by Mary Alford
Callie trotted back from her exploring as if sensing her owner’s unease.
Tom nodded. “I did. They looked like CIA to me, or a very good forgery.”
Alex pulled out the driver’s license they’d taken from the man who attacked them. “Is this one of the men you spoke with?”
Tom took the ID and studied it before shaking his head. “Nope, that’s not one of them. The two who did the talking were both dark-haired. Average looks. Around the same age as this guy, though. They were definitely trying to be intimidating and let me say, they accomplished it.” He handed the ID back to Alex.
Perplexed, Rachel turned to Alex. “It could be the same man from this morning. Was one of them injured?” she asked Tom.
Tom appeared alarmed. “No, at least not that I could tell. What happened this morning?” His concern was obvious. Rachel gave him the amended version.
He shook his head. “Unbelievable. I told Jenny I thought I heard shots pretty early this morning. I’m sorry I didn’t come to your aid, Rachel.”
She patted his arm. “I’m glad you didn’t. They might have killed you.”
That chilling reality hung between them, keeping everyone silent for a while.
“Still no word from Liam?” Tom asked, breaking the quiet.
“No.” And she was terrified for Liam’s well-being, especially after what the man who broke into her house had said. She had no idea how many days her brother had actually been missing or if the person he’d gone there to meet had set him up. The only information she had was where he was going, a dangerous location near the top of Midnight Mountain.
“Do you need me to help with the search?” Tom asked, and his generous offer came as no surprise even though she knew she couldn’t accept.
“Thank you, Tom, but it’s too dangerous. We’ll be okay.” Rachel wished she felt as confident as those words sounded.
Tom bowed his head. He had been so protective of her since Brian’s passing.
Alex touched her arm. “I hate to say it, but we should probably get going. Those men know the general direction we’re heading. They’ll keep coming after us.”
She swallowed deeply. She hated to let Tom go. Would she see him again?
Please, God...
“You’re right.” She faced the older man again. “We left the horses up on top of the mountain.” She didn’t want to leave them in the elements too long.
“Don’t worry about it. Callie and I will fetch them and take them home with me,” Tom assured her. “You two get going. The less time spent out in the open like this, the better. Jenny packed you food in the four-wheeler’s storage compartment.”
Tom stared at her for a long time with worry creasing his face. She knew he was concerned for her safety and so she tried to ease his mind.
“We’ll be okay, I promise. Thank you for the use of the four-wheeler. And thank Jenny, as well.”
Tom and Jenny had been like family to her since her own parents passed away three years ago. Without them and Liam, she wouldn’t have gotten through losing her husband.
After years in the trenches of a different and terrifying kind of warfare, Rachel had thought she’d left behind the dangerous life she’d once led. Yet here she was right back in the thick of it again, and suddenly she wasn’t so sure she could survive this time.
She hugged Tom one more time, hating to leave him, but Alex was right. Tom needed to get home to Jenny and they’d need to put distance between themselves and the men hunting them. And she had no idea what they’d face once they got up on the mountain.
“Be careful, Tom. Those men could still be close and watching your place.”
Tom stood up a little taller. “Jenny stayed behind in case they came back with more questions. She thought it might look suspicious if we were both gone. She’s a better shot than I am and can handle herself in any situation. If they know what’s best for them, they’ll steer clear of her. And don’t worry about me. I know this countryside better than anyone. I’ll give them the slip if they’re still hanging around my property. You two just watch your backs.”
Alex pulled out a piece of paper and wrote something down. “If anything comes up and you feel threatened, call this number. Ask for Jase Bradford. Tell him what’s happened and he’ll send help right away. He’s a friend and you can trust him,” Alex said, and she believed it was just as much for her benefit as for Tom’s.
“I will.” Tom put the number in his shirt pocket and then hugged Rachel once more. “Stay safe. And find Liam.”
“We will.” She drew in an emotional-riddled breath and turned to Alex. “It’s been a while since you’ve been up on the mountain. Do you mind if I drive?”
He smiled at her and some long-suppressed memory resurfaced of a time they’d spent together on a moonlit night. He’d looked at her much in the same way. She’d been crazy about him back then. She still loved the way he smiled.
“I’m fine with that. In fact, I’m happy to act as lookout. But the sooner we get on our way, the better. We have a long trip ahead of us, and this machine can only take us so far.”
She got on the four-wheeler and he hopped on behind her. Suddenly having him so close was a little too unsettling. It reminded her of all the times they’d spent in each other’s company in the past, both here and in the field. It made her want to protect her heart from the inevitable time when he left her again...and he would.
They were still some distance from Midnight Mountain. With a final wave to Tom, Rachel headed the machine off in the same direction her friend had entered the valley.
The four-wheeler’s powerful engine took the steep incline easily enough, but Rachel was concerned that once they reached the higher altitudes, the snow and ice would make it a dangerous trek. They’d be on foot and vulnerable. She just hoped the weather held.
They said Liam did something terrible...
