by Ali Vali
The safe house was located in the type of neighborhood that had plenty of space between the grand homes, and security details weren’t an uncommon sight. It was a beautiful hilly area with plenty of mature trees that hid the houses from view. She hoped Jin had been here for the fall foliage and that it’d brought some joy into what her life had become, because Aidan had been right. Jin was overwhelmingly sad and appeared like someone who’d given up on almost everything.
Berkley stopped at the guard shack and handed over her ID. “Captain Levine. I should be on the list. Director Newton cleared me.”
“Please come in and park to the right, Captain. We’ll take you up to the main house,” the MP said as the massive gate swung open. Another security guy drove her in a golf cart to the house and escorted her out through the back to the pool area.
It was hard to fathom who exactly the CIA put here, but from the beautiful surroundings, the only incentive to talk and spill state secrets would be the threat of being sent somewhere else. Jin was sitting on a towel with her legs crossed and her eyes closed. She appeared to be meditating, so Berkley sat close by and waited for her to finish.
Jin stood almost as soon as Berkley sat down and studied the back of the house. “Good morning, Commander,” Jin said, her English sounding much better. She might not be sharing secrets, but she must’ve been practicing by talking about something.
“Good morning, Captain, and it’s a rank we now share. I feel like I should thank you since you might’ve had something to do with my promotion.” Berkley stood and bowed slightly.
“You were shot from the sky because your man made a mistake. If not, I don’t think you make an easy target, and congratulations.” Someone came out with a tray and placed it on the table. Without asking, Jin started to prepare two cups of tea. “Have they sent you to loosen my tongue?”
If they’d met under any other circumstances, she and Jin might’ve become good friends, she thought as she accepted the cup. “I’m not sure what they have planned for you, but it’d make your life easier if you answered their questions. The way you went down makes me think you weren’t that loyal to your supreme leader, and I went down because the man on my wing betrayed me and his country.”
“No one has ever said that to me—the part about me going down.” Jin sat with her legs folded under her holding her cup in both hands.
“No one here has ever seen you fly, and they’re perhaps not interested in why you were there with Lowe Nam Chil, aside from your job as a pilot. I’d bet that story is the more interesting, since I doubt you know enough to bring down the Kim regime. He, on the other hand, probably does.”
“Chil ejected us, but you are what I believe you Americans call a breed different.”
“The expression is a breed apart, but very good. Being like everyone else in all things is boring, and the answers are found where no one else is looking. Will you tell me the story?”
“And what will knowing that get you, Captain?” Jin asked, but with a smile.
“I have everything I need to be happy, and you can believe me or not, but I’d like the same for you. Obviously, you won’t get that in North Korea, but why not give yourself the chance to start over?”
“All right,” Jin said and inhaled deeply before taking a sip of tea. “My father was a security commander and general in Kim’s army. Because of what happened I would think he was fed to Kim’s dogs, but we all sometimes get what we deserve. He and I were not close, since he abandoned me and my mother for glory in Kim’s world.” Jin sounded distant, as if she were talking about someone other than herself.
“Did he force you into the military?”
“I had no other options once I was old enough, and I went at my mother’s urging. My father was a powerful man, and because he held no love for me, he could make our lives bad if I had refused.” Jin took a sip of tea and shivered even though it was warm outside. “He pushed me until I became a pilot but reminded me constantly that I would never rise to his expectations. I tried for years in honor of my mother, but she became ill and died when you came into my life.”
“I’m sorry, Captain.” Berkley put her cup down and pressed her hands together. “I had no idea, and I am sorry for your loss. It sounds like you were close and that you loved her very much.”
“I did, and you and your team hitting the targets maybe cost me my grandparents. The day I was shot down was the day I gave up. I was ready to join them in peace.”
“I’m sure saying that I was only carrying out orders won’t get me your forgiveness.”
Jin smiled again and shook her head. “I only meant you arrived a day too early. I planned to return to be with my mother in her final moments and then try to flee with my grandparents. The bombing of the facility I had been charged with trying to protect gave me no choice but to take to the air and fight back.”
“I wish things had turned out differently for you, but I’m sure you’ll never forget them. Maybe with time you’ll find something or someone to live for. To live a good and happy life will honor your family more than giving in to despair, especially now that you have a chance. From what I understand, Chil is not a good man, but we all owe him for saving you both.”
“Like you say, though, your people want something from me. All these pretty things will not last.”
“I’m not here to force you to talk if you don’t want to, but why remain so loyal to people who took so much from you?”
Jin stared at her, and Berkley could almost see her mentally struggling to decide how much to share. “I think my silence will grant someone I love a few more months of life. Maybe not a life she wants or had with me, but another day to see the sun and breathe.”
“What’s her name?” Berkley asked, smiling.
“You are not disgusted?”
“Love is what’s important, Captain, not the packaging it comes wrapped in,” she said, and Jin finally smiled.
“Yong Nam is who I flew with and who I shared my life with. I cared about her, but not enough, and my attention to her cost her too much.”
