Keeping low, Zed led me down the course of a shallow stream that fed into the Eyrie. He was wearing walking boots, but my canvas sneakers had no purchase on the stones and I kept stumbling.

Hold on to my jacket, he told me. Almost there.

As the stream got deeper, the bank lowered allowing us to clamber out of the gully. We emerged on the grassy slope in front of the house.

‘Sense anything?’ Zed asked.

‘No. You?’

‘I can’t see anything. Let’s make a run for the house.’ He gave my arm a squeeze. ‘On three. One—two—three!’

Feet squelching in my shoes, I sprinted across the open ground and through the front door. I heard the lock click behind me without Zed touching it.

‘Your dad and Xav OK?’ I panted.

He looked distant for a second, checking in with the rest of the family.

‘They’re fine, but they lost the hunters. You were right: there were two of them. They took off out of town in an unmarked SUV. Black, dark windows. Hundreds of cars like it in the mountains. Dad says to stay here till he gets back. Let’s look at that eye.’

Zed steered me into the downstairs bathroom and sat me on the edge of the bath. As he fumbled with the first aid box, I realized that he was shaking.

I put my hand on his arm. ‘It’s OK.’

‘It’s not OK.’ He ripped open a pack of cotton wool, shooting the balls all over the vanity unit. ‘We’re supposed to be safe here.’ Fury rather than shock was making him tremble.

‘Why wouldn’t you be safe? What’s going on, Zed? You seem not really surprised that someone wanted to shoot you.’

He gave a hollow laugh. ‘It does make a kind of horrible sense, Sky.’ He rinsed out a flannel and placed it against my eye, the cold dulling the edge off the pain. ‘Hold that there.’ He then cleaned my cuts and scratches with the cotton wool. ‘I realize you want to know why that might be, but it’s better for you and for us if you don’t.’

‘And I’m supposed to be OK with that? I go for a walk with you, and get shot at, and I’m not supposed to wonder why? I can live with exploding lemons and the rest of it, but this is different. You almost died.’

He pushed the cloth back against my cheek where I had let it drop away. ‘I know you’re mad at me.’

‘I’m not mad at you! I’m mad at the people who just tried to kill us! Have you told the police?’

‘Yeah, Dad’s handling it. They’ll be along. They’ll probably want to talk to you.’ He took the cloth away and whistled. ‘How’s this for a first date: I’ve given you a black eye.’

That gave me a jolt.

‘This was a date? You asked me here on, like, a date and I missed it?’

‘Yeah, well, not many boys take their girls out on a duck shoot with them as the target for a first date. You have to give me points for style.’

I hadn’t got past first base yet. ‘This was a date?’ I repeated.

He pulled me up into his arms, my head against his chest. ‘It was a date—I was trying to get you used to me, kinda in my natural habitat. But I can do better, I promise.’

‘What? Gladiatorial combat next?’

‘Now there’s an idea.’ He nuzzled my hair. ‘Thanks for keeping a cool head out there.’

‘Thanks for bringing us through it.’

‘Zed? Sky? Are you all right?’ Saul was shouting from the hallway.

‘In here, Dad. I’m fine. Sky’s a bit roughed up, but she’s OK.’

Saul hovered in the door, his expression anguished. ‘What happened? Didn’t you see the danger, Zed?’

‘Yeah, obviously I saw. I thought, “Let’s take my girlfriend out for a walk and try and get her killed”. Of course, I didn’t see—no more than you sensed it.’

‘Sorry, stupid question. Vick’s on his way. I’ve called your mom and Yves back. Trace will be here as soon as possible.’

‘Who was it?’

‘I don’t know. The two Kellys were sent down on Tuesday. It could be payback. But they shouldn’t know where to find us.’

I turned in Zed’s arms to look at Saul. ‘Who are the Kellys?’

Saul saw my face properly for the first time. ‘Sky, you’re hurt! Xav, get in here.’

The bathroom was beginning to feel very crowded with so many Benedicts hovering over me.

‘I’m fine. I just want some answers.’

Xav came running. ‘She’s not fine. Her face feels like it’s on fire.’

I opened my mouth to protest.

‘Don’t bother, Sky, I can feel what you’re feeling. An echo of it.’ Xav reached out and put his fingertip on the bruise. I experienced a tingling like pins and needles on the right side of my face.

‘What are you doing?’

‘Trying to stop you looking like a panda tomorrow.’ He lifted his finger away. ‘It’s my gift.’

I touched my face cautiously. Though the bruise throbbed, the intensity of the pain had dimmed.

‘You’ll still have a bit of a bruise. I haven’t had time to get rid of all of it. Pain’s quick, bruises take more time to clear up—at least another fifteen minutes or so.’

