Frostbite (Touch of Frost) (14 page)

“He did?” Man, he
was
a devious little bugger. Why did that make me like him more?

Georgia gestured to the laptop. “If he knew how to do that, maybe he knows about this stuff?”

Both Scott and Georgia looked at me with pleading eyes. “I don’t know, guys. He might find out about us.” I pushed my chair away from the desk. The room suddenly closed in around me.

This was getting too complicated. Too many people getting thrown into the equation, and they could get hurt.

Or worse.

“Maybe we’ll be able to trust him if he does see something,” Scott said. “Dad knew about Mom. He helped her.”

“Or, Zach could tell everyone, and we’ll have to leave,
yet again
. I don’t want to leave. Georgia’s here.” I didn’t say the words, but Zach was here, too. That guy was rocking my world right now, and I didn’t want to mess that up. Then again, I didn’t want to get him killed, either.

“I’d go with you if someone found us out and we had to leave.” Georgia fingered her newly tinted bangs. “We’re in this together. You came to this crappy little town and into my life for some reason. And look, we’re the same.”

“But opposite. You’re fire, I’m ice.” A smile claimed my face. “Fire and Ice. Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”

She nodded. “So does Kelvin and Blaze.”

“Nice,” Scott said, then looked at me. “What’s the plan?”

“Looks like I’m going on a little hike with Zach.”

SIXTEEN

“I
’m glad you called,” Zach said, as we meandered along the packed-dirt trail. “I was starting to wonder if you were going to bail again.”

“I wasn’t bailing. Needed some chick time with my girl.”

He raised his hands in surrender. “Can’t get in the way of that. I have two sisters. I know what that’s like.”

A breeze tousled his chestnut hair and carried a hint of his spicy scent. I glanced around the foliage surrounding us. Satisfied we were safe, I asked, “Two sisters, huh? Yikes.”

“Tell me about it.” He laughed as he snatched up my hand.

“So, I’m curious, what landed you in detention last week?”

“Oh, nothing. Just messing around.” He kicked a small rock from the path. It clattered through some leaves off to the side of the trail.

The sounds brought me back to when Georgia and I stomped through here. And right into the memory of the
Coats
I’d killed not so far from where we were walking.

The thought tried to chase away the elation I felt being here with Zach, but I stomped it down.
Mostly.
I wanted to see that field of flowers under different circumstances. Make a great memory with Zach to cancel the nasty one.

“What do you mean messing around?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Sure it does. Heck, if you were messing around with Miss Samantha Jones down in the Janitor’s Closet—”

“Hey. I told you she—”

“Got to give me something, Zach.” I shrugged.

His shoulders slumped.

Was he hiding something? I stopped and crossed my arms over my chest. “Come on man, what’s the deal? I ask one little question, and you get all squirrely on me. What’s up with that?”

I was probably the most paranoid person on the planet, but I kind of had the right to be considering my circumstances. And Zach was being all evasive about one silly question.

“I’m sorry. You’re right. I’m just not used to being myself around people. Well, around girls.”

“And why is that, exactly?”

“Small town. Everyone’s all up in your business. How far have you gone with her? Are you dating her? Oh, you should date so and so, she’ll make a good wife. Crap like that.” He shrugged. “And the girls at school. They’re looking for someone to latch onto. They want to get married, have babies, and live here forever.”

“And you don’t.”

“Right. The chicks here are nuts. That’s why you’re so refreshing.”

I motioned him to lead on, satisfied—for now—with his answer. What he’d said made sense.

The trail narrowed, so I hiked close behind him. Not a bad view at all, considering how his cargo shorts hugged his firm butt.

Though it didn’t help with the concentration.

The front of my tennis shoe caught on a rock, and I lurched forward, palming Zach’s lower back to keep myself vertical. Good thing he was a big, strong guy. Maybe I’d
accidentally
fall again real quick here.

“Go on. I want to know what you got nailed for.” Maybe it was computer related and he really was our guy.

“I was late to gym, and when Teach went on about the athletes at this school getting to do whatever they wanted, I got pissed and let a few choice words slip.”

“You rebel.” The side of my left foot clipped a rock—totally an accident. I nearly rolled my ankle. Maybe hiking wasn’t such a good thing for me.

“The janitor, Jess, he’s my cousin, like, ten times removed through marriage. I forget. Anyway, he rigged his computer to get outside the school network, and we were playing a game over lunch. I spaced the time.”

The path widened, and we hiked side-by-side again. “And those choice words you let out, would they be bleeped on prime time TV?”

“Maybe one or two.” He shook his head.

“And you were gaming on Jess’s computer?” I let out a chuckle. “Is that what you were going to ask me to do when you tried to bring me to the closet?”

“Maybe.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Or not.”

“Pretty bold to pick that as your first adventure with me considering you’d never spoken to me before.”

“Figured you’d be up for the challenge.”

“You’re so
not
what I thought. You come across as this big-time prep, Mr. Prom King, do-everything-right-kinda-guy.”

“That’s what everyone expects. Especially my folks. My two older sisters did everything right. I guess I’m supposed to as well.” He let out a breath. “Gets tiring sometimes, you know? Living up to what everyone else wants.”

I nodded. Made sense. And how cool was it that Zach was totally opening up to me.

If only I could, too.

“We’re almost there.” He took hold of my hand.

Hopefully it wasn’t sweaty. Had I just wiped my forehead? He didn’t seem disgusted, so I must not have.

