Keeping Me (Spy Chronicles Book 2)(21)

“Right. Okay,” Dad says. “Well, maybe it’ll do you good to get a break from them.”

“Come on, Dad,” I say. “What are you and I going to do for two weeks on vacation? If we go, we should take them too.”

“You want me to bring six men on vacation with us?”

“You’re making it sound worse than it really is,” I say. “It’s not like that. And besides, I’m not leaving until I get to see Gage. He’s awake now and I haven’t seen him since he woke up from his coma.”

“You seriously want me to invite those boys to go on a family vacation with us?”

I nod.

“Serenity Sinclair,” Dad says. “Fine. I will make the call. Be ready within in an hour. I want to be in the air before five in the morning. Whatever guy isn’t ready when we leave is getting left behind.”

“What about Gage?” I ask. “Can he even go?”

“I’ll make it happen,” he says.

“Thank you,” I tell him.

“I swear, having a teenage daughter is more difficult than running Spy School,” he says.

That’s saying a lot, because it’s not just Spy School. It’s so much more than that. Yes, there is a lot of focus on training, but it’s what comes after training that is the important part. My dad works with the leaders in different countries. It’s all very covert and very few people know about the organization. Nobody even knows what the real name of Spy School is. That’s just what everybody calls it. Dad hasn’t even told me the real name yet, and I know that the guys don’t know.

I pull my purple suitcase out of my walk-in closet. It’s still got the tags on it, because I haven’t yet had the opportunity to use it. When Sebastian and I went to America, it was all last minute.

Well, I suppose this is last minute, too. I’m beginning to think that it’s just how things happen around here—spontaneously.

I just hope the boys can pack fast.





When we get there.





Gage looks terrible.

He has a bandage wrapped around his head. When he was shot, he fell back onto the floor and hit his head really hard. I will never forget the sound of his head hitting the floor. I think that was scarier than the actual gunshot. He also has an IV in his arm with medicine being pumped in.

When I see him, I start to cry.

“Gage,” I say, walking over to him.

“It looks worse than it is,” he tells me, as he wraps an arm around me. I hug him back softly, not wanting to hurt his stomach where he was shot.

“You still have an IV,” I say. “Is it even safe for you to come with us?”

“I only have to do this three times a day,” he says. “Nothing can keep me from going with you.”

“Good, because I missed you.”

“I’d like to say I missed you too, but I was kind of asleep,” he says, smiling. “I might be sleeping a lot on this trip too.”

“That’s okay,” I say. “I’m just... glad you’re alive.”

“I could never leave you,” Gage says, making me smile. “I wish I could’ve done something at the bowling alley. I hear that I have Sebastian to thank for saving your life.”

I nod.

“I also hear that he’s been hanging around a lot lately.”

“He’s saved my life more than once,” I say.

“Bass is one of the best,” he says.

“He is,” I say.

“Has he been nice to you?”

I shrug. “Nice enough. I think I’m starting to grow on him.”

“If he’s ever not nice, tell me and I’ll take care of him,” Gage says, pulling his IV stand closer.

I laugh. “Maybe after you get better you can, but right now, I’m pretty sure you couldn’t even beat me in a fight.”

“Maybe you’re right,” he says.

A few minutes later, when everybody else arrives at the airport, I’m relieved that everybody was able to get packed in enough time. But then again, these guys are probably used to leaving really fast.

“How did you convince your dad to let us come on vacation with you guys?” Sander asks, then smiles. “It doesn’t matter. Just know that you are awesome.”

“Um, thanks,” I say. “So, do you have any idea where we’re going?”

“Nope,” he answers.

We all stand on the runway at the small airport. Well, Gage is in a wheelchair. He’s not going to be up for a little while—doctor’s orders. I hope that he gets better soon. I hate seeing him like this.

Dad looks at his watch and I can tell he’s really impatient. The pilot must be a minute late or something. But right about that time, I see an airplane rolling towards where we are standing. It stops right in front of us.

I still find the whole thing very strange. I mean, who decides, on a whim, to go on vacation at three o’clock in the morning? My dad, apparently.

We all board the plane. I take a window seat and my dad sits beside me. The plane is small, but bigger than the plane Sebastian and I took when we flew to America a few days ago. Apparently, when you run Spy School, you have access to all the private planes you want. I know that Spy School is a huge thing, but I’m still trying to wrap my head around it all. My dad basically runs the whole world and it’s a little scary.