Barking Up the Wrong Lead - A Gallagher Girls Story

Time For A Sneak Peak

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone for reading these stories.  Today, Barkind Up the Wrong Lead hit 5,000 reads! That's insane!  So I think it's about time that I give a little something to you.  Here is the first (incomplete) chapter of the third book in the series, Dropping Like Spies. I hope you enjoy it!  Also, just like last time, keep your eyes peeled for between-the-books chapters showing up before the release in March.

My throat was burning.  My lungs were collapsing.  My legs felt like they were moving all on their own.  Run, I told myself.  You have to keep running.

The ground was uneven under my feet, threatening to snap my ankles with each step.  The trees twisted and turned in my path, so thick that not even the sun could navigate through them. 

But I had to keep going—keep plowing forward with all of the power I had left in me.  He was so close behind.  I could feel the ground thump as each of his feet hit dirt.  He was right on my tail.

Suddenly, the trees stopped.  I was open.  I was without cover.  Fear pounded through my veins, drumming against the insides of my ears.  Electricity shocked my heart.  They’d see me.  They’d see me.

The sun beated down from overhead, the air so hot and stale that it actually weighed on me.  I’d kill for a breeze.  Kill for a drink.  Kill.

More of them started coming.  They’d found me.  How had they found me?  There was a rat among my team.

I could feel him behind me.  I could feel his breath on my neck.  Before I could turn to fight, there were hands on my shoulders.  Before I could turn to fight, I was on the ground.  My knees burned as they scratched against grass.  My shoulders screamed as they caught the weight of my body.  I kicked and screamed and used every offensive move in my collection, but it was no use. 

He wrestled the disk out of my hands, keeping his knee on my chest just as we’d been trained.  Keep the air out of your opponent.  Make them beg for breath.  “Good try, Cap,” the boy said.  “But not good enough.”

I shoved his knee off of me, wanting to punch that goofy smile right off of his face.  “I would’ve had it,” I insisted.  “But Bill led me down the wrong path.”

As if cued by the sound of his name, the second half of the pair ran out of the tree line.  “Ah, y’see Cap, that was your problem.”  He flashed me a smile.  “I was the rat.”

I let my head fall against the dirt, cursing myself for not seeing it sooner.  “Of course you were.  I should’ve known when you didn’t set up that booby trap.”

“You thought I was just bein’ clumsy,” Bill said, proud of his trickery. 

Will stood up, dusted off his jeans, and held his hand out to me.  I grabbed it and in one fluid motion, I was up on my feet again.  “I trusted you, man,” I teased Bill.

Bill slung his arm around his best friend’s shoulders.  “Cap,” he said.  “I’d follow you all the way to the ends of the Earth.”  Then he looked at Will, absolute admiration in his eyes. “But for this one, I’d go straight to Hell.”

Will smiled and the two of them knocked fists.  “You know it.”

“Yeah, well,” I said, turning to make sure I didn’t have any dirt on my butt (because if there’s one thing I learned over my summer vacation, it’s that boys will never take you seriously when you have dirt on your butt).  “Maybe that’s where you belong after betraying me like that.”

At this, Bill held his hands up like he was surrendering.  “I was just plain’ by the rules, Cap,” he reminded me.  “Can’t play Runnin’ Rats without a couple of rats.”