A Touch of Frost (12 page)

 
Chapter 20

Frost rolled to the side as two guards opened fire on him. He shot out waves of ice. Thick bands froze the guns to their hands. He jumped to his feet and sprinted down the hallway. Both men’s eyes widened as they saw him coming. They frantically fought to knock the frozen blocks from their hands.

He sliced through one man’s throat before turning to the other who had sunk to his knees in terror. The man covered his face with his arm and shrank back against the wall, crying. Frost ignored the man’s tears and roughly yanked him to his feet.

“Where is the woman?” He demanded.

“Which… which one?” The man stuttered.

Frost shook the man like a rag doll. “The scientist.”

“Doc... Doc Barker... is in... the control room,” the guard gasped. “Fourth floor. It’s on the fourth floor... down.”

“How do I get there?” Frost growled.

“I can take you,” a soft voice said.

His head turned, locking on the face of the woman who was his world. He slammed the man he was holding against the wall and dropped the body. His eyes swept over Lacey. She was dressed... he swallowed. His eyes darkened with desire. She looked magnificent. It took a moment for him to realize she wasn’t alone, that two other women were standing slightly behind her.

“He is totally smitten,” Sam said in amusement.

“Oh, Lacey, he doesn’t have eyes for anyone but you,” Joanna sighed.

“Topper was right,” Sam added. “He is a looker.”

Lacey’s head snapped around and she scowled at her older sister. “He’s taken,” she muttered.

“Hey, I can look,” Sam said innocently. “I thought Sean was cute too. I loved him too... as a brother.”

“We both loved the way he looked at you as well,” Joanna added.

“Can we not talk about this right now?” Frost snapped, pulling Lacey into his arms and burying his face in her neck. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, and you?” She whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding on to him.

“I... was worried,” he admitted gruffly. “She threatened to harm you if I tried to escape or not do what she said. I wanted to kill her.”

Lacey pulled back so she could stare up into his eyes. Her eyes gleamed with amusement before they darkened at the fear in his eyes. She ran her fingers down along his cheek before she rose up to meet his lips as he bent forward.

“Oh, wow!” Sam muttered, rolling her eyes. “And he thought talking needed to wait.”

“Sam,” Joanna murmured in reproach. “Give them a moment.”

Sam looked at the two lovers passionately kissing as if there was no tomorrow. She loved that Lacey had found someone else to fill the void in her life. Sighing, she pointed at the man that Frost had slammed against the wall. His eyes were open and he was staring at her in fear and awe.

“You can join your other friends,” she drawled, snapping her fingers.

The pale tan pig squealed in terror and scrambled to his feet. It stumbled and bounced off the wall as it tried to get its hooves under it. She watched as it slipped down the hall as fast it could.

The squeal pulled Frost and Lacey back to their present situation. Frost was watching the pig in astonishment while Lacey looked dazed and flustered. Sam smiled as Lacey grinned at her.

“Let’s go find the mad scientist,” Lacey said, straightening her hat. “I think it is time to show her what happens with science meets magic.”

*.*.*

“What do you mean there is nothing you can do?” Alice demanded, turning away from the wall of video cameras. She glared at the huge male standing stiffly behind her. “I pay you to do things.”

“You pay me to keep you safe from humans,” the man stated before he jerked his head at the screen. “Not mythical creatures who live in fairytales. We don’t have the weapons to destroy such a creature.”

“I don’t want him destroyed, you fool! I want him captured,” Alice retorted, turning back to look at the massive dragon as he circled the complex. “I have re-enforcements coming.”

“I canceled it,” the man replied in a low voice.

“You did what?” Alice shrieked, losing her calm. “On whose authority?”

“Mine,” the man answered coldly. “It isn’t just the dragon. You’ve been focused on him. Look at what else is coming. It would have been suicide to bring any others into the mix.”

Alice rounded on her head of security. She had hired the man because one of her backers had insisted he wanted Maxwell Smith on the job or he would withdraw all support. The benefactor remained anonymous, but his money had cleared the bank the moment Maxwell arrived.

