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

He smiled at her and some long-suppressed memory resurfaced of a time they’d spent together on a moonlit night. He’d looked at her much in the same way. She’d been crazy about him back then. She still loved the way he smiled.

“I’m fine with that. In fact, I’m happy to act as lookout. But the sooner we get on our way, the better. We have a long trip ahead of us, and this machine can only take us so far.”

She got on the four-wheeler and he hopped on behind her. Suddenly having him so close was a little too unsettling. It reminded her of all the times they’d spent in each other’s company in the past, both here and in the field. It made her want to protect her heart from the inevitable time when he left her again...and he would.

They were still some distance from Midnight Mountain. With a final wave to Tom, Rachel headed the machine off in the same direction her friend had entered the valley.

The four-wheeler’s powerful engine took the steep incline easily enough, but Rachel was concerned that once they reached the higher altitudes, the snow and ice would make it a dangerous trek. They’d be on foot and vulnerable. She just hoped the weather held.

They said Liam did something terrible...

There was no way she’d ever believe her brother would hurt anyone without cause. So why was someone so determined to brand Liam a traitor? What exactly had he uncovered?

If someone from the CIA was a double agent, then they’d stop at nothing to keep their crimes from being uncovered, and chances were, they hadn’t acted alone.

Alex leaned forward so that she could hear him over the roar of the engine. “We may have a bigger problem. There’s no way we can conceal the noise this thing makes. And the location where Liam indicated on the map is close to nine thousand feet in altitude.”

Rachel had considered the same thing, too. “You’re right. We’ll need to find a place to leave it once we reach the base of Midnight Mountain. How are you at hiking these days?”

When they were younger, the three of them had hiked this mountain dozens of times. There was one spot in particular that they loved to camp at. The mountains at night were breathtaking and the stars appeared close enough to touch.

Alex chucked softly, the sound sending chills through her nervous system. “Don’t worry. I’m not that out of shape. I think I can still keep up with you.”

He certainly appeared fit enough. Outdoorsy as ever, Alex would always be the most handsome man she knew. Yet being close to him brought up emotions she’d just as soon not deal with.

She’d been crazy about him for as long as she could remember. The three of them had been determined to stay close after high school, and so they’d attended the same university. Deciding to join the CIA had been a joint decision, as well. They had all excelled at the job...for a while.

But soon, the stress of the life of an agent became too much for Rachel. Her world consisted of one dangerous mission followed by another. She found herself needing more than the adrenaline rush. She wanted a life beyond the spy games they played. A family. And she wanted all those things with Alex. She just hadn’t expected his reaction. He didn’t share any of her dreams.

Now, Rachel found herself wondering about what his life had been like over the past five years. Liam had told her that Alex had taken a different job within the CIA, a more specialized detachment, but he hadn’t been able to talk about it much. Was Alex involved with someone new, or was he still married to the job?

Somehow, Rachel let go of the past. No sense crying over spilled milk. Neither one of them could go back in time and change things.

“We’re almost to the base.” Her voice sounded less than steady. It was just the past. It had a way of coming to the surface no matter how hard she tried to keep it buried. Right now, she had to find a way to shove it aside. She needed Alex’s help to bring her brother home.

“There’s a group of scrub brush to your left. They’ll make for a good cover for the machine.” Alex pointed to the left side and she eased the four-wheeler in that direction.

When they were close, Alex got off and she followed. They pushed the four-wheeler behind the scrubs and then piled extra brush all around until it was completely obscured from view.

Rachel watched as Alex slipped into his backpack. Just seeing him back home made all of her young girl wishes resurface. She turned away and grabbed the extra backpack filled with supplies and then opened the storage compartment on the four-wheeler and smiled at the sack full of sandwiches, chips, fruit and water Jenny had packed.

Alex came over to where she stood and peered over her shoulder. “Looks like a feast. Remind me to thank her in person when we get back.” The words were out before he really thought about them and their eyes locked. Would they make it out of this thing alive?

As she looked into his eyes, Rachel fought to keep her equilibrium. She couldn’t get sucked back into Alex’s charm again. He was her past. If they survived this, perhaps they’d be able to resume their friendship, but that was all it could ever be.

She wasn’t ready for anything more after losing Brian. Even though they both knew his death was inevitable when they’d married, losing him had still brought her to her knees emotionally. There wasn’t anything left inside her to give to someone else, and she couldn’t put the pain and heartache Alex had caused her in the past aside, no matter how hard she tried.

The wind kicked up. On it Rachel caught the faintest of sounds. Voices? Multiple ones. Someone else was up here.

Before