Twice as Hot Read Online Free PDF Page B

survive this.”
    He
would. He had to. I wouldn’t allow anything else. And just like that, the rage
left me and the sadness returned. I wouldn’t allow? I was powerless. Another droplet hit me. “We don’t even know exactly what’s been done to him.”
    “We’ll
learn. Give it time.”
    My
gaze skidded back to Rome. Still unmoving, still unconscious. “No one hurts my
loved ones, Cody. No one. It’s a message the paranormal community needs to
understand. Touch them and suffer.”
    His
hands settled atop my shoulders and he shook my attention back to him. One of
his brows was arched in exasperation. “If John hears you talking like this,
he’ll take the Desert Gal case away from you. And if he takes the Desert Gal
case, you can forget getting a chance at this new target. I don’t care what
threats you issue, he’ll toss you in Chateau Villain.”
    Ugh.
Chateau Villain. An underground prison where superpowers were neutralized in
whatever way necessary.
    Sadly,
he was right. John put the interest of science—and understanding the scrims we
fought—above all else.
    I
nodded as if Cody had convinced me to play by the rules. He hadn’t. I’d just be
more careful with my words from now on, I thought as I once again turned back
to Rome. Or rather, the window that allowed me to see him.
    Desperation
flooded me, more potent than ever before. I had to touch him, had to feel his
skin against mine. To do so, I had to be able to keep myself under control. You
can do it. I just needed a few cheerful thoughts. Like? I wondered with a
bitter laugh.
    Well,
your dad is safe in his assisted-living center and dating several of the female
residents. Excellent. Rome is still alive. Even better. The storm inside me finally
began to calm. My best friends are with me.
    Oh,
yeah. My best friends. They were still waiting.
    “Will
you give Tanner and Sherridan a progress report?” I asked. Not that there’d
been any. Progress, that is.
    “Sherridan
is the rockin’ blonde?”
    “Yes.”
    “I
tried to talk to her before I found you. She just stared at me blankly, like I
was invisible or something.”
    I
waved a hand in dismissal. “She wasn’t doing it to be rude, I swear. She was
just in her Happy Place.”
    “Uh,
Happy Place? Can you be more specific? She have the power to transport her
spirit or something?”
    Of
course he’d think that. He’d worked for PSI a lot longer than I had, and had
seen countless different abilities. I’d have to choose my descriptions more
carefully. “She had lousy parents and learned to retreat into her head when
things got too rough. Lately, she practically lives there.” Though I still
didn’t know why, exactly.
    I
inhaled deeply, having lost some of my cheeriness with the direction of the
conversation. Cheerful thoughts, cheerful thoughts. You can do it. Me,
walking down the aisle. A grin lifted the corners of my lips. Good. Keep
going. My dad, healthy enough to escort me. Rome, smiling at me from the
altar and glowing with love.
    The
ice inside me melted, leaving a cold shell that gradually thawed. Deep breath in,
out. No mist formed. Thank God. I waited several minutes, but still the cold
did not return.
    “I’m
going back in the room,” I said. I wrapped my arm around my middle and as I
moved forward, my gaze snagged on Rome’s left hand, where a ring—a symbol of our
union—would one day rest.
    His
fingers were twitching.
    I
stilled, gasped.
    “What?”
Cody asked.
    “He
moved!” Eyes widening, I raced around Cody and into the hospital room. I shoved
a nurse out of my way and barreled in front of Lexis. She snapped a curse as
she stumbled backward.
    After
righting herself, she quickly made her way to my side. “You’re too dangerous to
be around him. Get out!”
    “His
hand moved,” I said, the excitement in my voice ringing like a bell.
    “What?”
She grabbed his hand and lifted his fingers into the light.
    “He
really moved! I saw it.” I tugged his hand from her