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

Jason peered into a window. “We made it this far. There has to be a solution.”

She ran toward the clubhouse door. It too was locked. Even if there was a landline in there, it might not be working. She hung her head, squeezed her eyes tight to keep the tears from coming.

Come on, Izzy. You’ve been in worse situations. Be strong.

Jason squeezed her upper arm. His voice filled with compassion. “We’ll figure something out. If I had something like a paper clip, I could pick the lock. Split up. Let’s keep looking for a way in.” He took off in one direction and she ran around the side of the clubhouse. The windows of the clubhouse were high and small, but maybe they could climb in.

“Isabel.” Jason’s voice came from behind the garage.

She ran along the garage wall to the back, where Jason was sweeping the snow off an ATV with a plow on it.

“Your chariot awaits.” His voice was almost jovial.

“Someone must have left it out here because they knew they’d be plowing again.”

“There’s no key,” he said as he dug into his pockets. He handed her a set of keys. “There’s a tiny flashlight on there.”

Isabel shone the light where Jason pointed.

On the road on the other side of the garage, a car rumbled. Isabel’s heart squeezed tight. It had to be the thieves. No one else would be out on a night like tonight.

“Give me the light. I can kinda see if I put it on the seat.” Jason’s focus never wavered from the ATV. “Check to make sure it’s them. It might be the guy coming back for his plow.”

Jason’s optimism didn’t make much sense to her. All the same, she ran to the edge of the building and peered around the side of it. A car was parked on the road. A man had gotten out and was making his way in the deep snow toward the clubhouse. Though it was hard to see any detail, he was built like the short muscular man she’d encountered at the Wilsons’ house.

She hurried back to where Jason was still pulling wires on the engine of the snowplow and then shining the light on what he’d done.

“I think it’s one of them.”

“Just a couple more seconds here.” Jason’s voice held no hint of the panic she felt. “Hold the light for me.”

She shone the light toward his hands. While she appreciated Jason’s cool head, she was having a hard time taking in a deep breath. She turned slightly but saw nothing. It would be just a matter of minutes before the thief found them even if he circled the clubhouse first.

Jason clicked something into place, and the engine sputtered to life. Now for sure the noise would send their pursuers toward them. He swung his leg over and got on. Isabel slipped in behind him before he had even settled in the seat. After he lifted the plow, the ATV lurched forward.

A gunshot echoed behind them. Isabel leaned close to Jason and held on tight. Jason steered around the building toward the road. But instead of taking the road, he cut across it down the hill. Smart. The car would only be able to traverse the road.

Another gunshot resounded behind them. Isabel held on to Jason even tighter. Her heart pounded wildly as adrenaline surged through her.

Behind her, the car engine started up. As Jason maneuvered the ATV straight downhill, the roar of the car seemed to press in on them from all sides. The snow grew deeper, slowing their progress. They might get stuck. They had no choice. Jason veered the snowmobile back onto the road.

The headlights from the car encapsulated them. Jason switched up a gear and increased his speed. They were risking an accident, but the ATV was able to progress on the unplowed road faster than the car. They slipped out of the grasp of the headlights as Jason put a little distance between them and their pursuer.

He cut off the road and headed straight downhill again. The ATV caught air and landed hard. Pain shot up Isabel’s back but she held on. She peered over Jason’s shoulder. Up ahead was a cluster of trees. Jason slowed as they drew close. He wove through the trees. As he lost speed, the noise of the ATV motor kicked down a notch. The hum of the car engine in the still night reached her ears. She could see the flash of headlights through the trees.

Fear squeezed her stomach into a tight knot. The car couldn’t follow them into the trees, but they were going so slow, he could cut them off when they came back out on the road.

Jason steered sideways and continued to navigate through the labyrinth of the trees. The sound of the car faded into the distance. Gradually, the landscape became more open and flat. The ATV picked up speed once again.

When she looked to one side, the faint outline of the Wilsons’ house was visible up the hill. They’d gone in a circle. Jason drove the ATV toward the road she’d come up hours earlier in her car. She took in a deep breath. It was only a couple of miles down the hill until the private road intersected with the two-lane that would take them back into town.

Jason didn’t slow down when he got to the road. She caught the glimpse of headlights in her peripheral vision. They weren’t home free yet. The car was still following them.

The exposed skin on Jason’s face tingled from the wind and snow hitting it as he couched low. Though he couldn’t hear the car, he knew it had made it to the road they were on and was still chasing them.

He revved the throttle. Isabel pressed close to him as he gained speed. He could feel the pressure of her arms around his waist though they both wore too many layers of clothing to feel