Hurricane

Chapter Twelve: Pieces of the Truth

Well I've got thick skin and an elastic heart
But your blade it might be too sharp
I'm like a rubber band until you pull too hard
But I may snap when I move close

- Sia

(Elastic Heart)

"What do you mean she runs it?" Zach said, his face incredulous. "My family is the circle."

"Not just your family Zach," Cammie said. "Our mothers use to be business partners, for lack of a better term. It was a joint effort."

"But I thought. . ." Zach trailed off. "I thought your mother worked for the CIA."

Cammie looked away as guilt flooded her face. "She does."Zach took a step back, his face falling ever so much in understanding. Her mother was a traitor, and the fact that Cammie still talked to her meant she was too.

"She, um, was the inside man. I guess she still is, but our moms had a falling out recently, they work independently now. I'm not entirely sure who got what domain but. . ." She trailed off, having no idea how to explain it in a way Zach would understand. In a way that didn't make her sound like a monster.

"Rachel Morgan," she eventually said. "My mother, you'd probably recognize her. I can certainly remember a few instances where Catherine came over for a dinner or brunch."

Zach could see the pieces in his head start to fit together. Rachel Morgan. He remembered searching the name and finding her as one of the occupants of a very high position in the CIA. He hadn't associated her with Cammie, knowing Morgan was a common enough name. But that was why Cammie's files were classified. Why he never could find anything about her or her family.

The name also brought back a memory of tall beautiful woman with glossy dark hair whom his mother had introduced him to when he was young as "Miss Rachel".

Zach thought back to their mission debriefing when Cammie had walked in and something had seemed to familiar about the way she carried herself. And it had been familiar because her mother held herself the same way, and they happened to share many physical similarities.

"Shit," Zach said, taking a step away from her and leaning against the counter.

Cammie look around, trying to find the right words to say. But she couldn't; she felt like she was about to choke. The betrayal on Zach's face was so startlingly obvious that it hurt her to look at him.

"Your mother is. . ." He couldn't even form a sentence; his head was swimming so much.

"Yes," she eventually choked out. "I know."

"So you are. . ."

God no, she wanted to tell him. But she couldn't, because it wasn't entirely true. She didn't approve of her mother, by any means. But she still hadn't done anything to stop her, and on a number of occasions she'd helped her with various tasks.

"Cammie," Zach said, his voice suddenly sharp. "Why exactly were you assigned to this case?"

"No," she managed to get out without hesitation. "No Zach, it's not like that. I swear."

But it was. The lie slid off her tongue without her even meaning to say it. She hadn't meant to lie to him, but the tone in his voice stuck something deep inside her that she didn't like. She would've said anything to wipe that look off his face.

She bit her lip. She really wished she hadn't said anything; she knew that lie would come back to bite her in the ass.
But the lie did its job, Zach's posture had relaxed and his expression became mild again.

"Ok," he said, accepting her words easily. "Ok."

They both took a deep breath. Cammie was panicking on the inside. You weren't supposed to lie to your partner. She had done it before, but it felt like so much more of a betrayal this time. It was active and it was cruel. He'd asked her point blank and she'd withheld.

"So why do you still speak with your mother?" Zach asked tenatively. "Don't you hate her?"

Yes, she thought immediately in her mind. And she did, she hated Rachel more than she had ever hated anyone. But it was for her family, and she had the impression that Zach wouldn't exactly understand that.

"It's complicated," she answered. She didn't want to get in to it, the whole mess was too complicated for her, let alone if she had to explain it to someone else. It was for her family, simple as that.

He raised an eyebrow. She didn't get an "It's complicated" excuse for this. She needed to explain; now. Before he called Preston and figured out what the fuck she was on about.

"I . . ." she trailed off and glanced around the room, desperately looking for a distraction.

Zach stared at her as she scrambled for the right words to say. He had never seen her so unsure. It was almost unnerving to see her so. . . off.

"I really don't think I can talk about this right now," she said, finally meeting his eyes with a sad look.

"This isn't a joke Cammie if you're messing around with the CIA then I can't sit back and let you. If you don't tell me what the hell is going on I'm going to have to call Preston and then-"

"Zach," she interrupted, her voice incredibly soft and fragile. "Please, I will swear to you I'm not doing anything wrong. I do hate the things my mother does, just like you do, but it's more complicated than that. I can't explain it right now. But I . . . I'm not bad Zach, I promise. I didn't want you to have these," she said, holding up the envelope. "It scared me to think you did. She's evil, I know that as well as anyone. There's just. . . a lot more to it. But I'm not bad, I'm not like her."

