Free Cryostorm by Lynn Rush Page A

still, we needed to hurry. Agents could—
    “Shit,” Tim said. He backed us into the restaurant. “Um, actually, ma’am do you have a back way out of here?”
    “Why? What’s—”
    “We’re in town to surprise a friend of ours, and I see him coming down the street. Please? We’ve traveled all the way from New York I wouldn’t want to ruin it now.” Tim smiled.
    How did he think of that so fast?
    “New York, huh? Sure. Come on. It’s through the kitchen here. I love surprises. Who y’all visiting?”
    “Where’s this exit?” Nate asked.
    “Oh. Through the kitchen here.” She pushed the swinging doors. “Just don’t touch anything. Codes you know.” She laughed. “Hey Paul. We’re sneaking through quick, no worries.”
    A double-chinned, tall dude nodded and saluted us with a butcher knife, non-lethal end to the forehead.
    The waitress led us past two freezers. I recognized them from Scott’s smoothie shop. That ignited a pang of longing to see him right there.
    “There you go,” the waitress said. “Hurry on out. If you go to the right, it’ll bring you out on the east side of the building. Next to the Java Hut.”
    “Thanks.”
    We moved toward the door, but Tim stopped us.
    “What’s he doing? We need to move,” Lois said.
    “He’s checking things out, hold on.” I grabbed Georgia’s hand. She still hadn’t uttered a word. Was she really that mad? Or confused as hell, like I was.
    “Looks clear,” Tim said. Didn’t sound as confident as I would have hoped.
    “Tim, stay with me,” Georgia said. “Just in case.” She reached for his hand.
    Lois watched with questioning eyes, but didn’t say anything. Nate led by pushing the door open, and a sliver of light shone through. Not sunshine, just brightness, which was a change from all the sunless days we’d seen.
    After my eyes adjusted, we inched forward.
    “Yep. Clear.” Nate stepped out, and I followed behind him with Georgia, Tim and Lois trailing. Nate held the door open as we all filed out, then brought up the rear.
    We were in the alley behind the restaurant, snow packed five and six feet high from where someone had snow blown. Hints of a green dumpster, by the smell, were hidden beneath the banks.
    “Move,” Nate ordered. He’d turned into the Job Nate again. “Car’s parked three buildings south of the shelter.”
    “Can you get to it fast and bring it in our direction?” I asked.
    “Don’t want to leave you.”
    As I turned to face him, two figures appeared at the back end of the alley, dart guns raised.
    “Blaze!” I yelled as I iced down.
    Tim pushed Lois to the ground. Nate zoomed toward the two coming at us, and as I turned to see Georgia’s flames, I saw four more approaching us from the front of the alley.
    Lois lay prone on the snowy ground, mouth open as she stared at her former daughter. She was flamed from head to toe, palms up with fireballs hovering inches above her flesh.
    Something tinked off my ice armor. Three more on the top of the building. Are you kidding me? They got organized that fast? Expecting us?
    “Mom!” Georgia yelled, then I saw a stream of flames shoot up toward the two leaning over the edge of the roof.
    Georgia squatted down, in front of Lois, aiming her hands upward. Lois lay motionless, a small dart protruding from her neck.
    Ping.
    I moved forward, deflecting the darts coming from the four entering the alley. Hands pointed outward, I streamed their feet with ice, instantly stopping them. Pointing my hands at their weapons, I shot bullets of ice at them until their guns clattered to the snowy-icy ground.
    I whirled and saw Georgia streaming flame toward the sky. Her flames weren’t reaching the Agents leaning over the roof. Three stories up, I could manage that.
    Hopefully.
    Palms open, facing the ground, I ignited a blast of snow and slush, and it darted me into the air. I bolted up, higher than the wall, then cut my stream and I landed on the roof. Two sprays of ice over