FOUR
In the many months I'd known Cammie, the thought of her having a boyfriend never crossed my mind. She was so 'miss independent' that it never occurred to me that it could be a possibility. That is why, when Cammie said it was time to meet her boyfriend I had been stunned to silence.
"How could you keep something like this from me?" I asked as we made our way down the street. I had no idea where we were going, but I followed Cammie like a lost dog.
Cammie shrugged, turning around a corner. "I keep a lot of things from you, Kate." She said. "If I had told you there would have been questions and I couldn't really afford to have you asking questions."
I crossed my arms, sulking to myself. Cammie turned to me and laughed. "If I'm not mistaken it seems you're more upset about me not telling you about this than you were when you found out your parents identities."
"I can understand my parents," I said. "but keeping a boyfriend hidden? I mean really, he can't possibly be dangerous."
Cammie's eyebrows shot up at that. She scoffed once, shaking her head. "He's the most dangerous person I know," she said, and I think I detected a hint of wonder in her eyes. We walked what seemed like miles before we came across a tall chain linked fence. Cammie went to work immediately, grabbing hold and climbing with incredible speed. "Wait here," she called down. "I'll let you in once I reach the other side."
My eyes fell to the fence. There was a door a few feet away, locked I presume. As Cammie did her spy-climb thing I wandered towards the door and began to inspect it. When I had lived with my grandmother in Nevada my friends had taught me the basics of lock picking, though I'd never been good at it. It didn't hurt to try, though.
I removed two bobby pins from my hair and set to work, twisting and searching inside the lock until I heard a distinct click. Much to my surprise the door swung open, just as Cammie dropped to the ground. When she saw my work her mouth gaped open.
"Shit," she said. "maybe you do have some spy in you." Cammie then started to grin but no sooner than the words escaped her lips she was suddenly intercepted. A hand wrapped around mouth and waist, trapping her in a steel hold. I cried out, and tried to rush forward, but two pairs of hands wrapped around my wrists. I was suddenly pushed to the ground, completely immobile other than my head.
I glanced up in time to see Cammie wrestling her way out of her attacker's arms. Is it them? I wondered to myself. The ones after me? The thought sent shivers running up and down my spine. I couldn't move, if Cammie went down then we were both screwed.
Only I doubted Cammie would go down, because she was fighting with all of her might. She threw punches, kicks, anticipated her attackers movements and flipped out of harm's way. She was a dancing blur and it was only a matter of minutes before she had him wrestled to the ground. Hope rose in my chest at her victory, only to be crushed when the attacker rolled over so their positions were revered.
Cammie lay with her back to the ground, the attacker looming over top with two hands on either side of her head. It was then Cammie burst into laughter. What the hell?
Lights suddenly clicked on, and I blinked rapidly to adjust my eyes. We were in some sort of deserted parking lot. Cammie's attacker stood to his feet, holding his hand out to help her up. My wrists were released suddenly, and I almost toppled forward.
"Kate," Cammie said as I picked myself up from the ground. "This is Zach, Bex, and Macey. Guys, this is Kate."
"I'm sorry . . . what?" Finally on my feet, I began to massage my wrists. Whoever had been holding me must have had a grip of steel. Ouch.
Glancing upwards, I caught sight of who our attackers were. Two females, one male. One of the girls was tall and dark skinned with exotic features, while the other was drop-dead gorgeous, though the gaze in her eyes was deadly. I almost did a double take at the male because wow-ie - he was hot stuff.
The male, Zach, I presume, wrapped his arms around Cammie, leaning down to plant a quick kiss on her forehead. "Nice to meet you," he said turning to me. "Cammie's told us a lot about you."
I blinked, muttering out a 'nice to meet you, too' before turning to Cammie. "I can never put my guard down around you, can I?" Cammie laughed, and her friends joined in. My friend turned to me, smirking.
"I'm an international secret agent working for the leading agency in the entire world at eighteen, what do you think?" This time I returned the smile, and took a few steps forward to greet Cammie's friends with handshakes.
I turned to Zach. "So you're the secret boyfriend, huh?" I asked as I shook his hand. "Something tells me all the times Cammie snuck out wasn't only to go on some sort of mission." To my surprise and delight, Cammie blushed a deep red while Zach's face contorted into a smug expression. He wrapped his arms more tightly around Cammie, and Bex and Macey rolled their eyes.
"The cutest and most deadly couple around," Bex snorted, and for the first time I noticed her accent. It was rich and smooth and exotic. "Word around the agency is that in another decade or so those two may become just as strong as your parents are together."
My eyebrows shot up at this. It was strange to hear my parents being referred to as agents; I just couldn't wrap my mind around it. I opened my mouth to mention this, but before I could say anything Macey cut in. "Are we just going to stand here or are we going to head inside the warehouse, it's freezing out here." She crossed her arms over her voluptuous chest and huffed a cloud of fog into the air.
I turned my gaze to Cammie's friend. There was something familiar about her, something I couldn't quite put my finger on. Macey noticed my gaze and turned her attention towards me. "Take a picture," she snapped, "It'll last longer." And then she turned on her heel and started trapeezing towards the warehouse on the other side of the parking lot.
As the four of us followed her, Cammie unwound herself from Zach and hung back to walk with me. "Ignore Macey. She can get a bit testy at times but she's a really great friend and you can always count on her." I shrugged my shoulders, not sure how to respond. Cammie's friends, undoubtedly, were agents just like her. They were in a whole other class I could hardly identify. Hell, I didn't even know it existed until this afternoon. They could probably do things I've never even dreamed of, like snapping a man's neck with toothpicks or skinning a rabid baboon underwater with their eyes shut. (Hey, cut me some slack; how am I supposed to know what secret agents do?)
Cammie, noticing my silence, squeezed my arm. "Hey, don't look so glum. You'll get along great with everyone, ok?" I glanced up at her, offering a smile I hoped would appease her. With my reassurance she quickened her pace and caught up with her friends at the warehouse door. As Cammie started unlocking the door, she asked Bex, "where's Liz?"
Bex rolled her eyes, grabbing hold of the door handle and pulling the heavy door with all of her might. "She wanted to stay back in her room." The door slid open and we all stepped inside. "Something about a major hacking breakthrough on her latest case."
Just as I began to wonder what we were doing here, I heard a loud thud as the door slammed shut behind us. All four of us whirled just in time to see that we were surrounded by angry looking men with guns.
In approximately half of a minute, the most exciting day of my life turned dangerous.
Well, shit.
A/N: So sorry this chapter is so late (I've been away). From now on chapters will be posted every Friday. I hope you like it! Please comment. Thanks! 3
