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

Thank You, Lord, she whispered and struggled for a calm her heart wouldn’t allow.

Once the men were safely out of the area, Rachel pointed up ahead. They needed to put as much space as they could between themselves and the men. When they reached Peter and Michelle, they’d know something was wrong. They’d put two and two together and realize the man had been right when he thought he heard something.

After she and Alex had covered more than a quarter of a mile, Rachel stopped for breath. “That was close. They’re heading right toward where we left Peter and Michelle, as if they know exactly where to find them.”

“I’m sure they do.” Alex confirmed her belief. “I’ll guarantee they called them in before they came out of the woods and confronted us. It won’t take them long to reach those two and when they do, they’ll come after us. We need to get out of sight as quickly as possible.”

Once her heart finally stopped racing, Rachel remembered what she was going to tell Alex before they’d spotted the men.

“With everything that just happened, there wasn’t time to tell you before. I remembered something Liam said to me not too long ago. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it earlier.” She told him about Liam’s friend buying one of the old mills.

“Do you remember which one? That could be where Liam is hiding out,” he said in relief.

There were numerous logging camps up the mountain. Most were being reclaimed by the woods in which they were carved.

“There are several. We’ll have to search them all.” Not exactly the ideal situation, but they couldn’t risk overlooking any of them on the off chance that Liam might be hiding there.

“Do you think you can find them in the dark?” Alex couldn’t hide his doubt. He could barely see more than a couple of feet in front of him. Finding a bunch of deserted logging camps seemed like an impossible task in his mind.

“I think so, but I’m going to need the flashlight. We can’t risk walking off the side of the mountain.” She didn’t sound nearly as positive as he had hoped.

“Lead the way,” he told her, and she clicked on the flashlight and headed out.

While they walked, Alex couldn’t shake the impression that he knew Peter from somewhere. He just couldn’t pull the answer out of his head. That he seemed to recognize two bad men in one day told him he was onto something.

Rachel stopped to gain her bearings and he stood next to her. She brushed hair from her face. Even exhausted to the bone, she was beautiful. And every time he looked at her, he was dogged with regret. He’d messed things up between them. He’d been foolish enough to think that life revolved around the job. He’d been so wrong.

Thanks be to God, for working on Alex to help him see what was truly important. Still, it was a bitter pill to swallow that it had come at the expense of his relationship with Rachel.

“This way.” She pointed a little farther up. “I remember Liam telling me once that his buddy hiked up here a lot before buying the place. He said it was one of the few camps on this side of the mountain.”

They headed in that general direction, his thoughts keeping him quiet. Alex realized that he knew so little about her life now. Was she happy? Did she have regrets?

“Do you still hike the mountain?” he asked, mostly because he wanted to know more about her and he didn’t want to bring up their touchy past.

Her steps faltered a little at the question. “Sometimes. Not as often as I’d like.” She shrugged. “I feel so free up here. It’s as if all the world’s cares just melt away and it’s just me alone up here with God.”

He looked at her in surprise. Growing up, none of them had really been religious. He recalled attending church only at the big holidays. He hadn’t paid much attention back then. He mostly just wanted the time he spent in church to be over. Yet everything had changed when he lost Rachel. He’d hit rock bottom for a while, doubting everything in his life. It was why he’d chosen to make a career change. He’d been searching for something different. Something more meaningful.

Joining the Scorpions, he’d found a tight-knit family where he belonged. Each member openly discussed their faith in God. He’d fought against the tugging at his heart for a bit, but the moment he gave in and realized he needed God in his life more than ever, the peace he felt inside at that decision was amazing.

He’d started attending a local church near their headquarters, and had grown closer to God ever since.

“I know what you mean,” he told her quietly. “That’s kind of how I feel when I hike the mountain near our compound. It’s as if you can see God in everything.”

She looked at him curiously. “Liam told me you’d joined a different branch of the CIA after I left. He said you seemed different. More at peace.”

It surprised him to hear that Liam had noticed the change in him. “I guess I am.” He didn’t look at her. “Before, well, the job was everything to me. I couldn’t imagine life without it.” He shook his head and realized he had her full attention.

“What happened to change that?” She seemed genuinely interested in his answer.

“God happened,” he said, and grinned over at her. “This new team that I joined, well, everyone there is a Christian, and they believe the work we are doing is God’s work. When I joined, I was skeptical at first. You know I wasn’t raised as a Christian. Back when we were kids, attending church felt like a chore, so I did it as seldom as possible.”

He chuckled. “But then I realized these people were sincere. Soon,