thought of that too. “When are the Wilsons supposed to get here?”

“Tomorrow afternoon. I have other houses to deal with tomorrow, so I had to fit this one in today.”

The door rattled and shook. Jason took a step back. It could have been the wind.

“It’s really blowing out there.” Isabel’s voice held only a trace of fear. “I say we stay here.”

He nodded and then looked around the studio space for anything that might be of use.

His search was interrupted by the glass in the window shattering.

FOUR

A scream caught in Isabel’s throat. Glass flew everywhere as a gun was fired through the window. Both of them ducked to the floor. She lifted her head. Though she could only discern his silhouette, this was a different man than Mr. Knife, shorter and more muscular.

Jason grabbed her and led her toward the door, where he pushed away the heavy metal sculpture.

Mr. Gun must know they’d try the door.

Her gaze darted around the room. There was no other way to escape.

Jason yanked open the door and drew his own gun. They rushed out into the dark of night. The cold permeated her skin almost immediately. Wind pushed on her body. Swordlike snowflakes sliced across her face and neck.

Jason’s hand slipped into hers. She bent her head to shield it from the assault of the storm.

Gunfire reverberated through the woods. Any doubt that Mr. Knife had an accomplice was removed. Mr. Gun was after them.

Jason’s fingers gripped hers like iron. He pulled her sideways until they entered a grove of trees that provided only a small amount of shelter.

Through the haze of snow, she saw a light bob past them. Jason aimed his gun toward the light but didn’t pull the trigger. Once it was clear their pursuer hadn’t seen them, he put the gun back in his waistband.

Mr. Gun was probably better dressed and equipped to deal with the snow, and he had a flashlight.

Isabel shivered. If she was cold, Jason must be close to hypothermia with thin layers of fabric to protect him.

He leaned close to her and whispered in her ear. “He’s gone past us.”

He took her hand again, which warmed hers despite the conditions. He wove through the trees.

“Do you know where you’re going?”

“I’m hoping to see light from the house,” he said.

The sheets of snow and darkness made it hard to see the landscape clearly. “There was no light on in the house earlier. I think the storm might have knocked out the electricity.”

As they stumbled through the trees, she felt hope fading. One small light that pierced the reduced visibility of the storm was all they needed.

“He went ahead of us. Watch for his flashlight,” Jason said. He had to lean close to her and shout to be heard above the shrill cry of the storm.

She could barely see three feet in front of her. They would have to be right on top of the thief before they saw him. It was a dangerous game they were playing.

Jason claimed he was not on the wrong side of the law. His story made sense...sort of. Why he needed the bookmark was a little perplexing. Even if he was a detective, maybe he saw the possibility of financial gain in finding it. It wouldn’t be the first time a law-enforcement guy was on the take.

She leaned closer to him and trudged forward. Not because she totally trusted him, but because getting too far away from him increased her chances of ending up a Popsicle.

Up ahead, a light winked in and out of view. They veered toward where they’d last seen it.

Wind pressed on her from three sides like being inside a vacuum cleaner. Its howling and the creaking of trees surrounded her. She lifted her head slightly, hoping to see the light again.

Isabel squinted against the onslaught of icy snow and intense wind. The pinpricks of the flakes on her skin were like a thousand tiny needles.

Jason wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her in a new direction. He must have seen something she’d missed. If they got too close to the thief, he would shoot them.

She lifted her head again, thinking the house should’ve come into view by now. Jason let go of her. She reached out for his hand as her heart squeezed tight with fear. He was her lifeline. She did not want to get lost in this storm.

He caught her hand again.

The house appeared suddenly in her field of vision. They were only feet away from it. Jason pulled her toward him. She reached out for the security of the outside wall.

When they got the door open, they both fell inside onto a tiled floor.

Before she even had time to take a deep breath—now that she wasn’t fighting wind, snow and cold—she heard footsteps pounding, growing louder. The room was almost completely dark.

Jason tugged on her sleeve. He opened a small door, and they both crawled inside. The space was so small