Absolute Zero (8 page)

“Any links to The Center or Andrey?” Scott asked.

Georgia and I sat next to each other at the kitchen table. Scott and Jasmine on the opposite side, while Jess sat at the head. He seemed to enjoy that, with his chest all puffed out.

“No links that I can see,” Jess said.

“So. She really did just bolt, you know, to divorce Gary, huh?” Georgia said.

“Something doesn’t feel right, though. I mean, right before she’s supposed to tell her daughter she’s adopted?”

“Any chance your Mom—er Lois—saw what was on the disc and it spooked her?” Scott asked.

“No one hacked that disc. I would have noticed,” Jess said. He scrubbed his face with his hands. “Well, I’m pretty sure I would have been able to tell. Computers leave traces of activity, even antiquated discs like that. Plus, it was wicked hacker-proof. Only a few people in the world could hack through that thing.”

“One being
Gonzo.
” Jasmine shook her head. “Nice web-name.”

Jess scratched his cheek with his middle finger.

“What do you want to do, G?” I leaned my shoulder against hers. “Your call.”

“Jasmine. Can you go hover around her and see if you can hear anything?”

Jasmine looked at Scott, then back to me. “Really?”

Georgia nodded. “Timing’s just…curious.”

“I can set you up with a ticket and new ID if you want,” Jess said. “Quick trip.”

“Can you hook me up, too?” Scott asked. “I don’t want her going alone.”

“What about the store?” I asked.

“We’ll just close it down for a few days. Unless you want to man the show.”

“G and I can handle that,” I said.

“Shouldn’t I go, too? I mean, you know to see her? Talk to her? Maybe I could convince her to come back. Or just talk to her right then and there about what she knows.”

“Ah man. I don’t want to stay here alone.” I slumped against my chair. “I’ll come, too.”

“Wait. Now hold on. Scott and I will go listen. If something comes up, we’ll call in the troops if we need to,” Jasmine said.

“But I want to see her. She’s my m—” Georgia shook her head. “Was my mom—” She slammed her fist on the table. “Damn it, I can’t decide if I’m mad at her or I miss her.”

I dragged my hand over her warm back. “G. Just let Scott and Ms. Super-Hearing go check things out. We’ll get settled in the apartment, hold the fort down here at the smoothie shop. If they need us up there, Jess, you can get us tickets somehow, too, right?”

“Sure.” He nodded as he peeled a part of his fingernail off.

Gross
.

“See?” I nudged her. “Scott, what do you think?”

“You two stay, me and Jas will go check it out. We’ll call if you’re needed.” Scott laid his hand on Georgia’s. “Don’t worry. We’ll find out what’s going on. I really think it’s just that she wanted to bolt. Jess has found no trace of Andrey or any more Centers.”

My gut wrench at the mention of Andrey. My Mom and Dad’s killer, whom I let get away. I still had nightmares about him escaping.

“Jess. When can you get us there?”

He clacked away at his laptop. “How’s tomorrow? Got a flight here that leaves around noon.”

“Deal.” Scott faced me. “You two sure you can handle the store?”

“Oh please. She’s fire and I’m ice, what’s the worse that could happen?”

Chapter 11

“R
unning a smoothie business is a lot harder than it looks,” Georgia said, as she mopped up the floor. “How’s Scott do it all by himself?”

“He’s got Jasmine helping him a bunch now. But before I was his free labor.”

“But all this money and counting down the drawer stuff. Ugh.”

“We’ll just leave it all for him when they come home.” I glanced at my watch. “They should be landing in Minnesota about now, right?”

Georgia stopped and pulled out her phone. “They’re two hours ahead, right?”

“Until Daylight Savings ends, then it’s only one. They’ll call when they land.”

“Where’s Zach been all day? I thought for sure he’d stop by and hang with us.”

“He’s in a living prison at his house or work. But you’re right, he hasn’t returned my text from earlier. Wonder if he got Ms. Snooty home okay last night.”

“What’s up with her, Mandy? Seriously.”

“She’s nuts.”

“But going to PCC, too? She didn’t go there because of Zach, did she? I mean, she’s not that nuts is she?”

