“Isn’t it illegal to marry five guys?” I ask. “Because, I don’t want to choose just one of you to marry. I want to marry all of you.”
“It’s only illegal if we get married the legal way. We can still do the whole wedding thing. I imagine all of us will want to have a ceremony with you.” He opens the back door for us to walk out of. “And I imagine we will all take your last name.”
My last name? “You would do that?”
He sets the alarm, locking the door behind us. “Absolutely, I would take your last name.”
To be honest, my last name used to mean a lot more to me than it does now. I’m Zara Summers, named after my dad. But my mom has a different name than me. She always has. She always kept her maiden name as her stage name. So even though she legally was Isabel Summers, she was always Isabel Livingston. And then she married Brad, one of the only people in the world more famous than her, so she hyphenated her stage name. But my name... it probably should’ve been Zara Stone.
“Would it be weird if I changed my last name to Stone?” I ask, as we walk hand in hand down the beach.
“Why would that be weird?” Tristan raises an eyebrow.
“I don’t know. I guess...” I sigh. “I don’t want to hurt my dad’s feelings. But I also feel like my last name should be Stone. It makes sense. And someday, when I have kids, they could carry on Zach’s last name. And my dad... he still has Jason to carry on the family name. I mean, I was never going to carry it on anyway.”
“Is that even important, anymore?” he asks. “I get that you don’t want to hurt your dad’s feelings, but having the last name Stone would make sense as far as Spy School is concerned. The Stone family has connections. Nobody knows Zara Summers.”
I grin. “When I first came to school, that is what I loved most about it.”
“What?”
“The fact that nobody knows Zara Summers. It’s nice not being known.” Very nice, actually. I didn’t even realize the weight I was carrying on my shoulders until it wasn’t there anymore. “Being at Spy School... it was like, for the first time in my life, I could breathe.”
Tristan squeezes my hand. “I’m glad you got to come, then.”
I hear the bass from the music before I see the party. As we walk up the beach, a huge bonfire comes into view, and I wonder exactly how they get away with this. But then again, it’s a small town.
The party is right there on the bay, at the back of a huge house. There are so many people that it makes me feel a little bit nervous, but Tristan is there, so I know I’ll be safe. He pulls me closer to him, and I wonder if maybe I should’ve taken him up on his offer to stay home.
This really isn’t my scene. I’ve never been to a party in my life. And I guess Tristan has. He has to fit in, it makes sense. But I get the feeling that this isn’t Tristan’s scene either, but I think he will fit in. He can fit into any group and he can make any situation comfortable.
As we walk close to everybody, Tristan is greeted by a few people. Thankfully, none of them come over.
“You okay?” Tristan asks.
I nod, biting the corner of my lip.
“Hey, we don’t have to stay long.” He pulls me into his arms. “Just long enough to show off my hot girlfriend.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “Tristan, what if none of your friends think I’m hot?”
“I’m pretty sure all of my friends think you’re hot already, considering you’re dating them, too.”
Oh... right.
“You know what I mean.”
He smiles, tugging on my hand. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to a few people.”
Tristan and I weave through the crowds. We get stopped every once in a while. Sometimes by a girl who is trying to flirt with Tristan, but he quickly pulls us away from girls like that. And sometimes we get stopped by guys who ask Tristan who his hot friend is. I can tell by the way Tristan’s body stiffens that he doesn’t like that. But I personally think it’s funny—not that the guys are trying to hit on me. No, that’s gross. I just think it’s funny that Tristan is jealous.
Around the time the fifth guy steps up to me and asks if I want to ditch my date, Tristan decides it’s most definitely time to go home. I’m completely fine with that, because I don’t really want to be here either.
Still, I laugh as Tristan pulls me down the beach, away from the party.
When we get back home, Tristan reminds me that I am his.
And I’m thinking that I should make him jealous more often.
Friday, January 3
Wake up call.
I wake up to alarms blaring.
I realize I should be used to this by now, but I’m not. It takes a me a few seconds to even realize what is happening.
Tristan jumps out of bed and runs over to his computer, doing something. When I look at him, I see he’s looking at security cameras. He punches in something and the alarm stops. He sits back in his chair, letting out a sigh.
Okay... I guess it’s nothing I should be concerned about, or else we’d be leaving. He looks like he’s relieved.
He stands up from his chair and walks over to the bed, holding out a hand toward me. “Come on.”
I grab his hand so he can help me up. “Where are we going?”
He doesn’t answer. He just pulls me from the bedroom and down the stairs. It’s still dark outside, but the sun is just starting to rise. I’m not really tired anymore, especially not after that shrill alarm nearly ruptured my eardrums.
We make our way down the stairs, and I wonder why Tristan is calmly walking me down the stairs. I’m guessing we’re safe, or else he would not be calm, but there is definitely something up, or else we wouldn’t have come right down stairs. We probably would’ve gone to bed for a few more minutes.
“You are an absolute idiot,” Tristan says.
At first, I think he is talking to me. I’m about to be really offended, but then I look up and see Cam standing by the alarm. My heart races as I see him standing there. It’s been way too long, and I’m definitely not okay. I’ve missed him so much.
