I'm going to kill them.
In that moment I knew it to be true. No matter what it cost me.
I, Macey Mc.Henry vow that- not as a teenage girl on a moment of impulse, but as cold hearted and calculated spy.
As a Gallagher Girl.
And no one is going to be able to stop me.
************
Two weeks earlier
"Where are you?" I muttered under my breath as my eyes scanned the ever present crowd. Crowds are good I reminded myself, it was one of the first things the Gallagher Academy had taught me. But now, when I was terribly excited to find a certain friend of mine this downtown New York City block was way too human-packed for my taste. You would think it was one of the most famous city's in the world or something.
I had been looking for her for almost fifteen minutes now, as I dove in and out of shops mixing the high end stores with the retail ones (no need to get a thief on my tail when I'm finally taking a break) and checked my watch. Tough I had an ever-ticking clock in my head already, the gesture just blended me in with my surroundings - everyone here in the city was on a tight schedule.
After another half-hour I was really impatient. I decided to get two peppermint bark shakes for us and stood outside a bridal boutique pretending to be interested in the sapphires and emeralds in the intricate embroideries of the gown on the other side of the glass. But I was just watching through the reflective surface trying to pick out a familiar shape. I had memorized all the stores on the surrounding blocks and picked out the ones she would most likely be interested in. And was careful to stray to those streets more often. We hadn't really planned on a specific meeting spot but I told her to be in the general area.
After buying ten little unplanned trinkets, and mentally recording how many guys stole glances at me (looks like being a spy still doesn't cross out being a teenage girl) it was an hour past our meeting time. I gritted my teeth. I didn't want to disturb Rebecca but she was probably the only one who could give me information about her. I wavered and eventually made the call.
I dialed her cell through my phone. She had a cellphone that was used for strictly 'non spy' calls and we talked only normal conversations on there. Besides a comms unit would be too suspicious now and I knew I wasn't the only agent on the block, much less the city. No need to get Interpol suspicious. Rumor was they were tracking a couple of middle level bank robbers.
She picked up on the third ring.
"Yes?" Bex asked, her tone nonchalant.
"Hey, are you sure that-" Bex cut me off.
"Yes, she is coming."
"It has been an hour past the time we were supposed to meet." I sounded bored.
"She is probably just taking her time." Bex reasoned. Or making trouble, I thought.
"Look I really don't think-" someone tapped me on the shoulder and I was just thinking how rude to do that to someone making a call when I saw her. How on earth did she sneak up on me? My eyes never left hers as I hung up the phone. "Never mind, talk to you later."
I swear I caught Bex sinker before the call ended.
"Hey." I greeted Elizabeth, it has been half a year since I last saw her, at Headmistress Morgan's wedding. Her curly hair was longer and she had gained some needed weight. Her smile melted my worry away in a fraction of a second. Her pale blue eyes were brighter than usual. Her style was much more to my taste than before too. It made her look like a popular girl in one of those high-school movies.
"They treat you well?" I tease.
"Enough," she shrugged and grinned- she knew I approved of her floral print butterfly top and purposely frayed capris. It was nice for the spring weather. A rhinestone belt would have done nicely though. "They work you a little too hard though." Liz commented.
"What makes you say that?"I asked, I had spent longer than usual today covering up my many bruises and scratches from training and work, plus a few pop up rescues here and there.
"Well your nails don't match your outfit and if I know you I know that you don't ever go anywhere when you don't look your best."It was an overstatement and I was about to point out that I had my hair up in a pony tail when we went to the ball in sophomore year. But she beat me to it. "That and you didn't deny it." I stayed silent.
Maybe because it was partially true.
But I felt like I totally belonged in Secret Services.
Finally I shrugged like it was nothing.
"I've had worse." I reply.
"Yeah....." I knew we were both thinking of the same things.
"You must be starving, let's go to the café around the corner." I tell her. She nodded, knowing what I was going for.
The café was packed at this time of day, which was about three. Too late to eat lunch and too early to eat dinner. So everyone was enjoying a refreshment. It was harder for others to eavesdrop on us here but we still kept our voices low.
"How's a certain ambassador's son?" Liz asked under her breath.
"What makes you think I know?" I exclaim like she had make an outrageous statement.
"Come on Mace, i'm not stupid."
"I never said you were."
"Good."
"But you are clumsy."
"Don't change the subject." I laughed like she had made a hilarious joke.
"He's fine." I finally answer. She nodded.
"So, how often do you see him?" She murmured while fixing her hair. We didn't have enough people for the usual rotation so I had to trust Liz to keep a clear view of the situation behind me. Liz was a genius but she only had one year of Cov ops class. So that meant I had to take half of my time watching as much as I could through the windows reflective surfaces.
"Rarely." I reply. I knew she didn't believe me. It was partially true, I only got to see Preston once in person after the destruction of our school, after his mother's agents took him away. Mrs. Winters decided to let her son follow his fathers footsteps and keep him in politics. Well she decided for him actually. But we made calls to each other and once in a while had a secure video chat to see the other's face, not just hear voices or read words.
"What about you and Jona-." Her watch beeped. Liz swiped her finger on the surface. She read a few words and told me.
"It's a call from Bex." I stared at her.
"Through your watch?" I asked.
"Yeah, I have a micro speaker in me ear, it scans my DNA before I can call or pick up." she explained.
"So it's a comms unit." I simplified.
"Well yeah."
"How come Secret Services doesn't have that?"
"It's a prototype." She explained while typing things into her watch.
"Oh." I was about to say more when I watched her eyes shift and knew she was listening to Bex on the other side of the line. I did a quick passover of the area while I waited for the call to end.
Suddenly Liz turned pale and her eyes flickered. I silently asked her what was wrong, but she wouldn't meet my eyes.
"What do you mean I can't tell her! She has the right to know." Liz was staring at me now and I realized she was talking about me.
"What can't you tell me?" I asked, though it was a pointless question.
"Fine." Liz snapped into her comms. She turned to me, and opened her mouth when my comms unit beeped. I stared at her and picked up the call by clicking my tongue.
Bex's voice filled my ear.
"Peacock promise me you won't panic." Her tone was uncharacteristically serious.
"I can't do that." I found myself blurting.
"Yes you can. If you don't I am not allowed to tell you." I wanted to know.
"I promise."
She stayed silent for a long time. I counted forty-six seconds before she said, with a tone that was so unlike her. So panicked.
"It's Preston, he......"
"He what?" I exclaimed, frustrated. But the last thing I wanted to do was make a commotion.
"He-" Suddenly the line cut off.
I met Liz's eyes.
"What?" I asked her, my tone vicious. "What happened to Preston!" She looked sick.
"I'm sorry, Macey." I didn't like the sound of that but I forced myself not to jump to conclusions.
"Why are you apologizing?" I felt my heart speed up.
"They took him, Macey. They took Preston away and said if you don't go to them in seventy-two hours........."
"They'll what?" I was afraid to ask.
"They'll torture him until you come......or until he dies."