Standoff at Midnight Mountain

by Mary Alford

  Rachel’s thoughts churned out questions by the dozens. The fact that Peter had Liam’s phone wasn’t a good thing. “How do you think they ended up with Liam’s phone? There’s no way they just happened upon it.”

  Alex stopped and faced her. In the darkness, she couldn’t make out his expression. “No. They had him at one time. The fact that they’re still searching for him gives me hope that Liam managed to get away. My gut is telling me he’s still up here somewhere, though. The only question is, where? There’s a lot of territory to cover and we have no clue as to where he might be hiding.”

  Rachel tried to hold on to some small amount of faith that Liam was still alive. She couldn’t imagine her life without him. She searched her memory, going over every conversation she and Liam had had recently for anything that would give them a clue as to where he might be. She recalled something that Liam had told her once about one of his buddies from high school buying one of the logging camps up on the mountain. Was it possible that Liam had made it down to that area and was hiding there?

  Please, Lord...

  Alex was a few steps in front of her. Before she could tell him about what she’d remembered, he stopped dead in his tracks, putting his arm out in front of her to keep her from going any farther.

  He turned back to her and whispered, “Voices.” Then he placed a finger over his lips. She heard it, too. The voices were coming from some distance ahead of them.

  Alex pointed to a group of trees close by and they eased that way as quietly as possible.

  Rachel tripped over a log, her foot rolled sideways, and she froze. But it was too late. The noise it made echoed throughout the still night.

  “I hear something.” A man’s voice reached them. In the moonlight Rachel caught a glimpse of four people moving through the woods just a little ways from where they’d been walking.

  She held her breath, praying that they hadn’t been spotted. She and Alex were trained agents, but it was dark out and they were outnumbered.

  Rachel tucked behind the closest tree, a pine that was barely large enough to conceal her from view. Alex had reached the group of trees he’d pointed to. Her gaze glued to his. Her heart pounded in her ears, drowning out all sound.

  A flashlight’s beam shot past the area where they were and Rachel sucked in her breath.

  Please don’t let them see us.

  “There’s nothing out there but a bunch of animals.” A different voice than before snapped the words out. The flashlight hovered close to where Rachel was hiding. She tried to keep as still as possible. If she moved an inch, she’d be in the light. “They’re waiting for us.”

  The man with the flashlight didn’t make a move to obey. “I heard something.” He kept the beam focused on the tree close to her for a second longer.

  “And I’m telling you there’s nothing there. He’s waiting on us. You know how angry he gets when someone doesn’t follow orders.”

  After what felt like an eternity, the man finally gave in. “Yeah, yeah, I’m coming.” The light searched the area one more time and then she could hear them heading away. The same direction she and Alex had come.

  Thank You, Lord, she whispered and struggled for a calm her heart wouldn’t allow.

  Once the men were safely out of the area, Rachel pointed up ahead. They needed to put as much space as they could between themselves and the men. When they reached Peter and Michelle, they’d know something was wrong. They’d put two and two together and realize the man had been right when he thought he heard something.

  After she and Alex had covered more than a quarter of a mile, Rachel stopped for breath. “That was close. They’re heading right toward where we left Peter and Michelle, as if they know exactly where to find them.”

  “I’m sure they do.” Alex confirmed her belief. “I’ll guarantee they called them in before they came out of the woods and confronted us. It won’t take them long to reach those two and when they do, they’ll come after us. We need to get out of sight as quickly as possible.”

  Once her heart finally stopped racing, Rachel remembered what she was going to tell Alex before they’d spotted the men.

  “With everything that just happened, there wasn’t time to tell you before. I remembered something Liam said to me not too long ago. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it earlier.” She told him about Liam’s friend buying one of the old mills.

  “Do you remember which one? That could be where Liam is hiding out,” he said in relief.

  There were numerous logging camps up the mountain. Most were being reclaimed by the woods in which they were carved.

  “There are several. We’ll have to search them all.” Not exactly the ideal situation, but they couldn’t risk overlooking any of them on the off chance that Liam might be hiding there.

  * * *

  “Do you think you can find them in the dark?” Alex couldn’t hide his doubt. He could barely see more than a couple of feet in front of him. Finding a bunch of deserted logging camps seemed like an impossible task in his mind.

  “I think so, but I’m going to need the flashlight. We can’t risk walking off the side of the mountain.” She didn’t sound nearly as positive as he had hoped.

  “Lead the way,” he told her, and she clicked on the flashlight and headed out.

  While they walked, Alex couldn’t shake the impression that he knew Peter from somewhere. He just couldn’t pull the answer out of his head. That he seemed to recognize two bad men in one day told him he was onto something.

  Rachel stopped to gain her bearings and he stood next to her. She brushed hair from her face. Even exhausted to the bone, she was beautiful. And every time he looked at her, he was dogged with regret. He’d messed things up between them. He’d been foolish enough to think that life revolved around the job. He’d been so wrong.

