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“I need to go,” she said. “My sister needs me. She was upset when she couldn’t find me after her meeting today.”
I know the feeling.He stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out the keys. “Let’s get out of here then.”
“You’re not going to tell your friends goodbye?”
“They’ll understand.”
Once inside the vehicle, he put the ranch behind them for now. “Thanks for coming with me. I’m glad you got a chance to meet Terra and Erin, my closest friends in the world.” He’d just made it sound like he’d taken her to get his friends’ approval. He hadn’t meant it that way. He quickly switched gears. “What did your sister say?”
Mackenzie blew out a breath. “She has postponed the funeral and asked for an autopsy, stating her reasons were due to family genetics. The county coroner didn’t conduct one, just made the call based on Rowan’s heart disease.”
“That will tell you something.” Alex hoped the man wasn’t murdered. The county coroner, Emmett Hildebrand, would call on the Montana state pathologist to do the autopsy, and that would include toxicology. “But it could take a couple of months. Maybe three to get the results.”
“And that’s time I don’t have. If this was murder, we will get justice for my brother. In the meantime, his troubles are over, as the saying goes. My sister is running a tech company now in his place, and she’s walking around scared. I don’t know if her fear is unrelated or if it has to do with the warning about the cybersecurity threat. I need to find out more.”
This all seemed highly unusual for a cybercriminal. At what point did someone who committed crimes with their digital skills turn into a violent criminal who committed actual murder? What had she left out in her explanation to him? Like the memorial vandalism, this felt more ... personal. He’d give her time to tell him the rest. But not much time.
“How will you do that?”
She leveled her gaze at him. “If I can’t get Nora to let me into the system, then you know what I’m going to do.”
Yep. “Hack into the system to stop or prevent a catastrophic attack. Just what is going on at Hanstech that’s so sensitive?” He might as well get right to it. “Mackenzie ... do you know who is behind this?”
“No.” The word came out short and clipped.
Why didn’t he believe her?
“Your source—whoever learned this intel—probably got it on the dark web. Maybe a hit was put out. He could have sent that warning to you because it was about you personally, Mackenzie. You are vulnerable to deadly exploits. Maybe it’s too dangerous for you to stay at your brother’s house.”
She shifted to face him. “Now you know the real reason I came to you.”
“Wait. You mean...”
“That day back in DC, you told me you were leaving the next day. You were assigned to the US embassy overseas. I figured if you were good at protecting important people, diplomats, then you should be overqualified to protect me. But you’re also sharp enough to help me figure this out.”
He nodded, letting the words sink in.
She had no idea about his failures in this regard. If she knew, she might reconsider. Still, he couldn’t stand around and not protect her. Despite the disaster from his recent past, she was in a precarious position, and he knew she wouldn’t ask anyone else.
“You’re not hiring me. I can’t work on the side. I’m here for you as a friend. I’ll help get to the bottom of this too.” And convince her to go to the Feds when evidence presented itself.
Hanstech. Drones. Artificial intelligence. A cybercriminal with violent tendencies who needed to be on a watch list somewhere. There was much more going on here than he could have imagined when he’d agreed to help. He got the feeling that Mackenzie knew who was behind the danger.
Alex steered around the circular drive at the Hanson cabin and parked behind a Lexus.
“Stay in the car.” Mackenzie peered at him as she opened the door. “I don’t need Nora asking you questions.”
“But I thought you needed me for protection.”
“All in good time. The house has a security system. I’ll be fine for now, but I’ll text after I’ve cleared this with my sister.” She hesitated before getting out. “Are you sure about this? You came to Montana to visit family and friends. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked for your help. I don’t want to ... mess up your life.”
Mess up my life, please...
He reached across the console and squeezed her hand. “You did the right thing in asking me. You can’t do this alone, Mackenzie. It’s too dangerous. I’m glad I was here in town when you needed such specialized help. You know, maybe God is behind me being here at just the right time.”
She angled her head, a thoughtful look in her face. “Maybe you’re right. I’ll be in touch.” She eased out of the vehicle, then leaned in through the open door. A smile lifted the corner of her lips. “I had a nice time on our date.”
