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

arm and smiled. She could see his relief. “I’ll make the call. Can you try to keep him as comfortable as possible?”

“Go. I’ll see what I can do to help Deacon.”

While in the field, Rachel had gotten used to dealing with medical emergencies, especially gunshot wounds. She had no idea how long Deacon had been lying here injured, but there was little doubt in her mind that without further expert attention he wouldn’t survive long.

She eased his shirt away from the wound to get a better look. Whoever had bandaged the wounds had done a good job. She glanced around for something to use as a bandage and noticed that there were extra strips of cloth matching the ones used. It looked like someone had ripped apart a flannel shirt to use. Next to the cloth, there was a half a dozen empty water bottles there, as well.

Rachel took it as a good sign that perhaps Deacon hadn’t been this bad off when he’d reached the camp. She slowly eased the old bandage from the wound and examined it. Deacon moaned in pain. It appeared that the bullet had gone straight through. A good sign. It didn’t look as if infection had set in yet. Once she’d cleaned the wound with the water, she wrapped it as tight as she could.

Alex returned and helped her with Deacon’s leg injury. It was just a grazing shot and not nearly as bad.

Once they’d finished, she and Alex stepped away.

“Did you get in touch with your team?” she asked anxiously.

He shook his head. “The phone service is nonexistent here. I’ll need to see if I can find a spot higher up. Maybe I can pick up a tower from there. Will you be okay by yourself for a bit?”

“Of course.” She looked into his eyes and her breath caught at what she saw there.

He stepped closer, his voice rough with feeling. “Rachel...”

She believed she knew what he was going to say and she couldn’t let him. It was best not to open that door again. She shook her head. “No, it’s okay. You don’t have to say it.”

Regret reflected on his face and she turned away. She didn’t want to hear his regrets.

The door closed quietly behind him. Rachel drew in a shaky breath. Her feelings for Alex had no place in the hunt for Liam. She had to keep her focus on finding her brother. And Deacon needed immediate medical attention.

She shoved her own regret down deep and went back to the man. He was perspiring and mumbling to himself, unaware of what was going on around him.

Rachel touched his arm and lifted up a prayer for his safekeeping.

Someone had obviously cared for Deacon’s injuries. If it were the enemy, they would have left him wherever he was to die. Was it possible that Liam had done this? Her brother wore flannel shirts similar to those used as the bandages.

The sight of it gave her hope that her brother had brought Deacon here to keep him safe. Perhaps Liam had tried to hike out to get assistance. Did he have a cell phone with him? Deacon had nothing on him, including any form of ID.

She bunched some of the remaining strips of cloth under Deacon’s head as a makeshift pillow, then got out the extra jacket she’d brought in her backpack and placed it over him for warmth.

One thing was for certain—they couldn’t stay here long. Those men could show up at any moment and every second they were here meant Deacon’s condition could worsen.

Lack of sleep and the physical strain of hiking the mountain had taken its toll. Not to mention the emotional roller-coaster ride she’d been on since Liam disappeared. Nothing made sense. Once they were on safer ground and they found Liam, maybe they could figure out who was behind this horror.

When Alex returned a few minutes later she hoped he had good news.

“I was able to reach my commander. He’s dispatching several choppers right away, but we may not have that long.” He had a worried look on his face. He nodded toward Deacon. “Rachel, we need to get Deacon out of here right away.”

Alex was right. The man’s life was on the line. “What do you suggest?” she asked.

“I saw an old logging truck out back. If I can get it running, we can head down the mountain to Hendersonville. There’s still a hospital there, right? Let’s hope these men won’t be looking for us there. Then, once Jase and the team arrive, we can continue our search for Liam.”

She knew it was the best plan to save Deacon’s life, but the thought of abandoning Liam even for a little while tore at her conscience.

He seemed able to read all of her thoughts. “We’re not leaving him up here. We are just saving Deacon.”

She slowly nodded. “You’re right. He needs our help the most.”

Rachel could tell there was something else on his mind. “Did you find out something?”

He heaved a sigh that spoke volumes. “I did. I talked to Jase about the agents that were supposed to be dead. He remembered hearing the story behind the agents’ deaths from another former Scorpion commander by the name of Kyle Jennings.” Alex hesitated as if recalling the conversation. “Kyle told him that the men were in Iraq on a mission, searching for the Chemist, an elusive man who had perfected the recipe for sarin gas and was selling it on the dark web to the highest bidder. The team was spearheaded by a senior agent by the name of Blake Temple. Jase said Blake seemed to have an unusual interest in bringing down the Chemist. Kyle assumed he was just dedicated to the task at hand. I don’t know if that’s the case.”

How did the missing agent’s reappearance and the story of the Chemist fit into Liam’s disappearance?

“Now I understand why Peter looked particularly familiar to me. Rachel, he’s Blake Temple.” He held her gaze. Saw the surprise she