Previously...

His relief was short-lived. Like a swirling mist stealing over unsuspecting countryside, a figure appeared out of nowhere and glided toward her. Jim blinked and concentrated his enhanced vision, but couldn’t come up with a clear picture of the man who had somehow materialized.

Trixie! He tried to form the warning on his lips, but no sound came out. He watched in horror as the black form moved closer to her, and stopped directly behind his oblivious prey.

Chapter Three

The slow motion that had gripped Jim’s attention suddenly morphed into a scene in fast-forward. A figure lurched out of an upper window in the grimy brick building, and then catapulted itself down the rickety fire escape. Trixie sprang into action, placing herself in position at the bottom of the fire escape. Lucas Harris, however, had other ideas. Jim watched in morbid fascination as Luke burned his bridges. Literally. Checking his downward scramble, Luke set the bottom portion of the fire escape on fire and attempted to leap across the alley to the fire escape on the building on the other side.

The dark form that Jim had noted earlier was suddenly beside Trixie, shielding her from the direct attack of the fire and leaving her a clear path to confront Luke. With more determination than skill, Spit-Fire grabbed the bottom of the fire escape and rattled it until the form two stories above her skidded the rest of the way down. He tumbled to the ground and landed in a heap at her feet. As Trixie secured his ankles and wrists with plastic zip ties, Jim raced toward her.

“Trixie!” he called, ignoring the dark figure beside her. She stood up, brushing her hands on her pants.

“Are you okay?” Jim demanded, running his hands up and down her arms and searching her body and clothing for visible damage. Finding none, he focused on her sparkling blue eyes.

“I got him!” Trixie exclaimed, her body vibrating with excitement. Her smile stretched from ear to ear.

Jim smiled indulgently. “You sure did! And you didn’t even have to set anything on fire.” Their eyes met, and for a moment, the dirty alley disappeared, and they focused solely on each other.

“I thought you were going to wait for back-up,” Jim said gently, trying to disguise his worry.

Trixie blushed and glanced around the alley with a guilty expression on her face. “Turns out I did have back-up,” she pointed out.

Jim followed her gaze and saw his father talking to the mysterious figure from the alley who had appeared to assist her.

“Who is he?” Jim asked, his voice tight. He narrowed his eyes and studied him carefully, but his eagle eyesight couldn’t penetrate the dark shadows that seemed to follow him.

Trixie shrugged. “I don’t know. I ran into him when I was staking out the building. It was obvious that he had his eye on Luke. We agreed to help each other.”

Jim stared at her. “That’s all you know about him? He’s some kind of shadowy…” he trailed off, not even able to describe him. “Some kind of shadow, and you decide to work with him?”

“Appearances can be deceiving,” Trixie quipped, tapping Jim’s glasses. She sobered when she saw Jim’s thunderous expression. “I trust him, Jim. He could have moved in without me and done goodness knows what with Luke. Instead, he waited and played it my way. And helped.”

Jim nodded reluctantly. “We’ll see what Dad says about him. He did mention that there might be someone here to help you.” He reached out and tugged a curl that had escaped her pony tail. “Why didn’t you tell me you were going after Luke?” he asked.

Trixie sighed and gnawed at her bottom lip. When she didn’t answer, Jim ran a hand through his hair. “Never mind. Don’t answer that. I know why you didn’t tell me.” He leaned back against the alley wall and drew Trixie with him. Wrapping his arms around her, he whispered, “I’m glad you’re okay.”

Trixie pressed her lips to his for a quick kiss. A kiss that was entirely too quick, in Jim’s opinion. “I’m fine,” she murmured. “Now, why don’t we go meet my mysterious partner?”

Tugging him by his hand, Trixie led Jim to the mouth of the alley, where Winthrop stood talking to Trixie’s mysterious helper. Jim’s wariness waned when he observed his father’s relaxed stance, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that the newcomer posed a distinct threat to him on some level.

“Jim.” Winthrop motioned for his son to join him. “I’d like you to meet our newest ally.”

The stranger looked up sharply. “Now wait just a minute. I never agreed—"

“You didn’t have to,” Winthrop said smoothly. “You are an ally, whether you recognize it or not. You’re already aligned with our cause.”

