Absolute Zero (Touch of Frost) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Thank You

  About the Author

  By Lynn Rush

  Copyright

  Absolute Zero

  (Touch of Frost #2)

  Lynn Rush

  Dedication

  To God, your mercies know no end.

  To Charlie, the love of my life.

  To Lynn Boeyink, you are missed.

  To those dealing with cancer—stay strong!

  Chapter 1

  “If you don’t get me out of here, Georgia, I’m going to accidentally turn the place into an igloo.” I jabbed my sister’s side with my elbow.

  “That’s okay, I’ll just melt it, and we’ll have a little pool party.” Georgia scrunched her forehead, glaring at me. “It’s our first college party. Enjoy it, sis.”

  I glanced around the sardine-packed house. It reeked of booze and smoke. The music thumped so loud, I thought my eardrums would implode and ooze out my ears. Sure, my control over my freezing powers and strength had increased, like, a zillion times over the last few weeks, but still…

  And I didn’t even know half these people bumping against me. Then again, we’d just finished freshman orientation, how would I know anyone?

  “Can you believe we got invited to this?” Georgia screamed in my ear, but it was pretty much whispering since the music was so loud.

  “No. Some guy just invited you?”

  “He was handing out flyers. I grabbed one, and he told me to come.”

  I tugged her to an empty space near a wall, and we squeezed ourselves between two other chicks scanning the crowd. “And why did we come?”

  “I’ve never been invited to a party before. High school sucked remember? Zero friends, freaky streaks of color running through our hair. Loners?”

  “Who cares? You’ve got Dan now, and I’ve got Zach.”

  “Girl. Dan left for college last week for early orientation and cross country stuff, he hasn’t even called me yet.”

  “Really?” I grabbed her hand and turned her toward me. “He hasn’t called at all?”

  She shook her head side-to-side, then looked to her feet. I couldn’t exactly hear what she said, but I might have heard her calling him a jerk—or worse.

  Something sharp jabbed me between the shoulder blades, and I lurched forward, straight into Georgia. She gripped my shoulders and stumbled back a step, but kept us both upright.

  Maybe she was getting super-strength after all. Not that my scrawny, five-foot-two frame weighed a lot, but she wasn’t much bigger than me to have supported my weight as easily as she did.

  The little zinger in my back shot a jolt of pain up to the base of my neck. Yeah, that didn’t feel so good, but at least it didn’t feel like a tranq dart. I’d had enough of those for sure.

  “I’m sorry. Are you okay?” a deep voice asked.

  I righted myself and whirled around to see my assailant. I stood eye level to a massive set of pecs testing the stretch limits of a dark-blue t-shirt.

  I looked up. Two amber-flecked brown eyes stared down at me. Bushy, dark eyebrows puckered together, crinkling the skin around his eyes. The stranger’s strong fingers curled around my bicep to help steady me.

  “Ahh…” was all I could manage for words since my lungs emptied of all my air.

  “Dude, what are you doing?” Georgia said.

  She’d definitely inherited my surly attitude over the summer.

  “I’m sorry. I was—”

  “I’m fine. No biggie,” I said, finally managing to catch my breath and find my voice.

  “Good. I’m sorry. I was dancing my way to the keg, and I didn’t see you.”

  “You have a lethal weapon there.” I pointed to his shoulder. “And—um—you can let go of me now.”

  Mr. Tall-Dark-And-Handsome’s fingers loosened around my arm, and I shook it out. Man, he was strong, but that shouldn’t have surprised me considering his biceps were as big as my thighs. His eyes fixed on mine and for the second time, the stranger stole my breath.

  “Can I get you a beer or something?” he asked.

  “No. I’m good.”

  “I’ll take one,” Georgia said.

  I snapped my head to the side, eying my sister. “You will?”

  She nodded. “I’ll have what you’re having.”

  “I’ll be right back. Don’t move.” The stranger cast me a quick look, then wove around the bodies with cat-like grace toward the kitchen.

  He stood about a head taller than most at the party so I watched him make his way through the crowd. He glanced back at me, then disappeared around the corner into the kitchen. My cheeks flamed. Not only my cheeks but other body parts, too. What the hell? I totally had a boyfriend.

  “Hello?” Georgia asked, her eyes wide.

  I knew she’d caught me gawking, so I changed the subject. “Georgia, what are you doing?”

  “What do you mean?” She flicked some of her bangs from her forehead. They’d grown so fast over the summer they almost tucked behind her ear. Just couldn’t quite stay there very long.

  I planted my hands on my hips. “Don’t give me that crap, G. You don’t drink.”

  “Maybe I started.” Her gaze drifted over my left shoulder, and I turned.

  A group of three guys, all sporting shaggy hair, baggy cargo shorts, and flip-flops stood a few feet away, leaning against a wall. Looked like the clone-brothers, and of course, all three held sweating plastic cups of amber-colored, foaming liquid.

  One guy nodded his head in our direction, flipping his brick-red hair onto his forehead.

