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

you made it out. I was afraid I’d made the wrong decision.”

Her hand felt warm and silky smooth on top of his.

He leaned close to her and whispered, “You saved my life. I’m pretty sure he would have killed me.”

Warmth like a down comforter seemed to surround them as they sat very close together, their shoulders touching. It felt good to be this close to her, as if he’d known her all his life.

A long moment passed before Isabel spoke.

“I wasn’t sure if it would work, but I thought I might find something out if I went with Nick.”

“That was a risk. He’s clearly unstable.”

“I can handle him.” Her voice wavered a little.

She’d been afraid, but she’d gone with Nick anyway. He admired her bravery. He turned to face her. “You’ve got some explaining to do to the agents in charge. They think you’ve gone rogue, but I never believed it for a minute.”

Her face was very close to his, their noses almost touching. She reached up and brushed her finger over his cheek. Her touch sent a charge of electricity through him.

“Thank you for believing in me,” she whispered.

Her voice reminded him of a mountain stream or a cool summer morning.

“What did you find out?”

“Nick knows who the kingpin is. He’s in contact with him.”

“That’s huge.”

“He’s going to let me join in on the buyer pickup for the coins we took from the cabin.”

“Isabel, there is risk involved with doing all this.” The thought of her being in danger, of having to deal with the volatile Nick, made his chest tight.

“I know that. I’m willing to do it if Nick Solomon goes to jail for a long time.”

He detected the resolve in her voice. Isabel had pushed the investigation further than anyone. Still, he didn’t like her going into the line of fire again. “We need to talk to the Bureau. Tell them what you found out. See what they say.”

“Nick will be watching me day and night. He’s paranoid anyway, and I don’t think he is totally convinced I’m on his side. I’m sure he’ll come in and check on me first thing in the morning before I go to work. It was hard enough to convince him not to come into the apartment to guard me. Can I talk to them over the phone?”

“Michael will want to talk to you in person. They have this thing about reading body language and all that. I’ll sneak you out tonight. You’ll talk to Michael. We’ll bring you back before first light so you can get some sleep.”

“We can slip out the back. I have a rope ladder in case there is ever a fire.” She burst to her feet and hurried down the hallway in the dark.

It would be a risk to even turn on lights.

Still crawling, Jason made his way into the living room. Light from the street shone in. Nick’s car was now parked on this side of the street. He couldn’t discern if Nick was in the car or not.

Isabel whispered from the corner of the living room. “I’ve got it.”

He’d moved back toward the window when there was a knock on the door.

“Isabel, it’s me. I need to see you.” Nick’s voice was filled with that nauseating whiny quality.

Isabel tossed the ladder toward Jason.

“Nick, I’m trying to get some sleep here.” Her voice sounded groggy. “You’ll see me in the morning just like I promised.”

“Come on, Isabel. Just for a minute. Just give me a little hug. I need to see you, baby.”

Jason scooted down the hallway and hung the ladder out the window, feeling his muscles knot up with tension. Why couldn’t that creep leave her alone?

Come on, Isabel—don’t open that door.

“Nick, I’m just really tired.”

“Come on, baby. I’m out in that cold car.” The intensity of his voice changed, becoming less pleading and darker. “Open the door, Isabel.”

He heard the door handle rattling.

Jason craned his neck to see Isabel standing by the door. He wanted to run down the hallway, swing the door open and punch Nick in the face. The only thing that stopped him was that he knew it would put Isabel at risk in an even bigger way.

“Nick, I’m going back to bed. You should do the same.” After placing a chair underneath the locked door, she stomped through the living room. “Good night.” She opened and shut the bedroom door without going in.

Jason barely heard her footsteps as she scurried to join him in the hallway.

Nick continued to bang on the door and plead.

“We should go now before he gets back to his car,” Isabel said.

“What if he breaks in and finds you’re not here?” said Jason.

“That lock is pretty solid and I put the chair there.”

The banging stopped and footfalls sounded on the stairs that led down to the street. Nick had given up.

Isabel burst to her feet, pushed the window open wider and swung her leg over the sill. Their plan was fraught with risk if Nick caught them. But the Bureau’s coming here would be just as dangerous as long as Nick was watching and running patrols.

Heart pounding, Jason peered out the window. Isabel was halfway down. What if Nick decided to do another circle around the building?

Hearing her feet hit the concrete, he crawled out.

She shout-whispered up at him. “Make sure the window is closed.”

After closing the window, he crawled down, struggled a little to disengage the ladder and then hid it in the Dumpster, so there would be no evidence of their escape. How they would get her back in unnoticed was a problem he’d solve later.

He led her around to the alley where he’d parked his car. Her hand found his in the darkness. He squeezed her fingers as warmth from her touch spread through him.

Here they were, inches from danger, slipping through the darkness, and the thought that was foremost in his mind was how much he liked being with her.

They got into the car. Jason started the engine but didn’t turn