Thought I'd reply to the (nine) reviews I have on this story at the time of writing this.
FallingWalls - Thank you so much! And I don't think he will ;) lots of angst coming up though.
DeathByShadows007 - Thank you :) and I hope you liked the last two chapters and will like this one!
SimplyLove17 - I have done!
Sajohu - Thank you thank you thank you! Whenever someone says a chapter was well written its just the biggest compliment I can ever receive. I have continued and I have planned so I think you may like what happens. :D
ThePennedParadox - Hyper? Have you had a bit too much sugar? Haha. The beginning is meant to make you freak out. It's where the story will meet in the middle (hopefully, if all goes to plan) I have updated and continued so I hope you enjoy it!
Michelle Loves Chocolate 99 - Thank you!
the unknown anon - I pretty much explained this in the AN at the end of the last chapter. You see, in these sort of relationships, fear and love are massive factors. In GG5, Cammie was manipulated by Dr. Steve, remember? As much as this is an AU fanfic, I am not making Cammie too OOC. Remember: she's an introvert. She loves Josh, and in the end, Josh will convince her that his awful opinions of her are true. It's reality - whether you are a spy or a civilian. Spies hide their emotions from others, but it doesn't mean that they don't feel them. :)
Yousei1998 - Thank you :) and yes, it's sad. It's an angsty fic after all.
Uknowiloveyou - I have done :)
I'm going to reply to reviews every couple of chapters or so. It just makes more sense to reply to them in bulk rather than separately. I promise you I don't ignore reviews!
Aug 25th: This was written back in April and until I edited it this evening, I wasn't exactly proud of it. I apologise for the wait.
Anyway, bit of a dramatic chapter coming up, so enjoy!
After finally getting a few hours of sleep, our god-knows-how-many-hours-long flight finished and the plane touched down. Getting out of border control was easy, of course and me and Zach stood outside the airport, waiting for a taxi.
Well that was to us. To the rest of the world, Tiffany St. James and Justin Smith were waiting outside of the airport.
"So, where exactly are we staying darling?" I asked Zach.
Zach grinned and looked at me curiously.
"Dear Tiffany, the name if the place really shouldn't matter. I'm assured it will look practically the same as the one in Budapest"
I froze. As much as we are in character, Budapest is a time and a place I do not wish anyone to know about.
Especially cocky, arrogant boys like Zach Goode.
"Fabulous", (a word which has never entered my vocabulary, and which I hope Zach takes note of).
"Indeed" Zach agreed as the taxi pulled up by the curb.
As Zach opened the door for me, I immediately saw something was off. The taxi looked freshly painted to the point where I could smell it's refurbishment taking place. The sizing was wrong; many taxis are smaller than this one. The yellow looked too bright and less orangey than normal taxis. The main point, though, was the driver.
Usually when taxis pull up the front windows are translucent or completely transparent.
This taxi's front windows were opaque.
"Come on Tiff, in you get"
I sent a nervous glance to Zach before getting in the taxi.
We were in the middle of our journey. The driver hasn't said much apart from a gruff and a nod in our direction.
From what I could tell, the guy was wearing farmer-type clothing. He had a beard and was in his late fifties. On his right palm he had a circular scar that looked like it was branded on. Other than that, nothing. The mirrors were positioned in a way I couldn't see him, but he could see us.
And that made me nervous.
Zach was silent, which was a first. I think he sensed it too.
I scanned the interior of the taxi. Nothing seemed wrong until I finally noticed the small cameras concealed in the side mirrors.
I tried not to say anything to raise the alarm but the driver must have seen my eyes flicker that way because he adjusted the mirrors and smirked at me.
"Goodbye, Miss Morgan"
I heard the screams before I felt the impact. My head crashed forward and into the seat in front of me, which just so happened to be the drivers seat and had a sheet of metal in it.
Ouch.
The driver had driven us straight into a block of flats and in a matter of seconds the small crack turned into a huge one and the building was falling.
Not the most sturdy structure, I presume.
A large crash came from above and I covered my ears. The air seemed to get thinner all of a sudden and oxygen was disappearing.
A red substance, which I guessed was blood was oozing from the seat and I knew instantly that the driver hadn't survived the falling concrete.
The roof had caved in slightly and made it more cramped and compressed. Now really wasn't the time to get claustrophobic, but I was getting more panicky about getting the hell out of this vehicle and I couldn't see a way out.
One look over at Zach told me that he was also panicking and wasn't bothering to hide it at all. He somehow managed to kick the door next to him in and it swung open, crashing into the the other half of the taxi.
"Run"
I didn't have time to flinch away as Zach grabbed my hand and my handbag and pulled me out if the car before a huge block of concrete crashed onto us. Our luggage was in the boot but there was no point in stopping. We had to run.
The way he held my hand was almost comforting in the situation, which was a strange feeling. If he had been Josh I'd have shoved him and ran away, even if it saved my life.
My feet were killing me but Zach kept pulling me along with him until we weren't prone to getting turned into a pancake by the apartment block. I turned back, but Zach just pulled harder.
"Leave it to the locals; they'll sort it. The Police here are a bit more trustworthy than the cops back home. Now come on, we need to get to the hotel" He was sincere and kept up the force on my arm, so I let him lead me to our next location.
By the time we had finally reached the hotel, my feet felt sore and I was pretty sure I had some huge blisters on the backs of my heels. I took a minute to compose myself before me and Zach walked into the hotel with our heads held high. Our hands were entwined with the other's and it was a matter of blending in as much as possible because red-raw cheeks and shortness of breath was never a good look for a rich, snotty girl.
I walked up to the main desk, which for some reason was gold in colour like the whole lobby. It was practically glittering and now was not the time to be reminded of Edward Cullen.
Zach hit the bell and a young looking man with greased back hair came to greet us. His dark green uniform gave my eyes a break from glittering gold but the golden buttons and lapels were not very helpful.
"Welcome to The Richmond. How may I help you?" His voice was so calm and gentle and I felt kind of bad for him because of where he works. He must work his socks off for this place and all he'll get in reward from customers is a snort.
Time to turn on the rich girl act.
Fishing out the papers from my handbag, I gave the man a glare.
"I believe that I've booked Room 234 for me and my husband. We won't need anything, thank you, but our key would be nice"
The man's face dropped and he slid the keys across the desk.
"Have a nice stay"
Zach headed towards the elevator and I quickly followed whilst trying to forget the poor receptionist's disappointed face.