“Thank you for telling me, and Yong probably doesn’t see it that way.” Jin hesitated, then nodded. “I wanted to come tell you I might not see you for a while. I’m going back out to sea.”
“Will you go back to Korea?”
“I don’t know, but I’ll be gone pretty soon, and I didn’t want you to think I’d forgotten about you. Know that I wish you well.”
Jin lowered her feet to the ground and put her teacup down as well. “Has Lowe Nam Chil broken?”
“He’s not anywhere this nice, but I don’t believe so. I’m not far enough up the chain to know all the secrets.”
“Your people need to place him under the fear and pain he inflicted on so many. He is an animal but a cowardly one. He is the one with a head full of secrets, and the ones he is going to say he has forgotten are in his home. Supreme Leader Kim trusted him with everything.”
Berkley thought whoever was listening in must’ve been enjoying this more than the weather Jin usually talked about. “I’ll let them know. Thank you.”
“Tell them I cannot share unless I know why they are asking. I do not know as much, but if I know the problem, I can maybe help.”
“I’ll tell them that too.” Berkley stood and bowed again. “Take care, and I’ll see you when I come back. Remember, the best way to honor your mother is to find happiness.”
“Be well, Captain, and good flying. I miss the cockpit and my family the most. I loved to fly.”
“Thank you, and I look forward to speaking with you again.”
“May I ask a favor?” Jin stood with her hands pressed together.
“Sure—yes.”
“If your government sends you back to Korea, come back before you go. Bring your important people to talk as well.”
“Thank you, and I will.”
“I will not forget what you said about my family, and instead of love I might live for vengeance. I have known loss, and ma
ny must feel the same.”
She nodded and held her hand out. “There’s no rule you can’t have both.”
Jin took her hand and cocked her head to the side. “What do you mean?”
“The best vengeance is to be happy. When you are, you break your chains, so don’t be afraid to fly again.”
* * *
“Thank you for the chance, ma’am,” Lieutenant Nova Brown said as she walked the Jefferson’s deck with Aidan.
The ship had been moored the night before, and Devin had called her that morning. He’d joked that he was ecstatic to be turning over the proverbial keys to her again. Nova had graduated from the Academy the year before and had passed every security screening both she and Berkley had thought of. The young woman was eager to serve, and after a couple of hours of walking the ship, Aidan liked her.
She needed a second but was gun-shy after Erika Gibson’s betrayal. Erika had been with her for a few years, and it wasn’t until Berkley had come aboard and back into her life that Erika showed her true self. That Erika had helped the people on board who were trying to sabotage her and the mission, and kill Berkley, had made her not care what happened to the woman.
“I’m glad you accepted, and we’ll be busy making sure we have everything in working order before we ship out. Did every team leader give you a list?” Having the Jefferson’s metal under her feet made her feel great. Deployment would cut into her nights with Berkley, but Berkley was inventive when motivated, so she didn’t expect to spend many lonely nights.
“Yes, ma’am. All our repairs will begin today, and the flight team will be here tomorrow with Commander Levine.” Nova seemed to be reading a list from the folio in her hand, but Aidan didn’t mind thoroughness. “I hope you don’t mind that I set the meeting up without asking.”
“It’s Captain Levine now, and I’m sure she’ll appreciate it.” They stopped at one of the open doors that raised the jets to the deck for takeoff. A team seemed to be doing maintenance on all the jets, and she blinked a few times from the sudden jab of fear that someone not loyal to her or Berkley would do something to knock Berkley from the sky.
“Your quarters are ready if you’d like to inspect them.” That seemed to be the next item on Nova’s list, and Aidan was coming to like her efficiency. This time around she didn’t plan to let her guard down like she had with Erika.
Wherever they’d shipped her old assistant, she took a moment to hope it was unpleasant. That Erika would contemplate hurting Berkley as a way to Aidan’s heart still made the rage rise faster than she could control it.
“Are you okay, ma’am?”
“Sorry. Bad memories from the last time I was aboard. Let’s go.” They started for the closest door and heard the shouting when they were twenty feet from it.
Her security officer Devin was running toward them, and from his expression, this was no exercise. The intercom came on, and someone on the bridge was ordering people to stop or they would be fired upon. A hail of gunfire broke the calmness of the morning, hitting various spots on the deck as Aidan thought about going up the outer stairs to the bridge.
“Follow me, ma’am,” Nova said, and Devin followed them with a gun at the ready. It was official—the world had lost its mind. That a US naval carrier would be fired upon in the middle of the naval academy meant Chandler had taken the shackles off his followers. Another round of bullets hit things around them, and Nova went down as if she’d tripped.
“Come on.” She reached down to help Nova up, but the young woman wasn’t moving. “Jesus Christ,” she said, but Nova was gone, her eyes still open but unfocused.
“You need to get inside,” Devin said, grabbing Nova’s collar and dragging her with them as more bullets hit around them. “Three small crew boats coming this way with what appears to be cadets onboard, and they’re using live rounds.” Devin stopped to listen to something from his earpiece. “They’re readying SMAWS, ma’am. I think they intend to fire on us.”
