“Are you all right?” Mitch asked.
She felt her neck. Aside from the burn, it remained whole, but the metallic tang of blood dominated her senses. Her hands were sticky. “Rick?”
“Dead. Come on.” Mitch pulled her to her feet.
She wobbled. “The girls? Ed?”
“Oldest trick in the book. I hid the girls in the basement, and left the back door wide open. Ed’s out cold.” He wrapped her in a hug. “I’ve done a number of stupid things today, but I wasn’t going to leave you.”
She clung to him, enjoying his warmth and strength. “Thanks for saving—”
He silenced her with a kiss. All too soon he broke away. “Just returning the favour.”
Mitch kissed her again, but this one had a feeling of finality about it. He led her outside. The darkness embraced her and she fanned her blistered neck.
“My team will be here in an hour. You need to go.” He was all business.
Despite the ache chewing holes in her heart Sophia understood he was protecting her.
Her moment of clarity had given her plenty of ideas of how to use her talent to help people. Even though she could see in the dark, it didn’t mean she had to live there.
An icy chill gripped her. She slogged to her bike. The ride home blurred into one long endurance test, ending with a collapse on her bed.
Months passed. Sophia ventured back into society. The Association for the Blind taught her how to live in the light. She reconnected with the people at her father’s firehouse. No longer afraid of being caught by the feds, Sophia explored the limits of her unique talent. She stopped hiding and rejoined the world. At night, her activities became more clandestine. She aided a search and rescue mission, helping to find a lost boy scout, and she followed a potential arsonist, stopping him before he set another barn fire.
Sophia was painting when headlights swept her cabin. The Association was delivering her guide dog tonight. Eager to meet her furry companion, she hurried outside. Caught in the headlights, she didn’t need to act blind. She clutched a post on her porch to keep from tripping. When the lights extinguished, she saw a huge pickup truck with a Suzuki Z250 in the bed parked in her driveway. No dog.
Mitch hopped down from the driver’s seat. She blinked, but he remained.
“What do you think?” He gestured to the bike.
“You should have bought a Honda instead of a Suck-zuki,” she said.
“They’re fighting words. You’ll change your mind when you’re eating my dust.”
She laughed. “You think you can keep up with me?”
He reached into the cab and pulled out a helmet. “State-of-the-art night-vision visor.” He glanced up. A waning half-moon hung in the sky. “Plenty of light. Want to go for a ride?”
“I can’t. I’m waiting for a dog.”
“A dog’s more important?” he asked with a neutral tone.
“The dog’s here to stay, and isn’t just visiting for a joyride.”
He set the helmet on the seat, and strode towards her. He wore her father’s T-shirt. The bruises on his face were long gone, and her insides flipped when he reached her.
“I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I’ve been keeping track of this area, reading the local papers and doing internet searches.” He touched her neck, rubbing a thumb over her burn scar. “Seems a few unexplained, yet happy incidents have occurred in the Smoky Mountains these past three months.” He dropped his hand. “Guess I was wrong about you.”
“No. You were right. I’ve been hiding for a long time. Afraid to use my talents.”
“And now you’re not?”
“No. I’m still afraid, but I won’t let it stop me.”
“Admirable.” He smiled. “Are you brave enough to expand your nocturnal activities, and work with a partner?”
“It depends.”