A shadow passed over his already dark features. “You don’t know what you’re saying. I don’t make a good ally.”

“On the contrary,” Winthrop assured him. “You make a very valuable ally. Even more so, once you accept and recognize your own worth.”

Jim and Trixie followed the conversation intently, their heads swivelling between the two speakers. Unable to remain silent, Trixie asked, “So what’s your name?”

She blushed as Winthrop and the unknown mutant turned to her. “I mean, I’d like to know who I’m thanking. For the help with Luke.” She gestured vaguely to the alley behind her, her blue eyes snapping with curiosity.

The dark man fixed his intent gaze on her, and Jim noted with satisfaction that Trixie didn’t waver. “Shadow,” he finally said. “You can call me Shadow.”

Trixie’s brilliant smile chased away the gloom of the dreary alley. “Thank you for your help, Shadow. It’s a pleasure to work with you.” She stuck out her hand and grasped the other man’s hand before he could react. She pumped it energetically while he stared at her in what Jim could only describe as confusion.

“You’re welcome,” he said, and gently extricated his hand. He rubbed at his hand, as if trying to remove Trixie’s touch.

Trixie faltered for a moment, but quickly recovered. “I’m Trixie. Or Spit-Fire, depending on what I'm up to," she said with an impish grin. "And these men are both Professor Frayne. But you can call him Eagle,” she said, pointing to Jim.

Jim met the Shadow’s eyes, but refrained from extending his hand. If the guy had a problem with human contact, he wasn’t about to test him. “You did good work,” he told him. “Kept the damage to a minimum.” He risked a glance at Trixie. “Sometimes, things don’t go that smoothly.”

The Shadow flicked his black eyes to Trixie. “I can imagine. Spit-Fire?” He studied the curvy, small blonde with expressive facial features. “It’s a good name for you.”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “It’s almost never my fault!”

Winthrop slung an arm around her. “Of course it isn’t. Now, what are we going to do with Luke?”

Trixie wrinkled her nose in distaste. “Leave him to be gnawed on by rats?” she suggested hopefully.

Win chuckled. “We’re trying to keep our relationship with the local PD cordial,” he reminded her. “Bringing in criminals roughed up isn’t conducive to continued good relations.”

Trixie sighed, pretending to be disappointed. “Do you need to talk to him before we hand him over?”

Win stared at the figure lying bound in the alley. Jim felt a tremor of uneasiness when he saw an infinitesimal frown mar his father’s face.

“We’ll take him back to the Academy,” Win said, his eyes shielded. “I have a feeling that he has information for us.”

“I thought he was just a lackey,” Trixie interjected. “A trouble-maker, but not a serious threat.”

“Anyone can be a threat under the right circumstances,” Jim reminded her.

“I wouldn’t mind having a few words with him myself,” the Shadow said, his voice all the more ominous due to its low cadence.

Win and the Shadow locked eyes for a long moment. “You can come,” Win finally decided. “But I’m in charge. Can you live with that?”

The Shadow inclined his head slightly and started back down the alley. “I could use some muscle, Eagle Eyes,” he called over his shoulder.

Bristling at the casual, yet peremptory tone, Jim narrowed his eyes before following him into the murky depths of the enclosed space. Together, they heaved the bound man to his feet and forced him to walk between them. It wasn’t a comfortable walk for any of them, but neither Jim nor Shadow suggested removing Luke’s ankle restraints.

Luke sneered at them, a sullen expression on his face. “Does it always take two men and a woman to take down one mutant around here?” he asked, his voice bitter.

Jim tightened his grasp on Luke’s shoulder. “Around here, we believe in teamwork.”

Luke snorted. “Teamwork. That’s a good one, Four Eyes.” He jerked his head toward Shadow. “You ought to ask your new friend about teamwork. And loyalty. Don’t forget to ask him about loyalty.”

Jim’s grip on Luke’s arm tightened even more as the bound man stumbled. “Careful,” Jim advised, glancing over Luke’s head to Shadow.

Shadow shrugged. “He tripped.”

Jim’s lips tightened in a disapproving line. “Let’s get him to the Academy in one piece, okay?”

