Well, I hope you all had a great holiday, I sure did! I know it was cruel to leave you with a cliffy at the end of the last chapter, but I think this one will make up for it! Consider this your present from me to you! Thanks again for all the sweet reviews, they made my day! Keep it up!
Disclaimer: Ally Carter didn't give me Zach or the Gallagher Girls for Christmas :(
Chapter Nine
"No way, that's not possible," Zach whispered. I have seen Zach genuinely shocked only on a handful of occasions, and this was one of them.
"How is this right? How did we have no idea?" I asked to myself, but out loud.
Zach got up and began pacing the room. He started muttering under his breath in a language I couldn't make out. I didn't say anything, just watched him pace back and forth. Suddenly he stopped and across the room met my eyes.
"Cammie, why didn't he tell us?"
"I don't know Zach, I don't know." I raked my fingers through my hair.
"Cam," there was a tone of complete disbelief in Zach's voice, like what he was saying was beyond impossible. "Joe Solomon, our Joe Solomon, had a son?"
Hearing it out loud sent my mind back into a complete tailspin. I could tell Zach was feeling the same thing I was because a look of confusion covered his face. A cute look of confusion, I might add.
Joseph Solomon was one of the best spies I had ever known, and that was saying something. He had died the year after Zach and I finished school. But the things he had taught me in and out of Gallagher had made me the spy I was today. When he was young, he had been my father's best friend. And after my dad died, Mr. Solomon was a good friend to my mom. He had taught CoveOps at Gallagher, and then during my junior year, I found Joe had joined the Circle of Cavan at the age of sixteen. The Circle of Cavan was responsible for killing my dad, and at the time, they were after me. But he had done everything he could to fix his mistakes. He viciously took down the Circle, and protected me, until eventually it cost him his life.
And Zach. Joseph Solomon was like the father Zach had never had. I could only imagine how much it hurt Zach to lose him.
But both of us had thought we knew Joe Solomon pretty well. Or at least as much as you "knew" people in our line of work. Zach and I had both trusted Joe Solomon with our lives and thought we knew his biggest secret, the Circle of Cavan, so how could we not know that he had a son?
Zach put his face in his hands.
"Why didn't he tell me?" he murmured. But I knew it wasn't a question I could answer.
Turning back to the email I reread it, It was dated the end of May.
Ms. Baxter,
You don't know me, in fact not many people do. But I know who you are. You could say that I'm in you line of work. I know that you have a mission from the CIA to take down the CoC recruiter best known as Jason Snider. I think I can help you; in fact I'm already in Dublin. Right now, you probably don't trust me, which means that you have good instincts. But what I'm about to tell you will make you trust me. Joseph Solomon is my father. I never knew him, but I have been told that he was your teacher and you knew him pretty well. My father's goal was to remove the threat of the Circle from the lives of everyone he cared about. My goal is to continue doing what my father died trying.
It was signed with the initials R.J.S.
I don't know why, but something about the email made me believe the guy who sent it. I didn't think he was lying to us. And I can guarantee that Bex believed him too.
Zach grabbed a chair and dragged it next to mine. I scooted my seat over so there was room for two of us at the desk.
"Alright Gallagher Girl, let's find out who this guy is." Zach said with no emotion.
Wordlessly I clicked on to the next email. It looked like there were over 50 just from "Mr. RJS", and that wasn't including other correspondences. We had a lot of reading to do.
While reading I occasionally looked at Zach. He sat leaning slightly forward. His brow was furrowed as he read. I could see the wheels truing in his mind, trying to figure out a reasonable explanation.
For over an hour we just read; email after email. Bex had responded to the first message with caution, but she had agreed to meet him. Apparently things had gone well because emails increased in frequency and length.
Things also got more personal. I began to feel as if I was intruding. Bex was my best friend, but I knew she would kick my butt if it weren't for the fact she was missing. Bex clearly really, really liked this guy. Her last message to him showed a side of Bex that I knew few people rarely saw.
