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"No" Zach shook his head "I started hearing chatter earlier--that summer Why?"

"I used to wonder why the Circle wantedquestion Maybe what I should have been asking hy does the Circle want me now?"

"What does that matter?" Zach asked

"My dad disa--My dad died" I forcedon the word "He died when I was in the sixth grade, but they didn’t come after me until last year Why wait until I’ht back?"

"So either they didn’t need you then…" Liz started

"Or they didn’t know they needed you," Macey finished

"So that there was soirl I’d been in June had already known "So as it?"

"Well…" Macey rolled her eyes and started down the rapidly e hall "You discovered boys"

She started to laugh at the joke, but Liz was already tearing open her backpack "The CoveOps report! Cam, they came for you after you wrote this!" We all looked down at the book "Summer You must have known that, so you took the report to re-read it and try to figure out what or why or…what"

"Liz, I don’t know," Macey said, turning back "It was just boy stuff I oo for Josh and all, but he wasn’t exactly international-incident-worthy" I saw Zach tense a little, but no one acknowledged his discomfort "What does the Circle of Cavan care about Cam’s first boyfriend?"

"I don’t know, Macey" In the back of ht I wrote that over Christ And then a few her Girl the Circle was after Now, maybe it’s a coincidence but…"

"Maybe it’s not" Zach’s voice was cold

Bex nodded "Maybe there are no coincidences"

If there was ever any doubt that Joe Solomon was a better operative than I was, it totally went away that Saturday evening

"Hello, Ms Morgan"

The voice came to me from the dark shadows of ht have squealed a little too)

The light flickered on, and there he was, sitting in the chair next to Liz’s desk There were no crutches, no cane--just one of the world’s greatest living spies…living

"You’reup?"

I didn’t knoas , that recently-outof-a-coma Joe Solomon could sneak up onthe halls on his own

"Where are your roolanced around the suite as if to make sure they weren’t there too "I don’t know," I said as evenly as I could with Mr Solohost

"That’s okay, Cammie," Mr Solomon said "It’s you I really wanted to see So, hoas your day?"

"Fine, I guess," I said, because Saturdays were always crazy--between P&E and eneral weekendness, they always flew by in a blur

"Good" His voice had grown clearer Stronger He sounded alood to see you, Caood to see you too How…are you?"

"I’ll be fine," he said

"How are you now?" I asked, stronger this ti that he hadn’t actually answered my question

"I’m better," he said "I like the short hair"

I brought my hand up and touched the ends To tell you the truth, I’d alotten used to it I wondered what else I would eventually forget to one, isn’t he, Mr Solo at the books on Liz’s desk I couldn’t meet his eyes when I whispered, "My dad is really dead"

"I know, Ca He didn’t sound any different at all, and he must have read my eyes, because he hurried to add, "I have always known"

"How?"

"Because death is the only thing that could have ever kept him from you"

I didn’t want to think about my father Not his life Not his death And most of all, not about the mission that had killed him--the mission that I had tried, and failed, to follow I’d spent years on that path, searching for the truth But I didn’t want the truth, I realized What I wanted was my dad And all that was left was a cold trail and an empty box

I reached up and touched the necklace that hung aroundto do

"I should get you back downstairs," I toldto need your rest and--"

"Ca slowly towardand even "Caet that necklace?"

Chapter Thirty-four

When an operative (not to , you do it Even if it goes against doctor’s orders Even if it doesn’t really make any sense Even if you can’t find a wheelchair and he’s still in his flannel PJs

When Joe Solohao