Page 98 of Critical Alliance (Rocky Mountain Courage 3)

Trembling, Nora sniffled and shook her head. He wasn’t so sure about that.

“Come on, Nora,” Mackenzie said. “Get in the car, and we’ll go somewhere safe.”

Mackenzie glanced to Alex and held his gaze. She’d emphasized those last two words. She wanted him to take Nora to the Stone Wolf Ranch cabin?

She tried to urge her sister into the car, but Nora refused to move. “I can’t. I can’t get into the car. I can’t. He—”

“Can’t hack a ’67 Mustang.” Alex hadn’t intended the note of pride that escaped.

Her eyes widened. “What?”

“You’re safe,” Mackenzie said. “Get in. You’re safe now, Nora. I’m going to fix this. Fix it all. He’s not going to hurt you.”

Nora climbed into the back seat, and Mackenzie got into the passenger seat. Alex glanced around them. How far was she from Old Camp Road? Where were his friends?

He rushed around the Mustang and got into the driver’s side.

“Carson will be worried about me. I need to call him. He’s out of town, and we were talking when my cell went dead.”

Alex steered onto the road. “Did you lose your cell?”

“I left it behind in the car.” Nora’s voice shook as if she was going through the terror of her experience again.

“Tell us what happened.”

“It was like a prison. I was heading back from Hanstech and suddenly my car had a mind of its own. First it stopped. Then it turned down this road. I couldn’t get control, then suddenly it just stopped. Of course, I wanted out and tried to open the door.” Tears choked her words.

Alex and Mackenzie didn’t push her. Just gave her the space she needed.

“Sorry. I feel like a sniveling idiot.”

“You’ve been through a terrifying experience,” Mackenzie said. “It’s okay, Nora. Cry. Scream. Whatever you need to do. Just tell us what happened.”

Quiet filled the cab of the Mustang for a few heartbeats, then...

“I tried to open the door . . . and nothing. It’s just too automated. All of it. Stupid electronic car brains. I texted you. I tried to call Carson again, but I couldn’t get a reliable signal.”

“How did you get out?”

“I kept banging on the window and trying the door, and then suddenly I was able to open it. Just like that. My car was dead. I couldn’t even turn it on, but I could open the door. Whoever had control either lost it or allowed me to open the door. Honestly, I’m not sure which thought scared me more. So I ran.”

Well, that answered the question about why she hadn’t stayed with the car.

“I was freaked out and took off running. But I didn’t know if he was there waiting on me. Now it seems ridiculous to have thought he would be. I feel like an idiot. A driveling idiot.”

“You’re nothing of the kind, Nora. I’m just glad you’re okay.” Mackenzie handed her cell back to Nora. “Let Carson know you’re okay, but nothing more.”

“What do you mean ‘but nothing more’? You think the hacker is listening to our calls?”

“You’ve said that you felt like you’re being watched. You can’t tell me you haven’t thought of someone listening in on your calls. Regardless, I think it’s better to be safe and limit the information we share.”

While Nora left a voice mail for Carson, Alex headed for Old Camp Road, where his friends had found Nora’s car. Maybe one of them was still with the vehicle, or if nothing else, he could finally get a signal on his cell.

“Where are you going?” Nora gasped. “Please don’t take me back to my car. Not tonight.”

“Relax, Nora, please.” Mackenzie twisted in her seat to face her sister.

Alex adjusted the rearview mirror. “I need to let them know you’re okay.”