There was no way she’d ever believe her brother would hurt anyone without cause. So why was someone so determined to brand Liam a traitor? What exactly had he uncovered?
If someone from the CIA was a double agent, then they’d stop at nothing to keep their crimes from being uncovered, and chances were, they hadn’t acted alone.
Alex leaned forward so that she could hear him over the roar of the engine. “We may have a bigger problem. There’s no way we can conceal the noise this thing makes. And the location where Liam indicated on the map is close to nine thousand feet in altitude.”
Rachel had considered the same thing, too. “You’re right. We’ll need to find a place to leave it once we reach the base of Midnight Mountain. How are you at hiking these days?”
When they were younger, the three of them had hiked this mountain dozens of times. There was one spot in particular that they loved to camp at. The mountains at night were breathtaking and the stars appeared close enough to touch.
Alex chucked softly, the sound sending chills through her nervous system. “Don’t worry. I’m not that out of shape. I think I can still keep up with you.”
He certainly appeared fit enough. Outdoorsy as ever, Alex would always be the most handsome man she knew. Yet being close to him brought up emotions she’d just as soon not deal with.
She’d been crazy about him for as long as she could remember. The three of them had been determined to stay close after high school, and so they’d attended the same university. Deciding to join the CIA had been a joint decision, as well. They had all excelled at the job...for a while.
But soon, the stress of the life of an agent became too much for Rachel. Her world consisted of one dangerous mission followed by another. She found herself needing more than the adrenaline rush. She wanted a life beyond the spy games they played. A family. And she wanted all those things with Alex. She just hadn’t expected his reaction. He didn’t share any of her dreams.
Now, Rachel found hers
elf wondering about what his life had been like over the past five years. Liam had told her that Alex had taken a different job within the CIA, a more specialized detachment, but he hadn’t been able to talk about it much. Was Alex involved with someone new, or was he still married to the job?
Somehow, Rachel let go of the past. No sense crying over spilled milk. Neither one of them could go back in time and change things.
“We’re almost to the base.” Her voice sounded less than steady. It was just the past. It had a way of coming to the surface no matter how hard she tried to keep it buried. Right now, she had to find a way to shove it aside. She needed Alex’s help to bring her brother home.
“There’s a group of scrub brush to your left. They’ll make for a good cover for the machine.” Alex pointed to the left side and she eased the four-wheeler in that direction.
When they were close, Alex got off and she followed. They pushed the four-wheeler behind the scrubs and then piled extra brush all around until it was completely obscured from view.
Rachel watched as Alex slipped into his backpack. Just seeing him back home made all of her young girl wishes resurface. She turned away and grabbed the extra backpack filled with supplies and then opened the storage compartment on the four-wheeler and smiled at the sack full of sandwiches, chips, fruit and water Jenny had packed.
Alex came over to where she stood and peered over her shoulder. “Looks like a feast. Remind me to thank her in person when we get back.” The words were out before he really thought about them and their eyes locked. Would they make it out of this thing alive?
As she looked into his eyes, Rachel fought to keep her equilibrium. She couldn’t get sucked back into Alex’s charm again. He was her past. If they survived this, perhaps they’d be able to resume their friendship, but that was all it could ever be.
She wasn’t ready for anything more after losing Brian. Even though they both knew his death was inevitable when they’d married, losing him had still brought her to her knees emotionally. There wasn’t anything left inside her to give to someone else, and she couldn’t put the pain and heartache Alex had caused her in the past aside, no matter how hard she tried.
The wind kicked up. On it Rachel caught the faintest of sounds. Voices? Multiple ones. Someone else was up here.
Before she could get the words out, Alex heard what she did. He pulled her close and whispered, “We need to get out of sight.” He glanced around the area. “Over there. A small opening in the mountain. It might be enough to keep us out of their view.”
They hurried over to the entrance, looking into what appeared to be a pitch-black gap in the side of the mountain.
“I don’t think it’s a cave as much as a small crevice,” Alex said in a low voice before they stepped inside. He took out his phone and shone the light into the five-foot-deep mountain flaw. “It’s not much. If they’re paying attention, we’ll be sitting ducks. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen. Here, get on the other side of me.” He tugged her deeper into the crevice and as far away from the entrance as possible.
Rachel could feel her heart echoing in her ears. She glanced up and saw Alex watching her. He was probably wondering if she was up to the task at hand.
“Do you think we hid the four-wheeler well enough?” She whispered her concern aloud. If the men spotted the machine, they’d know someone else was up here. If they were deliberately searching for them, then she and Alex wouldn’t stand a chance.
“Unless they’re really looking, it’ll be fine. The camo paint on the machine will help it blend.”
She said a prayer in her head as outside, multiple rocks dislodged and rolled down the path. Someone was close. It took everything inside her not to react.
Alex drew her close. She held her breath. More footsteps followed, too many to count. It sounded as if they’d stopped just outside the crevice.
Rachel remembered that they’d forgotten to cover their footsteps. Would the men look down and spot them? If so, they’d know they were right under their noses.
Outside, a cell phone rang. A man answered it. “Yeah.” He sounded less than thrilled.
