Page 94 of Critical Alliance (Rocky Mountain Courage 3)

Mackenzie looked at Alex. “We have to help her.”

She grabbed her bag, along with her laptop, and rushed out the door, Alex following. He brandished his gun, a protective and determined expression on his face.

“I don’t know what you think a gun is going to do against a hacker working through technology,” she said as they got into his rental car.

“Protect you against a shooter in the woods. How about that?”

“Or since this is Montana, a bear.”

“Seriously, can Nebulous 2.0 control her car like this?”

“Where have you been, Alex Knight? Surely a DSS agent knows the dangers.”

“I’ve heard of a few incidents, but it’s hard to believe.”

“I have a friend who is an ethical hacker for the automobile industry. Nebulous 2.0 obviously found his way into Nora’s Lexus. Hers has the latest and greatest technology. I hope your rental car is older. Less technology will keep us safe from his interference.”

Alex accelerated, spinning out across the grass as he steered away from the cabin.

Alex Knight, you’re quickly becoming my hero.

“Just head toward her house, and we’ll backtrack and try to find her.”

“Do you know how many forest roads are along that drive?”

Think. “Maybe I can hack into her GPS system and find her, except I don’t want to trigger Nebulous 2.0 to hurt her even more.” Fear for Nora curdled in her gut. What was he up to? Would he drive her car into a ravine? “We have to hurry before it’s too late.”

“I have an idea.”

“Wait, where are you going?”

“Just a quick detour. I promise it will be worth it.”

Mackenzie tried to text her sister, but they were in a dead zone, and the text wouldn’t go through. Ten minutes in and her nerves had her wanting to crawl out of her skin. “This is taking too long. I’m going to call one of your county friends.”

“I did already.”

“What? When?”

“While you were grabbing your bag and computer. I texted Terra to let the gang know.”

“The gang?”

“Yep. Easier that way.”

“But she said whoever was controlling her car would know.”

“Not likely. This isn’t going through regular police channels.”

He steered through a neighborhood and parked in front of a house. “We have to keep quiet.”

“Where are we?”

“I’ll explain later.” Alex led her around between the houses. A dog barked nearby. He unlatched the gate and headed into the backyard. She assumed this was his family’s home.

He headed to a big workshop at the back. Alex lifted a padlock on the door and groaned.

“What?”