There was a sincerity in her words that Zach couldn't deny, and he felt guilt rise up in his throat. He didn't want to get her into trouble, whether it was necessary or not. But he also didn't want her spilling CIA secrets to her evidently evil mother.

He was torn.

But when he looked back at her his decision was made before he had a chance to think twice about it. It was so unlike him, he was calculating, and only made his actions seem unpredictable. He always was looking at the big picture. But with her looking at him like that, so desperately needing her to believe him, he didn't even have a choice.

"Okay," he eventually said, the word rolling off his tongue as if that would always have been the answer. "Okay I believe you, but if you're lying to me Cammie-" he tried to make the threat as an afterthought, to reverse how caught up in her eyes he'd been.

"I'm not," she said, her face still a mask of distressed emotion. "Thank you." She took a tiny step towards him.

Zach nodded and looked away from her, afraid he might do something dangerous if she got to close. "I'm gonna go see what we have to do next for the mission."

His words were awkward and clumsy, just as his motions were as he went back to his room, never looking back at the only person in the world that could frazzle him with just a look.

Cammie stood still in her spot in the kitchen, her hands still clenched on the red envelope, a haunting look filling her face.

She couldn't move, couldn't have spoken if she'd wanted to.

The moment Zach had left the room an icy chill had flooded her entire senses.

She couldn't believe what she'd said, that she'd gotten away with it.

How truly awful it felt.

She'd lied through her teeth to Zach, right to his face.

And she knew that she would almost definitely come to regret it.

:*:*:*:

Zach forced himself not to call Preston with the news about Cammie. News that she may or may not be a psychotic double agent. He wanted to believe her, and in that very moment he had.

She'd looked him with a somber but truthful expression. She wasn't like her mother; she'd convinced him of that. The desperation in her eyes, the underlying hate was something he'd seen before. He'd seen the same look when he use to look in the mirror, before he'd abandoned his family. She wasn't lying about hating her mother, about not wanting to be her.

That being said, Zach was, by nature, a skeptical person. There was usually a shadow of doubt in his mind about most things that happened. This shadow seemed particularly looming and dark, but she had promised, and Zach wanted to believe that there wasn't another woman in his life trying to screw him over. He'd already had enough of those for a lifetime. He was chosing to trust her, but something was nagging at his gut.

He and Cammie seemed to have an understanding. He'd even go as far as to describe it as some sort of weird bond. Sure they hated each other one moment, and enjoyed each other's company the next, but there was still something there. He knew she wasn't lying when she said it was complicated. Zach had already come to the conclusion that everything about Cammie and her life was complicated.

Zach needed someone to be watching her though, when he couldn't. When she did parts of the mission that didn't require his presence. He wanted to trust her, and he did. But at the same time he couldn't ignore his instincts. He just needed confirmation. That was what he told himself at least.

He knew someone who would do the job for him. It was a tech guy he'd met on a mission many months back. But this guy was smart enough to get around the law and most of the CIA's systems without any difficulty.

He dialed the number with few reservations. He wouldn't feel settled until he knew for sure that Cammie was being honest with him. She'd never know that he was checking up on her.

"Jonas Anderson."

"Hey Jonas," he greeted. "It's Zach."

"Zach!" Jonas said rather excitedly. From what Zach understood, the kid didn't have a lot of friends. Or social skills. "It's great to hear from you! How are you?"

"I'm alright," Zach said. "And yourself?"

"Good, I just cracked the 9430682-AAA code."

Because Zach knew exactly what that meant.

"Damn," he said, hoping to sound impressed. "Good job man."

Jonas laughed. "Nice try Zach," he said, calling his friend out. "Anyway what do you need? I know you're not a social call kind of guy."

Zach laughed a little to himself. He wasn't, but he enjoyed talking to Jonas all the same.

"What can you do about surveillancing CIA agent without their knowledge or consent, or the CIA's for that matter?"

"That sounds a little freelancy Zach." His tone was informative, though not disapproving.

"You up for it?"

The was a short silence on the tech's end of the line.

"You called the right man Zachary," Jonas said, his voice easy and light. "Who do you need me to stalk?"

"Her name is Cameron Morgan. She's my mission partner."

The was another silence, but this one stretched longer.

"Jonas?" Zach said, worried the line might've cut out. "You there."

He cleared his throat. "Yeah, still here."

"What's wrong?" Zach asked. It was impossible not to hear Jonas's voice change.

"Uh, I just know Cammie is all."

Seriously? Zach knew Jonas was thin on friends but of course, of course, Cammie was one of them.

Everyone fucking knew her. Zach should've expected it.

"Well?"

"Well enough," Jonas said. "She's good friends with my girlfriend."

At any other time, Zach would've asked Jonas to elaborate on this whole "girlfriend" situation, but now was definitely not the time.