“I forgot the code.” But Cam is looking at me as he says it. He looks me up and down, like he’s trying to make sure that I don’t have any new injuries, other than the stupid broken arm. When I see him standing there, I don’t think, I just react. I run and jump into his arms. He catches me like I weigh nothing, but that’s just Camden. He’s strong. He squeezes me tight against his chest, and I hug him back just as tightly.
“I missed you so much,” I tell him, still not loosening my grip. To be honest, I don’t ever want to let him go.
“I missed you, too.” He pulls back a little, just so he can kiss me. He pulls away way too soon. “I was so worried about you. It took us forever to find you.”
“Us?”
“The guys are here, too. They’re checking around the perimeter, just to be sure.”
I grin. “And they let you come in first?”
“There are some perks to being the team leader.” He smirks, a mischievous gleam in his eye.
That sounds like Cam.
I hear the front door open, and Cam drops me from his arms. I turn to see Dylan, Austin, and Stefan walk in. I grin widely, not even sure who to go to first. Thankfully, the guys choose for me. Austin is first, and Dylan and Stefan form a line behind him.
Austin wraps his arms around me, lifting me up off my feet. He squeezes me against him, and I’m not sure who needs this hug more—him or me.
My guys are here, and they’re okay.
I’ve been so worried about them. I mean, I’ve been trying not think about them too much, because thinking about them only made it worse. But I kept imagining all these horrible scenarios. I’m just glad to see them with my own eyes, to know that they’re really fine. And I’m sure they feel the same about me.
Dylan doesn’t even let Austin put me down. He just pulls me into his arms, and I’ve got to be honest, it feels really good to be held like this by my guys. I
missed them more than words can ever express.
Stefan does wait for Dylan to put me down, but he envelops me in his arms as soon as Dylan steps back.
Stefan... I know how he worries, so I can only imagine how being separated was for him. I’m certain he spent the entire time just worried out of his mind.
“What took you guys so long?” Tristan leans against the railing of the stairs, looking between the guys for an answer.
Stefan does let me go, but he holds onto my hand, and I am definitely okay with that. I am not ready to let go. Not yet.
“We weren’t sure where you would go.” Cam sounds annoyed. “We thought maybe you’d either go to Nashville or here. We went to Nashville first, which was a bit out of the way.”
Tristan nods, his eyes widening. “I didn’t even think about Nashville.”
“What’s in Nashville?” I raise an eyebrow.
“It’s where we were when we first got approval to be on a team together.” Stefan squeezes my hand. “Though, I guess Nashville doesn’t matter now, because South Korea will always be our place now—because it was our first mission with you.”
My heart swells.
“I’m just glad you guys got here. I was worried we’d have to leave soon, and then I really wouldn’t know where to go, where you guys could find us.” Tristan runs a hand through his hair.
He has been stressed. He was keeping it together for me, but I could see the worry sketched onto his face.
“Let’s just not get separated again.” Dylan walks over, giving me a kiss on the cheek. “I can’t handle it.”
“Me, neither,” I admit.
Honestly, the last few days have been so hard for me. And if I got separated from Tristan too, I can’t imagine what I would do. I’m so glad I’ve had him with me.
Cuddling.
We head into the living room to talk. I guess there is a lot that Tristan and I missed out on while we were separated from the rest of the guys, and I’m eager to hear how everything went for them.
Stefan pulls me beside him on the sectional couch. Austin takes the spot on the other side of me. He rests his hand on my thigh. And Dylan sits down on the floor, directly in front of me. It’s like none of them can stand to be away from me, even for a second, for which I am so grateful. I need this badly.
Tristan sits in the corner part of the sectional, which I think is his favorite part to sit at. And Cam sits down on the edge of the coffee table, facing the rest of us. He’s shaking his leg, and I can see just how antsy he is.
I can’t even begin to imagine how worried the guys were for me. I mean... at least I knew no matter what, they have Spy School training. They would be fine. But me... I’m not well trained, yet. I mean... I’ve had just over five months of training, which is more than nothing, but I do have a little more work to do before I’m anywhere near ready to go off on my own. And they didn’t know for sure if I was with Tristan.
“When we first got separated, I called Zach,” Cam says.
My jaw drops open. “Really? Was he okay? Did he yell at you?”
Cam laughs. “No. I told him we would find you. He knew we would. But we’ve been in contact with him over the last few days. I guess Grant Stone is now helping Zach. Honestly, with the two of them, there is no way we won’t figure this out. I mean, it’s not just them. Spy School is sending their best teams to help out. Even Michael Sinclair is helping us.”
Michael Sinclair is the director of Spy School. We met up with his daughter, Serenity, in New Orleans, before Tristan and I got separated from the rest of the guys. She and some cranky guy were the ones who gave us our new identifications, which we haven’t even had to use, yet.
“Right now, Zach has decided the only people we can trust are family and Michael Sinclair,” Cam continues. “The team Michael sent to help us... they’re only a couple of years older than us, and they’re good. Really good. We used to idolize them when we were freshmen.”
“I still idolize their hacker.” Tristan’s eyes light up. “I’ve never seen anybody that good. Seeing him behind a computer is a sight to behold.”
