Page 64 of Critical Alliance (Rocky Mountain Courage 3)

I’m back, and this time I’ll take the chance to right the wrongs.Try to build a connection that was lost along the way with what family she had left. “Look, sis, when this is all over, I’d love to just hang out with you. We could get away for a day, a week. I don’t know. But I do know that I’m in this with you. Let me help. You can trust me.”

“Yeah?” Nora angled her head, a teasing grin on her lips.

“Sure, you can. I’m all grown up now. A professional. I teach ethical hacking at a university. I’m a trusted individual. In the summer, I do pen testing for charities.”

A smirk lifted Nora’s lips, and she stood taller. “Really?”

“As a way to make up for my mistakes.”

Her sister turned and faced her, then took her hands. “I’m sorry I made it sound like I doubted you. Of course, what happened before isn’t who you really are. I’m glad you’re here to help.” Nora brushed her dark bangs from her face and revealed the shadows under her eyes that she’d tried to hide with makeup. “In the meantime, please come with me this afternoon. It’ll give us both a fresh perspective. Dad was big on this. Rowan too. I can’t let them down. The employees will lose morale if I cancel.”

Was Nora scared to go? Mackenzie could let the tests and algorithms run while she was gone. And maybe she would build more trust, more of a connection so Nora would share what she hadn’t shared yet.

“Okay. I’ll be there. About Rowan—I don’t suppose there’s any news yet?”

“The state pathologist will be doing the autopsy tomorrow. I’ve been told it could be sixty days before we get all the results back. If a drug caused a heart attack, the tox reports are going to tell us.”

Mackenzie feared that his pacemaker had been hacked, but if so, Nebulous 2.0 would have made his tampering difficult to discover.

How can I live with myself if he was murdered?

A knock came at the door, and Carson stuck his head in. “You ready for lunch? You should join us too, Mackenzie, if you have time.”

“Actually, this needs to be a working lunch, and we have some things to discuss. I hope you understand, Mackenzie.” Nora had turned all professional again.

“Sure.”

Mackenzie followed her sister out of her office to join Carson. While they got on the elevator, Mackenzie used the stairwell and made it to her office without running into anyone.

Glancing out her office window, she watched Nora get in the car with Carson, relieved that her sister decided she trusted her enough to leave her at the company, after all. Either that or with Carson’s appearance, she’d forgotten her dictum.

Just where did they go for lunch around here besides the small onsite cafeteria? Mackenzie should grab lunch too before this afternoon’s team-building adventure. Instead, she checked analytics and, as expected, spotted nothing out of the ordinary. Her chest constricted with frustration. This was a colossal waste of time. The cryptic message delivered via Freda Stone was ridiculous. And now, she was seeing secret coded messages everywhere.

She thought back to her sister’s words. “Learn what you can with what I’ve given you.”

What have you given me? Nothing except an air-gapped network that’s completely separate from whatever you’re doing on that secret lower level.

Mackenzie stepped out of her office and eyed the elevators she did not want to get on. She couldn’t get down to that level without a keycard, but she had a plan. She had left her iPad on Nora’s desk as an excuse to get back into her office while she was gone. Maybe she could find the keycard she needed. She headed down the stairs to Nora’s office and stopped at Maci’s desk.

“Hey, I forgot my iPad.”

On the phone again, Maci waved her through. Maybe all the phone calls had to do with Rowan’s recent passing. Whatever they were about, they distracted Maci.

Rushing around to her sister’s desk, she tried the drawers. Locked. Nora really didn’t trust anyone. Mackenzie stood and searched the room. Nora probably had the keycard on her. Mackenzie was stupid to even try. She grabbed her iPad from the desk—and just in time.

“Did you find it?” Maci stood at the door.

“Yes.”

Mackenzie glanced behind the woman. “Where’s Cleo?”

“My ex came and got him.”

Mackenzie embraced her iPad to hide her shaking hands. She wasn’t meant for this clandestine stuff—unless, of course, it was on a digital plane. She’d snooped around in computer systems, but she couldn’t physically snoop around.

She moved to the large window and took in the expansive view.

Maci stood next to her. “It’s gorgeous. Listen, I won’t tell her you were looking for something in her office, if you won’t tell her that I let you walk right in.”