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She wanted off this metaphorical amusement park ride—she was absolutely not amused.
God ... Are you listening? What do I do?
Navigating the rough and rocky terrain through the thick greenery, she pushed harder and faster. Oxygen pumping through her body, some of the tension eased. But not the grief.
Never the grief.
Her breathing almost covered up the sounds coming from behind her, except her prickling skin warned her that she wasn’t alone. Because the trail was so complicated, she couldn’t afford to look over her shoulder.
The obvious sounds of another biker closed in on her. Nora? No. Her sister couldn’t have caught up with her. Then who?
She spotted a rise ahead and the perfect spot behind that to go off trail. She was out of practice. Accelerating, she gripped the handlebars as the bike left the ground. On the other side of the rise, she braced as the pine-carpeted earth came toward her. She hit the ground and kept going. Gaining traction, she veered off the path through the trees. Momentum was on her side.
Until her front wheel slammed into a hidden boulder—every mountain biker’s fear.
Pain jarred through her. The bike stopped, and Mackenzie flew over the handlebars, landing hard on her back. The breath whooshed from her. Staring straight up, she waited for the pain to pass and for the chance to suck in a breath. Footfalls alerted her to the follower’s approach. Before she could scramble away, he stood over her.
Alex Knight?
Her heart rate kicked up—even more—at the sight of him.
He wore mountain biking clothes similar to the ones she’d seen him in at the memorial, only he still had on his black helmet. His gray, searching eyes were as intense now as they had been three years ago. She wished she could have forgotten them. Wished she wasn’t looking into them now.
“Are you okay?” He offered his hand as concern etched into his handsome features.
She took in the man standing above her. He had no idea he was asking a loaded question. Okay was a relative term. “I don’t know.”
Before she could know for sure, she needed to get up. But she didn’t need his hand. She scrambled to her feet and slowly stretched out her body. The pain of the fall would catch up with her tomorrow, along with the abuse to her muscles from the ride itself. But this was today ... “I don’t think anything’s broken.”
“Except for the helmet.” He frowned and stared at the right side of her head.
“What?” She pulled off the helmet and spotted the crack snaking up the back and around to the right. Oh no.
“That could have been your head.” Alex took the helmet from her and examined it. “Proof these things matter.”
Mackenzie glanced back at her bike. Her heart sank. The front wheel was twisted. Great. Just great. Rowan was dead ... and this ... tears threatened to spill, but she wouldn’t cry in front of Alex.
“I’m surprised nothing is broken, frankly. The way you went flying, that was spectacular.”
She cut her eyes to him, and yeah, he had a grin. A triple-threat grin. But she didn’t miss the regret and concern behind his eyes.
Did he know about Rowan? Then it hit her. What was he doing here? “Were you following me?”
Alex handed her the broken helmet, then removed his own. He swiped an arm over his sweaty forehead and mussed his brown hair, which was a little curly at the ends. Buying time to consider his answer?
Finally, he said, “Guilty as charged. But it’s not what you think.”
A breeze hit the evergreens, and branches clacked together eerily. “If you mean it’s not that I think I’m standing in a dark forest on private property with a creepy stalker? Then what is it?” Though she was teasing him, really, because she didn’t get creepy vibes from him.
“First, let me draw your attention to the fact that I’m not the only one watching.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Ever heard the phrase ‘eye in the sky’?”
Mackenzie took a moment to soak in his meaning. “Are you talking about the thriller or the song?”
He squinted, looking at the treetops.