“He’s in love,” Dylan jokes.
Tristan looks at me. “I am in love, but only with a certain blonde-haired girl.”
Austin scoots closer to me. “Tristan, you had your time. The rest of us get to sit with her for the next year.”
I never thought I’d be happy to hear them fighting over me, but to be honest, this is amazing. Just to be back together again... it’s everything.
Maybe having five guys fighting over me isn’t such a bad thing.
“Having this team helping out is incredible,” Cam says, raising his voice a little over the guys. “Between us, them, Michael Sinclair, and the Stone brothers, there is no way this person is going to last much longer.”
It’s almost over.
I know it is.
I can feel it in my gut.
It’s just the getting to the end that is going to be the hard part.
“Do you think we’re safe here?” I ask, looking to Cam for the answer. I know that he is the one who makes decisions on these things. He’s the team leader. Of course, I know he takes everybody’s opinions and thoughts into consideration. That’s what makes him a good leader.
Cam shrugs, shaking his head. “I’m not sure. I don’t think you’re really safe anywhere, Zara. I don’t think it’s good to stay in one place for too long. If we do, we run the risk of repeating what happened in New Orleans.”
Which isn’t what I want. At all.
I can’t handle being separated from my guys again.
“I’m going to take a nap.” Dylan pushes up from the floor, standing up. “I haven’t slept in a few days, and I need to get some sleep before we leave again.”
Cam nods. “Me, too. Everybody should get some sleep.”
The guys all look at me. “What?”
“They’re trying to decide which guy gets to cuddle with you.” Tristan smirks.
“I’m not sleepy. I slept all night.” I raise an eyebrow, looking between them all. Plus, if they think I’m going to choose, they’re crazy. I don’t think I could choose right now.
The guys all turn to Cam.
He sighs. “Zara, you’re with Austin and Stefan.”
“Sweet,” Austin says, standing up from the couch. He holds out a hand to me to help me up.
Even though I’m not tired at all, I still am excited to get some time with Austin and Stefan. Even if it is just cuddling with them while they’re sleeping.
Austin picks me up, throwing me over his shoulder.
I squeal. “Austin! Put me down!”
“Nuh uh.” He smacks a hand on my butt. “I’m never letting you go, again.”
I look over at Stefan, and he smirks at me. At least I think it’s a smirk. It’s hard to tell when I’m hanging upside down.
Austin carries me from the living room and up the stairs, towards Tristan’s room. Stefan walks behind us. I don’t fight him on this, because I know I would lose the fight. Plus, I kind of like being manhandled by Austin. It’s kind of hot.
When we get into the bedroom, Austin finally drops me onto my feet and pulls me towards the bed. He gives me a quick, sweet kiss on the lips, but just spoons me. That’s how I know he’s tired. Austin isn’t the kind of guy who wants to stop just after a kiss.
Stefan climbs onto the bed on the other side of me, facing me. He reaches over and brushes a piece of hair out of my face. “I missed you so much, Zara.”
Tears fill my eyes, but they don’t fall. “I missed you, too. So much. I was so worried about you guys.”
He smiles sadly. “I think we were more worried than you were.”
Probably. “I love you.”
“Love you, too.” He leans over and gives me a kiss. “Good night, Zara.”
“Night.”
Somehow, even though I didn’t think I was tired, I managed to fall asleep, cuddled between these two beautiful boys.
W
ho we deem worthy.
When I wake up again, the clock on Tristan’s computer proclaims that it’s nearly three o’clock in the morning. I have no idea how I slept so long, but I guess I needed the sleep. I really haven’t been sleeping that well lately. I’ve missed my guys too much, and I worried about them too much to get a restful night’s sleep.
I slowly climb out of bed, careful not to wake Austin and Stefan, who are both still sleeping soundly, and I head downstairs. I find Tristan in the kitchen. He’s pulling a pan of lasagna out of the oven that smells amazing.
“Hey.” I slide into the barstool.
He puts the hot pan onto the countertop of the bar. “Hey. You look... well rested.”
I laugh, smoothing a hand over my hair. I’m sure I look like a complete mess, but I can’t bring myself to care right now.
Tristan grabs my hand, pulling on it. “Come on. Let’s go watch something while we wait for everybody to wake up.”
I get up, allowing him to lead me in the other room. Just as we’re about to walk into the living room, the doorbell goes off. I look at Tristan to see what his reaction is.
Tristan’s eyes are wide and his face pales at least three shades. I can see the fear clearly on his face, and my own heart accelerates from his reaction.
I hear feet running down the stairs, which scares me even more, but when I look over, I see Cam running down. I let out a sigh of relief to know it’s just him. Dylan is running right behind him.
I look between the three of them, trying to see what they’re going to do.
A lot of what I’ve learned has been from watching the guys. They’re so good at their job, and I feel like I have a lot to learn from them. I love watching to see what their reactions are.
“Are you going to answer the door?” Cam asks Tristan.
Tristan raises an eyebrow. “Should I?”
Cam nods.
“Yo! Tristan!” A voice yells from the other side of the door. It’s followed by a loud knock.
Crazy Page 3
