Hitting the Target Read online

  People looked at her in surprise, but no one seemed inclined to do anything until someone ahead of her put out a foot and tripped the bag-snatcher, at last allowing Mia to catch up with him.

  “Give it to me! Give me my bag!” she shouted, grabbing the strap and yanking.

  But the thief wasn’t so easily put off. He struggled to his feet and pulled back, refusing to relinquish the stolen bag.

  “Get off, lady!” he snarled at her through the mask he was wearing. “Let it go!”

  “No!” Mia struggled with him fiercely. It seemed like all the anger she’d been keeping bottled up inside from the way the Commandant had treated her had come suddenly to the surface and now she felt positively enraged—angry enough to face ten thieving bag-snatchers if necessary.

  The people around them still didn’t seem to understand—or care—exactly what was going on. There were angry grunts when Mia or the thief bumped into some of the passersby but even as they struggled closer and closer to the edge of the platform, no one came to her aid.

  No one until a deep, angry voice rang out above the crowd.

  “Hey! Let go of her bag!”

  The voice was somehow familiar—though nothing in this strange place should have been the least bit familiar, Mia knew. It startled her so much that she jerked her head up and her grip on the bag loosened just a little.

  It was enough. With a tremendous yank, the thief pulled the hotly contested bag from her hands. Then he gave her a one-handed shove in the center of her chest which made Mia gasp.

  She could feel her center of gravity shifting—could feel herself losing her balance as she wind-milled her arms, trying desperately not to fall even as she was tilting backwards, over the abyss that was the edge of the platform.

  And then she was falling…falling so hard and fast she couldn’t even put out a hand to catch herself. She had time to turn her head and saw the dull silver lines of the transport tracks flash in her vision and then she was landing on her back, the sharp gravel tearing her thin dress and digging painfully into her back and side.

  “Oof!” Mia heard herself gasp and then she couldn’t say anymore—couldn’t do anything but gasp and try to get back her breath—all the wind had been knocked out of her in her fall. She looked up, out of the pit of the transport tunnel, and saw a row of surprised faces staring down at her from above.

  Help me, she thought but couldn’t say. She still could barely breathe, and she thought her ankle might be broken—trying to move it brought a sharp jolt of pain.

  “Why is no one helping, damn you? Get out of the way if you’re just going to stand there!” the same deep voice that had startled her before rang out. Suddenly a familiar face was staring into hers. The shaggy golden-brown mane of hair surrounded a face with a neatly clipped beard. Eyes as green as a tropical sea looked worriedly into her own.

  It’s him. It really is him—the man from my dreams, Mia thought dizzily and wondered if she might faint.

  Then he was kneeling on the edge of the platform and reaching out to her.

  “Take my hand!” His deep voice was urgent, his green eyes worried. “The next transport is due any minute. Hurry!”

  The urgency in his voice seemed to get Mia going somehow. She reached for him, despite the pain the sudden movement caused in her bruised muscles and injured ankle. As she did, she heard a rushing sound. It was far down the track but it was getting closer fast—the rushing growing to a roaring in her ears.

  “Hurry!” the Kindred said again. “Now!”

  No one else could have reached her down on the tracks but he had long, muscular arms. Before she knew it, he was dragging her up and over the lip of the pit, just as the high-speed transport rushed by.

  The wind of its passing blew a breath of hot air straight up her skirt and Mia gasped breathlessly and threw herself forward, trying to get completely out of its way.

  “Easy—take it easy.” Somehow, she found herself in the big Kindred’s arms and he was holding her cradled to his broad chest high above the crowd because he was so much taller than anyone else there.

  Oh my God, he’s huge! Mia found herself thinking, looking up at him. Why hadn’t she realized how big he was in her dreams? The Kindred was head and shoulders taller than any man she’d ever known—he made her feel like a child being held as she was in his massive arms. He was wearing tight black leather trousers and black boots to go with them as well as a deep teal, long-sleeved shirt made of some rich, silky fabric Mia had never seen before. It made his eyes look even greener.

  “You okay, little one?” he asked, looking down at her with worry on his chiseled features. “That was quite a fall you took.”

  Mia’s mouth worked and she wasn’t sure what to say. At last she blurted,

  “You’re so big.”

  He rumbled laughter that seemed to vibrate her entire body.

  “Well, I can’t help that. Maybe it’s just that you’re so small. Are you all right?”

  “My bag!” Mia exclaimed, finally tearing her eyes away from his, which was surprisingly hard to do. Oh God, her bag had everything in it! Her identity papers, her healer’s aide certificate, the money the Commandant had grudgingly given her to rent a flat—but most of all, it had the all-important recording device which she was supposed to use to stream both audio and video surveillance back to The EYE’s headquarters. Without it, she had only her Mercy Star pin which sent images but no sound. God, the Commandant would be furious!

  “My bag!” she cried again and twisted, trying to get out of his arms.

  “Whoa there!” He pulled her closer, keeping her from getting down. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save your purse, but I thought it was more important to save you. A purse can be replaced, you know.”

  “Not this one,” Mia exclaimed. “It had everything in it! All my papers—my certificate—my money—let me down so I can go after him!”

  “He’s long gone by now,” the Kindred protested but he set her on her feet obligingly.

  Mia took a step…and gave a cry of pain as she promptly crumpled to the ground.

  “What is it? What’s wrong?” He knelt beside her, his eyes anxious.

  “My ankle! I must have twisted it when I fell.”

  Mia tried to move her right ankle and hissed in pain when the tiny movement shot a spike of agony through the joint in question.

  “Here—let me. I’m a healer.”

  He probed her ankle gently with his big hands, his forehead creased into an expression of thoughtful worry. His touch was warm on her hurt flesh but somehow he managed to examine her without causing her more pain. At last he sat back on his haunches.

  “I don’t think it’s broken but I’d like to get some internal images to be for sure. Can I take you to my Care Center to get it looked at?”

  “I…um…” Mia didn’t know what to say. She’d never intended to meet the big Kindred so quickly.

  The plan had been to go and apply for a job where he worked and accidentally run into him there. The Commandant had instructed her to put herself into some kind of danger so he could rescue her. Mia had thought she might trip in front of him when an orderly was pushing a stretcher down the hall so he could pull her out of the way. She’d never dreamed a scenario like this one, where he would actually save her life for real from a speeding transport which would have squashed her like a bug if he hadn’t been so fast.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, frowning at her. “Can I take you to the Care Center?”

  Mia realized she was taking too long to answer. But she hardly knew what to say. She wanted to say that he was much bigger than he had been in her dreams but that would sound crazy, wouldn’t it? She couldn’t tell the big man that she had dreamed of him, not once but many times. He would think she was insane, and she would lose any chance she had at getting close to him.

  “I…I don’t even know your name,” she said at last.

  A smile touched his lips and filled his clear green eyes.

  “