  “I think he’s watching me.” Georgia jumped.

  “So that’s why you’re ordering beers now?” I sent her a cool glare. Not literally, but close. “What’s going on with you, sis?”

  “Nothing.” She faced me, jaw tense.

  “Liar. I’ve got the whole twin-vibe-thing going on here.”

  “Can’t I just enjoy the college scene? I turn nineteen this weekend, at least that’s what my false birth certificate says, and Lois is hopefully going tell me everything about what was in the safe. Our powers are wicked strong, we’re starting college in, like, two weeks, and I’m newly single. Why can’t I have fun?”

  All this tiny, very combustible room needed was a drunk fire-thrower on the loose. “I’m all for fun. But drinking? When’d that start?”

  “About three minutes ago.” She slugged my shoulder. “Shhh, I think one of them is coming over here.”

&nb
sp; “And you are not single. Dan did not break up with you.”

  “No call is pretty much breaking up.” She straightened. “Hi!”

  I looked to the side, and there stood one of the clones. He had light brown hair, dimples in both cheeks, and a thin layer of perspiration glistening on his forehead. So, it hadn’t been the redhead scoping my sis out after all.

  “What’s up?” the guy asked.

  “Nothin’. You?” Georgia stepped to the side, closer to the clone.

  “Cool party, huh?” He glanced at me.

  I bit my blue fingernails, not that they’d chip or anything. Just a nervous habit I’d really honed lately. Zach was starting to flake more and more on me, always working, having family things to deal with, or just…busy. He had to work tonight—again—and couldn’t come with me.

  I dug my phone out from my back pocket and clicked it to life. Zach might be on his way home from work by now. One tap had a text message open to him. Yeah, just a quick message. Maybe if I left the party now I could meet up with—

  “Here you go,” Mr. Dreamy Eyed Back-Stabber said and stood next to me.

  “Thanks.” Georgia snatched the cup of beer from his hand, then faced her new friend more intently, leaving me with this stranger. I cooled my hand a smidge and grabbed her fingers.

  She gasped and looked at me. I winked.

  “So, what’s your name?” my new friend asked.

  Georgia shrugged from my grasp and stepped out of arm’s length. I faced the guy towering over me.

  “It’s—um—Amanda.”

  “I think I saw you in orientation today.”

  I clicked my phone off and slid it back to its resting place. “You a newbie, too?”

  He nodded, then brought the plastic cup to his lips. His eyes never strayed from mine, which, of course, made me look down. My heart did a back flip. If I didn’t calm down soon, the darn thing would shoot out my mouth and slap right against that ripped chest of his.

  Wait. Heart pattering?

  Oh crap, I was in big trouble.

  Chapter 2

  “I’m so never going to a party with you again.” I stomped out from the cramped, stuffy, stinky house, practically dragging Georgia behind me. Not that I minded talking to Mr. Dreamy, but the fact I was addressing him as Mr. Dreamy was a serious problem.

  I totally had a boyfriend. I suck.

  We stumbled down the two stairs and a few steps away from the entrance. The darkness of night blanketed the area, except the light above the door. It cast a weak shadow over the gravel-landscaped yard lined with short bushes.

  She yanked her hand from mine. “I want to stay. Jason is really hot.”

  “No way. You should talk to Dan first, girl. Maybe something just came up, and he hasn’t called you because of that.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “We all know what it means, you’re living in an effing dream world, Mandy.”

  “Hey. Be nice.”

  “Look. I’m sorry. I’m just—”

  “You’re just wiggin’. Now what’s wrong with you, sis?” I stepped toward her. “Seriously. You’ve been a total PMS-case for, like, three weeks.”

  “Hello… It’s my birthday—well—my fake birthday tomorrow.”

  “I know. And you’re going to meet up with Lois and Gary for a birthday dinner. They’ll tell you everything about being adopted.” At least that was the theory we were all banking on.

  She tugged at her hair. “What if they don’t? I’m going nuts living with them, Mandy. They’ve been lying to me for years.”

  I curled the bangs that’d worked free around her ear. “I know, but you won’t be there much longer. Our apartment’s almost ready.”

  She chomped at her nails, a habit I lovingly gave to her. “This weekend. You and me. Our own place.”

  “Don’t sound so happy about it. I thought you wanted to live with your sister?”

  “I do. I just—”

  “What?” I put my hands on her shoulders and gave her a gentle shake.

  A door slammed behind her, and I looked. Two girls stumbled down the steps to the sidewalk. Now that I had a chance to see the place I’d been stuffed in, it was a piece of crap old house. Peeled white paint, one story and almost as small as the apartment above the smoothie shop. To think there must have been a hundred people crammed in there.

  No wonder I reeked. I shook my head. “Seriously. Tell me.”

  “Why hasn’t Dan called me?”

  I yanked her into a massive hug. Her arms didn’t weave around me, though. She stood stiff within my grasp. Hopefully she didn’t flame up or something.

