Page 16 of Hidden Mate

The challenge hung in the air between them. Never had Nora directly confronted her mentor.

“Perhaps I should,” the Master said quietly.

“If you want me to leave…”

“What I want is for you to complete your assignment. Then perhaps you should spend some time on the island. I’m beginning to wonder if allowing you so much freedom has been detrimental to your commitment to the cause.”

The call ended without another word between them.

He’d never threatened her before—not even vaguely. And while this was subtle, they both knew that the only reason the Master would call her home was to dispose of her. Nora was taken aback by both the realization and how much it hurt to know he could so casually threaten to kill her. Knowing he would kill her without so much as blinking an eye if she failed to kill Hutch had the opposite effect she was sure the Master had intended, though.

Yes, he’d given her a home. Yes, he’d ensured she had a good education and a taste for the finer things. But she’d killed for him time and time again. Nora didn’t like to think about the amount of blood she had on her hands. She never tried to blame him for that, but at some point, any debt she owed him had to have been paid in full.

Nora knew there were times in a person’s life when not only were they standing at a crossroads, but they were aware of that. She could see no way to go back, so the only way to proceed was to move forward. One fork in the road was to continue on the only path she’d ever seen before her. The other fork offered another route, another way. If she followed that path, she would make a break with all that had gone before. She would take the road less traveled, and it would, as Robert Frost had once observed, make all the difference.

Could she choose a new way and keep both herself and Hutch safe? Could he forgive the sins of her past and choose to make a new life for them here in Mystic River? Was it the resistance that held him here? Could she become a part of that new way? Had the Master always been so wrong?

Questions vexed her, and she knew they would allow her no sleep. One of the more pressing questions was whether the Master already had someone in place. Was Hutch in danger even as she pondered their future?

She walked by the window in her room. With the light on, her silhouette would be clearly seen by anyone watching. She made a big show of moving back and forth before turning out the light, changing into all black clothing and waiting. When the time was right, she would venture out into the night, and watch over Hutch.

After enough time had elapsed that she felt she could exit the B&B without being observed, she opened the door to her room and slipped into the hallway. She knew Trudy and Hamish’s suite of rooms was on the first floor. Trying to go down the steps quietly enough that she could exit the building through the kitchen door would be difficult at best. No, the best way out was to go through the window on the side of the house, move across the slippery roof, and slide down the backside of the building.

She opened the window and carefully climbed out, ensuring she had stable footing as she stealthily moved along the roof to a point she could dangle over the side and drop down. Once she was in a crouching position, she stayed in position until she was sure she had left the building without anyone being the wiser. Once she assured herself of that, she began to move away from the B&B to make her way back to Hutch’s bakery.

It was at times like this she earned her nickname of the Ghost. She moved like a wraith among the shadows of the small town, certain of her ability to remain hidden. She circled the bakery, staying out of the light and detecting no signs of life. Where was he?

Moments later, Nora more sensed a presence behind her than she actually heard or saw anything. She moved deeper into the gloom to ensure she remained hidden. There—at the corner of the building; someone was moving. The phantom moved deeper into shadows where Nora could no longer detect movement.

Creeping around the end of the building, Nora moved swiftly along the back, around the side and then across the front, trying to flank whoever it was that was hiding. When she moved into position to confront the person, he or she was gone. Damn!

Up ahead she could sense movement—that was the thing, she couldn’t really see who it was, but it could very well be that the Master had already sent someone to kill both her and Hutch. Up ahead, a shadow moved around the end of the building, seeming to follow where she had gone. Clinging to the side of the building, she moved to follow.

At the corner of the building, she peeked around the edge. There almost at the other corner, someone moved—a big someone. From the shape and the size, it had to be a man. Who could it be? The shape disappeared around to the other side. Circling around and around the building wasn’t going to do either of them any good. If the person was trying to catch her unaware, Nora was about to turn the tables on him.

She shook her head, trying to clear it of the buzzing that took up residence in her brain whenever Hutch was near. She had heard the phenomenon described by others when they spoke of their fated mates, but never having believed she would have one of her own, she hadn’t paid much attention. She was sure, however, that no one had ever described how annoying it was. She shook her head, but it didn’t clear the sound, only abated it to a dull kind of humming. Better but still annoying, nonetheless.

Nora turned back and moved soundlessly back down the side of the building. If whoever it was who was following her held to his pattern, he should round the corner back into the alley just moments before she was able to move into place to take him down. Swiftly and silently, she moved into place and waited.

As the man tailing her came cautiously around the corner, Nora rushed out, swinging with her right, and damning the fact that she hadn’t brought her trusty stiletto with her. In hindsight, it seemed like a bad idea to leave it, but she hadn’t wanted to be caught with a concealed deadly weapon up her sleeve. The man’s left arm came up, blocking her blow and throwing a powerful punch of his own. Nora feinted and ducked, so that the blow missed her altogether. Her opponent might have power on his side, but she had speed. Curiously, they seemed to be equally matched for technique.

She threw a left jab, connecting with his mouth. He spat blood and cursed, staggering back a step. Nora didn’t hesitate and moved forward, throwing another punch and missing him altogether as he whirled around, bringing his foot up and kicking her in the gut. She’d left herself wide open. She hadn’t done that since she was a teen. The wind was knocked out of her, and she was propelled backward, slamming into the wall of the bakery.

Her midsection roaring with pain and her head buzzing like an angry swarm of hornets, Nora lashed out, swinging blindly in an attempt to keep her opponent at bay. She was faster, but her opponent was so much bigger. They grappled together, nip and tuck, dog eat dog as they battled for supremacy.

She shifted her attack, throwing punch after punch in an attempt to gain the upper hand. When she missed, the phantom leaned forward, pinning her with his forearm across her throat. She tried to bring her knee up into his groin, but he was able to block that with a muscular thigh.

“Naomi!”

The name didn’t register.

“Naomi!” it called again.

As the man leaned into her, cutting off a bit of her air and using his sheer size to impose his will, the red haze of anger and fear—something she hadn’t felt in a long while—began to clear. The voice was familiar.

“Naomi,” he said in a strangled cry. “It’s me, baby. Did I hurt you?”

“Hutch?” she said, not quite believing her eyes.

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