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“Cool. I’ve got the kid.”
“I knew you’d call eventually,” smirked the pretty woman. Erica swallowed, staring into the screen with Moose beside her. “I guess I didn’t expect you to bring a guest.”
“Ece, I’m not calling because of our past,” said Moose confidently. “We have no future together as a couple.”
“I see. So, are congratulations in order? Is that why you called? You want my blessing?”
“No. We will be getting married,” he said, squeezing Erica’s hand, “but not right now. I’m going to offer you something that I think you need and want more than you ever wanted me.”
“I’m listening,” she said, staring at the screen.
“A story. A big one.”
“About your team?” she frowned.
“No. Have you been watching what’s happening in North Korea?”
“Of course I have,” she scoffed. “I’m not an idiot. The whole world is watching what’s going on over there. No one liked Park. In fact, they think he killed the president, but now they’re left with no one.”
“From this point on, Ece, I’m a confidential source. Understand?”
“Now you’re scaring me,” she said quietly. Moose said nothing, just staring at the screen. “Alright, Major. You’re a confidential source.”
“So is she,” he said, nodding at Erica. “And it’s Moose.” Ece just laughed, nodding again.
“Fine. What’s this big story?”
“This is Hae-Won Park.”
“Holy shit,” muttered Ece. “Everyone thought you were dead.”
“She is,” said Moose. “Understand that? To everyone in the world, she is dead. Except before her father was killed, he sent two assassins to kill her, and we don’t know why. She hasn’t lived in North Korea since she was eleven, had very little contact with her father, so there doesn’t seem to be a reason.”
“There’s every reason,” said Ece.
“What do you mean?” asked Erica, finally finding her voice.
“Your mother was the former president’s daughter.” Erica blinked several times, opening and closing her mouth. “Holy shit. You didn’t know. Your mother was the former president’s daughter. He even declared that if he had no male heir, your mother could take over as president. He did not want that offered to his son-in-law, which is why I suspect he killed your mother. He figured he could take it by force. But when she was killed, he extended that to you, not to the good general.”
“Th-that’s absurd,” said Erica, shaking her head. “That’s insane. There’s no way. I don’t want it.”
“That’s okay. You don’t have to accept the nomination, but you do have to appoint someone else. You. Only you. They think you’re dead, and they’re scrambling to find answers. Those assassins need to make sure you’re dead, or they may end up with a president that they don’t want.”
“Why wouldn’t she tell me? Why would she keep that from me?” Moose hugged her close, kissing her forehead. Ece watched the touching moment and realized that his expression was one of love. True love. He’d never shown that look to her.
“Major…”
“Moose,” he said sharply.
“Fine. Sculler, she needs to go back to North Korea and make an appointment to the presidency if she doesn’t want it.”
“I’m not going back there. Never. Do you understand that they could keep me? They could accuse me of being a traitor for having left with my mother. I’ll write a letter.”
“It doesn’t work that way,” said Ece. She stared at the couple, the concern and fear etched on both their faces. “Look, let me do some preliminary research. If North Korea is close to appointing someone else, someone decent, we’ll just leave this all alone, and I’ll try to help you find the assassins. If they’re not, we need to come up with something else, and that might involve you exposing yourself.”
“Ece, please. Don’t make her do that. There’s a little girl involved in this. A child,” said Moose. The word ‘child’ seemed to make Ece sit up straighter. Her face went blank for a moment, then she nodded.
“I see. I’ll do what I can,” she said. “I may need to come to New Orleans, but I’ll stay in the city. I don’t think I’d be welcome back there.”
