Page 100 of Critical Alliance (Rocky Mountain Courage 3)

Nora gasped when she saw her reflection in the mirror. No mascara ran down her face, but a few small sticks had nicked her cheek and forehead. Her hair was tangled, and her eyes were red and puffy.

Grief squeezed Mackenzie’s heart, but she was still grateful. Nora could have been seriously injured or killed.

Nora ... the last of Mackenzie’s family.

You are not going to take her from me, Nebulous 2.0, whoever you are.

“Let’s get you washed up.” Mackenzie gave Nora a quick shoulder hug. “I’ll dig out some of my clothes if you want to change. They’ll fit you.”

Mackenzie glanced at the glowing red numbers on the side table in the bedroom—1:45 a.m.

Though she already suspected the reason, Mackenzie wanted to hear Nora’s explanation. “Why were you going to Hanstech in the middle of the night?”

“I got a call about the alarms going off. I had asked Tilden to inform me about anomalies.”

Either they had triggered it or Nebulous 2.0 set it off. He wanted to stop her from messing with his plans of revenge.

Nora splashed her face, then used a towel to wipe it dry. “Let me take a long, hot shower, okay? I need it.”

“Sure.” Mackenzie handed off the clothes.

Nora took one look at them and scrunched up her nose. “I suppose these will work in a pinch.” Tears welled in her eyes. “Never mind me. That was rude.”

“Well, this is a pinch if there ever was one.” Mackenzie smiled for her sister’s sake.

Nora laughed through her tears.

“I’m sorry, Nora. It’s been a tough night for you.”

Heart aching for Nora, Mackenzie pulled her into a hug. She held her sister for a few moments, then released her and stepped out of the bathroom.

Nora shut the bathroom door, and Mackenzie dropped into a chair to wait. Exhaustion threatened to overcome her, but she was determined to get answers from Nora tonight, despite the late hour.

When Nora finally stepped from the bathroom, Mackenzie stood and took her hand, then led her to the corner chair.

Nora eased into it and eyed the bed. “Are you going to let me sleep?”

“Could you?”

She rubbed her eyes. “If I could, I would hope that when I woke up, this had all been a nightmare.”

Mackenzie sat on the edge of the bed. “To which nightmare are you referring?”

Nora stared at her. Deciding what she would tell her?

“We haven’t had a real chance to talk since I got here,” Mackenzie said. “I know you’re scared. Someone is holding you hostage. I want to know everything. This isn’t the time to hold back.”

Nora glanced at the closed door. “What about him?”

“Alex? What about him?”

“Oh, come on. He’s a federal agent. I saw right through your little secret.”

“And we could use his help.”

“Okay.” Nora closed her eyes, her lip quivering. “Dad wanted our Montana facility to be secluded and private because of government contracts.”

“In a relatively isolated environment, no one would see the tests you conducted.”