“Georgia told me about something you did a couple of years ago. I’m curious—”

“Tell me more about you first.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Everything.”

“Boy, you really do have sisters. I thought guys weren’t into talking. Thought they just grunted a lot and scratched.”

His mouth dropped open. “I can’t believe you said that.”

“You like me for my honesty, right?” I laughed.

“Definitely.” He tugged me through the last of the trees. The noon sun kissed my skin. Blooming yellow flowers covered an open space the size of a football field. Honey-filled air tickled my nostrils.

“Wow.” Oh yeah, Mom and Dad would have loved this place. We would have brought a blanket and basket and spent most of the day here. Dad and I playing Frisbee. Listening to music or watching a movie on the computer together.

That was our thing.

“You haven’t been here to hang, have you?” Zach’s voice broke through my imagination.

“Besides the adventure with Georgia the other day, I’ve never been here.

He released his hold on me, and the backpack slid off his shoulder, then he sat on the ground, legs crossed. “I haven’t been here in a while. Forgot how cool it is.”

I squatted and picked a couple of yellow flowers, then grazed their silky petals against my nose. Man, they smelled good. Like a rose but with a hint of vanilla. Hopefully, I could remember how to get here on my own when I needed some me-time.

Or maybe Georgia and I could come here to practice her new power. If any
Coats
were to show up, this would be the place to take care of them. No witnesses.

I glanced around, specifically in the direction of where I’d handled the jerks the other day.

“So, tell me more about you, Smith,” he said as he dug out a blanket from his bag.

“Not much to tell.” I picked another flower, then stood, taking in the scenery again. It felt like I was in a dream. Places like this didn’t really exist in my world. I half expected a crowd of
Coats
to creep into the edge of my vision.

He settled on the blanket and patted the space beside him. “You said your parents died in an accident.”

I sat next to him and leaned back, facing the sun, almost like I needed the energy or something.
Stay calm.
“They were killed in a car crash four years ago. Scott raised me.”

“Jeez.”

“What about your parents?”

“Dad owns the garage on Main Street. Mom’s a secretary at the medical clinic on 4
th
Street.”

“Cool.”

“Smoothies?”

I laughed. “It’s Scott’s thing. I’m only along for the ride.”

“College?”

“Naw. But you’re going to run track for State, right? So, you’re heading out in the fall.”

“I guess.”

“Please, calm down. Your excitement is overwhelming.”

“Not sure I want to go, to tell you the truth. I want to because it gets me out of Trifle. But it’s where my dad went, my mom, my two sisters…I’d rather go to some place in Colorado or somewhere cool like that.”

“Lived there for a while once. Cold, but pretty.”

“You’ve been around.”

“Scott can’t make up his mind where he wants to live.” More lies to add to the volumes already told.

Zach leaned forward and held out a tiny flower. “May I?” He gestured to my hair, and I smiled. With gentle fingers, he worked the tiny stem behind my ear. He pressed a quick kiss to my temple, then sat back.

“So, two years ago. Georgia said you got busted doing something on a computer?” I turned slightly, propping myself up with my hand to the blanket. Gave me a great view of his flawless face.

Zach turned and dug in his bag. “I was messing around on the internet. Trying out some stuff Jess showed me. I figured out how to send anonymous emails, supposedly untraceable, right?” He pulled out a water bottle and handed it to me.

“Go on.” He sounded like the guy to help us with the disc.

“I found some nasty pictures of naked guys on the internet and sent them to some girls at school.”

I twisted the top off the water while stifling a laugh. “That’s hilarious.”

“Not so much. I got busted.”

“Thought they were untraceable?”

“I told a couple of the guys, they squealed.”

“That sucks.”

“But really, it wasn’t cool. Did some stupid stuff back then.” He shook his head. “Really stupid.”

“What happened?”

“Besides getting my ass grounded for, like, two months, I had to go to some classes through the county. Do some community service. It was bad.”

“Jeez, man. I’m hanging with a criminal. And I thought I was a rebel.”

He looked at me for a long breath and said, “You know what? I’ve never even told anyone that. I mean not
exactly
what happened.”

“Yeah?”

“You’re easy to talk to. It’s cool.”

Wonder how he’d view me if he ever found out
why
nothing shocked me. I gulped some water to chase away the nerves drying out my mouth.

Man, his smile turned my brain to mush. I cast another look around. The sun hung high in a blue sky. It warmed my bare arms. I closed my eyes and drew in a deep breath through my nose. The air smelled fresh and clean.

I laid back and nestled into the soft blanket. Right then I didn’t have a care in the world. It didn’t matter I was a freak of nature. It didn’t matter I had no idea what was going to happen with my future. For once, I felt peace.

Shuffling beside me pulled me from my daze. Zach reached into his bag. His biceps flexed as he dug. Hair flopped forward, and he pushed it behind his ear.

He caught me staring. Once again, my cheeks flamed.

“I was just looking for my phone to put on some tunes.”

“It’s probably time to get back.” I sat up. Not that I wanted to go, but I was thinking Zach was our guy. Just needed to run it by Georgia and Scott.

The corners of Zach’s mouth turned downward, puckering his dimple. “But you were looking so peaceful lying there.”

“I’ve got some…studying to do.” I’d pressed my luck enough hanging out here. First with the
Coats
and then with Zach. I was falling for him, and that freaked me out big time. With what happened to Georgia, graduation approaching, and the recent appearance of my lovely dart-toting friends, I couldn’t afford to get too comfortable.