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

head. “I didn’t see him. I don’t have a good memory for voices and he didn’t say much.”

He took her hand and led her to a bench in the hallway. She sat down beside him. It still felt like someone was rattling her spine.

“I wish that they had gotten in touch with me. But it’s you they want to deal with.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I was on the phone to Michael.” He studied her for a moment. His mouth twitched. There was something he was keeping from her.

“Who is he, anyway—your boss?”

“He’s an FBI agent. Since you got the threat on the phone, he gave me permission to share with you what is going on. I’m helping the FBI investigate a smuggling ring that often uses empty homes as a drop-off point. We’re building profiles of all the people involved to try to get to whoever is behind it all.”

She rose to her feet. “I don’t want to be involved with any of this. I just want to go back to my job, back to my life.”

He stood up and grabbed her hands. “I understand.” He squeezed her fingers. “But I need to hang with you until they contact you...for your safety.”

She knew he was right about that. She couldn’t just go about her day as if nothing had happened. She needed his protection. “I don’t like associating with criminals in any way, shape or form. Michael has the bookmark. The two of you can work this out.”

“I will do everything I can to keep you out of harm’s way and try to work it so they will deal with me.”

His expression looked so sincere. “What are you going to do? Follow me around like a puppy?”

“Actually, I prefer the term guard dog.” The corners of his mouth turned up.

His joke made her smile. “I guess this is the way it has to be. I need to head home to take a shower and get some sleep and then I have to go to work.”

“I’ll go with you to the houses when you set them up. You don’t have a car anyway.”

She pressed her hands against her mouth and stared at the ceiling. “I don’t like any of this. I don’t like being around...criminals.”

“I think I understand.” He locked eyes with her. “I know about your record. Even though it was sealed, the FBI has ways of finding these things out.”

So that was why he’d looked at her that way. Her cheeks grew warm. “That was a long time ago. I was seventeen.” She turned away from him as a sense of deep shame rose to the surface. “I’m not one of them anymore. And I don’t want anything to do with thieves.”

He touched the back of her arm. “I know you’re not. I can see that you’ve made changes. Only someone who’s turned her life over to God would have been praying while being chased. Michael had concerns, but I vouched for you.”

She turned to face him, feeling tears rise up in the corners of her eyes. “You vouched for me?” Warmth pooled around her heart. Sometimes she felt like having been a juvenile delinquent in a small community where everybody knew your history flashed like a neon sign around her. So few people believed in her aside from Mary, her pastor, a few friends and now Jason. “Thank you.”

He nodded. “Now let’s drive you back to your place so you can get some sleep.”

Snow twirled out of the sky as they drove back to Sun and Ski. The plows had worked through the morning creating walls of snow on either side of the city streets. They stopped at a store so she and Jason could buy new phones.

Jason parked the car outside the Sun and Ski office.

“You can come in and get some rest on the couch. You’re probably tired too.” The truth was she felt better knowing that he was close.

Isabel led him up the stairs to her place. She put her key in the lock and pushed open the door. The house was old and not well insulated. The top floor could get chilly but she’d done her best to make it cozy with lace curtains as well as a quilt thrown over the worn red velvet couch.

“Nice, very homey,” said Jason turning a half circle.

It made her feel good that he liked her little apartment. His opinion was starting to matter to her.

“Make yourself at home. There’s sandwich stuff and tea and coffee. I feel like I could sleep for a hundred years.”

She took a quick shower and crawled in under her comforter. Heavy curtains blocked out the light. She closed her eyes, waiting for sleep to come. Her body was beyond tired, but restless, fearful thoughts made it hard for her to shut down her brain.

She’d worked so hard to cut ties with her past. Though Jason believed in her, any thought of associating with criminals brought up all the pain from her teenage years. She drew her comforter up to her neck. These men could be violent. Would they leave her alone once she delivered the bookmark or would she always be looking over her shoulder?

The only thing that eased her troubled mind was knowing that Jason was in the next room. She was safe...for now.

NINE

Jason collapsed on Isabel’s couch. He pulled out his phone and dialed Michael’s number to tell him about Isabel being attacked at the police station. The thieves were probably going after Isabel because she was the easier target...more vulnerable. That infuriated him.

He summarized for Michael what had happened and then said, “If there is any way we can get her clear of all this, we need to do it. She didn’t sign up for this. I did.”

Michael’s response was measured. “Involving a civilian is never the best approach, but she’s knee-deep in this already. I know you’re willing to see her motives as pure. I have a wait-and-see policy. The Bureau has found that sometimes criminals can