Cryostorm (12 page)

Didn’t really matter. We couldn’t let any of them get their hands on us. It was a little more scary thinking about Bev’s organization since Andrey was from that one. He was flat-out evil, with a capital “E.”

“Okay. So, the plan is for Tim, Lois, and Georgia to go in. Fast. In and out.” Nate tapped Tim’s back. “Got your shades?”

“Yeah.” He pulled them off the back of his head. “Shades.”

“Constant scan, Georgia, hold him steady so he doesn’t fall over.”

“What do you look for when scanning?” Lois asked.

“Darts, needles, guns, things like that.” He flashed his bright, toothy smile at Lois. “Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”

“Famous last words.” Lois shook her head. “But let’s do this.” She clapped her hands and moved forward.

I shook my head. Nate snagged my hand and tugged me toward the crosswalk. I watched after Georgia as they crossed the street toward the bank. I hated being separated from her.

“Everything looks clear,” Nate said.

“Looks can be deceiving.”

“That’s the truth. Look at you. I’d never suspect you could lift a car over your head.” The skin around his mouth crinkled as he smiled. “You’re so tiny.”

“And no one would suspect you’re only, like, ten.” I elbowed him, but my efforts to inflict injury were weakened by the thick jacket.

“Let’s watch from there.” He pointed to a bench on the sidewalk. It backed against a drug store but gave us full view of the bank.

“Yeah. Good.” I sat, he glanced around, then followed suit.

“So. Eat your toe instead of lunch?”

“Oh my gosh. You remember the littlest things.” I shook my head and pulled off my stocking cap. The wind rustled my hair in my face, and I scratched my scalp. Hats always did that to me. “Yeah, I was a smart aleck in high school.”

“Was?”

“Hey.”

“Kidding.”

“It got me thrown in detention a lot. That one time Georgia was referring to was when we were in the lunch line. The chick put some blob of something on my plate and I reacted.” I slid the cap back on my wild hair. “Yeah, it was a bit harsh to say, but still. It was a little funny.”

“I would have laughed.” He shook his head. “There was no misbehaving at The Center. Not that I would have. But some of the kids got riled up once in a while. It was very frowned upon.”

“They really kept you from people, didn’t they?”

The muscle along his jaw twitched. We never talked about this much, but once in a while he’d bring it up. I always hoped he’d talk more about it. Maybe this time…

“I was alone almost constantly, surrounded by books and experiments to read up on. Studies to analyze.” He glanced at me, then back over the street. “And missions to design.”

The missions he spoke of were designed to capture my mom. He’d known about her since he was created, led the way on how to find her and bring her to The Center to study so they could figure out how to make more of her. Hell, he’d known about me, The Daughter, as well. But he only had a picture of me when I was a tiny kid, so he never even recognized me when we met in college.

But like I was somehow brought to Trifle, I was somehow brought to the very apartment complex Nate lived in and met him. Had he not been so forward in wanting to get to know me, we wouldn’t be together.

“I remember that first time you showed up while I was moving that chair out of the car.” I shook my head. “I thought I’d been busted lifting that thing out of the car by myself.”

“You were, but I didn’t believe it. Only saw the tail end. Like I said, looks are deceiving.” He spoke while looking straight ahead. Our shoulders touched, but a ton of fabric separated our skin. Still felt nice.

“I couldn’t believe it was you, from the party.” I sucked in a lungful of cool air.

“Your boyfriend wasn’t happy about that, was he?”

I almost choked on my Adam’s apple. “Yeah.”

“You do that a lot, you know that?” Nate said.

“What?”

“Stumble when I mention Zach or when someone does. Why is that?”

“It’s weird. You know? Talking about an old boyfriend with my current boyfriend. Makes me feel weird.”

“Why?”

“People just don’t do it. I mean, doesn’t it bother you in the slightest that I’ve been kissed by another guy? Zach in particular?”

“No.”

“Why?” I remembered when Nate said it wouldn’t matter when I’d asked him if he was worried I was kissing him on the rebound from Zach. “It would bother pretty much everyone.”

“He’s the past. You’re with me now.”

Wow.
Nate was too perfect.

A woman decked out in a red, snug-fitting ski jacket strode by with her mile of legs and long, blonde hair jetting out from beneath a black cap. Nate jumped to his feet as she passed.

