United We Spy (Gallagher Girls) by Ally Carter

of my teachers, like it was just another day back at school.
    “The Circle wants power. They need profit.”
    “No, Cammie.” Winters shook his head, but he didn’t scold. “I’ll admit, we allowed ourselves to stray from Cavan’s original mission. We got greedy, hungry for physical wealth, and Cavan’s original goal slipped from our minds. I do so admire the Gallagher Academy. It is still what your founder wanted it to be. Of course, Gillian Gallagher did it all without government involvement. I wonder what she would say if she saw the way the agencies have the run over your school today.”
    “You were a governor, an ambassador. You were almost president—and you mean to tell me that you hate the government?”
    “Why should governments have more power than the people they’re supposed to govern?”
    “Is this supposed to be a social studies class? Because I haven’t had one of those in ages.”
    “We strayed from our mission, Cammie. Zach’s mother—Catherine—she’s just one of our operatives who became greedy. But people like Catherine were only reflecting what they saw in our leadership. We lost sight of our ultimate goal, and now the Circle is crumbling. And so those of us in the Inner Circle decided that it is time to finish Cavan’s original mission.”
    I thought back to Cambridge, the mad terror in Knight’s eyes as he talked about whatever it was the Circle was planning. I had thought the truth had died with him, but there it was again—staring back at me through three inches of reinforced glass.
    “What mission is it?” I asked, lurching forward. “What is the Inner Circle planning? Tell me how to stop it.”
    He leaned a little closer. The shackles on his wrists jangled as he pointed in my direction and said, “Elizabeth Sutton is a very smart girl.”
    The abrupt change in subject knocked the air out of me. I had wanted answers and I got games. “Don’t talk about Liz,” I snapped. “If that’s some kind of threat—”
    “I would never hurt Ms. Sutton. And you…well, you would do well to listen to her. She is wise beyond her years.”
    I shook my head and spat, “What does Liz have to do with this?” I was racked with confusion and fatigue. “Why am I here? Why are you telling me all of this? Why aren’t you telling them?” I pointed to the cameras that lined the room, covering every possible angle.
    “Because I have a favor to ask of you, Cammie.”
    I watched his eyes grow darker. Any trace of happiness was gone. I no longer thought he was enjoying himself, playing with me. He was a desperate man. And he looked at me as if I were his only way out.
    “What?” I snapped.
    The ambassador looked down at his bound hands. “My son. He’s not part of this, you know?”
    “Preston will be fine. He’s in custody. Catherine can’t get to him now.”
    The ambassador’s eyes iced over. “None of us will ever be fine again. But my son can help you stop it .”
    “What have they done?” I asked again, more urgent now. I thought about what Knight had told me. “The Circle leaders got together and put something into motion. What was it?” Impatience and fear were breaking through my voice. “Tell me what I have to do!”
    He was opening his mouth to speak—the words were almost there. A few moments longer and Winters would have told me everything we needed to know, but they were moments we didn’t have. Because before Preston’s father could say another word, the glass that stood between us went black.
    “Ambassador?” I yelled and glanced at the door, expecting a guard to knock—come in and tell me that my time was up. But no knock came. I looked at the cameras, but the tiny lights were out and I knew that they were off. No one was watching. No guards were monitoring our conversation. I was alone in the quiet room, and I felt the hair on my arms stand on end. Everything was too still, too quiet, as I broke with protocol and rushed toward the glass.
    “Ambassador!