Cammie POV

From my hiding spot, I watched as two men used a specialized cutter to cut open the window, come in, check Zach's pulse, assess his wound, and take him out. All within 5 minutes of me notifying them. They were most definitely Blackthorne Boys too. And they were good.

I waited till the coast was clear before heading out the same way. I shimmied down the drainpipe and crept around the edge of the building. There were police, ambulances and fire service at the front. With all the chaos, I was able to slip by undetected.

I kept walking on my bare feet in my strapless torn red dress until I heard another buzzing in my ear.

'Cammie answer your fucking comms!' Bex screamed in my ear.

'I'm here' I replied.

'Thank fuck!' She sighed 'Cammie, we've been trying to reach you for hours! Are you okay? Where are you?'

'I'm by the entrance'

'We're on our way'

'Thanks. Can you bring a change of clothes? And tell Liz to bring her laptop...I have a name'

…

'Nothing, Cam' Liz said 'Zach Goode doesn't exist'

'Check again!'

'Cam, we've looked through every database! There's nothing' Bex said

'There has to be something! He did Joe's point-and-spy trick! Joe knew him!'

'So why didn't Joe mention him?' Macey said 'This Zach guy seems about our age...so why has Joe never mentioned him? Just think, what if Joe didn't know him but he knew Joe. Picking up on all of his little traits to spook you. This could all be a trap!'

'I don't know' I slumped back into my seat, curling my legs into me.

'Maybe we should leave it for tonight?' Bex suggested. I nodded. It had been three days since the bombing. We'd been on the move non-stop, finally settling for a while at a ranch in a location I am not disclosing. It used to belong to Joe. So maybe being here is a risk. But knowing Joe, it's the safest place on Earth. Well, one of them.

'I'm going for a walk' I announced

'I'll come with you' Macey stood up. We grabbed our guns & tucked them into our jeans. We left through the back door to the end of the pier. We stood there for a while just staring at the still, quiet lake.

'Do you remember the last time we were here?' Macey said

'Yeah. It was right after Boston'

'I had a broken arm, you had a concussion, and Preston-'

'Was alive' I finished for her.

'It's not your fault Cammie' She turned to me. 'Preston knew it was risky knowing us'

'And because he knew us, he's dead' I kept my gaze on the horizon. 'After the attack in Boston, he knew more than he should of. And somebody targetted him for it' I shook my head 'I should have answered the phone'

'Well you didn't. And there's nothing you can do about it. Preston wouldn't have wanted you to blame yourself. Like I said, he knew the risks' Macey said 'Sorry to put it bluntly, but it's hard. I was his friend too'

I gave Macey a weak smile which she returned.

'Do you remember those pins we had to wear?' Macey's eyebrow arched.

'Oh gosh. Don't remind me' I laughed.

'And don't forget his Spiderman watch'

'How could I! He got me one for Christmas' I said. My eyes wide.

'What?'

'He got me one for Christmas' I repeated slowly. Macey's eyes widened too.

'Where is it?' She asked.

'In the cabin'

Macey and I raced back into the house causing Liz to jump & Bex to jump and point her gun at us.

'What the bloody hell?' Bex snapped

'Not now' Macey and I dived into my bedroom, rummaging through the draws.

'Will one of you care to tell me what's going on?' Bex and Liz hovered in the doorway.

'Preston gave me a Spiderman watch for Christmas' I said

'Okay…' Bex looked sceptical. She shared a confused look with Liz.

'Preston gave Cammie a Spiderman watch' Macey repeated slowly. I watched as the pieces fit into place. Bex & Liz's eyes widened too as they began to help search.

We practically tore my room apart in order to find a plastic red and blue watch. But we found it.

We moved into the front room where Liz set up her laptop.

'What do you think could be in it?' Bex asked.

'No idea, but it could be something' I said. Liz began to pick apart the watch, eventually finding…

'Nothing. Absolutely nothing' Liz huffed

'Don't worry, Liz. It was a hunch' Macey sunk into the sofa.

'I know but…' Liz rubbed her forehead 'But I wanted it to be something. You know? Like to finally have some good news'

'We're safe. That's the main thing. Now we have a waiting game'

I sat down in the armchair, resting my head on the side & looked around the room.

I'd only been to this cabin a handful of times. One was after Boston, the second time was to find Macey, the third was to look for any clues about my family's disappearance, the fourth was around November last year just for a break & then this trip. We were always careful not to move anything too much. There were supplies and weapons in various places but we always made sure to refill them.

With what I've experienced, you never know when you need an escape route.

My eyes fell to the bookshelf.