“Company,” he said.

His jaw clenched and gloved hands fisted at his side. I ripped off my gloves and shoved them in my pockets. “Where?”

“See the roof to the left of the bank?”

Sure as shit, there were two guys holding long rifle-looking things trained on the entrance to the bank. I barely saw them with the reflection of the sun so bright. They wore white, which matched the snow blanketing everything.

Nate looked up and down the street, two times in each direction. “So many people out, I can’t tell who’s Agent and who’s not.”

“It’s broad daylight, how do we fight?”

“Sneaky.”

“Hold on.” He glanced every direction again, then in the next breath I was in his arms and we were zooming toward one of the buildings. He stopped on the far side, in the alley. The building was three stories. Brick. Apartments were on the top level, judging by the heart stickers on one of the windows near the top.

“Can you jump up there and ice the guy?” Nate said.

“Oh boy. Yeah. I can do that.” Well, I hoped I could. I’d done it yesterday and quite a few times training over the last few months, but I was still learning the whole trajectory thing. “What are you going to do?”

“I’ll wait here for you, then we’ll go to the other side.”

“Text them and tell them to stay inside until we clear the way for them. Okay?” I looked upward, mentally preparing for the thrust up there.

“Wow, thinking like a soldier already. That’s exactly what I was going to do.”

“You’re rubbing off on me.” I looked at him. “Oh, and you know what? I think if you threw me up, you know, with your strength, that’d help me get started. Then I could soften my landing.”

“Really?”

“Sure. Why not?”

“Because I could throw you stories higher than you need to be.”

“True. Maybe we should practice that first.” I put my hands out, palms down. “Okay, here goes.”

Two cool hands grabbed my face, but warm lips met mine with a sting. It was way worth it. Nate owned my mouth for a brief second, then he pulled away. “Be safe.”

“Whew.” I nodded. “If there’s more of that once we’re done icing these guys, you’ve got yourself a deal.”

“Lots more,” he whispered as he stepped back.

I turned on the streams of cold. They jolted out from my palms, and up I went. One story. Two stories. Past the red, heart-stickered window and over the edge.

Too bad I landed on some ice, and my feet slipped right out from beneath me.

The noise drew the guy’s attention, along with the barrel of his gun. I iced down just before the bullet bounced off my shoulder.

So they really were done with tranq darts? Not that I loved those things, but they were…less lethal.

I streamed ice at the guy, and his white coat stiffened, along with the rest of him. Another Agent came out from the door and another and another. But these guys were dressed in fatigues. Ready for action.

“Shit.”

I sprayed the ground, but they must have had spikes for shoes, because they kept coming. It wasn’t a gun pointed at me this time, though.
Shit.
I recognized those miniature cannons.

“Nets,” I yelled. Not sure why I did. No one else was with me.

Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.
Was all I heard as three nets blasted from the cannons. I streamed ice at two as I backpedaled, knocking them off their path to me. But that third one nailed me square in the chest, knocking the air right out of my lungs.

Felt like a spider had spun its web around my face, neck, shoulders, and arms. It encased me all the way to my knees. I used my strength, but nothing budged. I kept backpedaling. “Nate.”

Then the backs of my knees met the small wall around the top of the building. They buckled. My butt hit the wall, but the momentum was too great and over the top I went.

With my hands bound, I couldn’t get them free to jet out some snow to soften my landing.

Oh yeah, this was going to hurt.

If I lived through it.

My feet went over my head. The back of my skull collided with the brick building, then the falling started. Hands and arms bound, I shimmied my entire body so I’d hopefully land feetfirst.

Then I turned on the ice. I couldn’t even see through it, the ice was so thick. Everything passed by in distorted kaleidoscope images.

I heard tiny pings, bullets, but nothing got through.

Then I landed.

And yeah, it hurt.

I’d tilted in the air so I landed on my right side. Despite the ice covering me, I felt the jolt in every fiber of my being. Snaps and cracks sounded, and no, it wasn’t only the ice shattering into a billion pieces.

They were bones. I felt every excruciating tear in my shoulder muscles, bones slicing through my skin. I let out a roar I thought belonged to a lion instead of a tiny girl like me.

