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

shot to deter the thief. He didn’t want anybody to die here tonight.

The thief dodged back toward a tree. Isabel climbed into the driver’s seat and slammed the door. Jason raced toward the car, grabbing the back-door handle as Isabel eased the car forward. He jumped in as another gunshot shattered the back window. Jason stayed low in the seat. Isabel hit the gas and sped down the road.

They’d have to turn around and go past the thief one more time if they were to get to town. The car rumbled down the road. Though it swerved on the unplowed pavement, Isabel kept it moving.

Jason glanced at the shattered back window.

Isabel stared straight ahead. “Just looking for a place to get turned around.” Her calmness surprised him. She waited until she found a shoulder and performed a three-point turn with ease.

“Nice driving.”

“Thanks. I’ve had a little experience.”

He wondered what she meant by that. “He’ll be waiting for us.”

She focused on the road in front of her. “I know, but there is no other way off this mountain.”

He liked that she was so cool under pressure. They rounded a curve. They weren’t far from where they’d left the shooter. Jason pulled his gun out, rolled the window down and then crouched low in the back seat. Isabel did the same, though she had to stay high enough to see the road.

He listened to the rhythm of the car’s tires rolling over the compressed snow where they’d driven before while he watched the trees for a flash of light or movement. He held his breath.

Isabel increased the speed of the car.

Tension threaded through his chest as he rested the barrel of the gun on the windowsill.

A single gunshot boomed through the air. Jason caught a flare of gunfire by the trees close to the road. He aimed his gun in that direction. The car fishtailed and swerved.

“I think he must have hit the radiator or something vital.” Isabel sounded like she was speaking through gritted teeth. “I’m going to take this thing as far as it will go.”

The car limped along down the dark road. The engine began to chug and then quit altogether.

Isabel sat behind the wheel, staring out at the darkness.

After a long moment, Jason said, “There must be a house between here and town.”

“Not on the main road there isn’t,” she said.

“Maybe hidden back in the trees. We’d see the lights at this hour.”

“Maybe.” Isabel nodded. “There’s that convenience store that sells fishing supplies in the summer. Maybe the owner lives there. Must be a couple of miles. Course, everything seems closer when you’re driving.”

A heaviness seemed to descend into the car. All of these ideas for getting to safety were long shots at best.

He pushed open his door, stepped out and reached for Isabel’s door handle. Preparing to trek through the snow—again—he didn’t need to see her face clearly to know that she was feeling the same despair as he was.

They hurried down the road, both of them looking over their shoulders from time to time. Maybe they had gotten enough of a head start on the thief to outrun him. Jason’s feet padded on the fluffy snow. He scanned the area around them, peering through the trees for any sign of a dwelling. Isabel trudged beside him, her shoulders slumping forward.

“We’re going to make it.” Jason tried to sound upbeat. “We’ve made it this far.”

She just kept lumbering ahead.

At one point, he had a view of the road below them with the switchbacks. No sign of any cars. The storm had dumped a ton of snow. Though no rational civilian would go out at this hour after such a downfall, he’d hoped to maybe see snowplows or the highway patrol.

Snow swirled out of the dark sky. Under different circumstances, the scene would have seemed almost serene.

Isabel stopped and turned toward the forest. “I thought I saw a light.”

He followed the line of her gaze as a lump formed in his throat. Seconds ticked by and he saw only the shadowy outline of the trees. Was this just wishful thinking on her part?

“There.” She grabbed his arm just above the elbow and pointed with her free hand.

He still didn’t see anything. “Isabel, I—”

“I know what I saw.” She planted her feet and continued to stare.

He glanced up the road, half expecting to see their pursuer. He caught the flash of illumination and turned to where Isabel was looking.

A light emerged from the trees and seemed to be gliding across the landscape. A cross-country skier with a headlamp and reflective clothing.

Isabel took off running. She shouted. The skier stopped, turned and came toward them.

Isabel spoke breathlessly. “Can you help us? Our car went off the road.”

With her hat and gear on, it was hard to judge the skier’s age. She wore a reflective vest that looked official. Her gaze moved from Isabel to Jason.

“Are you avalanche patrol?” Jason asked, hoping to allay the woman’s suspicions.

“Yes. With all the snowfall, I thought I’d better get out and have a look. Plus, there’s nothing in the world like skiing at night in the silence.”

“Please, if we could just use your phone.”

The desperation in Isabel’s voice must have won the woman over. “My place is back through the trees. You can call, but I wouldn’t recommend anyone come get you until the plows have been up this way. They get them out as soon as the storm lets up, so I would say another hour or so.”

The woman led them back to a small trailer that had been skirted around the bottom to keep the plumbing from freezing. They followed her into the tiny space. The woman tore her hat off, revealing braids and a bright smile. She probably wasn’t more than twenty.

She did a half turn in her trailer. “It’s not much. But they pay me to ski, so I can’t complain.” She grabbed a phone off the counter and handed it to Jason. “You’ll have to go outside to get