Mackenzie sighed in relief. Unfortunately, they would need to go back the same way. Every day she would have to take this road. Maybe she should check in to a hotel in town. Nora steered the Lexus into the parking lot that looked like it would hold about two hundred vehicles, give or take. At one end of the lot was a modern three-story building of metal, wood, and stone. Beautiful and impressive but not overstated, it somehow seemed to blend in with the environment. Probably also took advantage of passive design strategies for heating and cooling.

Hanstech, Inc.

Dad’s dream.

She released a heavy sigh. She missed him. Very. Much. She’d lost so much time with him. Another of her mistakes. But she couldn’t go back. Couldn’t heap more on her battered soul.

Through Hanstech, Dad had hoped to expand the ways in which drones could be used for good—like disaster relief after fires, earthquakes, or floods. Mackenzie had to wonder why Hanstech was being targeted.

Nora parked the Lexus at the front entrance next to a Mercedes. “Look. Carson’s here. I didn’t even tell him. He knows me too well.”

Or he was keeping tabs on Nora. Though none of her business, kind of creepy.

Carson leaned against his luxury car. His arms were crossed, and he smiled at Nora as she pulled in next to him.

“No electric vehicles for you guys, huh?”

“Maybe at some point.”

Before Nora opened the door to get out, Mackenzie caught her wrist. She had much more to talk about with her sister and hadn’t realized Carson would be joining them. “I’m going to need to know everything about what you’re doing here at Hanstech. Everything. Aboveboard and otherwise.”

Nora twisted free and got out of the car.

To herself, Mackenzie mumbled, “And I’m going to need to look into your employees. Everyone, including your fiancé, CFO Carson Banks, who somehow knew you would be here.”

TWELVE

In the shadow of the tree canopy, Alex perched on the stump of a fallen spruce near Hanstech headquarters and watched the facility through his night-vision monocular.

What are you doing, Mackenzie?

Her response to his follow-up text had been to simply put him off. Even then, she could have been in trouble. But knowing her, she’d find a way to tell him, even in a coded message if she had to. If there was something to tell. Considering the shooting yesterday, he wasn’t going to wait around to finalize an agreement to watch out for her.

He’d followed her for now in part to be there if she needed protection, but she clearly hadn’t wanted him to come along on this excursion, which seemed odd to him. By observing from a distance, he could possibly learn something—like more about what he was getting into with her.