Love at First Fight - A Gallagher Girls Story

Chapter Twenty-Seven

It was starting to feel a little crowded at that dining room table. This room had obviously been designed to accommodate a large amount of planning by a large amount of people, but even still, it felt like there were far too many of us.

I could tell that this wasn't the first time that these adults had orchestrated a master plan in these very seats, so it felt a little strange to join them—like showing up to a party I hadn't been invited to. "I'm still trying to figure out how you got in," Mom said.

Woods gave her a wave, like the question was child's play and she didn't have the time. "Please. I've been breaking into this house for years—remember spring break, junior year?"

At this, Ellie's eyes lit up. "Oh, that was a good party."

"You bet it was," Woods agreed, but then she seemed to remember that there were more important matters beyond reminiscing on her school days. "Listen, Cam. We were in France, we needed somewhere to hide out for a little bit, and this was the closest place I knew."

France. It had been Charlene Dubois' home, and I could only imagine that Woods held some sort of connection to it as well. She should have known better than to go running back, but sentiment is a powerful monster. Sentiment is the world's best way to kill a spy.

It was Macey who caught the same words I had. "Hide out? Why did you need to hide out?"

Best friends have the capability to communicate without words. It is a fact known and accepted worldwide. It only takes a glance to share an inside joke. It only takes one look across a crowded room to know that it's time to leave. There are times when a pair of best friends can look at each other and have a conversation that transcends all understanding of nearby onlookers.

This was not one of those times. When Ellie and Woods turned to face each other, there wasn't a single person in that room who missed the meaning. "Well," Ellie said, turning back to Mom. "Do you remember how Zach said it was probably a bad idea to run if we didn't know what we were running from?"

I looked to my brother, sitting directly across from me, and then it was our turn to exchange a look as we both silently agreed never to tell Dad that he had been right.

"There were... complications," Woods said, and she didn't wait for anyone to ask her to elaborate. "The other day—thirty eight hours ago—Ellie thought she spotted a tail, but it turned out just to be a guy trying to get her number."

"Gave up once he heard the accent though," Ellie informed us all, as if that were the important part.

"Damn fool if you ask me—but the thing is that we were sure that this was our guy," Woods went on. "Sure, he was a little sloppy, but we let ourselves assume, and we spent all of our energy trying to ditch him when we should have been focused on her."

I'd like to say that I didn't know the her Woods was referring to. I'd like to say that I didn't get that feeling in my gut, telling me that I knew exactly who had been tailing the pair through France. I'd like to say that, but I can't, and apparently I wasn't the only one because next to me, Luke leaned forward and asked, "Who?"

Woods is a good liar—a damn good liar—which made it real hard to figure out when she was telling the truth. As far as I could see, she didn't have a single tell and her voice was made of solid steel, but there was something different about her right then. I couldn't quite place it. Maybe it was the pause. Maybe it was the way she looked Luke in the eye, then stole a glance at his steady hands, wondering just how bad the attacks had been this time. "I didn't get a good look at her," she said. "It could have been anyone."