Gaby Book 26 On The Edge by Maddy Bell Copyright© 2021 Madeline Bell Seventeen - it's a birthday overshadowed by its predecessor and successor and Gaby's looks set to follow that pattern. There are however big decisions to be made, should she grab life by the horns and experience everything it has to offer or take the more conservative, safer route through life. This volume, the 26th in the Gaby series has all the elements of classic Gaby, bike riding, teenage angst, developing relationships, grist to the mill for our heroine as life in the Ahrtal ticks on.

 
"Max, Max....Maax.”

I know they say you shouldn't mix business with pleasure but sometimes, well a girl has needs you know and technically we aren't working now.

There are of course some loose ends but my job is done, the tech is neutralised, Grönberg and his cousin detained, as for the Pakistani submarine, well I'm sure the diplomats will unravel that little conundrum. Of course there is more, just who is Minah, will I get my borrowed frock back and how do I fly back to London without getting arrested.

But all that can wait, "A little lower Max.”

Something was nudging me, no not that, more like a light push.

"Miss, miss, we're coming in to land, you need to do up your seatbelt.”

Land, seatbelt?

"This'll do it,” another voice opined a moment before I felt a sharp pain on my ear.
"Ow!”
“'bout time Bond.”
"M?”
"What?”
I cracked an eye as I rubbed my ear, "Did you have to pinch that hard?”
"We've been trying to wake you for like ten minutes, must've been some dream.”
"Dream?”
"Well you kept mumbling and you nearly knocked my sandwich out of my hand when I offered you some.”

The engines changed in tone moments before a light jolt and the sensation of being thrown forward suggested we were back on terra firma.
 

I was still a bit disorientated leaving the plane, that was some dream and I missed the food. Food, i've not eaten since that scrambled egg on the yacht. What am I thinking, that wasn't real, none of that was real, Grönberg's yacht, the Bugatti – hey I never got to try the cloaking de...vice – stupid girl, it wasn't real, none of it. And I really liked that frock and apparently being ten centimetres taller.

By the time we cleared immigration and collected our bags, my head had just about come to terms with me not being Gabrielle Bond, double three and two thirds, and my stomach was rumbling.

"We eating before we leave?”
"You only just ate on the flight,” Dad suggested.
"She slept through it Mr B,” Mand told him.
"Gaby slept through food?” Tal exclaimed, "Can't be our girl, she eats in her sleep.”

Well in my dreams anyway.

"Ah wouldn'a mind a boorga or something,” Josh put in.
Dad looked at his watch, "Hmm, well I guess we've got time for coffee.”

 
My idea of time and Dad's are clearly different, he set off to rescue our transport while I was still feeding pommes into my face.

"Must've been a good dream,” Gret stated, "You were asleep for like vier stunde.”
"It was, er okay,” I allowed.
"Bet she was dreaming about Max,” Tal mentioned.
"Was not,” I replied however the colour rising in my cheeks gave me away.
"You so were,” de Vreen crowed.
"Well he did sort of crop up once or twice.”
"Gaby Bond, you hussey.”
"It wasn't just, that sort of stuff.”
"She doth protestest too much,” Mand giggled.
"What did you get up to in dreamland,” Gret queried.

You wouldn't believe me if I told you, blowing up secret laboratories, driving fantastic cars, bashing the bad boys on a luxury yacht, gott, they'd think I was crazy. Maybe I am.

"You know, this and that.”

Its not a long way from Frankfurt Airport back to the Ahrtal, after my four hour snooze on the plane, even with the time difference I was still wide awake when we pulled up, not at home but at the Sebenschuh's place in Rech. Dad's idea, not mine, not that I'm arguing, we won't have a great deal indoors to feed six, its not like we could stop at the Penny to stock up, its Sunday and its Germany, nothing's open.

"Someone caught the sun,” Pia observed.

Okay, I know it might be a bit rude to abandon the others but I have just spent the last week with them, I haven't seen P for, well longer than that.

"Bit difficult not to.”
"Well it rained nearly all week here, we haven't exactly been swanning round in bikinis.”
"We were riding up and down mountains every day.”
"Hmmph, so you seen Max?”
"How would I see Max? We've come straight here, is there something I should know?”
"I'm sure he'll tell you himself.”
"Come on P, what is it?”
"His Gran's been taken ill.”
"The Baroness?”
"Uh huh.”
"I'd best ring him.”