“Man, I hope not, because I don’t want to get all up in a cat fight with her. But Zach did seem a little squirrely around her last night.”

“You noticed, too?”

“Crap. I was hoping it was my imagination.”

“Nope. Sorry.”

My gut sank to the floor as I wiped down the counter. “You know what? I’m going take out the trash before the evening rush, okay?”

“There’s another rush? Feels like we just got done with one.”

“It’s the weekend, people come in waves. Deal with it.” I flicked a little slush from my finger in her direction. She zapped it with some fire before it hit her face.

I flung my soggy rag onto the counter and spun on my heel toward the prep area. I grabbed the three garbage bags and a couple boxes and headed out toward the back dumpster. Yeah, a little bit of heavy lifting would shake Zach from my mind. Something nagged at me about him and Samantha.

I kicked the back door open and stepped out into the murky day. The desert gave us nearly three hundred clear days a year or more, but boy, when the clouds took hold of the sky those few random days, it sucked major.

I moseyed up to the gate surrounding the big, green dumpster. Strangely it was propped open. Scott was meticulous about that thing. I pulled it open with my fingertip and stepped away. Something dark busted out, brushing against my leg.

My bags went flying and the boxes tumbling as I jumped to the side. A cat’s meow and a hiss trailed the dark feline. My heart shot up in my throat, and my skin prickled.

Stupid cats.

I stepped into the area and saw the cat’s destruction. Shards of paper and cartons littered the ground.

Where did that thing go? If I saw it, I’d spray it down good with some cold water.

I flicked the lid open and threw my stuff in. I squatted down gathering up the mess and tossed it in. More trash stuck out from beneath the side. I glanced down and saw more junk. I looked around, then lifted up the side of the dumpster and snagged a cardboard box.

How the heck did that get under there?

I let the dumpster down with a bang and shut everything up, working to stuff the dread that was thickening in my stomach.

One glance around showed me nothing but the usual. I’d taken the trash out hundreds of times, but today, something felt off. Like I was being watched.

I dug out my phone from my jeans pocket and clicked it to life. No text back from Zach. I opened a new message.

How are you?

I grasped the phone and sauntered to the picnic table in front of the store. Just a quick break while I waited for Zach to text back.

If he did.

I plopped onto the tabletop and propped my feet on the bench. My phone clock read four o’clock, that’d be six o’clock in Minnesota, so I clicked a text message to Scott.

You landed? Find out anything?

I looked skyward and sucked in a deep breath but coughed on the smell of smoke. I shot a quick glance around, but the parking lot was empty and just a few cars passed by on the street. Behind me was a little patch of trees separating our building from the next one. Then around the corner led to the back where the dumpster was.

A small breeze rustled the trees, but other than that, it was quiet. I hopped off my perch and went around the corner toward the back again. On my way, I squinted, looking through the trees for any sign of someone lurking around.

The tingle of my power tickled the back of my neck as I let it surface, ready for action. As I approached the dumpster area, the smell intensified. The back door of the store was closed tight.

I must be imagining things.

But then I heard the familiar crackle of flame and wood. I remember the sound and smell all too well from our little destruction marathon on The Center. I hurried around the back of the structure enclosing the dumpster and found a small fire, about the size of a campfire.

I glanced around, then cooled down my hand. My fingernails flickered neon-blue, then I spewed a stream of slush from my fingertips, dousing the flames. Within seconds it sizzled and steamed. I looked around again, then back to the pile. Several cigarette butts littered the ground.

Strange. Must be some punk kids messing around. A brick wall that backed up to a little patch of trees made for a good hiding place. My phone vibrating sent a shockwave of goose bumps up my spine.

I slid it out of my pocket and saw a text from Scott.

Landed. On the drive up north. Couple hours ‘til we hook up with Georgia’s mom.

Okay. Call when you get there.

One last glance over the area showed it clear, so I trudged back into the store. “Hey, Georgia. I heard from Scott. They’re on their way up north.” I rounded the corner into the prep area to wash my hands. I slid them under some steaming water and lathered up the soap. “Georgia?”

I snatched a paper towel from the silver dispenser, then scooted around the corner to the front. I almost stumbled over my feet when I saw Nate standing there.

“Hi, Mandy.”

