The Queen Of Zombie Hearts. Gena Showalter

no. Maybe Frosty had taken off, but had plans to return.

      There was still hope.

      A bright-eyed hostess approached me, smiling a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “How many?”

      Could she be with Anima? “Just one.”

      She led me to a table in the center of the room.

      “In back, please.”

      Shoulders stiff, she moved to the booth hidden by a huge aquarium and arched a brow, a silent is this good enough for princess?

      “Perfect.” I scooted into my seat, accidentally on purpose brushing against her to feel for weapons. Nothing. “Thank you.”

      Her lips compressed as she set a menu in front of me and took off.

      I pulled out my phone and texted Cole. Frosty isn’t here. Gonna wait N case he comes back. Has Kat calmed down?

      Cole: Kat—no. U—DON’T WAIT LIKE SWEET LITTLE TARGET, GO HOME.

      Swear I heard his irritated voice reverberating through my mind. He’d let me do this, and now he regretted it. Figured.

      Me: News flash, Holland. ALL CAPS DOES NOT INTIMIDATE ME.

      Cole: IT SHOULD. THE WRATH OF C.H. IS NOT A PRETTY THING.

      Me: Bite me.

      Cole: This just in—I will. W/pleasure. But I want U 2 come back & get me. Currently there R no other cars available. BTW this is nonnegotiable.

      Me: Sorry, babe, but this was an FYI exchange & not a solicitation 4 orders. U can use the time apart 2 negotiate this. (I used an emoticon to flip him off.)

      Cole: So that’s a soft yes?

      Good glory. I put the phone away, before he distracted me from my purpose. More than he already had.

      Think! Even if Frosty had plans to come back to the Wok and Roll, he wouldn’t have gone very far. Unless he was forced. He would probably move from shop to shop, where he could watch the restaurant’s front door for Gavin without allowing anyone to get a lock on him.

      But...if that was true, he would have spotted me and come racing over.

      “Know what you want to order?” asked the hostess—waitress now—when she reappeared at my table.

      “Hey, was there a fight in here today? Any kind of yelling match?” Any hint that my friend had been spotted?

      Her brow furrowed with confusion. “No. Why?”

      Rather than answer, I threw a twenty on the table. “Never mind. I’ve got to go.”

      She didn’t try to stop me as I stalked outside. I leaned against the brick wall, as if taking a moment to warm myself against the cutting breeze. Really, I was scanning the shops across the way. Clothes. Clothes. Coffee. Shoes. Bakery. Cloth—

      Coffee.

      He could stay there longest, without drawing notice.

      I rushed over and entered the warmth and deliciousness of the caffeine-scented shop. I studied the occupants, my nerves about to reach the breaking point, and—

      Found him!

      Joy. Such profound joy. He was in the corner, looking out the glass window. He’d hidden his pale hair under a hat. The coat he wore had to be stolen, because I’d never seen him wear it, and it wasn’t his size. It was also pink with purple flowers.

      I walked to Frosty’s table, pulled out a chair.

      “Get lost—” Relief eroded all hints of anger. He leaned toward me. “Thank God it’s you. Tell me everything you know. Start with information about Kat.”

      “She’s alive and well and desperate to see you.”

      He closed his eyes, one of which was black, and sagged against the table. “You have no idea how badly I want to see her, too, but when I searched Ankh’s place last night, she was gone.”

      “There’s a secret passage that leads from Ankh’s to an underground facility,” I said. “She was staying there.”

      “Was?”

      “As of this morning, she’s back at Ankh’s. He’s refortified the security.”

      Frosty’s hand curled into a fist. “I’ve been so worried....”

      “I know,” I said, patting that fist. “Why didn’t you come to the Wok and Roll when I arrived?”

      He frowned. “I didn’t see you.”

      “But you were supposed to meet Gavin there.”

      “No. I was supposed to meet him at the coffee shop across from the Wok and Roll.”

      I’d blame Gavin’s confusion on blood loss.

      “Is he okay?” Frosty asked, an edge to his tone.

      He expected bad news. “He will be,” I said, determined. “Right now, he’s in pretty bad shape. Cole, too, though he’s doing much better. He was shot.” Keep it together. “They’re both with Mr. Ankh.”

      “Good. That’s good.” A grim cast overshadowed his expression. “Cruz is—”

      “Yeah. I know.” The sting of tears. Shut down the waterworks. Now. “Trina and Lucas, too.”

      He ground his fists into his eyes. “What about the others?”

      “I wish I knew. You haven’t heard or seen anything?”

      “Only that Justin and Jaclyn are missing.”

      Had the twins been kidnapped? Or were they dead?

      Jaclyn and I weren’t the best of friends, but we were no longer enemies. I hated the thought of her out there, suffering—or worse.

      “I planned to give Gavin five more minutes,” Frosty said. “Then I was going to head out and start searching for the others.”

      More proof that ticking clocks sucked. Had I arrived a few minutes later, I would have missed him. “What happened last night? With you, I mean.”

      Bleakly, he said, “I was at home, in bed but still awake. I heard a squeak and tried to sit up. A hard hand slapped over my mouth, and a needle jabbed into my neck. It was an instant mind-screw. I was dizzy. I was weak and compliant. The guy must have drugged my guardians, too, because he was able to get me downstairs and out the front door without their interference. Then he made the mistake of putting me in the front seat of his car. The moment the dizziness eased, I was able to force him off the side of the road, get out and head for the gym.”

      “But it was already burning to the ground,” I confirmed.

      “I noticed armed men chasing an injured Gavin and did my best to gain their attention. I succeeded, but it took almost two hours to lose them and another two to make it to Ankh’s. I kept passing out. Then I came here.”

      So. Anima hadn’t wanted to kill Frosty. But they’d certainly wanted to kill Cole. Why?

      What was their plan? Their purpose?

      “Do you know where any of the others might have hidden?” Bronx. Mackenzie. Veronica. Collins.

      “Bronx...maybe. I was going to check a meeting place of ours when I left here.”

      “I’ll go with you. Just need to tell Cole what’s going on.”

      “He micromanaging?”

      “Something like that.”

      I texted Cole and Kat at the same time. Found Frosty. He’s alive & well. We have lead on Bronx. More soon. & Kat...I’m sorry. I will make it up 2 U, swear!

      Cole’s response came seconds later. Keep me updated.