Okay, so she's a bit cantankerous and definitely manipulative but she's been alright to me and I'm pretty sure she's my anonymous benefactor with the whole designer frocks thing. She might not be my favourite person but I wouldn't wish her any harm.

"Here, you can take these, save my legs.”
"Do you treat all the customers like this?”
"Only the ones I like,” she returned with a giggle.

 
It was a bit of a zoo when we got back to Bond Acres, Josh and the girls were catching trains Monday morning so Gret and Tal were sharing my sisters room, Josh was camping in the Hymer. By the time everything was organised it was late evening, after my in flight nap I don't think my early night excuse was believed but anyhow I made my excuse and headed up to my eyrie.

"Heya.”
"Gabs,” Max replied, "You back then?”
"Yeah, 'bout tea time, I woulda rung earlier but Gret and Tal are here.”
"The girls from your team?”
"Yeah, so what's this about your Gran, is she okay?”
"Oh she'll be fine, fell out of bed, lots of bruises, sprained wrist.”
"When was this?”
"Thursday.”
"Thursday? Why didn't you tell me before?”
"What for? its not like you could do anything is it.”
"I know, but even so. She at home? I should send flowers or something.”
"Not more flowers, the place is full of the flippin' things and she's not even here!”
"So she at the Klinik in Ahrweiler then?”
"As if, no its a private place just outside Altenahr.”
"That place up on the hill? I thought that was some sort of retirement place.”
"Maybe if you have long pockets, think she's coming back here Tuesday. But no more flowers Gab, please?”
"Fine, I'll get her some chocolates in the Galeria tomorrow.”

"So you have a good flight and stuff?”
"What I remember of it.”
"Whats that supposed to mean?”
"Well I slept most of the way back,” I admitted.
"I can never sleep when we fly.”
"We er had a bit of a party last night, I was well mashed this morning.”

The call then descended into, well you know, sloppy stuff before we ended the exchange – lets face it, we'll see each other in person in about nine hours.

"Ah, there you are Bond,” M stated, not looking up from the sheaf of papers she was shuffling.
"Here I am,” I agreed.
"Sit.”

Ot oh, thats nearly as bad as Mum calling me Gabrielle Andrea. I took a seat and waited for the rock to drop.

"Rash, dangerous, stupid, the Foreign Office censored the rest of the memo, I won't even attempt to repeat what the Israelis said.”
"I've been called worse.”
"There have been calls for your head Bond, what if the submarine had exploded, half the Med could've been contaminated.”
"Which is why I aimed at the tower,” I pointed out.
"You cause me more headaches than the rest of the 00's put together.”
"That shows how effective I am,” I grinned, "You'd miss me if I left.”
She raised a brow in exasperation, "And Q would like his car back.”
"If i'd seen it i'd tell him, isn't it still on Crete? Surely he knows where it is.”
"He wouldn't be asking if he did would he Bond?”
"If I see it, I'll let him know, that all?”
M sighed deeply, "For now.”
"Excellent, i've got a table booked at The Ivy in thirty minutes.”
"Don't let me detain you.”

Max was waiting for me down in the basement garage.

"All sorted?”
"Storm in a tea cup.”
"Where to?”
"The Ivy, I rather fancy liver and bacon roll today.”

There was a tiny chirp and the Bugatti's door popped open, a hole into another dimension. After helping me in, my companion got in himself and started her up, it was great fun going through central London, a space that the other traffic couldn't work how to get into. Oh I'll let Q have his toy back – when I can see it, I never said I didn't know where it was.

"Gaby! Are you going to college today or what,” Dad bellowed up to my nest.
"Minute.”

I lay there staring at the ceiling through my eyelids, geez, I should keep off the cheese if thats the sort of dream I get – or maybe eat more, yeah, Bond, Gaby Bond MI6, licensed to really annoy everyone.

"So I'll see you guys in a couple of weeks?”
"Aye hen,” Josh agreed around his cornflakes, "We'll be ready.”
"Have a good trip back to Hamburg.”
"Enjoy college, tell Max hello,” Gret told me.
"I will, tschuss.”
"Tschuss,” they echoed back.

 
Maddy Bell © 28.04.2021