Free The Tempering (The Mackenzie Duncan Series) by Adrianne James Page B

girl nodded her head. “Well, you won’t have to see them ever again. They can’t be mean to you from far away.”
    The little girls eyes began to open wider and a smile played at her lips. She was almost there. Mackenzie just had to push a little more.
    “And is there anything you have wanted to do before? Or maybe other people thought you could only do one thing but you really want to do something else? Like when I was little, before I moved, I really wanted to play softball but the team was full and everyone told me to play basketball instead. I was okay at basketball, but I wanted to try something new. When I got to my new school, I tried out and made the softball team.”
    “I like math. I heard some schools have math clubs. My old one didn’t. Do you think the new one will have it?” Finally, a full-blown smile filled the girls face. Mackenzie’s heart melted for her and a stray tear slipped from her eye.
    “If they don’t, maybe you can ask a teacher about starting one.” Before Mackenzie knew what was happening, the little girl threw herself into Mackenzie’s arms, hugging her. Smiling at being able to help the girl, Mackenzie wrapped her arms around her, and hugged her back.
    “OUCH!” The girl screamed and Mackenzie automatically let her go. The parents turned so quickly and her mother scooped her up while her father approached with fierceness in his eyes that you only see when a protective animal sees their baby in danger.
    “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt her. She hugged me. I was just hugging her back.”
    “Stay away from her. I don’t care if she did hug you, you should have backed away. What kind of sick freak are you, hurting little girls?” She could hear his blood thrumming through his veins. His breathing had increased and his nostrils were flaring with every breath he took. His aggressive position did not help her keep her cool. In fact, she lost it completely.
    Mackenzie stood abruptly. Taking two steps forward, she went toe-to-toe with a man who had at least two inches on her, staring him in the eyes.
    “It was an accident. I apologized. I suggest you back up. NOW!” Mackenzie could feel a growl in her chest begin to rumble forward, just as the man lifted his hands to push her out of his way. Before he was able to connect with her, Geoff stepped in, pulling the man in another direction while Margret placed her hands on Mackenzie’s shoulder.
    Whirling around to glare at the woman who just squashed her chance to beat the shit out of the man willing to lay hands on a woman, she stopped short. When their eyes connected, she was able to calm down. She began to breathe slower and was able to think about what had almost happened. In that moment, it didn’t matter that Margret forced the calming presence upon her. All that mattered was that it worked.
    Everyone in the lobby was staring at them. She was thankful that the children had been ushered out by their mother and had not witnessed the argument. Dropping her head into her hands, she let out a small whimper. That was her best attempt at not crying because she had lost control yet again. It was her fault. She tried to help, tried to have contact with someone, and ended up hurting them and almost hurting someone else. She knew then that she had to keep moving as a lone wolf.
    “Mackenzie…” Geoff spoke softly, attempting to comfort her but she didn’t deserve his comfort. She deserved to feel the guilt and the sorrow.

 
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 9
     
    Mackenzie turned and ran from the farmhouse, throwing her key to the desk as she passed. She knew she should stop and ask for a refund for her remaining night, but couldn’t afford to break down and lose control around people again.
    The grass, brittle from the winter, crunched beneath her feet with every step she took toward the cover of the trees. She had always been faster than most. It’s what made her an asset to any team she played on, either softball or basketball,