Read Frostbite (Touch of Frost) for Free Online Page B

picking my fingernails.
    The computer screen jiggled again but not from the connection. Georgia got up, set her laptop on her desk and paced. Hands on her hips, she wandered in and out of view.
    She stopped and stepped so close to the camera, her face bulged. “Why?”
    “Ever hear of playing hard-to-get?” I laughed, but it was to cover the fact that I was sad about leaving him. Sad about having to leave town. Leave Georgia.
    “Mandy?” Georgia’s picture and voice crackled. “Seriously, are you nuts?”
    “Probably. Not certifiably insane, but not properly evaluated I’m sure.”
    “All jokes aside…”
    Oh, great, she was going to get sappy on me. It always started with that token phrase. I sat up, waiting for it. Every lie I’d told her since I arrived in town ran through my mind. Keeping everything straight wasn’t easy to do. I would have kept a journal, but with my luck someone would find it.
    “Why don’t you like him?”
    “Never said I didn’t.”
    “Then why the hell aren’t you still out with him doing something naughty in the back of his car or something?”
    I shrugged.
    “Come on, Mandy. I’m your best friend. You can tell me.”
    “Don’t trust him.” Or myself.
    Georgia stared into the computer camera. “Why not?”
    Oh, sweet Jesus, where would I begin? “Well, I don’t even know him. And then out of the blue he asks me out?”
    “So? He’d been dating someone until recently. Got to respect the guy for doing the right thing. He’d said he’d had feelings for you since you came here.”
    “I don’t know. It feels like a bet someone challenged him to or something.”
    Georgia’s dark eyebrows puckered, and she hugged her stomach. “Someone must have really screwed you over.”
    Those seven words rolled out of Georgia’s mouth and plowed through my protected heart like a bowling ball knocking down pins. Tears stung. Tension knotted my neck.
    Georgia was like a sister to me. I’d never gotten this close to a person since my folks died and my powers appeared. I knew I shouldn’t have let her into my life like I did, but Georgia sucked me in. Like she knew I needed someone. We’d had some talks, but nothing super-deep. I told her about my parents being dead, but I didn’t get into details of how . Or why I came to this town. Or any of my powers. Or how I’ve had, like, six different last names over the past few years.
    “Mandy?”
    “Um…I’m here.”
    “I’m sorry.”
    “Don’t be. It’s okay.” I glanced around my bare room, then back to the screen. “I better go. It’s getting late.”
    “I’ll see you tomorrow?” Georgia’s face scrunched up. Probably worried she’d pissed me off.
    “Yeah, sure. Tomorrow. I’ll call ya.” I signed off, slapped the screen down, then swiveled my chair. The dim light from the corner lamp cast a funky shadow across my empty room. Hadn’t gotten anything up on the boring, tan walls yet. Never knew how long we’d last in a town, so sometimes I didn’t even bother.
    And staying here was still up in the air until Scott got back. He’d probably say we had to leave. It was the smart thing to do. Coats had come to Trifle. We were at risk, which meant Scott was. Even Georgia.
    The thought of either of them getting hurt made my stomach churn.
    A gentle breeze danced with the pale curtains around my window. I held my breath and opened my hand. It turned light blue, like the sky earlier today.
    I stared at the crease in the middle of my palm with all the energy I could muster. I pictured a baseball. Just not one made of leather.
    My breathing quickened, and my heart thudded against my chest. A marble-sized piece of ice appeared on my palm. I watched it grow and grow as I focused on it. My head felt detached, like a helium balloon floating near a draft.
    Finally, it neared the size of a baseball. Drawing in another deep breath, I willed my pulse to slow. I wrapped my fingers around the ball, then tossed it into the air, catching