Page 26 of Scout’s Honor

Dallas’ mind split in two directions. In one, he felt undeserving of her admiration, in the other, he felt a warm glow in his chest, a soft feeling of coming home. He tried to choose the better feeling. “Welcome,” he said, staring at the road.

“What’s your name?” she asked in a small voice.

“Dallas Manteo,” he said.

“I’m Bonhi Candor.”

He nodded. “You’re Jameson’s lawyer.”

“You know Jameson?”

“Yeah, I work with him some. Let me ask you, did that guy look weird to you?”

“The guy with the gun?”

“Yeah.”

“He twitched. He might’ve been on drugs.”

Dallas didn’t want to push the issue, but he had to know if it was just him. He’d seen it twice now. “What about… did he look… blurry?”

“Blurry? No, not blurry.”

Dallas shook his head, doubting what he’d thought he’d seen. “Who was he?”

“I never saw him before.”

“What did he want?”

“He just kept telling me to drive. I never did figure it out.”

She pulled her arm out of the space blanket and reached across the cabin, touching him on the arm. He looked down. There was a ragged, round, bloody hole in his sleeve and unmarked skin underneath. She examined the rest of the shirt, and there was another hole at his belly and his shoulder. She touched the skin in both places, making his eyes roll at the pleasure of her soft fingers on his skin.

“You were shot,” she breathed.

She looked at him with something like suspicion in her eyes. He didn’t know what to say.

“How?” she wanted to know, her scent now broiling salty and stormy, like the ocean when thunderclouds gathered over.

A green sign came up in front of them and Dallas slowed, trying to read it in the rain.

“That’s it,” Bonhi said. “Turn right and drive five blocks. I’m the last house on the right.”

Dallas pulled into her driveway and stopped the car. Bonhi’s last question still hung in the air. She turned to him. She was no longer shaking, and her hair was starting to dry.

“How?” she asked again, her green eyes locked on his like he was on the witness stand.

“I want to show you,” Dallas said softly. “Can we go inside?”

Her pretty eyes searched his, and then she nodded. He opened his door and ran out to get to her side and help her out. She walked to the house with the space blanket still on and raindrops plinking on it. She opened the front door.

Dallas stopped her. “Me first.”

She nodded and let him go first. He scented the house and smelled only lovely lawyer.

A landline phone sat on a table in the foyer. She went right to it and dialed 911.

“Hi, yes, my emergency is that I was kidnapped! No, no, I’m safe now. I was rescued.” She looked at him with gratitude in her eyes. “I’m home now. It happened on the highway but I’m at 44 Rosette Way now. Okay, thank you. No, ah…” She looked at his arm, then said, “No ambulance needed.”