I worked on getting more ice up and over me, but darkness curved my vision. Heat sliced through my shoulder, then my thigh. I wasn’t sure how, but ice formed again, just over my exposed side and the bullets pinged off once again.

Heal,
I told myself.

Where was Nate?

Heal.
The healing ice wouldn’t form. More heat ripped through my stomach. My neck.

Oh, God.
The darkness seeped in again. Heavy and thick.

I—

“Mandy,” Nate yelled. “Georgia, fry them.”

I drew in a breath, but it was cut short by a stabbing pain in my chest. My mouth instantly filled with warmth. Iron-tasting warmth.

“Mandy,” Nate bellowed, and I didn’t miss the distinct fear crackling his strong voice.

Nate.

“Don’t you dare leave me.” Nate was close, and my body jostled. “Heal, Mandy. Come on.”

Cold fingers grabbed my neck. “Shit. Hold on, Mandy. Please.”

Nate Never swore. This must be bad. I—

Bubbles gurgled in my throat. A cough ripped through me, but all I felt was warmth spilling over my skin.
Heal.

“No! No!” Hands gripped my shoulders and shook me, but I barely felt it. Hell, I barely felt anything other than heavy…tired. “Mandy!”

I wanted to respond, to say his name, to kiss him. That’s all I wanted to do. Let all this pain and frustration slide away and get lost in him. His yummy kisses. His tender touches.
Nate.
He was all I wanted. I loved him so much. Why hadn’t I told him? Why…

Unable to hold onto the ice any longer, it faded.

Heal…

Chapter 19

I
always thought Heaven would be filled with clouds, sunshine, and warmth. Maybe even a few harps as stupid as that sounds, but hey, a girl could dream.

I obviously didn’t make it to Heaven, though, because I was cold, everything hurt, and there was no soothing music.

No, there was a constant humming and yelling, incoherent words streaming into a line of nothingness. My body moved, by its own will, not mine. Wait, it wasn’t moving, it was jerking, as in violently. Something was pounding on my chest.

A baseball bat?

No, a bat wouldn’t have hurt as much. I went to take a breath but sucked in burning liquid. I was drowning. It had to be. I’d swallowed water before and it seared my lungs, just like this.

But wait, I hadn’t been swimming. What had I been doing? Where was I and why couldn’t I see anything? I opened my eyes, or at least I thought I had, but only darkness remained.
Nate!
I wanted to yell his name, but nothing worked.

He was all I wanted to see. Well, and Georgia. But Nate, my Nate…

One more violent thump to my chest, and I finally got air instead of lava. But at least it was oxygen, cool and refreshing. Exactly what I needed to push through the darkness. The edges of my vision lightened.

Muffled voices turned into words, at least some of them did.

“Heal.” I heard. “Hurry.” Was another. “Can’t die.” Those last two really stuck out to me. Georgia had said them, I could tell her voice for sure.

“Mandy.” Nate’s voice trickled through. “Come on, Mandy.”

More air entered my lungs. Sweet, cool air with a hint of spice to it. Oh, and something pressed on my mouth. Teeth knocked mine and another rush of cold, yet sweet air entered my mouth.

I gulped for more, leaning toward it.

“There we go,” Nate said. “Come on, turn on the healing again, Mandy. Turn it on.”

Healing?

“Shit. Why isn’t it working?” Georgia said.

The ground shifted beneath me, no, it tilted.

“Slow down, Tim,” Nate said.

I commanded my lungs to work, and they finally drew in another breath. No sweetness and spice this time, only cool air, and it stung. I turned to my side to cough, but two arms stopped me. “No, other side.” They shifted me and let me finish coughing.

“Turn on the healing, Mandy,” Georgia said. “Come on, hon. I can’t do it for you.”

Georgia could heal, but only herself. We hadn’t dared try it with anyone or anything else yet. Couldn’t chance her burning whatever she tried to heal.

Heal
. Ice tugged at my skin, but then receded.

“Do it!” Nate yelled and a cool hand cupped my face. “I can’t lose you.” Nate’s voice was closer. “I need you here by my side. Mandy, do this and I’ll take you away from all of this. You’re mine, Mandy. You hear me? Mine.”

Heal. Heal. Heal.
I mentally yelled at myself. I wanted that with Nate, too. I loved him. He was mine. I wouldn’t leave him.