CHAPTER TWELVE

"Are we sure she can be trusted?" asked Conor.

"We asked the same thing," said Luke. "She's got nothing to go back to. Her father would end up killing her and the little girl. I'm not sure what William believes he's got, but Erica is willing to help us with whatever we need."

"If you think she's legit, I'm willing to welcome her," said Conor. "We all knew the old man was ruthless, but killing his own wife and daughter seems extreme even for him."

"Then you do not know him," said Erica, standing in the doorway. She looked at the room full of men and the lone woman seated.

"Hello," said Sydney, standing to greet the woman. "I'm Sydney."

"I was Hae-Won. My name is Erica now."

"It's lovely to meet you," she said, smiling. "I've heard wonderful things about your little girl. Is she with you?"

"No. The women said they would watch her for me. She'll be alright, won't she?"

"She'll be in great hands," said Cam. "She might get spoiled rotten, but she'll be just fine when they bring her back to you." The woman smiled and nodded.

"You said that I didn't know your father," said Conor. She waited quietly for the man to continue. "Sorry, I'm Conor. I believe your father had me kidnapped and tortured."

"You're alive. That's not something that will make him happy. Those that are captured, tortured, and questioned by him are rarely seen again."

"Your. Your daughter's father was on my SEAL team. He's working with your father, isn't he?"

"Yes. I don't know the extent of it. All I know is that somehow, Gordon met me at a party, convinced me that we were in love, and asked me to marry him. I refused. Within twelve hours, I received a phone call from my father telling me that if I married him, I would have a reprieve as to the time frame he would come to collect me.

"I was so stupid. I believed him, and that's the worst mistake to make with my father. When my daughter was born, I didn't even want him to know about it. Unfortunately, Gordon told him everything. Then he had one more thing to hold over my head."

"He won't get to her here," said Sydney. "I promise you, he won't." Erica smiled at her, nodding.

"You've all been so kind to me. Why? My father is a maniac with an enormous chip on his shoulder toward America. Why would you be so kind to me and my daughter?"

"Because you've done nothing wrong," said Conor. "You are a victim of unfortunate circumstances, including your birth. William wasn't a good man, Erica. I hope you know that."

"I'm well aware," she nodded. "A woman showed up on my doorstep about six months ago with two young children. She said that she was looking for their father and found my address on an envelope. I knew, looking at those children, that they belonged to Gordon. The sad thing was, I didn't even care. I just wanted him gone."

"Did you confront him?" asked Conor.

"I called him, and he said he wasn't in a place to speak. I told him it didn't matter; I would speak for both of us. That's when I told him I didn't want anything to do with him or my father. I got a call from my father stating that if I didn't come back to Korea with Gordon, my daughter and I would be dead.

"The truth is, we would be dead either way. He would send someone to kill us, just like he did my mother." She looked around the room, staring at the faces. "You must all think I'm very weak for having married Gordon."

"Not at all," said Sydney. "I think you were incredibly brave to find a way to stay alive. We're going to keep you that way. I promise."

Erica reached into her pocket and pulled out a sheet of paper. It had writing all over it, some of it in Korean.

"These are my notes of conversations I overheard Gordon having with my father. I can translate if you need me to."

"I can read Korean," said Tanner, standing and nodding at the girl.

"Good. There are three men, very high up in the government helping my father. Gordon referred to a ‘next generation' airplane that he would try to get the details on. I don't know if that happened or not, but it was very important to my father." She stood to leave the room, then turned toward them all again. "I have no real skills other than music. Tonight, I'm going to perform with Mia and Amanda. I believe the man, Bull, will sing. It's my only gift that I can give you. I hope you enjoy it."

"Erica? It will all work out," said Conor. "We're going to keep you and your daughter safe."

"I want to believe you, really, I do. I'll pray that you can keep us safe, and if nothing else, please keep my daughter safe. That's all that matters to me."

"Nothing will happen," said Conor. "You must believe us."

"You all seem like good men. Good women. But you have to understand that I have yet to meet one man that I can trust. Not one. Maybe I'll start today."

She left the room, leaving the others to frown at her departure. Never had they met a woman so young, so jaded by fate that she was willing to allow death to take her. Her only concern was her daughter.

"I think, whether we like it or not, we need to go back to Korea," said Conor. "William is there. Park is there, and the reproduction of our jet is there. We have to destroy that plane."

Luke, Cam, Hex, and Eric nodded at the group.

"Let us speak with the POTUS. Get your gear ready."