Frostbite (Touch of Frost) (18 page)

“You did what you had to.” He petted my hair.

“Wait a minute,” Georgia said. “Did you say you ripped a bike off of Zach?”

“She can do that.” Scott answered for me. I seriously thought I’d puke if I talked. My head swam. I nuzzled Scott’s chest. I didn’t have a dad, but he filled in really well sometimes.

“I’m just glad you’re okay.” Scott kissed the top of my head. Dad used to do that, too.

“We need to get to the hospital,” I said.

“What about the
Coats
?” Georgia asked. “They might be there, waiting.”

I glanced at Scott, and he said, “I told her everything on the way here.”

Scott pulled me up, and the two guided me to the car. Georgia piled into the passenger side front seat with me. She didn’t say a word about my killing those
Coats
, and she never let go of my hand. It was as if she knew I needed her support. Knew it ripped my guts out having to kill like that.

After a long silence, Georgia said, “I’m sorry to ask this after what you’ve been through, but did you find anything on the disc?”

In light of everything that’d just happened, I’d almost forgot. “Yeah.” I reached behind the seat and picked up my bag. “I saw a picture of Mom.”

“Wait, why would
your
mom be in something of
my
mom’s?” Georgia asked.

“Let’s hope the answers are on this flash drive.”

“What happened to the disc?”

“Jess destroyed it after he moved everything onto this little thingy.” I set my bag in my lap and dug through the main pocket. “He said this would be better. We could plug it into the computer and see it. The disc was really protected.”

I pulled out the black device and held it up.

“So this’ll have some answers, won’t it?” Georgia asked.

“I sure hope so. I wish I had my computer with me.”

“Well I’m glad you didn’t. It would have been crushed.” Scott turned right, onto Main Street. “I’ll drop you at the hospital, and I’ll go get the laptop. We can find some place in the hospital and watch it.”

“Not fond of you out there alone. They could know where we live.” I shook my head. “We stick together.”

“I’ll keep my eyes open. Quick in and out and back to you.”

I glanced at Georgia, then Scott. “Okay.” I clutched my bag to my chest as he pulled into the emergency room entrance. “Come on, G, let’s go.”

I pushed through the swivel doors with Georgia right behind me.

“Hey, how come you’re not beat up with cuts and stuff? You said you were bucked from the bike.”

I glanced around and leaned close to her. “I sprayed some soft snow on the ground before I landed. Softened the blow. But you should have seen Zach’s face when he saw me lifting that cycle.”

I didn’t even care if he hated me or was scared of me. Sure. It would royally suck, but as long as he was alive and kicking, I’d be happy.

Besides, we were probably going to have to leave now for sure. And I was so close to graduating.

Georgia guided me to the ER waiting area. Voices carried out from around the side of the desk. The accident seemed to have brought the small hospital into chaos. We hovered until we overheard Zach had been moved to a private room.

“So, if he’s moved to a normal room, that means he’s going to be fine. Right?” I asked.

“Exactly.”

We hustled down the hall, checking each room. She slowed and turned the corner. I followed her through the doorway, and my throat closed at the sight. Zach lay in the bed, bruises littering his smooth, beautiful skin and his arm wrapped in some serious white gauze. It was mummified.

“Holy shit.” Breath rushed from my lungs.

Georgia tugged at my hand. “Go on,” she whispered. “Just don’t go Kelvin on him.”

I crept up to his bed. “Zach?”

He didn’t move. I reached out and touched the only spot I found that didn’t have a scratch, gauze, or swelling. His head tilted toward me, but his lids hung heavy over his gray eyes.

“Hey.”

He stared at me for two long seconds while I held my breath. It was like he didn’t recognize me.

“Zach?” I reached out again, aiming for his cheek.

He flinched, then groaned. An IV taped to his skin tugged loose. He pushed his broken body to the side of his bed furthest from me.

“Get away.” His voice cracked.

I glanced at Georgia then to Zach.

His nostrils flared, and his jaw clenched. “Get. Out.”

“Wait. Zach. I can explain.”

He turned away.

A sob choked my throat. “Please. Let me explain.” A warm hand landed on my shoulder. Georgia stood beside me.

“Let’s go,” she whispered.

I couldn’t step away from Zach’s hospital bed. His chocolate hair splayed over his forehead as he turned even further away, like he was trying to hide his face.

“I didn’t mean to lie.”

“What are you?”

“I—”

“Zach! What happened?” A frantic voice called out.

A hand on my other shoulder tugged me away from the bedside. Two big brown eyes stared down at me.

“Oh, excuse me, sorry.” I stepped away.

“Mom,” Zach said.

He finally made eye contact with me, but quickly diverted his gaze, like I repulsed him.

“Zach, honey, what happened? We got the call at the restaurant. We drove here as fast as we could.” She caressed his head.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about that. What happened?”

Georgia guided me to the door. What would Zach tell his mom? What had he told the cops? Cold sweat popped out on my forehead, sending a chill down my spine.

“Let’s go,” Georgia whispered. “Before you freeze them all to death.”

I glanced at my hands. No blue, but I sure felt the energy prickling beneath my skin. My heart broke, and the jagged edges sliced my guts as they fell to my feet.

“Who are those girls?” Zach’s mom asked.

“They were just leaving.” Zach nailed me with a glare.

Georgia’s grip around my wrist tightened, and she tugged me through the doorway. I grabbed the doorframe and stopped us. One last glance, that was all I needed. Maybe he was just scared, didn’t know how to react. Maybe I’d see a smile through his fear.

No such luck.

His normally smooth forehead creased as his eyebrows pulled together. He held my gaze for a brief second, then looked away again.