'Did any of you touch the books?' I asked

'Nope' Said one

'Haven't had time' Said another

'Why?' Said the last

'The books are in the wrong order' I got up, moving slowly towards the cabinet. I pulled the books off revealing the small safe at the back. I put in the combination and...

'It's gone' I said 'My Dad's journal is gone'

.

Zach POV

I opened my eyes to find myself back in the base the boys and I were using. I tried to sit up but felt a pain in my side. I threw off my duvet to see my side was stitched. Jonas probably.

I stood up and looked outside. Just another overcast busy Washington D.C. day. I didn't bother grabbing a shirt as I made my way into the front room.

'Welcome back buddy' Grant smiled, cooking something. 'How are you feeling?'

'Like I've slept for days' I looked at the dishes staking up in the sink 'Which I guess I have been'

'Jonas gave you extra morphine, wanted you to rest'

'Thanks, I guess' I said, going through the fridge to get some water. Realising how thirsty I was. I paused.

'Where is-'

'The girl?' Grant shook his head 'We don't know. She told us your location, send you needed a medic, and then just vanished'

'What about her friends?'

'No clue' Grant said 'Jonas tried to go through the hotel footage to find them, but it was wiped. Looked like they got to it before us'

'Where's Jonas now?'

'He's trying to trace them. They put a tracker on him, he's trying to reverse engineer it. That girl, she knew you were a Blackthorne Boy and there's only a few people that know'

'One of them being Joe Solomon...and he's missing'

'Do you think she knows him?'

'It's possible. She knew I was a Blackthorne Boy because of my tattoo. It's a lead'

'We also ran the name Tiffany St. James. Guess what-'

'She doesn't exist' I finished for him. Grant raised an eyebrow 'She told me'

'Oh? What else did she tell you?' He leant on the counter.

I thought back to the conversations we had. She was a smart one, that was for sure, firing back insults.

'Her name's Cam'

'Cam? That's it?'

'Yep'

'Well...that narrows it down to about 50 first names and still an infinite possibility of last names. That's like looking for a needle in a global haystack!'

'Then we better get started'

'Are we even sure Cam is her real name? She lied to you once, she can do it again'

'I doubt it'

'How can you be so sure?' Grant asked

I paused, remembering the whole conversation.

'I just have a feeling'

Author's note: Slightly shorter chapter this week! But full of questions. Who has been in the cabin? Where did Matthew's journal go? Does Zach have it? Are their lives more intertwined than they first thought? It won't be long until Zach and Cammie are reunited once more...and there might just be another explosion. See you all soon xxx

cosmo light: Thank you so much! xxx

MaggieMG: Aww thank you! I've always loved their relationship so I'm glad that I have their banter down! (There will be more moments like that soon) xxx

gymnast1150: Same! I also love where she could tell he was injured and just ripped his shirt open just casually. Yes! Someone is after both of them, but they think that it's each other at the moment. Tiffany St. James may be a red herring, just to get them out into the open. Was there someone else in the ballroom watching them? O_o? Their roles are very much reversed at this point, Cammie seems to be the one in-the-know and then Zach is trailing behind. But how long will that last? Cammie is definitely owning being in charge at the moment. I really like when she's in power but she never is cocky about it at all. There is DEFO some sexual tension. They will be chasing each other for a while until a message from a certain someone appears and they are forced into close proximity. There will be slow moments and they'll have time to talk without any weapons. Ahhh thank you so much as always! I CANNOT wait for your story to be updated! (I also realise that you give me hella long reviews so I need to step up my game for your stories because I love them so so so much!) Stay safe xxx

covertoperative456: Thank you so much! I completely agree, I always see Cammie as the more serious one (especially when they first met in the books) and Zach is just being good old hunky Zach. They seem to be matched perfectly, too perfect, some might say. Although Cam will ALWAYS be a better pavement artist. You might just be right about their past...xxx

AllyCarterFan101: What do you think? Is this all a ploy? Is Zach the big mastermind behind all of this? I know exactly what you mean; but in Cammie's world, not killing someone is a compliment. Awwwww bless you so much! I love and have always loved your support! Thank you a billion xxx

GallagherGirlsEmbassyRowFan: Thank you! Knowing each other's real names is going to be a huge advantage. Cammie knows Zach's full name, but Zach only knows 'Cam' xxx

tiffanystjames: AH! Thank you so much! I can't believe you created an account for little old me. I'm blushing! xxx

Archer5210: Awwwwww! Thank you! I'm glad that it's all worth the weekly waits! I know this chapter wasn't as exciting but the next one is a lot longer & action-packed I promise! xxx