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She was looking at me now.

I did not need to tell her yet.

She had seen my face.

That would come after the call.

Everything that affected her decisions.

No more omissions.

The handler’s voice hardened. “Deliver the target and all recovered material. Your status will be restored without penalty.”

Restored.

Interesting word.

To what?

I had no rank.

No legal identity.

No home.

No family.

Nothing existed to restore except the right to remain hidden.

Once, I would have called that freedom.

Now I understood it had been another form of confinement.

“What happens if I refuse?”

“You will be designated operationally compromised.”

“Meaning?”

“You know what it means.”

I did.

A compromised Ghost was not retrieved.

Not if retrieval risked exposure.

Ghosts disappeared twice.

Once officially.

Then permanently.

“You are offering me continued protection,” I said.

“Yes.”

“In exchange for Talia.”