Chapter 39

Thunder cracked menacingly outside, its impact shaking the house as it hit close by. Just a few minutes before, every strike had sent shivers down her back, but Hannah's attention was focused on other sounds now as she backed into the corner where the walls of the hallway and the kitchen met.

Nightmarish phantoms that had stalked her dreams as a child seemed to detach themselves from every direction while the tall brunette fought her inner fears. Unable to see anything but dark shadows, Hannah had to rely on her other senses to tell her what was real and what was just her active imagination.

The distinct sound of the kitchen door creaking open had her searching her mind for anything around her that could be used as a weapon. Hannah knew where the knife drawer was in the kitchen, but would have to go past the intruder to get to it. The only other thing she could think of was the mop handle, but retrieving that from the hall closet would force her into the opening of the kitchen doorway. She was stuck.

Her heart pounded loudly in her ears as she distractedly wondered if the lights were on or off in the house. Since she'd been navigating the house for the last two weeks, Hannah thought that she might have at least a little advantage over the prowler if it was the latter.

Hannah gasped aloud as a sudden flash of light startled her, her hand instantly going to her mouth to silence it. Hoping she hadn't been heard, she listened intently while her mind tried to process what had just happened.

Ever since the explosion, she'd seen nothing more than dark, hazy shadows. While the doctors couldn't confirm if the damage was permanent, Hannah had begun to lose any hope as the weeks dragged on. The unexpected spark had her wondering if maybe her sight was coming back, or if it was just her mind playing tricks on her.

Before she could come to any conclusion, Hannah felt the presence of someone next to her, even though she couldn't see him. Hoping she was hidden from the intruder's gaze, she pressed her back against the wall behind her. However, gut instinct told her she was too late.

"Well, well, Ms. Starr," the sarcastic voice echoed through the quiet house. "Left you all alone, did they?"

Hannah frowned at the unique accent of the woman's voice, wondering where she'd heard it before. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" Even as the hairs on her arms lifted, she refused to give into the fear.

"I think I'll ask the questions," the disembodied person replied as the distinct sound of a bullet sliding into the chamber vibrated through Hannah's bones. "Where are the lights in this place?" she demanded sharply.

Good, Hannah thought. As least we're on an even playing field. She decided to use her own current weaknesses to her advantage before the intruder could do otherwise. "The storm knocked out the power a while ago," she claimed, hoping the other woman wouldn't find a light switch and discover out she was lying. "What do you want?"

"Myles."

Hannah hoped she didn't look as frightened as that simple response made her feel. "He left hours ago."

"I know," the woman smirked as she moved a little towards the living room, the sounds like she was looking around. "I've come to take care of you."

The tall brunette agent swayed slightly as more brief flickers danced before her eyes, light skipping across her vision. Shaking her head to clear it, Hannah was relieved when the darkness returned.

"Me?"

"I know you followed him from Texas," the woman snarled, anger practically seeping from her pores. "You thought you could woo him with your sweet accent and virginal attributes, but we both know you're just a slut trying to bed him for his family's money." The tone of her voice changed her quickly from an ordinary nondescript stranger into a cold-blooded killer in seconds.

What? Hannah thought to herself. What is she talking about? When her mind involuntarily flashed to the morning she woke up next to him in bed, and the resulting kiss, she felt her cheeks heat and she looked away guiltily.

"Don't try and deny it!" the woman bellowed alarmingly. "I can see it all over your face."

Hannah turned back defensively, wishing she could read the other woman's expression. Her training at Quantico had relied so much on being able to see what was happening around her that she worried that she'd make the wrong move and anger the woman further.

She couldn't stop the images of Myles finding her dead in the morning from assailing her thoughts. Or Ruth! Hannah gasped quietly. Even though she didn't know how at this point, she promised herself that she wasn't going to let that happen.

"Myles and I are only co-workers," Hannah started, surprised that her voice sounded steady despite the overwhelming fear she was feeling at the moment. "We've been working a case—"

"Don't you think I know that!" the woman raged suddenly, causing Hannah to shrink back against the wall. "I was so happy when I finally got his attention again, but then you had to butt your nose into it all, trying to seduce him with your music and your slinky dresses…" she ranted.

What? The thought of Myles being "seduced" by anything about her prompted the urge to laugh hysterically, but Hannah quashed it while trying to process everything that was being said. She was finding it difficult to do that using only the tone of the woman's voice to analyze her words. Before now, she'd never realized just how much she depended on her sight to pick up on a person's body language.

How could anyone think my songs were sexy? she wondered. And slinky? Hannah thought of the dresses she had worn at the nightclub. While each boasted a long slit in the skirt, the modest cut of each dress could never be considered 'slinky'. And I doubt Myles noticed anyway…wait…

The nightclub! Hannah chastised herself for not making the connection earlier. She stiffened, her time in the Bureau making it difficult to believe it was just a coincidence.

"You were at the nightclub?" Hannah interrupted the frenzied, nonstop gibberish, hoping she wasn't feeding the woman's irrational anger. "Were you hurt?" she questioned, almost fearing the answer.

"Hurt?" the woman scoffed, laughing outright at the very thought. "You think I was stupid enough to be there when my bomb went off?" she asked incredulously.

A cold shiver ran down her spine as Hannah's fears were essentially confirmed. Is she here to finish the job? she wondered, frantically wracking her brain for a way to escape. "You almost killed us." Even as her hands shook at her side, the agent in her wanted to find out as much information as possible about her opponent.

"Myles wasn't supposed to be there! He was supposed to be off that night!" the woman countered defensively. "But he canceled our date for the symphony to go with you!" The woman's voice was so venomous that Hannah no longer had any question that her life was in very real peril.

"It was his job; I'm sure he didn't mean…" Hannah wanted to keep her talking long enough to come up with a plan, but it was becoming apparent that she didn't have long.

"Oh, so it was his job to kiss you at the hospital," the woman shouted, getting in Hannah's face as she fumed. "It was his job to bring you here so you could shack up together. Yeah, right!"

Hannah cringed outwardly, longing to push the woman away, but unsure of what weapons she was up against. Instead she stood there, taking it until the woman finally turned away. From the varying quality of her voice, the tall brunette could only assume that she'd started pacing.

Optimistically, Hannah thought she might be able to make a dash for cover when the woman turned away again. Listening intently, more to the levels than the content, she waited for her chance. But the woman's next statement snapped her attention back like a wet towel on a cold day.

"I saw you in his arms, through the window!" she continued her tirade. "I know I can't compete with that innocent act you put on, so I'm just going to have to eliminate the problem."

Hannah's eyes widened noticeably at the loud click of a gun being cocked, and knew her time was up. It was now or never as she launched herself in the woman's direction, struggling for the gun as it went off.

A/N: Now that I have all my stories 'properly' updated, I think I'll go on that vacation in the Amish Country Froggerz keeps talking about... BYE!