Spy Between the Lines (formerly New World, Old Foe) [Gallagher Girls Fanfiction]

Chapter Seventeen

I didn't need Liz to verify it for me.

3:41

Aunt Abby grabbed the watch from my hands. "We need to disable it," she said, trying to pick at the small wires with her nails.

What I said next surprised everyone, including myself. "No."

Liz tilted her head at me. "Are you sure you didn't hit your head too hard on that tree back there?"

I shook my head. "Don't disable it."

She looked at me as if I were crazy. (And maybe I was. I have the bump on my head to prove it.) "Cam! That's a VP4! It explodes and releases gasses that kill you!"

"I know." I took a deep breath. "I want to use it against Catherine. Use it to destroy her." I snatched the watch back and looked at the seconds ticking down.

2:57

"If we disable the bomb, a chance to destroy our enemies will be gone. I can't let that chance slip by."

Zach wrapped his arms around my waist. "Cammie..."

I turned to face him. "I know you want your mother gone, Zach. I know you despise her." I rolled the watch around in my palm. "This is our chance."

He tried to grab it, but I held it out of his grasp. "I can tell what you're thinking, Cammie. And I can't let you do that."

He lurched over my shoulder again, but failed to take the watch from me.

Instead, Macey snatched it from my hand. "Please don't tell me that you're thinking about running back up the mountain to throw this at Catherine's face."

It's sometimes freaky how my friends know me better than I know myself. I nodded. "I am, and I will." And with that, I wrestled the watch from her and started up the mountain.

Before I could get too far, Bex laid a hand on my arm. I was worried she was going to stop me, but instead she said, "Cam, you don't have to do this. We could just disable the bomb."

I looked at the watch, minutes turning into seconds. "I know," I replied, and dashed away into the darkness.

As you may already know, it's harder to run uphill than down. But the way back up was easier in some ways than others. For one, my hands were free, which meant my balance was back to normal. I also knew that I could destroy the woman who had made me grow up a lot sooner than I expected.

The run was harder in other ways besides being uphill. I knew that there was a chance the bomb would explode before I was able to complete my self-assigned mission. The results could end in my death.

I pushed the thought out of my head as soon as it entered. I won't fail. I can do this.

I could see headlights fifty yards away. Catherine. I slowed myself down and eased my breathing, trying to be as quiet as possible.

Catherine was yelling at one of her guards. "What do you mean you let them go?!"

I crept closer slowly, straining to hear their conversation.

The guard wrung his hands nervously. "Well, uh, we kinda lost them. And I guess the girl has that bomb on her watch. So we figured that would, uh, kill them."

"So you activated it?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"That's the best we can do then."

I checked the timer.

00:09

No!

I was still twenty yards away. I didn't care about being quiet anymore. I ran towards the lights.

00:03

I sprinted and threw the watch at Catherine. It barely left my fingertips.

Then the bomb exploded.