  Thanks be to God, for working on Alex to help him see what was truly important. Still, it was a bitter pill to swallow that it had come at the expense of his relationship with Rachel.

  “This way.” She pointed a little farther up. “I remember Liam telling me once that his buddy hiked up here a lot before buying the place. He said it was one of the few camps on this side of the mountain.”

  They headed in that general direction, his thoughts keeping him quiet. Alex realized that he knew so little about her life now. Was she happy? Did she have regrets?

  “Do you still hike the mountain?” he asked, mostly because he wanted to know more about her and he didn’t want to bring up their touchy past.

  Her steps faltered a little at the question. “Sometimes. Not as often as I’d like.” She shrugged. “I feel so free up here. It’s as if all the world’s cares just melt away and it’s just me alone up here with God.”

  He looked at her in surprise. Growing up, none of them had really been religious. He recalled attending church only at the big holidays. He hadn’t paid much attention back then. He mostly just wanted the time he spent in church to be over. Yet everything had changed when he lost Rachel. He’d hit rock bottom for a while, doubting everything in his life. It was why he’d chosen to make a career change. He’d been searching for something different. Something more meaningful.

  Joining the Scorpions, he’d found a tight-knit family where he belonged. Each member openly discussed their faith in God. He’d fought against the tugging at his heart for a bit, but the moment he gave in and realized he needed God in his life more than ever, the peace he felt inside at that decision was amazing.

  He’d started attending a local church near their headquarters, and had grown closer to God ever since.

  “I know what you mean,” he told her quietly. “That’s kind of how I feel when I hike the mountain near our compound. It’s as if you can see God in everything.”

  She looked at him curiously. “Liam told me you’d joined a different branch of the CIA after I left. He
said you seemed different. More at peace.”

  It surprised him to hear that Liam had noticed the change in him. “I guess I am.” He didn’t look at her. “Before, well, the job was everything to me. I couldn’t imagine life without it.” He shook his head and realized he had her full attention.

  “What happened to change that?” She seemed genuinely interested in his answer.

  “God happened,” he said, and grinned over at her. “This new team that I joined, well, everyone there is a Christian, and they believe the work we are doing is God’s work. When I joined, I was skeptical at first. You know I wasn’t raised as a Christian. Back when we were kids, attending church felt like a chore, so I did it as seldom as possible.”

  He chuckled. “But then I realized these people were sincere. Soon, I started attending the church close to town and then I knew what was missing from my life. Now, I can’t imagine where I’d be right now if I hadn’t found the team.”

  She smiled up at him. “I get that. I was pretty messed up when I came home. Then I met Tom and Jenny and started attending church with them.” She stopped for a second and he realized there was something more than she’d told him. “If it hadn’t been for God, I’m not sure where I’d be right now.”

  Guilt tugged at his heartstrings. He didn’t doubt for a moment that most of the reason why she’d been heading for trouble was because of him.

  That he’d hurt her was painful to accept. It was hard letting go of their burdened past, but he did. She had married someone who could give her the things she’d needed. Things he couldn’t. Best to leave that door closed.

  His thoughts went back to the two men he seemingly recognized. They both appeared to be highly skilled. He had no doubt they possessed military training of some sort. How were they connected to Liam’s disappearance and, more important, why did both men seem so familiar?

  He considered what Rachel had said about Liam believing the person he’d been chasing might be CIA. Was that how Alex knew them? Had he run into the men as part of his job?

  Alex pictured the two men in his head again. He focused on each one’s facial features. It was on the tip of his tongue, just out of reach...and then it finally hit him why they both seemed familiar. He stopped dead in his tracks, drawing Rachel’s worried attention back to him.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  Was it possible? He couldn’t even believe it. His mind didn’t want to go there.

  He took a deep breath and voiced his fears aloud. “I told you that I thought I recognized Peter and the other man, Victor McNamara, who attacked us?” She nodded, her gaze plastered on his face.

  “Well, I just remembered from where.” He blew out a breath and shook his head.

  Rachel saw how concerned he was. “How do you know them?” she prompted when he didn’t answer right away.

  “From CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.” He tried to get the realization to make sense to him. It was absurd, surely.

  “Langley?” She was clearly confused. “I don’t remember either of them being at Langley.”

  He shook his head. “That’s because we didn’t train with them.” He stopped and clasped her shoulders, needing a moment to fit it together in his head. “Rachel, those men are honored on the CIA’s memorial wall. They’re supposed to be dead. They were killed while on a mission a few years back. They aren’t supposed to be alive anymore.”

  FIVE

  Rachel stared up at him, trying to make sense of what Alex had just told her. “Why would they fake their deaths?” It was unimaginable.

  He shook his head and they continued walking. “I can’t imagine. I don’t remember much of the details, only that their entire six-man team was killed while on a mission in Iraq. Peter Mullins and Victor McNamara are not their real names, though.”

  “Do you think they faked their deaths as part of their cover? Maybe they’re still on a mission? They could be deep undercover with some really bad guys?” Even as she said the words aloud, the idea didn’t make sense.

