Mountain Secrets Elizabeth Goddard (life changing books to read .txt) 📖

through the glass dome of the library. It looked like the storm was letting up. Isabel was pulling books off the shelf and flipping through them. A stack already sat on the floor that she or the thieves had worked through.

She turned toward him. “Quick—lock the door.”

He shut the door and turned the latch.

“You don’t remember which book?”

“I know I put them away in this area here.” She swept her hand across a section of shelves.

“Any sign that the thieves were here?”

She pointed across the room. The library was round with books that ran from the floor to the edge of the glass dome. “Those books over there are arranged by size and color. Don’t ask. It’s a rich-people thing.” She grabbed another book off the shelf and filed through it. “Anyway, they are out of place. Those guys must have gone through those books searching. I got to hand it to them. They are tidy.”

Maybe the thieves wouldn’t get as big a payday if there was any evidence of a break-in. During the other jobs, the thieves had used lock picks or had known the security codes and nothing had been disturbed.

With a backward glance at the door, Jason grabbed a book and riffled through it. “Is there another way out of here in case we have to make a speedy exit?”

She pointed to a door. “It leads to another balcony. This one has stairs. No way could we drop four floors and live.”

He grabbed another book and leafed through it. If he lifted it toward the dome, he could see better. He put the volume back in place and grabbed another. At best, they had minutes before the thief on the floor below came to and headed toward them.

Isabel pulled books and flipped through them at a furious pace.

Someone banged on the door and wiggled the handle.

Jason worked even faster. “It’s got to be here somewhere.”

The pounding stopped. Jason moved closer to the door and listened. “He’s picking the lock.” He stalked back to the bookshelf and pulled another hardback.

Isabel slid a book back into place and grabbed another. She bent the spine of the hardback. A shiny object fell to the floor. She picked it up.

“Jason,” she said. She had found it.

“Let’s go,” he said. She shoved the bookmark in the pocket of the coat he’d given her and zipped it.

The door burst open as they raced toward the balcony. The short muscular man raised his gun and fired off a shot. Isabel grabbed Jason’s hand.

Jason pushed open the door that led to the balcony.

They descended with the armed man at their heels. Another shot blasted through the silent night but it went wide. Even with the flashlight, the man couldn’t see much better than they could.

Jason could hear the footfalls behind him. They had to find a way to shake this guy and find a hiding place. Isabel held tight to his hand. She understood the importance of not getting separated.

He stayed close to the house, running the full length of it. They ended up in the driveway beside his useless van. He crouched low and Isabel slipped in beside him. Footsteps pounded past and then faded.

“He might come back,” she whispered.

Jason hurried to the side of the van and eased the passenger door open. “Get in. I suspect he’ll go in the house to get his accomplice first.”

She complied.

“Crawl toward the back and stay low.”

He got in behind her. His surveillance equipment was stacked in a corner though barely visible in the near darkness.

“How long do you think we should stay here?” Isabel kept her voice to a whisper.

“Not long.” He rifled around in the dark, taking the time to lock each door. “I have another coat in here, extra hat and gloves.” He slipped into the heavier coat and tossed the gloves and hat toward Isabel.

He dug through another pile of stuff to find a hat and pair of gloves for himself. It wasn’t his first day at camp. He always had lots of cold-weather gear on hand.

He grabbed his keys out of the ignition. The key ring had a small flashlight on it that might be useful.

He pulled the gun out from his waistband and stared at it. Though he went to the range every week, he had never had to use the gun while working. It might come down to that tonight.

Jason could not see Isabel’s expression in the darkness, but he sensed the tension that had invaded the tiny space.

“Detectives carry guns. That’s just how it is.” He held out his hand. “Can I see the bookmark?”

Suspicion clouded her voice. “Why?”

Jason’s stomach coiled into a tight knot. Here they were, back at square one again. If she didn’t trust him, they might not survive the night. They had to work together. Both their lives depended on it.

Why was it so hard to win her trust?

FIVE

Isabel looked at what appeared to be a computer screen and keyboard. “What is all this stuff? Surveillance equipment?” So far, Jason had done nothing to harm her and had risked his own safety to help her. Maybe he really was a detective. That didn’t mean he was an honest detective. Past experience told her not to be too quick to trust. Jason was keeping secrets, and she didn’t like that. What was he hiding? She touched the pocket where she’d placed the bookmark.

Jason let out a heavy breath and shook his head. “Hold on to the bookmark if you want.”

Her chest squeezed tight with indecision. “I don’t like liars.” The intensity of her words surprised her. The pain of what she had been through with Nick was still very close to the surface despite how long it had been—she still had not let any man into her life or heart. But she had started to think Jason might be okay. That scared her. How had he managed find the chink in her armor in such a short time? So what if he was protective and