Page 71 of Critical Alliance (Rocky Mountain Courage 3)

“Maybe we could have coffee sometime.”

His smile faltered.

Oh. She hadn’t meant to scare him off. She wasn’t coming on to him or anything. “I mean ... just hang out and talk shop.”

He studied her. Measured her. The atmosphere and the tension around them shifted. “Sure. We could do that.”

Another thrill seeker’s scream made her shudder.

“For Rowan!” someone shouted. Others repeated the shout.

The team building, the competition, and the excitement all seemed entirely inappropriate to her. Mackenzie rubbed her temples. Still, she could see Dad in the middle of this, making it work. Making it all worth the effort. But somehow today just felt wrong. Creepy. Maybe it was just her. After all, she was here to find a dangerous criminal. And Nora was trapped and scared.

“And you’re Rowan and Nora’s sister, right?”

A breeze blasted over her from the mountains, but it didn’t hide the cold chill that crawled down her back. “Um...” How did he know? Nora had told her to use Calhoun as her last name if anyone asked. Maybe it wasn’t so hard to know Nora had a sister, though they didn’t look anything alike.

What did she say? Caught by surprise, she stared too long. She wasn’t cut out for this undercover business, unless it was across cyberspace.

He stepped closer, leaned in, and pointed to something across the canyon as he spoke under his breath. “I know why you’re here.”

Her heart jumped to her throat. Was he threatening her? Warning her?

Pulse pounding in her ears, she couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. Just waited for what he might say next. He drew in a breath to say more—

The guy manning the zip line clapped his hands to get their attention.

“It’s your turn.” He gestured for Chad to strap into the harness.

Chad turned to her. “Ladies first.”

“I ... uh...” She glanced over her shoulder at the trail back through the woods. She should have run when she had the chance.

“It’s fine. I’ll go.” Chad gently squeezed her arm and stepped forward to get into the harness.

He was offering her this—a sort of lifeline. So that was it then ... he knew something. He wanted to connect with her. He glanced over his shoulder. The look he gave her seemed to confirm just that.

They would need to communicate. She and Nora weren’t in this alone. Someone else knew there was a danger—an abstract, undefined danger. The worst kind.

Nebulous 2.0?

She watched him slide across with ease, and then the zip line stalled. His harness seemed to snag on something. He just hung there.

A snap echoed. Then he shouted, “Help!”

He plummeted, flailing and screaming, into the canyon.