‘We’d better get Sky home. The further from this mess she is, the better.’ Saul ushered us out of the bathroom.

‘Won’t the police want to take her statement?’ Zed handed me a dry pair of socks from the clean laundry basket.

‘Vick’s sorting it out. He doesn’t think we should involve the local cops; he’ll get his people on to it. If he wants to talk to her, he can go to her to do so.’

Another thread for me to tug. ‘And his people are?’ I kicked off my shoes to rub my icy feet.

‘The FBI.’

‘That’s like the CIA—spies and stuff?’

‘No, not really. The Federal Bureau of Investigation deals with crimes that cross state boundaries. The big felonies. They’re plain clothes. Agents rather than cops.’

I slipped the tie from my unravelling plait and clumped my hair together in a ponytail. ‘Zoe always says Victor’s a man of mystery.’

Saul flicked his eyes to Zed, clearly uncomfortable with how much I was learning about them.

‘But the less that’s known about his other life, the better, understood?’

‘Another Benedict family secret?’

‘They do seem to be piling up, don’t they?’ Saul chucked Zed a set of keys. ‘Take Sky home on the bike—but don’t go direct. We don’t want you leading anyone to her.’

‘You could take me to my parents’ studio and they can run me back.’

‘Good thinking. Zed, give my apologies to Mr and Mrs Bright for not taking proper care of their daughter.’

‘What do I tell them about it all?’ Zed asked, guiding me out of the house.

Saul rubbed the back of his neck. ‘I’ll get Victor to explain. He’ll know what and how much to say. For now, tell them it was some idiot running wild in the woods. Ask them to keep a lid on it until the authorities have had a chance to deal with it. Is that OK with you, Sky?’

I nodded.

‘Good. You did great.’ Saul kissed the top of my head and hugged his son. ‘Thank God we’ve only got one black eye to show for it. And thank you, Sky, for being so patient with us.’

I mounted the motorbike behind Zed, gripping on to his jacket like a lifebelt.

‘I’m going to take us by some back roads that skirt round Wrickenridge to your side of town,’ he warned me. ‘Just in case.’

The so-called back roads proved to be little more than dirt tracks. To help myself cope, I fell back into my habit of seeing the drive in my head as a storyboard: headlamp cutting through the dark—startled deer bounding out of the way—bike weaving round a fallen tree—girl clutching on to boy. Music would be menacing, urgent—heavy metal maybe … But it didn’t work—the danger was too real; I couldn’t distance it with a story, not when I was one of the main characters.

I felt filthy and shaken up by the time we reached the Arts Centre. My head was pounding again.

‘Can you do that thing Xavier does?’ I asked, pinching the bridge of my nose after I took the helmet off.

‘No, but I can buy you something for it at the drug store.’

‘It’s OK.’

Zed blew out a bracing breath. ‘Come on; let’s face the music from your dad.’

‘Can you see how bad it’s going to be?’

‘Trying not to.’

The black eye was a bad enough introduction, but the news that we had been shot at by a madman in the woods was the last straw.

‘Sky!’ wailed Sally, her voice echoing around the clean white walls of the studio in the roof of the Arts Centre. ‘What have we brought you to? This would never’ve happened in Richmond!’

‘You might not believe me, ma’am,’ Zed said politely, ‘but it doesn’t normally happen here either.’

‘You’re not to go out until this crazy man is caught!’ Sally said, brushing my cheek and tutting over my bruise.

‘And why didn’t you tell us you were going out this evening, Sky?’ Simon looked at Zed with open hostility, which was not surprising as Zed did look particularly menacing in black bike leathers. But I thought the question was rich coming from Simon seeing that they were hardly ever at home. The role of Strict Dad-Meister was at odds with the relaxed Bohemian Artist thing he had going, but for me he always managed to make an exception. In his mind, I was always to be ten, not sixteen.

‘It was a last minute decision. I just went for supper. I thought I’d be back before you came home.’

Your dad is measuring me up for my coffin right now, Zed told me.

He’s not.

I’m catching images here—all of them painful and detrimental to my future prospects of being a father.

‘You’re grounded, Sky, for going out without permission,’ Simon growled. He was clearly channelling Dad-Meister at the moment.

‘What! That’s not fair!’

He’s over-reacting because he’s afraid for you.

Still not fair.

‘I’m sorry, sir, it’s my fault Sky went out tonight. I asked her over.’ Zed tried to erect a force field between me and Simon’s anger.

Dad-Meister zapped it down. ‘That may well be, but my daughter has to learn to take responsibility for her own decisions. Grounded. For two weeks.’

‘Simon!’ I protested, embarrassed that Zed was witnessing this.

‘Don’t make me extend it to four, young lady! Goodnight, Zed.’

Zed squeezed my hand. Sorry. He’s not going to listen to me. I’d better get back.

