Alaskan Mountain Pursuit Elizabeth Goddard (best short novels .TXT) 📖

to me and that’s the goal here, right? I think that is the best option.”

Clay nodded. He couldn’t argue with the facts she’d presented and all things considered it was probably the best choice of two less-than-perfect ones.

“Stay in here. And stay safe.” He took one long look at her, wishing he could kiss her again but knowing that there wasn’t time. The smoke was growing thicker. And the threat was growing.

He shut the door and walked onto the deck. The smoke smell in the air was thicker out there. He walked down the steps, awareness heightened, ready to respond to any threat he saw with his .45 out and ready to fire. He kept it angled down slightly at the ground as he ran around the side of the cabin. Nothing there, but yes, the cabin was on fire. Ironically it looked like it had started on the outside of the chimney on the back of the cabin. Clay moved his feet slowly, picking his steps with care as there wasn’t much room between the back of the cabin and the cliff off the back of the ridge.

He looked at the fire. Too much to handle with the water they’d brought to drink, but he could try. Maybe use some dirt too...

If all else failed, he’d get Summer and they’d head down the mountain as soon as possible. He’d run anywhere on the planet if he needed to, or hole up anywhere he could find if it would keep Summer safe. Either way.

He just needed her to be okay.

Clay turned to go back inside and alert Summer that possible threat or not, they were going to have to evacuate. But he hadn’t moved from where he stood before he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Someone.

And before he could react, something hard hit the side of his head.

Clay was taking too long. There was no way around it and Summer was facing the truth. Noah was gone. Clay was gone. It was extremely likely that she was next.

Summer paced the cabin, walked by another window and looked out. She didn’t see any signs that someone other than the three of them had been up there. Even the smoke could still possibly be an accident. Or, well, it could have been if both men hadn’t disappeared.

At this point, Summer had very little hope that this wasn’t a very intentional setup.

She needed a plan, that much she knew, but she had no idea how to go about coming up with one. Fight back. That was the best plan she had. Why had she insisted Clay take that gun? She hadn’t heard it go off, so he hadn’t used it.

Summer had bear spray, but it sprayed in such a wide arc that she knew it would get in her eyes too, especially inside a room like this where it lacked the open air to disperse and she’d also be at the mercy of the superpowered mace.

She looked around for something else she could use as a weapon. Anything else.

And the door creaked open. Her shoulders sagged with relief as she closed her eyes and let out a breath of relief. One of them was back.

But they didn’t say anything, and even though only seconds had passed, she would have expected Noah to immediately explain where he’d been and Clay to tell her where the smoke was coming from.

Summer opened her eyes.

The man in the doorway was backlit by the sun, but after she blinked a few times she figured out how the form was familiar and identified the only vaguely familiar face. “Wait...”

“Hello, Summer.”

“I know you.” She squinted, still trying to place him. “You work at Anchorage Outdoor Gear. Ryan, right?”

He only stood and smiled as he gave a nod at his name, not moving an inch.

“But why are you here? You’re not...you’re not...”

But as he continued standing silently, that smile sending chills up Summer’s spine, she realized that yes, he was.

As an employee of one of the best outdoor stores in Alaska, he’d had access to all of the women. They were outdoorsy types; they’d almost certainly all shopped at his store. And the reason she knew his name wasn’t just because of his name tag, he was also part of a Facebook group for hikers.

Summer swallowed hard. She hadn’t thought to look, but she was sure now that if she got online and looked at the members, every one of the victims would be on the list. Many people posted photos of their favorite hikes, shared trail conditions.

Whether he’d chosen his victims on that Facebook group or at the store, it made sense.

It was him.

“You’re the killer.”

EIGHTEEN

Clay had the worst headache of his life, but it was the least of his worries. He hadn’t gotten a look at the guy who’d hit him, but he was at least Clay’s size, maybe bigger, and in good shape. Summer wouldn’t stand a chance in a hand-to-hand fight.

The side of his head where he’d been hit throbbed. He’d blacked out for a second or two, and then he’d opened his eyes but stayed still as the guy walked away from him. Clay had known that headache or no, he wasn’t fast enough to get past the man and get back inside to Summer first. So he’d have to let this man make it into the cabin and get distracted by Summer. It was the only chance Clay would have for taking him out. He was counting on the fact that this was the serial killer, and that since he had Summer alone he planned to take his time, like his usual MO, and not just immediately eliminate her.

It was a risk, but it was one Clay had to take for Summer’s own good.

Now he crept along the side of the cabin, listening. He heard Summer’s stunned voice as she realized the identity of the killer. She was quiet for a few seconds after that, and Clay wondered if