She slapped Maxwell across the face, leaving a dark red imprint on his cheek. She swung again, but he captured her wrist and held it in a crushing grip. A muscle ticked in his jaw as he stared down at her.

“One, that is all I will give you,” he said coldly, looking down at her. “I’ve told everyone to evacuate the facility. You, Doctor Barker, have a lot to answer for.”

“I don’t answer to anyone,” she hissed angrily, jerking on her arm.

“I’m afraid you do,” Maxwell said. “You are under arrest.”

“Arrest? For what? Who do you think you are?” Alice shouted tugging on her arm in an effort to escape. “Let me go! I demand that you release me.”

“Special Agent Maxwell. United States Special Division of Security,” he gritted out. “This facility is now under government control.”

Alice froze. Her face turned an ash color before a fusion of red washed through her. Her mind snapped as she realized that everything… absolutely everything… was about to be taken away from her.

She screamed as she struck out at him again. Her left hand reached for the knife at his waist as she kneed him in the balls. Raising the knife, she pushed it through the thin opening between his Kevlar vest and his waist. She tried to stab him again when he released her, but her raised hand was suddenly encased in ice.

The weight of the ice made her left arm fall heavily to her side. She grabbed the heavy appendage as she stumbled backwards frantically looking to see where the attack had come from. It was only then that she realized that she and Maxwell were the only two left in the control room, everyone else had evacuated.

“NO!” Alice screamed when she saw Frost standing in front of three women. “NO! You are mine! I’ll kill the woman. I warned you I would make her suffer if you tried to escape.”

“Yes, now that wasn’t a very nice thing to do,” Lacey said, stepping out of the shadows to stand next to Frost. “You, Doctor Barker, are a very, very sad excuse for a human.”

Alice laughed hysterically as she continued moving backwards, slowly placing the long, curved bank of computers between her and them. Her eyes categorized and documented what she was seeing. The other two women also stepped forward. All three were dressed as… witches.

“Really?” Alice said in a high voice. “Witches? You really expect me to believe you’re a witch?”

“Is there to be a trial or are we just goin’ to hang her, Lacey?” A deep voice asked from behind Alice.

Alice swung around and screamed at the top of her lungs. The movement pulled her off balance as she released the weight of ice covering her arm and she fell to the floor. Scooting backwards, her throat worked up and down as she tried to get the words out.

“Thank you, Sheriff Buchanan, but I don’t think a hanging will be necessary,” Lacey replied politely. “If you and your men can round up all the others in the facility and take them up to Theo I would be forever in your debt.”

The ghostly figure pulled back on the reins of his gray gelding. John Buchanan was a tall, stately man with a long, gray handlebar mustache. His black Stetson sat low on his brow as he stared down in disgust at Alice Barker. He raised his hand to tip the front of his hat in acknowledgment of Lacey’s request.

“You heard her, boys. Round ‘em up,” Sheriff B. barked out.

Lacey watched as Sheriff B. and ten other ghostly figures on horseback disappeared through the walls of the control room. She bit her lip when Frost placed his hand on her stomach to keep her back. His face was devoid of emotion as he walked toward the fallen woman.

“They’re real,” Alice was saying over and over, rocking back and forth as she cradled her frozen hand in her lap. “They’re real. They’re real. They’re real.”

“She’s snapped,” a pain-filled voice murmured.

Frost’s turned to the man who was leaning up against the side of the computer desk. The man’s face was pale and tight lines of pain were etched around his mouth. He fumbled with one of the side pockets on the black cargo pants he was wearing before he gave up and leaned his head back. His eyes closed and he drew in several deep breaths before he opened them again.

“The third pocket,” Maxwell gritted out. “Check the third pocket, right side.”

Frost watched the male carefully as he knelt down next to him. The man remained still as he watched him in return. Frost pulled the flap open and reached inside. His fingers wrapped around a thin leather case. Pulling it out, he sat back before he flipped it open. Inside was a picture of Maxwell and what looked like an official badge.

“US Marshall on special assignment,” Maxwell muttered. “The government needed someone that Doctor Barker wouldn’t suspect.”

“Let me help him,” Lacey said quietly over Frost’s shoulder. “I can heal him.”

