Page 29 of Critical Alliance (Rocky Mountain Courage 3)

NINE

Mackenzie wasn’t usually indecisive, but standing in the middle of this small cabin with Alex, she wasn’t sure she’d made the right decision. Last evening Nora disclosed that she was living in fear and somehow trapped, and she needed Mackenzie’s help, but even so, Nora didn’t respond well to the news Mackenzie shared. This morning her sister was caught up in an emergency board meeting on the heels of losing the CEO. Rowan’s death had shocked them all.

Better her than me.

So Mackenzie had taken this step out of desperation and barreled into Alex’s cabin. But he might not welcome the intrusion, even though he’d asked her to share the truth. Leave it to this guy to know that she’d held back.

And now, watching him, she thought of a big cat. His demeanor reminded her of a tiger ready to pounce if she made a wrong move. Another reason to second-guess her decision.

“How did you know where I was staying?” He crossed his arms, angled his head, and hinted at flashing that roguish grin. Oh, he was cute. Handsome. Enticing. Whatever. Mackenzie liked him too much. And none of that mattered exactly now.

“I...” Oh no. How could she explain it? Where should she start?

“Never mind.” He turned his back on her and moved to the kitchen, leaving her with the distinct impression he needed to put space between them.

Or maybe she was the one who needed the space. Either way, she was grateful for it, because now she could breathe. Never mind that she’d been the one to encroach on his personal space in the first place.

He leaned against the counter, those intense eyes assessing. “I’m sure it wasn’t hard to find me.”

For someone like you.Had she read that thought in his eyes?

She gulped. She’d come here, so might as well dive deep. She rushed to the counter and pressed her palms against it. “I need your help, Alex. I need your help, that is, if you can keep it to yourself.”

His gray eyes roamed her face in that familiar way that let her know he was watching for tells—was she lying? Deceiving? Manipulating?

He frowned. “That’s hard for me to say if I don’t know what’s going on.”

“You already know enough, don’t you?” Someone spied on me, then shot at me. At us. Isn’t that enough?

Alex came around the counter and slid onto a stool, his gaze searching hers as if he would read her mind. At the intensity coming off him, she kept her breaths even and held back the flinch begging to escape. What did he already know about her? Would he simply tell her to leave him out of it and go to the police? And she would. Once she had evidence.

Nothing could be done without evidence. He crossed his arms. “Are you saying you need my agency involved?”

“No. I’m saying I need you involved. You have experience. You have the skills and the connections, if it comes to that.” And when.

“That’s why you came to see me?”

Of course. “Why else?” Partially. How did she explain that she was desperate not to repeat the mistakes of the past? How did she explain that ... “I trust you, Alex. Okay? And yes, your background could potentially help, but now it’s more about trust.”

“You hardly know me.” He slipped from the stool and moved in closer.

What was it about this guy with his button-down shirt and sleeves partially rolled up? He looked out of place in Montana. But he grew up here, so there had to be a cowboy deep down in there somewhere. Didn’t there?

He stood too near as he studied her, and the smell of his cologne—he’d showered and changed—teased her senses. All these reactions had been missing when she’d been with William at the carnival.

And none of that was reason enough to want Alex’s help. To trust him. She was crazy. “I know enough.” Emphasis on that last word.

She left out that she’d read everything she could about him—from his past to his present. Star quarterback on the high school football team. National Honor Society. Eagle Scout. Honors in college. Hero father. The list went on.

“I’m here to take a break.” When his gaze flicked away, she caught the pain skating across his features.

“This isn’t official. I’ve already said that. If you can’t help, Alex, I—” She hadn’t considered he would refuse. She was such a fool.

“I’ll do what I can, Mackenzie. Make a few calls. Ask some questions. But going too deep into this without talking to someone in an official capacity is dangerous for you.”

For Alex too, in more than one way. “I get it. You don’t want to jeopardize your career. I wouldn’t ask you if it weren’t important.”

“I understand. I’ll do what I can.” His intensity built in the way he held his shoulders, the way his gaze zeroed in on her.