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“No, we’re not,” said Moose, stepping forward. “My name is Moose. This is my wife. Why did you use the woman?” Moose pointed to Lucianna, and the woman’s eyes filled with tears as she stared at U-Jin.
“At first, I did use her. At first,” he said again. “I fear I’ve done what they said we should never do. I’ve fallen in love with her. I cannot return to North Korea; my mother would kill me for failing to kill Hae-Won. Lucianna would never be accepted. I have no home.”
“Do you want a home?” asked Moose. Luke stepped forward, staring at the big man.
“Moose? That’s a huge risk, brother. What if he turns on us? What if he turns on your wife?”
“I’ll shoot him between the eyes myself. And if you harm my wife, or our children, I will cause you more pain than you could possibly imagine.”
“I don’t wish to harm anyone any longer,” he said with sincerity, shaking his head. “I have been used by my father. Now my mother. Beaten, tortured, abused, all for the sake of their country. The device that was in my head fed subliminal messaging to my brain and allowed both of them to have control over my body. They could administer excruciating pain or take my life.”
“We saw that in action,” said Frank. “It wasn’t something I would wish on my worst enemy.” U-Jin nodded, his hands still cuffed behind him.
“I saw you in action,” he grinned. “I hope to never become your worst enemy.”
“How do we stop her?” asked Erica in a quiet voice. U-Jin wasn’t sure what to say. He wanted to believe that they would allow him to go free, but what if they were all part of this? What if they were working with his mother?
Behind them, the door opened, and a little girl walked in, her black hair flopping in her eyes as she giggled. She ran toward all her uncles, gripping their pant legs as she finally toddled toward her DaDa. Claudette just watched, knowing that this needed to happen.
U-Jin stared at the child, swallowing back the emotion swelling in his body. He didn’t know her. He’d never seen her before, but he felt a connection. Jennifer turned quickly, gripping the strange man’s knee for balance.
“Unca, unca, unca,” she repeated.
“I’ll be damned,” muttered Rory.
“Is she… Is she yours?” asked U-Jin.
“She is,” nodded Erica, kneeling beside the child. “And the one I carry. A boy.” U-Jin could only stare at the child, realizing that this was his niece. His full-blooded niece.
“I need to re-open this wound,” said Wilson. “It’s going to hurt like a bitch, but I’ve got to drain the wound, clean it, and re-stitch you.”
“It’s alright. I’ve lived in pain my entire life.” He grimaced as Wilson went to work on him in the middle of the room, his hands still secured.
“I’m sorry,” said Erica. “I’m sorry we didn’t know one another, that we didn’t grow up together. I could have used a protector, and I think so could you.”
He was silent as Wilson re-opened his skull, the pain evident on his face, but he said nothing. He looked at Lucianna, remembering the feel of her silky skin against his own. His mother would tell him that he was weak for falling in love with her, but he no longer cared.
“She will come for us both now. She will find someone to take my place and send more assassins. I would wager that she will announce to the world that she has returned and will take her rightful place as the leader of the people.”
“How do we stop her?” asked Moose. “If you really don’t want anything to do with her or North Korea, how do we stop her?”
Wilson finished the cleaning of the wound, then began stitching it instead of the staples previously used.
“You’re one tough bastard, I’ll give you that,” said Wilson. “But you’re also stupid. It was getting infected and could have killed you.”
“Thank you for taking care of it,” he said calmly. He looked up at Moose, then at his sister. His twin. He should have seen it sooner. They were identical, except for their gender.
“Please,” said Lucianna, “please let us go. He won’t harm her. He wouldn’t harm anyone.” U-Jin smiled at her, loving that she believed the good in him was still there.
“She is right. I won’t harm you or the child. The children. I don’t want that life any longer. I find myself longing for a different life.”
“Where would you go?” asked Erica.
“Lucianna is from Costa Rica originally. She still has family there. I think I might like the tropics,” he smiled.
“If you were to prove yourself to us,” said Luke, “you could have a place here.”
“Where is here?” he asked, looking around the auditorium. He felt the handcuffs released from his wrists and shook his arms to get back the circulation. Turning, he nodded toward a very, very big man.