“Don’t make me find out if I have super-strength, Mandy.”

I let her drag me away a few steps. “Wait. We should listen to see if he says anything.”

We both pressed our backs against the wall outside his room.

“His Dad’s coming.” Georgia yanked me into her arms and pressed her mouth to my ear. “I’m not just hugging you because his dad’s coming, either. I’m so sorry, girl. I know Zach ripped your guts out with a dull spoon back there. I love ya, sis.”

Tears stung my eyes, then I felt the warmth flow. I should have known things would end this way. No, what I should have done was refuse his stupid bribe for that very first date. Resisted that first kiss. And—

“He’s scared. Shock or something,” Georgia said. “Just give him a second to process this.”

“Zach. You okay, son?” His dad’s voice bellowed.

Georgia released her death grip around me but held my hand while we listened. Would Zach tell them about me?

“I was goofing around on my bike.”

“Out by Jess’s?” his mom asked. “You know I don’t like you taking your bike out there. It’s in the boondocks, and it’s so dark.”

That was true. I didn’t know how many times I tripped on tree roots or random rocks while I was running around out there to get to Scott’s car.

“Where’s the bike?” his dad asked.

“I assume the garage. I hit something, blew a tire, bike flipped.”

“Oh, Zach. You could have been killed. What if it had landed on top of you?”

Silence punctuated my fear. I held my breath. He hadn’t said anything about me up to that point. But the way he’d looked at me like I was an alien—.

“It didn’t. I’m fine. I was lucky.”

My cheeks flushed. I sank to the floor, then hugged my knees to my chest. My brain started working, or maybe autopilot had kicked in, because my chest expanded, letting in some much needed air.

Georgia flinched beside me, then shifted away, digging into her back pocket. She pulled out her phone and tapped it to life. “Scott’s here.”

I heard the words, and I should have been excited, because Zach was alive. Safe. And I could finally watch the disc that held my mother’s image. But Zach’s response to what he’d seen hammered my chest into oblivion. I didn’t want to move from that cold, sterile, shiny, white hospital floor.

I didn’t want to move ever again.

TWENTY-TWO

“W
here should we go watch this?” Scott hoisted up the computer bag.

“Chapel?” Georgia nodded. “It’s usually pretty quiet in there, right?”

“But someone might walk in.” My voice sounded distant, like I talked into one of those cardboard paper towel tubes. I didn’t think my heart could ever feel this heavy. My super-strength must be the only thing holding me up. Besides Georgia.

“We’ll press pause if someone shows up. Visiting hours are over, most people are gone,” Georgia said.

“Let’s try it.” Scott motioned for us to follow him. “You got the thumb drive?”

I held it up for display. I’d looped the chain around my finger. I wasn’t going to lose that thing. My life depended on it.

Georgia and I fell in behind Scott.

“Zach covered for you. Maybe he was just scared. Freaked out by what he saw.”

“I don’t know, G. Did you see his face?” I slid the back of my hand across my wet cheeks. “He looked so disgusted. Like I was a mutant freak from outer space.”

“No, he didn’t. Mandy, he looked scared. And he’s in pain. Doped up on meds. He saw his tiny girlfriend pick up a four-hundred-pound bike and toss it like a football. You’ve got to cut him some slack.”

“I feel like someone kicked me in the chest.”

“I think you should try and talk to him again. Give him a chance. Maybe once it’s had time to sink in?”

“Yeah, he’ll lovingly open his arms to me and tell me everything’s going to be okay.”

“Hey now, that’s not what I’m saying. Maybe once he’s had time to think it through he’ll realize it’s still you. Just you with…
extra
.”

“Forever the optimist.”

But she was wrong. I’d lied to Zach, and he hated me. I knew it would end up like this. Even if he did accept me, it didn’t mean we could be together. The
Coats
had found me. He’d be in danger because of me.

No. I needed to stay away.

She wrapped her arm around my shoulders. “It’s going to work out.”

“Here we are.” Scott pulled the light colored wooden door open and held out the computer bag as I passed him.

Thankfully, the room was empty. I motored past the red-padded pews to the front row, yanked out my computer, and plugged in the flash drive.

I dragged the cursor and let it hover over the icon. I hesitated.

“What?” Georgia and Scott asked at the same time.

Only the small fact that watching this video could change our lives forever. Nothing big there. I rubbed my sweaty palms on my pants.

I glanced up. Georgia and Scott stood behind me, staring at the computer on my lap. “Keep an eye out.”

I double clicked the icon, and Mom’s face appeared on the screen, just like at Jess’s house. Her long brown hair flowed over her shoulders. Those big blue eyes flickered like I remembered. I touched the screen as she began to speak.

“Sweet Georgia. I wonder if you’ll ever see this video. I’ve encrypted it the best I knew how and sent it to your parents for safe-keeping per the arrangement we made so many years ago. We all agreed that I may send you one thing and they’d share it with you after you graduated.”

“What arrangement?” I asked.

Georgia shrugged.

“Georgia. If you’re not sitting down, please sit. I have to share many things with you. Some of which might be a little hard to hear. I’m sure your parents have already told you that you’re adopted. I asked them to wait to tell you until after you graduated because I didn’t want you to try and find me. Not that you would have been able to. We’ve gotten very good at hiding. But I couldn’t afford for you to try. If you’re watching this before graduation, then something drastic has probably happened, which led you to getting this disc decoded.”

“Adopted?” Georgia whispered as she eased onto the pew behind me and leaned forward to see the screen over my shoulder.

“Georgia, I’m not sure what your circumstances are while watching this or if you’re even watching this alone. I have so much to tell you. I’ll just start at the beginning.