Shadow didn’t answer, and Jim found himself grateful, because he was pretty sure that he wouldn’t like whatever answer the stranger would have given.

When they reached the SUV Jim and Win had used, Luke was unceremoniously dumped in the back cargo area. “Jim and I will see you back at the Academy,” Win told Shadow and Trixie.

Jim’s ginger eyebrows rose. “Um, Dad, I’d be happy to ride with Trixie. Don’t you want to get to know Shadow?” He glanced at Shadow, and saw that his dark eyes were glinting with something that Jim couldn’t identify.

“Don’t worry,” Shadow said, moving closer to Trixie. “I’ll keep your girl safe.”

Both Jim and Trixie bristled.

“Hey!” Trixie exclaimed. “I’m not anyone’s girl!” With her hands on her hip, she glared at Shadow.

“You’re not going anywhere with her,” Jim growled at Shadow as Trixie flashed fire from her eyes.

“Jim.” Win’s voice was mild. “You know full well that I would never put Trixie in danger.”

Jim felt a sudden flash of shame. Though Honey was Win’s adopted daughter, Trixie was no less dear to him. The fact that she was the spitting image of Katie had cemented the bond. If Win, with his uncanny ability to discern people’s thoughts and motives, believed that Trixie was safe with Shadow, then she would be. Still, Jim couldn’t stop himself from indulging in a parting shot.

“I’m keeping my eye on you,” he told Shadow.

For a second Jim saw a faint smirk on Shadow’s face. Then, he saw nothing. Nothing other than a dark, nebulous mist sifting where Shadow had been. A tendril of panic lodged in his chest. His ability to see further and more clearly than anyone else on the planet was suddenly useless.

Trixie’s startled gasp snapped him back to focus. “Nice.” Jim’s clipped voice was the only indication of his irritation.

The mist swirled, tightened, and formed human shape.

“That’s. So. Cool!” Trixie’s awed voice signalled the completion of Shadow re-taking human form. She tentatively reached toward him, increasing Jim’s irritation.

“May I?” she asked.

Shadow hesitated for only a second before placing his hand in hers. Jim watched in fascination as Trixie’s hand was swallowed in Shadow’s larger one. Trixie’s eyes widened.

“It tingles,” she whispered. She withdrew her hand slowly, an amazed smile on her face. She reached for Jim. “Can you feel it?” she asked, placing her fingertips to the back of his hand.

Jim started. Though an electric charge was not uncommon when he touched Trixie, this was different in both quality and intensity. It wasn’t painful, but it was somewhat uncomfortable.

Trixie turned back to Shadow. “Does it hurt?” she asked, frowning. “When you, you know, dissolve? And,” she paused, as if searching for the right word, “re-solve?”

Shadow shrugged. “You get used to it,” he said, his face expressionless.

“So…” Jim felt the need to break the awkward tension. “We’ll see you back at the school?”

Trixie nodded distractedly and gestured to her slightly conspicuous cobalt blue sports car. Jim watched in amazement as his father and Shadow seemed to conduct a silent conversation. Shadow moved as close to Trixie as he could without touching her, and they headed for her vehicle.

“Drive safe,” he called after them.

Trixie turned back to him with a brilliant smile. “Always,” she assured him.

The smile calmed Jim’s nerves, just as it always did, and he headed for the black SUV with a lighter heart. By the time he settled into the passenger seat for the return ride home, though, he was on edge for a completely different reason.

Winthrop Frayne was tense. Winthrop Frayne didn’t do tense. Not without a very good reason.

Before Jim could question him, he was reminded of the presence of Lucas Harris in the back of the vehicle. They drove in silence for several miles before Winthrop spoke.

“Lucas has a message for me.”

Jim looked up sharply.

The voice from the back sent chills down Jim’s spine. “From an old friend,” Luke offered, a malicious smile on his face. “Among other things, he told me to give his regards to you and your family.”

Jim sucked in a breath and clenched his fists, because he felt if he didn’t do something to hold himself together, he would assuredly fly apart.

And if a message from his mother’s killer was hard for him, he could only imagine what it was doing to his father.