Georgia stood at the cash register, shoving some bills into the tray. “Yeah,
Mandy
, look who stopped by to say hi?”

I sent her a glare. If my head spun any more with everything happening at the moment I might tip over.

Nate stood tall, and the florescent lights spotlighted his bronzed skin and shadowed his dimple. He wore jeans and a white T-shirt that had some black print on the left shoulder.

“What are you doing here?”

“I came to say hi.”

I reached for the washcloth I’d been using earlier and started wiping the already clean counters again. Georgia slammed the register door shut, sending me shaking in my shoes again. Why was I so jumpy?

“You came to say hi to me?” I asked. “How’d you know I’d be here?”

“I confess.” He grabbed his smoothie from Georgia. “I’m kind of stalking you.”

“Excuse me?”

“Not
bad
stalking. But—well—I looked you up online and found your address and stuff. Didn’t realize this was a smoothie shop. You work here?”

“My brother owns it.”

“Cool.” He sucked some of the peach drink up the straw. “Good smoothie, Georgia.”

“Why did you want to find me? You live right upstairs from me, you could have waited until I got home if you needed a cup of sugar.”

Georgia giggled.

“What I really needed was ice for the muscles in my back from lugging up that chair!”

“Wimp,” I said.

Georgia shot me a wide-eyed look as she hopped up on the counter and sat, her back to Nate.

“Did you just call me a wimp?” He pressed his forefinger to his bulky chest. I think I heard the fabric of his shirtsleeve stretch.

I leaned against the back counter, next to the mixers holding the damp rag. My heart hammered against my chest like I’d just run a mile. Heat flooded my cheeks.

“Hey. If the shoe fits…” I shrugged.

He glanced around. “So, you’re real busy, huh?”

I chuckled. “Very. You should probably leave, you’re holding up the line.”

He stepped away from the counter. “Come sit with me.”

I glanced at Georgia. Her eyebrows pulled together, creasing her forehead, then she gave a slight nod. I tossed my washrag to her, and she caught it. She mouthed the words, “He’s so cute.”

Was my sister encouraging me to hang with Nate? That was just wrong. She should be talking me out of it. I had a boyfriend.

A boyfriend who was MIA.

I shuffled around the corner, then pushed through the half swing-door and followed him out to the booths. He sat in the one furthest from the counter. I couldn’t see Georgia any longer, which was probably a good thing. She was going to get me in trouble. Normally the voice of reason in this whole twin-sister-thing, she should have talked me out of sitting with Nate.

So, he’d tracked me down. So, he’s amazingly good looking. So, I’d love to find out what his hair felt like between my fingers.

Oh wait. Scratch that last one.

I suck.

“What’s so important that you had to stalk me?” I slid into the booth across from him, wishing I’d made myself a smoothie. I didn’t know what to do with my hands.

“I’m sorry about the other night.”

“Sorry?” I shifted in my seat. The amber in his eyes really flickered beneath the lights. Or maybe it was because the sun was spilling through the window at the perfect angle.

“That guy, Zach, he’s your boyfriend isn’t he?”

I nodded.

“I’m sorry if my helping you out ticked him off. I didn’t mean—”

“It’s okay.”

Oh my gosh. Cute, nice,
and
thoughtful. Just made his eyes sparkle even more.

“He seemed really mad.” He sucked some more smoothie, then looked out the window. “Then I had to be grabbing your arm just coming out of a bedroom with you. I can imagine how that looked.”

“Didn’t look too good.”

“You been dating him long?”

“Few months.”

“Serious?”

“I think so.” I mean, I was totally considering having sex with him. That would be serious right? But now that I heard myself say we’d been dating a few months, it made me realize something. Zach and I
hadn’t
been dating very long. How could I be considering sleeping with him so soon? I didn’t even know if he’d been with other girls. Or if he even wanted to have sex.

“Hmmm.”

“What?” I said.

“Nothing.”

“What?” I slapped at his hand.

His eyebrow perked up, but what surprised me more was, in a flash, he grabbed my hand. It was surprisingly warm…and tingled against my skin.

“Because.” Nate smiled. “If it’s not serious, and you’re free to date other people, I’d like to ask you out.”