It's late and I can't get this bloody mission or you off my mind. We are so close to catching Jason, I can feel it. We'll plan on meeting that pub, okay? If we follow him, I think he'll lead us to something. On a more personal note, this has all been such a whirlwind. I trust you, I really do. Haha, and you should know by now not to break that trust. Your face is always in my mind, is that crazy? But I know you're a good guy.
Love, Bex
I inhaled sharply after reading those words. Bex, what did you get yourself into?
Zach cleared his throat and looked at his hands.
"Um, I think we should order room service." He said and then peered at me.
I nodded mechanically. Then I shook my head, I couldn't lose it, not right now.
"Yeah, go ahead and get me whatever." I said. Now that I thought about it, I really was hungry.
"Okay, well go ahead and call Liz and tell her what's going on." Zach told me as he walked out of my room and into his.
I immediately pulled out my phone. Still staring at the computer, I dialed Liz's number.
"Hey Cammie," Liz said when she picked up the phone.
"Hey Lizzie."
"You guys alright? Anything on Bex?" Liz must have picked up on the strangeness of my voice.
I closed my eyes. "Yeah we're fine. And no real news on Bex, but we did find something."
"Yeah, what?" Liz asked. I could hear her typing in the background.
"Liz. Joe Solomon had a son; he got in touch with Bex. And by reading her emails, she really began to, care, about this guy." I searched for the right words.
"Bex was in love with Joe Solomon's son? I didn't know Joe Solomon had a son."
"Yep, us either." I responded. "Here Liz, I'll send you everything we have."
"Sounds good," there was still shock in her voice. "Cam-"
I cut her off. "I don't know anything, Liz. I don't know what to tell you."
Liz was quiet, after a couple of clicks on my computer it told me it sent.
"Kay, I got it Cam. You're good."
"Bye Lizzie," I said.
"Bye Cam."
Faintly I heard a knock on Zach's door. Must be room service, I thought.
Sure enough a few moments later Zach walked in with two plates. He set one with a cheeseburger down in front of me. The he sat down with his.
"How did things go with Liz?" he asked.
"Okay, she was just as shock as us," I said. "I have to wonder if Bex realized what she was getting into." I added.
Zach just shrugged. "Caring about someone changes everything. It makes you do crazy stuff." He gave me a meaningful look. I began to think he wasn't talking about Bex.
The rest of dinner was mostly silent, we were both lost in our separate thoughts. I thanked Zach for the food and we briefly discussed out plans for the next day.
At eight Zach headed back to his room. I was mentally exhausted and the jet lag was wearing on me.
Crawling into bed, I thought about the events of the past day. I was with Zach, and Bex was still MIA. Oh yeah, and some guy was claiming to be Joe Solomon's son, and he had been in touch with Bex before she disappeared.
Before I could analyze that last thought, I fell asleep.
"You killed my father!" I screamed at her. Her eyes laughed at me which just filled me more rage. I tried to fight but I was trapped. I was tied to a chair in some warehouse with two goons on either side of me. Blood ran down my face and dirt was caked all over me.
"And now I'll kill you, Gallagher Girl," she said. I spit at her. Zach had made that nickname for me and usually it conjured up memories of the two of us. But coming from her it filled me with hate. Come help me Zach, I thought.
"You won't win." I told her.
"Maybe I won't," her eyes glared at me, "but we will, we always do."
"Kill me! Shoot me, just like you did to my father." I dared her. But I was filled with despair on the inside and tears were streaming down my face.
She raised the gun, her finger touched the trigger and a shot rang out. But it didn't hit me, it hit her. She crumbled to the ground and a pool of blood began to form. I looked to see where the shot came from. A boy stood in the doorway with a gun.
"Zach," I whispered.
I was tossing and turning in my bed. Tears and sweat covered my face, but I didn't wake up.
Suddenly peace, like a blanket, covered me. Something strong wrapped around me and I felt safe. My cries stopped and inviting darkness washed over me.
Review? I think yes! I wonder what that 'something strong' is... ;)
By the way, Ally Carter posted an excerpt of GG5 on her blog, you should check it out, it's pretty awesome!