  Alex shook his head. “No way. If they’re up here chasing some bad guys, why are they trying to kill us and Liam?”

  What Tom had told them earlier about Liam doing something bad chased through her thoughts, wholly unwelcomed. There was no way she would ever accept that her brother had gone rogue. Yet she couldn’t dismiss what Alex had said about the men supposedly dying while on a mission in Iraq. That was the last place Liam had gone overseas. It couldn’t simply be a coincidence.

  Try as she might, Rachel couldn’t seem to fit the pieces together. Exhaustion wasn’t helping. She hadn’t slept properly in days; she’d been too worried about her brother. She glanced around the wooded area. The first logging camp was still a good distance away. What would they do if those men had been there? Maybe they’d found Liam already? Would they be wasting precious time by searching the logging camps instead of going straight to Liam’s last known location? If her brother were up there injured, he could be dead by the time they reached him. Her thoughts swam.

  “Alex, what if he’s still up there on the mountain somewhere, hurt and alone? Maybe we should keep heading up?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t think he’s still up there, Rachel. Think about it. It’s been over a week since we believe he went missing. These people have been searching up there all this time and I don’t doubt for a minute that they knew about the meet location. If Liam were still up there, they would have found him by now.”

  Unless he were dead... She couldn’t voice her deepest fear aloud. It didn’t matter. Alex saw what she was thinking.

  “Don’t go there. If Liam were truly dead, they wouldn’t still be up here. They’d have what they wanted and they’d be long gone. He’s still alive and he has the advantage. Liam knows this place like the back of his hand. All of the mountain’s secret hiding places. These men do not. Liam would know where to go to disappear until it was safe to leave.”

  Rachel hung on to that promise with everything inside of her. Alex was right. Liam could find every cave up on the mountainside in the dark. If her brother were injured, it would slow him down. Depending on how serious his injuries might be, it was possible he couldn’t leave by his own strength.

  “How much farther to the first camp?” Alex asked while keeping a careful eye behind them. “Those men must have reached Peter and Michelle by now. They can’t let us go because they believe Liam may have told you something critical that they don’t want made public.”

  The implication was frightening. These men were willing to kill to keep their secret.

  Exhausted and barely hanging on, she and Alex didn’t have the luxury of taking a break.

  “It’s still a little ways from here.” She hated telling him the next part, but he needed to know. “Alex, there’s some pretty rough terrain standing between us and the camp. The loggers used to reach the camp by coming up from the opposite side of the mountain where it’s more accessible.”

  “What’s standing between us and the camp?” he asked, as if dreading her answer.

  It had been a while since Rachel visited the area, but if she remembered correctly, there was a creek that ran through here. It fed off the spring thaws and it would be raging at this time of the year.

  “Water,” she answered. “There’s a creek a couple of miles before we reach the camp. We had a lot of snow this year. It’s going to be running pretty swiftly.”

  She could see this wasn’t exactly the best news. “Let’s hope it’s still pretty frozen up here. Otherwise, we’re going to get wet, and with the temperature close to freezing, we could be in serious danger of hypothermia.”

  * * *

  Alex felt the exhaustion of the day seep into his limbs. He was working on next to no sleep. He couldn’t imagine what Rachel was going through.

  “The creek is just past this next ridge.” He glanced at her.
She was shivering from the cold.

  They wouldn’t be any good to Liam or anyone else if they died up here from the elements.

  Rachel stopped suddenly and listened. “I hear it.” She turned to him. “We’re almost there, Alex. It sounds like it’s running pretty strong.”

  Crossing a fast-moving creek would be next to impossible under the best of conditions. In the dark and ill prepared for the crossing, it might cost them both their lives.

  They reached the top of the summit. Alex could see the white water rushing below them. It appeared as if the creek had overflown its banks. The worst possible scenario. His heart sank. “Maybe there’s an easier way to cross. We have to try.”

  He and Rachel made their way slowly to the edge. At one time the water had been much higher. There was evidence of flooding all around them. Alex’s feet slogged through thick mud as they neared the edge of the water.

  He stopped once they got as close as the rushing water would allow. There were charred trees all around. Not too long ago, there had been a fire up here, no doubt from a lightning strike. It happened frequently in the mountains. The fire had taken out most of the trees in a wide swatch on either side of the creek bank. Only a couple of trees still stood and they were as charred ghosts tottering on the edge of the bank.

  As he surveyed the opposite bank, Alex had an idea. “There’s still some rope in one of the backpacks. If we can lasso that tree across the creek then tie onto this one here, I think we can make it across the water.”

  It was a long shot, but it was their only option. They couldn’t stay here until morning, and to try to find another way around the creek would cost them precious time.

  “How are your lassoing skills?” Rachel asked with a weary smile. Even though she was exhausted and travel worn, looking at her still had the power to make his pulse race. He’d do just about anything in his power, lay down his life if need be, to protect her.