Covert Operations by Sara Schoen Page A

have coffee with Danielle in order to show her the ‘unclaimed’ John Doe pictures. I offered to do it, but he wanted to be the one to bring the news to her, giving her a shoulder to cry on in case she found him in the pictures. She wouldn’t, because I was alive and well, but hopefully Camden and his father wouldn’t be for much longer. When he left, he told me not to wait for him, but I couldn’t show up without him, or Miguel would want to know what was going on. I was pretty sure Camden had kept his relationship with my sister away from his father, and I didn’t want to be the one to tell him. He would have one of two reactions: joy, which meant everyone would have a great day, or irritation, meaning everyone around him would be miserable. 
    So I sat and waited.
    I almost laughed at how Camden convinced her to meet up with him. Camden had told her they would have to look through a few John Does in hopes of finding me. He said he wanted her help in order to speed up the search. Family would be able to look through the photos faster because they were familiar with the person. It was true, but too bad none of them were actually me. It wasted time in searching for me, but Camden needed this to get her alone a little longer. He was still hoping she’d forget about it.
    But I knew she wouldn’t give up easily. Not after years of searching for me. Or would she? Learning I was dead would end her. She would have no choice but to move on, and if Camden remained his usually charming self, she’d stay with him. Maybe even marry him if she felt it was right, that he was there for her like family.
    I clenched my fists, hoping to get rid of the fear and anger steadily rising in my system. Camden couldn’t make her forget about me, no matter what he did or how he played this. She was my sister, so I would always be important to her. I had to admit to myself that Camden had a way with women. He could make them forget about their family and friends, make them think of nothing except him. I could see it in how they followed him around. Whether for his money or his looks, they stuck around until he sent them away. I had seen it before, and when he dropped her for one reason or another, she would have no one to turn to.
    Thoughts of how the scenario could play out swirled in my mind. She needed someone, and Camden wanted to be that guy. She was so hopeful to find me that she wouldn’t see past it. She would need someone to lean on when he told her I was gone, and it would be him. Once again, Camden would get what he wanted. I just didn’t want him to.
    A loud knock dragged me out of my thoughts before they could dive deeper into the rabbit hole and consume me. I thought I imagined it as I caught myself looking toward where the sound had come from. The window. The loft was on the top floor. How could someone knock on the window from the outside? It didn’t make sense, so I tried brushing it off as I turned away, but the second my gaze left the glass another knock sounded out.
    Quickly, I made my way to the window and forced it open. As expected, there was no one there. I had hoped to find Camo so I could warn her to get out now before it was too late. I knew Camden hadn’t given up on searching for the rat, but I couldn’t look for her without it seeming out of place. She was a new member. Other than not knowing what she looked like, I didn’t seek out other members. They came to me when their usefulness had run out. 
    I started to shut the window when a voice called down to me. “You’re not very observant,” the familiar female voice called out from the roof.
    I glanced up to see two pairs of legs dangling over the ledge. I wondered who the other pair belonged to. Maybe it was Night Stripe. “You must be Camo, am I right? You’ve caused a lot of trouble recently. They think there’s a rat in the cartel.” I paused, letting the information sink in. “You’re going to get caught if you aren’t careful, rookie, and I