The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance

mood.” She knocked his hand away. Finishing the sutures, Sophia tied off the thread and bandaged his wound a little more harshly than necessary.
    Mitch touched her shoulder. “Sorry.” He pulled her beside him on the couch.
    A strange tingling rushed through her as she realized his warm fingers still rested on her.
    “It’s disconcerting to hear your voice, but not be able to see you. I need a ... physical connection. OK?”
    “Sure.” Her voice rasped. How embarrassing! But she relaxed and left his fingers on her arm.
    “Could you please tell me everything you heard?” he asked.
    As Sophia recited, Mitch stiffened. She felt his anxiety vibrate through his touch.
    “A mesh bag? Are you sure?” he asked.
    “Yes.”
    He swore. “And—” his voice cracked “—a 4 a.m. pick up tonight?”
    “I don’t know if they meant tonight.”
    He covered his eyes with his other hand. “My team won’t be here in time. Maybe we can intercept the vehicle. Is there another road out?”
    “The airstrip.”
    “What?”
    “There’s a landing strip next to the farmhouse.”
    Mitch shot to his feet. “I need to get there. Now!”
    “What ‘treasures’ are worth risking your life for?”
    “Classified. I need a ride—”
    “Not until you tell me.”
    His hands balled into fists. She scrambled away as he stepped forwards. Mitch stopped and drew in a deep breath. “Those guys are kidnappers. They smuggle young girls to foreign countries. Young girls with special . . . talents. Some, like you, are blind assassins ... I mean—” he quickly corrected himself “—light benders.”
    “I don’t believe you. There aren’t many people like me in the world.”
    “I think you’d be surprised. Hiding in your cabin all the time, you’re a little out of touch with reality.”
    Emotion roughened his voice. “I sent my little sister to a special school after our mother died. She insisted she didn’t belong in there because she could . . . see in the dark. I didn’t believe her, of course. Your condition is rare—”
    She interjected, “It’s not a condition.” Then she stopped herself as the picture became clearer. “Your sister is a light bender, isn’t she?”
    His fingers raked his damp hair. “The kidnappers think so. But I hadn’t made the connection before meeting you. I was visiting her at the school last night when they jumped us. But I thought she had escaped. She disappeared while I was fighting with Ed’s friend.”
    Mitch’s sister was in the mesh bag. Sophia bolted from the couch. “Let’s go.”
    Mitch donned the T-shirt and ran to the phone to update his team, careful to keep his flashlight out of her eyes. She dashed out the back to prep her bike. When Mitch joined her she said, “My father’s helmet is in the shed.”
    “Any weapons?”
    “Hunting rifles.”
    “Ammo?”
    “In the cabinet in the living room. Take the thirty-thirty and my Winchester.”
    “Yours? Oh no. You’re just giving me a ride. After you drop me off, you’re coming back here.”
    “Don’t be ridiculous. I can see in the dark.”
    Although unhappy, Mitch agreed, with conditions. “You are to do exactly what I say. No free styling. Understand?”
    “Yes, sir.”
    Grumbling, Mitch used the flashlight to find the guns and helmet. He strapped the rifles on his back. The trip to the airstrip wasn’t as exhausting as the ride home. Mitch’s hold stayed loose. He moulded his body to her back. Although his warmth distracted her at times, the connection helped him match her movements faster. She realized he trusted her.
    The Honda chugged up the mountain and crested on the far side of the runway. She cut the engine and coasted to a small dip. Mitch handed her the Winchester.
    “Here’s the plan,” he said. “We’ll approach the house from the east side. If they’re still there, I’ll get in close to see who is where. You stay put. You’re my sniper. If the guys try to drive away, shoot out their tyres. Only if you have a clear shot.”
    “What are you going to do if they stay?”
    “Wait. It’s three thirty. If the plane comes at four, they’ll leave the house with the girls and I’ll surprise them. Otherwise, I’ll wait for my team.”
    His plan sounded simple. The element of surprise combined with her night vision should work well together. Something about famous last words echoed in her mind, but she squashed all doubts. She remembered listening to her father lecture the rookies at the