  “Maybe he’s wiggin’. You know, like new roommates, learning the campus. He’s all alone at State. Zach ditched him for me.” Which, I felt a little bad about, but not too much. I was so glad he was in town with me still.

  “But I’ve called him, texted him, and even Facebooked him. He’s not answering. I’m not going to chase after him like some freak.” She shrugged from my grip. “I’m sick of being a freak.”

  The girls who’d left the party staggered by us, giggling. “Nice hair.”

  I didn’t see anyone loitering around, so I pointed my finger toward their feet and shot a stream of ice. The black-haired drunk slipped, tumbling to the side. She put her hand out to break her fall, but the booze must have made her misjudge the distance because her hand missed, and she landed straight on her shoulder.

  “Heather, are you okay?” the other girl scrambled to her side.

  Georgia looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

  I shrugged. My sister was in bad enough shape she didn’t need that little twit making her feel worse than she already did.

  Georgia yanked me passed the girls. “We are freaks, Mandy.”

  “But at least we’re freaks together.” Maybe she was finally having the meltdown she’d never had back when she’d stumbled into her powers. Delayed onset mental break or something. I wasn’t sure if anything like that existed out there, but it could be possible.

  Especially after the shit we saw this past summer when we took down The Center.

  “How have you done it all these years?” she asked.

  “What?”

  “Shrugged off all those stupid comments?”

  “How have you?” I laughed. “Even without powers and a red streak running through your pitch-black hair, you were an artist freak loner with only a couple friends.”

  “True.”

  “Until I came into the picture. Best friends right away, then hey, let’s be sisters, too. Oh, and twins to boot.”

  Darkness shrouded us as we made our way to Scott’s car. I iced my fingers down and twined them through Georgia’s.

  She gasped and, immediately, I felt the ice crackle against my skin, then slide away. Warmth replaced the chill. Georgia’s face glowed a soft, subtle pink, like a sunset behind me splashed its setting rays on her.

  “You look so pretty when you glow like that.”

  “No I don’t.”

  “Yes. You do, actually.” I let go of her hand and rested it on her shoulder. “And you know what?”

  She leaned against the hood of the car.

  “If Dan’s blowing you off, then to hell with him. Go back in there and find that Jason guy.”

  “Really?”

  “Just don’t get drunk. Okay?” I said.

  “I won’t.”

  “That’s what you say now, but if you have one drink you’ll be toast. You’re a lightweight, trust me. I know.”

  “Oh, my old and wise sister showing me the right path—”

  “Don’t pull your literature-loving language on me, girl. I’m serious. Been there, done that, so not fun the next morning.” I chuckled. “Plus, you might burn something down if you’re wasted.”

  “Never really thought of that.”

  “Neither did I.” I shrugged. “But the kids I was with were drunk, too, so they didn’t remember the icicles.”

  “Rebel.”
>
  “Whatever. I’ll go. You stay. Have fun.”

  “So you have a boyfriend, that means you can’t go to a college party?”

  “No. But—”

  “You’re coming in with me. That guy you were talking to seemed nice.”

  “And a little too cute.”

  “What?” Georgia’s eyes nearly popped from their sockets.

  Oh crap. I’d said that out loud. “Nothing. You go. I’m going to hang here for a second and catch some fresh air. It smells like gym socks in there.” But the real reason was I didn’t want to bump into Mr. Elbow Jabber. He made my stomach curl in a naughty way, and that was so not fair to Zach.

  Then again, if Zach were here… No. I shouldn’t think that way.

  “I want to see if Jason is still here.” Georgia turned on her heel and zoomed up the sidewalk.

  She primped her hair as she navigated the steps. The door burst open, and three huge guys spilled out. One knocked shoulders with Georgia. She stumbled back and landed on her butt in the gravel yard to the side of the steps.

  I darted toward her. Sounds of fists to faces echoed against the darkness.

  “You asshole,” a guy yelled.

  “Get out of here. She’s mine,” another one bellowed.

  More fists to faces rang out.

  On my way to Georgia, one guy staggered after a solid crack to the jaw, and his massive body rammed into mine. I rooted my foot to the side and stayed upright, digging my shoulder into his gut.

  His booze-tainted breath washed over me as our collision thrust the air out of his lungs. His gigantic hand landed right on my boob. I planted my hands against his chest and pushed.

  Unfortunately, my push was a little different than that of a normal human. The guy, easily weighing two hundred pounds, flew through the air at least ten feet and landed on his back. A plume of dust billowed around him.

  Oops.

  But hey, nobody but Zach touched my boobs.

  The other two guys stood frozen. I imagined their glazed, drunk eyelids batting wildly, but couldn’t see them very well through the darkness.

  Georgia lay on her side near the base of the stairs. Her skin glowed again.

  The door swung open. Mr. Back Stabber hurdled the stairs, landing beside me. “What happened?” He leaned down for Georgia’s hand.

  I stole a glance at the two ogres standing in the middle of the dirt lawn, staring at me. The guy I shoved still lay on the ground.