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

Two men grabbed them by the arms and forced them into the back of one of the nearby vehicles.

Temple got up front along with a driver. The remaining two men sandwiched Rachel and Alex between them. They wanted to make sure they didn’t try to escape.

Turning in his seat, Temple demanded answers. “Well? Where is this place? And keep in mind, I’m at the limit of my patience. If you can’t produce your friend, you are no good to me.”

The warning settled over him like a storm cloud. He knew what Temple meant. If they didn’t come up with Liam soon, they’d be dead.

Alex told the driver where to find the entrance of the cave. “The vehicle won’t be able to make it the entire way there. We’ll have to go the rest on foot.”

Temple clearly wasn’t pleased by this, but he motioned the driver to begin. Once the SUV reached its limit, the driver stopped.

“Bring him with us,” Blake ordered to the man closest to Alex. “You, keep an eye on her. If she tries anything, kill her.”

“We’ll get through this.” Alex turned to look into her eyes. “Just like we did before.” Realization dawned on her face. Praise God, she understood. If she could overpower her captor, she’d need to head to the second entrance. He’d try to meet her there.

He was forced out of the vehicle. There was just enough time for one final searching look between them before he was hauled away.

Temple stood in front of the vehicle, staring at the nearby mountain. “I don’t see any cave,” he muttered once Alex was forced to stop next to him. “This better not be another runaround like the lodge. This is your last opportunity.”

“It’s no runaround. The opening is hidden by grown-up scrub brush. It’s this way, if I remember correctly,” he added, so as not to tip the man off that he and Rachel had already been through the cave earlier and Liam wasn’t there.

“Then what are you waiting for? Find it.” Temple was furious. No doubt he had promised something that he was in danger of not being able to deliver.

After another quick glance back at Rachel, where he was almost positive he saw the tiniest of nods, Alex headed for the entrance to the cave with Temple and the other two men in tow.

He took longer than necessary to uncover the opening, while his limited options ran through his head. Once he’d shoved aside the brush they’d piled in front of the entrance, he noticed that their footprints were still there. He sure hoped Temple didn’t spot them.

With the opening exposed, one of the men shoved Alex inside. He hit the opposite wall hard and winced in pain, holding his injured side.

“Well, which way to this fishing spot of yours?” Temple demanded as all three men entered the cave.

“To the left.”

“Then lead the way,” Temple ordered. “But I’ll warn you again, if you’re lying, I’ll kill you right here and she’ll be dead soon after.”

The chilling reminder of what was at stake shot through Alex’s sleep-deprived mind. “It’s dark this way. I’ll need some light.”

Temple stopped next to him. “You wouldn’t be trying to warn your buddy now, would you?”

“I’m not trying to do anything but let you know there are some spots up ahead that can be hairy. If you’re not watching what you’re doing, you could break a leg.”

After another glaring assessment, Temple motioned to one of his men, who used his phone’s flashlight app to illuminate the cave.

The pool was still quite some distance from where they were. Alex headed that way while his brain started to formulate a clearer plan of attack. It was three against one. He needed something to level the playing field.

He remembered all the times he and Rachel had come up here in the past. The pool had been a surprise at first. He’d told Temple that Liam came here to fish, but that wasn’t the case. The natural underground pool was cold as ice and there were no fish in it.

If he was recalling correctly, there was a small space just off to the right side that they’d only explored once a long time ago because it was unstable even back then. The walls were literally crumbling. If he could convince them to search in there...

When they reached the pool, the man with the flashlight app shone the light around the area. When it became evident that Liam wasn’t there, Temple rounded on Alex. It was clear he was enraged. “You lied. There’s no one here. And no sign that anyone has been here before. Enough. Kill him,” he ordered one of the men standing close to grab Alex. The man reached for him.

It was now or never.

“I said he told me he was going fishing up here. We used to fish in this spot many times in the past. Maybe he gave up or... Wait, I think I hear something over there.” He pointed to the small area.

Temple stared at the small dark space and then at him. “I don’t hear anything.”

Alex didn’t look away. “I did. If he’s injured, he could be hiding in there.”

Temple motioned to the man with the flashlight. “Check it out.”

The man didn’t seem thrilled at the idea. Reluctantly, he did as his boss suggested.

Temple grabbed Alex’s arm and hauled him along with him. The third man followed.

“Do you see anything?” Temple asked the man with the light. He let go of Alex and peered into the darkness.

Alex eased backward; the third man was now at his left side. His weapon was within reach. If he failed, he’d be dead...and so would Rachel.

In a split second, Alex grabbed the gun and shoved the man on top of Temple, sending them both sprawling into the room. Then he opened fire on the crumbling wall. It took only two shots before the ancient rock collapsed upon itself, entombing Temple and his men.

The world around him rumbled and