If they had enough shoulder-launched assault weapons and aimed for a specific spot, they’d breach the hull, and Aidan wouldn’t allow that. She grabbed Devin’s radio. “This is Captain Sullivan. If they don’t turn away, fire at will. Try not to kill everyone, but do not let them fire upon us.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the bridge answered, and almost instantly their surface weapons came to life. Aidan placed her hand on Nova’s forehead momentarily, then pushed Devin out of the way and ran through the ship, headed for the bridge. “Report,” she yelled back to him.
“Two sunk and the third has turned back.”
“Get coast guard out there and put boats in the water. I want these bastards,” she said as she took the stairs two at a time. Her people were already in the water, but at first glance the bodies floating were all dead.
“Please stay here, ma’am,” Devin said, saluting. “I’ll report once I get down there.”
“They weren’t naval craft, ma’am, but the men on board appeared to be naval cadets from the academy,” the senior officer who’d been in charge said. “We fired when they didn’t heed our order to stop. They got one SMAW off, but it hit the dock.”
“You did everything by the book, Lieutenant. Start a watch as of now, and tell everyone on the ship if anyone else is about to launch any other SMAW, I’m holding them personally responsible for any damage. Do not let anyone fire on us.” Her phone rang, so the officer went to carry out her orders. “Hey,” she said, moving outside for more privacy.
“Want me to swing by and pick you up?” Berkley asked, and the sound of her voice calmed her.
“I’ll probably be a while. Someone fired on us just now and killed my new second. She was a sweet kid and was hit as we ran for cover.”
“What? Wait there. I’m coming.” She knew Berkley didn’t think she needed saving, but backup didn’t hurt, and she was glad Berkley was on her way. “What the hell?” Berkley asked, but it sounded as if she was reacting to something on her end.
“What?” she asked, then heard gunfire, and it sounded like Berkley sped up. A crash followed, then nothing. After seeing Nova die in front of her, she didn’t need any more bad news. “Berkley? Berkley, answer me.” She heard nothing from the other end, and that’s what her life would be filled with if something happened to Berkley.
Nothing.
Chapter Seven
Berkley figured she had time to pick up Aidan, as well as check in with her crew if any of the guys were still on board. They had dinner reservations with the Sullivans that night, but that was hours off. She was four miles from the interstate and was enjoying the wooded area as she called Aidan.
Aidan sounded out of breath when she answered, and the reality that someone would dare attack one of their ships on American soil was game-changing. But this was the second time Chandler had tried to take the Jefferson down. His first attempt had ended with the downing of all the jets that’d attacked them off the West Coast after their North Korean mission, the squad leader being David Morris’s little brother, Travis.
Morris was in custody for his part in getting her shot down in North Korea, and their father Adam had killed himself after Drew had taken him in. The whole Morris family had bought into Chandler’s delusions of a new United States, with him as supreme leader for life, which made her wonder if any other Morris sons were lying in wait.
Two black vehicles pulled out and blocked the road, making the top of her head tingle in anticipation, so she stayed in the car and waited. “What the hell?” The words left her mouth when the back doors opened, and the men started shooting.
Berkley put the car in reverse and floored it, slamming the brakes to spin it around, but the third vehicle she hadn’t seen slammed into her, pushing her car into a tree. She’d dropped her phone, and the airbag deploying had slammed her head back and to the side. The blow had caused instant pain, but it only lasted a second.
People were shouting, but they seemed so far away as Berkley tried to swim to the surface of the blackness she’
d fallen into. With Herculean effort she opened her eyes and saw a familiar face, but she couldn’t place it. The woman smiled at her before hitting the side of her head with the butt of her gun.
“Get her out of there, and make it fast,” Rachel Chandler said to the two men standing closest to her. “I don’t want to mess with the rent-a-cops this area is so fond of.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the man said, already lifting Berkley out and dragging her to the road.
“Burn the car, and the one we wrecked. Don’t leave anything behind.”
Rachel could hear the sirens in the distance, which meant the gunfire had been reported. Berkley Levine wasn’t so hard to bring in with the right strategy. If her brother Jeffery had completed his assignment, then Michaels’s plan to outsmart her father would fail as quickly as her presidency.
She heard the slam of the hatch on one of the vehicles, so she signaled everyone to move out. Her phone was still silent, and she was anxious to know about Jeffery. He was the only one in the family who’d needed considerable persuasion to join their cause, but that had stemmed from his reluctance to leave his marine brothers behind. “Make sure that Korean bitch doesn’t talk to anyone,” she said into the phone once their contact in the White House answered. “I doubt she knows anything useful, but it’s no time to take any chances.”
“I know what my job is,” the deep voice said in a whisper. “Worry about your end of this.”
“Nothing from my brother?” Rachel asked her assistant Vander Lever after disconnecting the call.
“No, ma’am.” Vander combed his blond hair back and retrieved his phone. “I’ll call our lookout and ask for an update.”
The call was short, and her hands curled to fists when Vander exhaled. “What?”