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

“You, too,” Rachel said with an attempt at a smile once he’d shook her hand.

“Thank you so much for saving us. We got caught up in the spectacular views from the top of Midnight Mountain and lost track of the time. A foolish mistake, I know.” Michelle shook her head. “And one I’m embarrassed to say we made. We’ve been hiking for years. You’d think we’d know better.”

Rachel’s gaze met Alex’s briefly. He could see she was troubled.

“It’s no problem,” she said. “Are you two hungry?”

The woman smiled genuinely. “Starving. I’m afraid I didn’t pack enough food for the evening meal. I wasn’t expecting to be up here.” She shrugged.

“It’s okay. We have plenty.” Rachel brought out some extra sandwiches and a bottle of water and handed them to Michelle.

“Thanks.” She took it and gave Peter one of the sandwiches.

“It’s easy to get lost up here at night if you’re not careful,” Alex told the two while keeping a close eye on Peter. Where did he know the man from?

Peter nodded without answering and took a bite from the sandwich.

“Do you guys have sleeping bags with you?” Rachel asked, and looked around at the gear they carried.

From the looks of it, they had prepared for a long stay in spite of what Michelle had said.

“We do. It just makes good sense to be ready.” Michelle unzipped her backpack and brought out a sleeping bag. Alex caught a glimpse of what looked like a pistol before she closed the bag again.

He wondered why such knowledgeable hikers would allow themselves to get lost at night. Their story didn’t add up.

“So what did you say you did for a living, Alex?” Michelle asked, pinning him with her sharp gaze.

“I didn’t.” Alex didn’t elaborate. He wasn’t even trying to pretend anymore. These people were not who they said they were, and his mind had already begun to try to figure out a way to get Rachel and himself out of there safely.

How had they known where to find them? Not for a second did he buy they’d been atop the mountain. He believed they’d been deliberately searching for him and Rachel. The path Alex and Rachel were on wasn’t the most direct way to the meet location. In fact, only the locals knew about Midnight Valley, so they didn’t just happen here by accident.

“We should probably get some more firewood,” Alex told Rachel. “We don’t want the fire to go out overnight. Why don’t you come with me?”

Rachel nodded and they headed for the woods behind the camp when Michelle stopped them. “Wait, why don’t you let us help you?”

Alex believed she was trying to keep an eye on them. “There’s no need. We can handle it. You two stay warm. You must be frozen.”

He waited until Michelle sat back down before he and Rachel headed a little deeper into the woods and out of earshot.

“I don’t know about the man, but she looks familiar. I only got a glimpse of the woman who showed up at my house this morning, but I think Michelle might be her. I recognize the voice.” Rachel stepped closer, keeping her tone low. “She’s armed, too. I’m sure he will be, as well. We need to get out of here as fast as possible. We don’t know if they’ve called in backup yet.”

Alex couldn’t let go of the feeling that he knew Peter from somewhere. Was it just a coincidence that there were two bad guys who appeared familiar to him?

“You’re right. There’s no doubt that they know we’re onto them. We’ll have to find a way to neutralize the threat they pose.” He glanced back at the couple by the fire.

“I have an idea. We said we were going for wood, so let’s get some.” She quickly gathered a few nearby sticks, as did Alex. “We should get back before they become too suspicious. Follow my lead and keep your weapon close.”

Alex nodded and she drew in a breath and led the way back to the camp. As they neared, Alex could see the couple whispering to each other. They glanced back and saw them and broke apart guiltily.

“There you are. We were wondering if you two had decided to take off,” Michelle said, and Alex attempted a smile.

“Now why would we do that?” While Alex didn’t see a weapon, he suspected that they had them close by, which wouldn’t leave him and Rachel much time to disarm them. He sure hoped her plan worked.

He watched as Rachel dropped her logs close to the fire. Alex placed a couple of sticks on the blaze itself, waiting for Rachel’s cue. She held the final log in her hand and moved around the fire, pretending to stir it. She was now closest to Peter.

Without warning, she swung the log hard and hit Peter across the face. He keeled over backward, out cold.

Right away, Michelle searched beneath her sleeping bag, no doubt for a gun.

“I wouldn’t if I were you.” Rachel drew down on Michelle, her voice reminding him of when they’d worked missions together.

With Rachel standing guard, Alex went over to the woman and grabbed the weapon she’d hidden, then checked under Peter’s sleeping bag. There was a second gun.

“We were just worried for our safety. You guys were acting strangely,” Michelle said, trying to convince them.

Alex ignored what she said and snatched up both backpacks. “We need to tie them up,” he told Rachel. “I’ll see if I can find some rope and secure him first.”

Rachel kept the gun trained on Michelle’s head. “Don’t try anything foolish,” she warned. “Or I promise you’ll regret it.”

Peter had just begun to regain consciousness when Alex retrieved some rope from one of the bags and forced Peter’s hands behind his back, then secured them.

The minute Peter realized what was happening he fought against his restraints and raged. “How’d you let this happen?” He glared at Michelle and the woman actually shrunk away from the