“No!” Alice screamed out from beside Lacey.

Lacey turned as Alice raised the knife in her defrosted hand. She stumbled backwards as she tried to place enough room between her and Alice to cast a spell. She never had a chance to. Frost erupted upward, throwing out spears of ice at the same time as a neat hole appeared between the woman’s eyes. The force of the double assault sent Alice’s body backwards and over the computer consoles.

Maxwell groaned and lowered his pistol. His face was a deathly pale as he slid to the side. Sam and Joanna rushed forward as Lacey sank down to the floor beside him on shaky legs.

“It might be best to kill him while he is unconscious,” Frost said quietly. “It would not be safe for you or your family and friends for others to know about you.”

Lacey looked up and shook her head. “We can cast a dream spell. He will think he dreamed all of this. There is no reason to kill him. He is a law man, Frost. He risked his life to find out what Doctor Barker was doing.”

“Then cast your spell,” Frost said wearily. “How far is it back to your home?”

“A few hours at most,” Lacey replied, holding her hands over the wound on Maxwell’s side. Her hands warmed and began to glow. “Why?”

“Do you have the belt that was on my clothing?” Frost asked, studying what Lacey was doing. “I need to know exactly how long I have been here.”

“Why?” Sam asked. “I mean, you’ve only been
here
a little over forty-eight hours.”

“I need to know how long I have been on your planet,” Frost replied. “I also need to make sure that Redman did not find my transport.”

“He didn’t,” a deep voice replied.

“Daddy!” Lacey, Sam and Joanna all cried out at the same time.

Lacey struggled to her feet, smiling up at Frost when he helped her, before she flew into her father’s arms. Sam and Joanna clung to him as well. They all released him at the same time, asking him question after question.

“Where’s mom?”

“How did you know what was happening?”

“How was your vacation?”

“How do you know that my transport has not been found?” Frost asked over the women’s excited voices.

Brice Hollow looked over the man who had caused such an uproar, not only in Magic, but in his lovely daughter’s life. He was a big man himself, but this ‘Star Ranger’ was slightly larger. The challenging glow in his blue eyes showed that he was aware that he was being assessed as to whether Lacey’s father believed him to be good enough for his daughter.

“I didn’t say it hadn’t been found,” Brice responded. “I said that Redman didn’t find it.”

“Who?” Lacey and Frost asked at the same time.

Lacey turned and held her hand out to Frost. “Daddy, do you know who found it? Is it still safe?”

“Theo found it after the attack on him,” Brice replied. “It’s safely tucked away in the canyon a couple miles from the house.”

“I need to get to it,” Frost said urgently, tightening his grip on Lacey’s hand.

Lacey whirled and stared at Frost. Fear and pain seared through her at the thought that he wanted to leave her world. She knew it wasn’t perfect. She knew that she said she only one night, but… one night wasn’t enough.

“Why?” Lacey asked quietly.

“I need my utility belt, Lacey,” Frost replied, gripping her forearms. “My transport is set to self-destruct. I need to know how much longer I have so that I can stop it.”

“Oh,” Lacey said, blinking as relief flooded her. “I… it’s in the dresser in my bedroom.”

“You take him back to your place, Lacey,” Brice ordered. “Theo and I will oversee the situation here.”

“What about us?” Sam asked, placing her hands on her hips.

Brice looked over his oldest daughter’s scantily clad top before he raised an eyebrow at the length of her skirt. Lacey bit her lip to keep from laughing as Sam shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. Joanna’s murmured ‘I-told-you-so’, didn’t help matters.

“AFTER you’ve changed your clothing, you can help unwind the spells on the men you turned into pigs,” Brice finally said. “It will be faster than trying to figure out which one you used.”

“What about Maxwell?” Lacey asked, glancing over her shoulder at the unconscious special agent. “What will happen to him?”

“Your alien memory eraser will take care of that,” Brice said, flicking his fingers and producing the missing device.

“Where did you find it?” Frost asked startled.

Brice smiled. “It would appear Jonah liked it,” he chuckled. “Tory is going to have her hands full with those two boys. Let’s get this taken care of. Your mom and I haven’t even had a chance to unpack yet.”