He left and then I heard the bike roar into life outside. Wolfman zipping off out of harm’s way. Thanks a lot.

I folded my arms, my foot tapping in the way a cat’s tail twitches when riled. If Simon was playing Dad-Meister, I was SuperAngry Sky. ‘You expect me to sit at home while you and Sally play here but don’t want me to enjoy myself with my friends!’ I exploded. ‘That is so unfair!’

‘Don’t you talk back to me, Sky.’ Simon threw his brushes in the sink and ran the water too hard, the spray wetting his jumper.

‘You’re just saying that because you know you’re in the wrong! I didn’t complain when you stood up Mr Ozawa at school on Monday—that was so humiliating. I didn’t know what to say to him. I didn’t ground you for being crap parents.’

Simon shot Sally an embarrassed look. ‘I phoned Mr Ozawa to apologize.’

‘I know you only adopted me late in the day, but sometimes I think you forget you’ve got me.’ I regretted the words as soon as I spoke them.

‘Don’t say that!’ Sally put her hands to her mouth, eyes shining with tears, making me feel about an inch tall.

‘So it’s a bit much,’ I continued. My hole was pretty deep now and I had to keep digging. ‘A bit much for you to tell me off for not keeping you in the loop with what I’m up to. Half the time I’ve not got the foggiest where you are and I’m sure you don’t realize it!’

‘It’s not the same,’ snapped Simon, angry now I’d hurt Sally. He was probably hurting too. I know I was. ‘Four weeks.’

I don’t know what came over me. Normally it takes a lot to get me furious but I’d been shot at, had a load of secrets dumped on me by the Benedicts, ended up with a black eye, and Simon had turned it into something for which the juvenile punishment of grounding was thought an appropriate response.

‘That’s just a load of bull!’

‘Don’t you use that kind of language to me!’

‘Urgh! Too American for you? Well, you brought me to this bloody country! I didn’t ask to get shot at! I’m sick of it all—sick of you!’ I stormed out and slammed the door behind me. Angry at him—angry at myself. I stomped up the road, kicking an empty can ahead of me, swearing with every rattle. No music inside to accompany this exit, unless you count the desire to clash bin lids together music.

I could hear someone running after me.

‘Darling!’ It was Sally. She grabbed me and folded me into a hug. ‘You have to understand your father’s afraid for you. You’re still his little girl. He’s not used to seeing you with such a grown-up boy. And he certainly doesn’t want you to get hurt by some trigger-happy redneck in the woods.’

Miserable under the weight of everything that had happened in the last few hours, I started to cry. ‘I’m sorry, Sally. I didn’t mean what I said—about the crap parent thing.’

‘I know, darling. But we are crap parents. I bet you’ve not had a square meal this week—I know I haven’t.’

‘You’re not. I’m a rubbish daughter. You took me in and put up with me and I …’

She gave me a little shake. ‘And you have given us a hundred times more than we ever gave you. And we’ve never forgotten for one moment that we have you even when we are at our most unbearable. Give Simon a chance to cool down and I expect he’ll even say sorry to you.’

‘I was scared, Sally. They were shooting at us.’

‘I know, darling.’

‘Zed was really great. Knew what to do and everything.’

‘He’s a nice boy.’

‘I like him.’

‘I think you more than like him.’

I sniffed, fumbling for a handkerchief. I had no idea what I felt about him—confused about the savant connection, doubtful that anyone could want me as much as he claimed, just learning to trust him a little.

‘Be careful, Sky. You are such a sensitive soul. A boy like that can crush you if you get too hung up on him.’

‘A boy like what?’ Why did everyone think they could put a label on Zed?

She sighed and steered me back to the car. ‘He’s good-looking, a little wild from what I hear. Few people stay long with their high school sweethearts—it’s part of the training for life.’

‘We’ve only had one date.’

‘Exactly. So don’t let your imagination go running off with you. Play it cool and you’ll keep him interested.’

Him being interested wasn’t the problem—I was the one keeping it light. But this was so like my mum—to worry about the heart when bullets had been flying. ‘And this is, what, relationship advice according to Dr Sally Bright?’

‘Do we need to have that conversation again? I thought we discussed it when you were twelve,’ she teased.

‘No, no, thanks, I’ve got the facts.’

‘Then I trust you to apply them in practice.’

‘You trust me, but Simon doesn’t.’

She sighed. ‘No, he’s always felt really protective about you, maybe even more so because you were so hurt when we took you on. If he could lock you in a tower, dig ditches, plant a minefield and ring it all with razor wire, he’d do it.’

‘I suppose I’m lucky I’m only grounded.’

‘Yes, you are. I can probably beat him down to two weeks for you, but I think we can safely say you’re grounded.’