Cryostorm by Lynn Rush Page B

kicked my feet out from beneath me.
    “That’s it.” I streamed her with ice as she charged. She plowed through the first bit, but I turned it on and poured concrete-thick ice in front of her and cocooned her. Her face went blue, instantly. “Shit.” I might have killed her.
    I stepped to the door to yank it open and remembered my broken shin. My butt hit the floor with a resounding thud and a zinger of pain shot up my spine right to the base of my neck.
    Instant headache.
    I glanced at Melanie. She was still frozen, so I turned the cold on around me, focusing on my shin. The ice tugged at my skin, and I flopped onto my back. The jolt of bones cracking back into place resonated, echoing in my mind. The door burst open and Nate rushed in. Georgia and Tim followed close behind.
    “Mandy!” Nate yelled.
    “Healing,” I whispered, “Georgia, help Melanie.” Then I allowed the ice to fully take me, soothing each and every knick my collision with the wall or Melanie’s wicked fists inflicted. I watched through my sheen of ice surrounding me.
    Tim shut the door while Georgia reached for Melanie’s frozen image. Her finger touched the ice and it turned to steam within seconds. Melanie collapsed.
    “What happened?” Tim asked. “She has steel arms.”
    “Yeah, I’m thinking those records you hacked into at The Center about her were a bit wrong,” Georgia said.
    I pulled the ice back.
    “Shit. That means they know I’m hacking, maybe. Planted a fake,” Tim said.
    “Might not know it’s you, specifically, Tim,” Nate held out his hand toward me, and I grabbed it. He sucked in a deep breath through clenched teeth.
    “Sorry.” My hands must have been cold.
    “But you’re right, they know someone’s digging for information.” Nate looked at Tim. “But they probably think it’s me.”
    “Shit.” Tim tunneled his hands through his hair.
    “What?” Georgia asked.
    “Well, then they know about me and Martin, because we all died with you,” Tim said.
    “And Melanie here told the world you’re alive anyway, so it’s safe to say they know everything. So, Melanie said you were their one and only success at making an obedient subject.”
    “But I’m not. I left. I orchestrated the biggest act of disobedience ever.” Nate gazed at Melanie.
    “I didn’t understand that, either.”
    “She’s gone,” Tim said as he stood. “How the hell—I don’t get it.”
    “Look. Sun’s almost up. We need to get out of here. Georgia, I’m sorry to ask this of you, but I need you to incinerate Melanie’s body.” Nate stepped forward. “Can you do that if I speed it out of here then come for you?”
    “Yeah. I can do that. Then we’re going to get Lois.”
    “She’s an hour north of here,” Tim said. “At least in normal weather.”
    “If we got a hit, then so did The Center,” I added.
    “More than likely.” Nate nodded. “That’s why we need to hurry, we need to be the first to get to her.”
    “Where is she?”
    “Homeless Shelter.”

 
     
     
    Chapter 10
     
    “Y ou know what I just figured out?” Tim said from the back seat of the Jeep.
    I looked back at him and Georgia. The open laptop in Tim’s lap spilled its illumination over his sunken features.
    “What?” I asked.
    Nate stared forward, driving, eyebrows furrowed. The snow had let up some, but the roads were still covered by nearly three feet. I wasn’t sure how the Jeep was making it through.
    “God, I can’t believe I missed this before.” He shook his head. “You know the names in the book from your mom?”
    “Yeah?” Georgia said.
    “Each one we’ve found was dead. Well, besides Bev and the few Andrey confirmed were with Bev. And they died in car crashes. Suicides. Work accidents. Hell, even cancer got one. All but that cancer one are typical ways an organization like The Center would eliminate people, right?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Well, Lois has popped up on the radar near a few of these names. Look.” He pointed to