"Is that gonna stop you from doing this for me?"

"I. . ." He trailed off. "I need to think about it. I'll get back to you soon, ok?"

Zach clenched his jaw. "Yes, no problem. Talk to you soon."

"Ok, bye."

Zach hung up the phone with irritation sizzling in his veins. Even Cammie's name just complicated thing for him. Why couldn't this be simple? Zach knew the answer to that already. Because Cammie was Cammie, and there was nothing simple about her.

He sighed and tried to relax. It was looking like he'd have to trust her implicitly for now.

:*:*:*:

"Stop!" Isa exclaimed. "You're kidding! That isn't what he said."

Cammie laughed easily and flipped her hair over her shoulder, the picture of ease. She was an actress after all, that was what clandestine operations were for. "Do you think I could make that up? I swear on my engagement ring." She held up her left hand so Carmen and Isa could see the shining diamond ring the CIA had so kindly given to her.

There was almost immediate envy in each of the girl's eyes. Cammie had t stop herself from smirking. It was too easy; they were just so predictable.

"That sure is one hell of a rock," Isa said, changing the conversation's direction. "How did your dear fiancé manage to get that thing?"

"Surely you know?" Cammie asked, feigning surprise.

Carmen intervened. "Of course we do. Don't play dumb Isa."

To Isa's credit, she really did look clueless.

"Her fiancé is Zach Patrelli."

Isa still didn't get it.

Cammie hid her smile by taking a slow but deliberate drink of her cosmopolitan.

Carmen looked frustrated. It was easy to tell which sister had the brains. Cammie thought if it had been Carmen in the toilet the other day she wouldn't have found an in with the family. Carmen was much too sharp for that.

"His father is like Italian royalty," Carmen explained, but her voice was condescending

"Yes," Cammie said. "My soon to be father-in-law has a massive business, over there. If you know what I mean."

This time, Isa got it. Her eyes grew wide. "You never told me that!"

"My dear," Cammie said. "It never came up."

"Oh I'm sure that could make mama and papa very happy," Isa said aloud without thinking.

Carmen shot her sister a dirty look.

Isa received the message and sucked her cheeks in and tried to smile sweetly at Cammie.

"Cam," Isa said. "I'm sorry, that sounded. . . I didn't mean that the way it may have come across."

Cammie waved away the tension. She smiled her most charming smile. "Don't you worry about it. I can keep my lips closed when it benefits me. So why, exactly, would it make your parents so happy?"

Carmen and Isa exchanged glances. Cammie put her glass to her lips and drank the remnants of her drink before signaling for a refill.

"If you're worried about me saying anything to Zach you shouldn't be," Cammie continued, knowing the girls needed a little more prodding. "As I'm sure you would've guess; I'm like you two. I didn't exactly agree to marry Zach for his heart." She flashed her ring again.

There was clear understanding in the sister's eyes.

"So why exactly did you marry him?" Carmen said, prodding herself.

Cammie grinned. "Well he's not exactly hard on the eyes for one," she said. "And I came from money myself, and I needed to secure a future. Zach was the first boy with money that caught my eye."

Isa had a sultry smile. "I have my eyes on one myself you know."

"Good for you," Cammie said, but her tone was short. She meant business. Carmen's eyes narrowed ever so slightly and Cammie could tell her message had gotten across.

"Our parents run a business of their own," Carmen said. "As I'm sure you are aware of." Cammie nodded.

"They're always looking to expand their business, and let's just say, raise revenue."

A waiter had brought Cammie her third cosmo.

"And they need Zach's help with this?"

"Well, Zach's family's help."

"I see." Cammie was already drinking her drink again. She knew it wasn't exactly responsible to drink on a mission, but her guilt about her and Zach' relationship kept eating at her. She had to find a way to push it down so she could stay calm. And right now alcohol was doing a fine job of that.

Carmen raised an eyebrow. "Do you now?"

There was a challenge in the older sister's eyes.

"Indeed," Cammie said. She could feel the alcohol creep up on her. She needed to change the conversation in a positive direction before she said something she'd regret. Or Carmen started poking into things she shouldn't.

Cammie suddenly smiled brilliantly at Isa.

"So tell me," she said, her eyes bright with alcohol and fake enthusiasm. "Who is this boy you've set your sights on?"

AN: Hey guys! Sorry if it seems like it's been a while. I needed to catch up on some other things. Hopefully ya'll liked this chapter, and please let me know what you think!

PS: I'm going back revising/editing the original Fish Tale if anyone wants to reread it. My writing has change and improved so much since I wrote that so I'm trying to clean it up a little.

Anyway leave me some love :)

Love you guys.