Alex held her closer and she hugged him tight.
“There’s no sign of them here. The noise could have been coming from the adjoining cattle ranch. We’re heading back your way again,” the man said in a sharp tone.
Rachel waited until the men had moved away and it was quiet outside, then she let go of the breath she’d held on to. “They didn’t see the four-wheeler, but that was close.”
“I counted at least five sets of footsteps.” Alex glanced down at her in the darkness. She could almost feel his tension. “I don’t understand what’s going on here, but I sure hope we find Liam and get some answers soon.”
“Me, too. Do you think it’s safe to get out?”
“Let me take a quick look around first. Wait here.” He slowly slipped out and she felt his absence completely in the oppressing darkness.
Her pulse hammered every single second Alex was gone. When he returned, she resisted the urge to hug him again.
“It looks as if they’re heading back toward Plume Mountain, probably to your husband’s place. I’m hoping the rest of them are still there.”
Rachel followed him out again and stared up at the mountain, which was partially hidden by cloud coverage. A chill sped up her spine.
Where are you, Liam?
In the past, she and her brother always had a special connection. She could almost sense his presence in her heart. Rachel didn’t feel him now. She was terrified they were already too late.
* * *
“It’ll be dark soon. We need to find a place to get out of the elements. We’re almost to Midnight Valley. We can camp there and head out again in the morning,” Alex told her after they’d been hiking for hours. He felt the exhaustion of the miles they’d covered, fueled by his fear for Liam’s safety, catching up with him.
Rachel appeared ready to drop, as well. His heart went out to her. He loved Liam like a brother, but Liam was her flesh and blood. She probably hadn’t gotten any sleep since Liam’s disappearance.
They reached the top of the peak that looked down on Midnight Valley. The moon had slipped from its cloud coverage and made an appearance for the first time. He could see Midnight Lake in the middle of the valley below them.
Alex lifted up a prayer of thanks for their safe passage so far. They’d battled rough terrain and fear all the way to this point.
Rachel stopped next to him and their gazes held. Alex found himself unable to look away. Even worn-out and disheveled, she was lovely. An old memory from the past resurfaced. The three of them had been chasing an arms dealer for months near Kabul. They’d finally tracked the man’s location to a mountainous region in Afghanistan. Alex remembered the area had reminded him of this place. The air had been crackling with electrical tension back then. It was the first time Rachel mentioned leaving the Agency. He’d seen her fear. Realized the toll the job had taken on her. At the time, he couldn’t fathom walking away. Now, after being with the specialized CIA Scorpion team for several years, he understood. The team was close and they were doing good things. It wasn’t about the high for him anymore. Even so, there were times when he could almost imagine himself back here living in the small town of Midnight Mountain again.
Unexpectedly, he took her hand, and she froze briefly before turning to him. Her blue eyes were huge pools in the moonlight. The unasked questions were all there, and he couldn’t bring himself to answer a single one of them.
Through the years, there hadn’t been a day that had gone by where he hadn’t regretted letting her go. Now, he realized it was too late for them. He’d lost her for good. They weren’t the same people they once were.
He squeezed her hand and then let her go and cleared away the regret from his throat. “We’d best keep going. We’re going to need to ma
ke a fire to stay warm. It’s getting colder by the minute.”
Something bordering disappointment shadowed her eyes before she nodded and headed down the steep mountainside. After a second, he followed.
Once they reached the valley, Alex glanced around for the best spot to build a fire without it being seen by anyone above.
He pointed to a treed area. “Let’s set up camp over there.”
Alex took off his backpack and leaned it against a tree. “I’ll gather some wood. Let’s get a fire going and then dive into those sandwiches Jenny made. I’m starving.”
With the beetle infestation of recent years, there was plenty of dead timber around. Alex gathered an armful and found a good spot for the fire.
Once it was roaring, he and Rachel unrolled their sleeping bags and Rachel took out the food and handed him a sandwich and some chips along with a drink.
“There’s fruit if you want some.” She took a bite of her sandwich.
Alex didn’t answer. He said a prayer of thanksgiving in his head and then dug into his meal with relish. A simple ham sandwich had never tasted so good.
Rachel must have spotted his reaction because she laughed. “It’s the mountain air. It makes everything taste better.”
He put down his sandwich and watched her. “I remember. All those picnic lunches we used to enjoy. Good times.” He swallowed back his regret. He’d give anything to go back to that simpler period in his life.
Alex studied her expression in the firelight. He could almost swear he saw her blush.
She brushed a crumb from her mouth. “They were good times, weren’t they? When I first left the CIA and came back home, I used to come up here all the time. I think it was just being in touch with something I loved from childhood that helped ground me.”
He understood. He felt the same way.
Alex hesitated, needing to tell her something that could prove touchy. He hadn’t been completely honest with her when she’d asked about the last time he’d had contact from Liam. For unknown reasons, he’d chosen not to mention the strange letter he’d received from his friend. Now, more than ever, they needed answers. Maybe something about it might make sense to her.