by Trish Loye
“Are you going after my mom now?”
He nodded. “I’m heading to the roof. A helicopter will take my team from there to the airport and then we’ll be on our way.”
Her hands clenched into fists at her side and she lifted her chin. “I know you’re my father and I should hug you or say I hope you come back, but really…I just want you to save my mom. Bring her home. Please.”
The words sliced something inside him, causing slivers of pain, but he ignored them. The girl had a right to her feelings. She didn’t know him and in her mind, he’d willingly let them think he was dead so he wouldn’t have to step up and be her father. He couldn’t imagine how that felt. All he knew is that he would spend the rest of his life making up for that mistake.
And he’d start with a vow.
“I’ll bring her home.” Or I’ll die trying.
11
Drowning. She couldn’t use her arms or legs to swim. She sank beneath the dark waves. Water filled her mouth. A desperate fire in her lungs. Unable to scream, unable to move, unable to breathe.
Drowning.
Cassie gasped for air and sat up, banging her head on the top of her cage. She rubbed the spot. Add it to the growing collection on her body.
The afternoon sunshine streaming through the door’s window created a golden square on the concrete floor. Everything was quiet. She stiffened. Jin-sun wasn’t in his cage beside her anymore. She scrambled to her knees and edged to the front bars. Jin-sun wasn’t in any of the cages that she could see.
“Jin-sun?” she called quietly. When had they taken him? It must have been after their sole meal. The gruel had done nothing to ease her hunger, but she’d still dozed after gulping it down.
Had they taken him? Would she ever see him again? A fierce longing for an old man she didn’t know gripped her like a vise. Now she was alone, and she wasn’t sure she was strong enough to survive this without him. Telling the old man stories of her life had strengthened her resolve to fight; it kept up her hope. Without him, her hope dimmed like a fire in this oppressive mist of misery.
Movement two cages down caught her eye. Blond hair. It was the tall scientist, curled up in a cage, shifting as if trying to find a comfortable spot.
She double-checked that no guards stood in the room before calling out softly. “Dr. French?”
The scientist’s head lifted and he looked at her. “Do I know you?” he asked in English.
She shook her head. “No, but I know of you,” she said, speaking English back to him.
“You’re American?” For some reason, his words were laced with hope. Did he not realize she was also a prisoner? But maybe it was the same reason why the loss of Jin-sun hit her so hard. It was easier to bear misery with someone, even a stranger by your side.
“Canadian.”
He frowned. “Why are you here?”
“I came…”—To write a story. To find a man who should be dead.—“…to find out about my family.”
His face became sympathetic. “I’m sorry.”
Hope dimmed further in the mist. She nodded. “Me too.”
Then a thought struck her. The scientist was here. Beside her! Rose would have found a way to get the picture to Derrick. She must have. Then Derrick would set up a rescue mission. If she stayed alive and near the scientist, then she could be rescued too.
It was a long shot, but the fire inside her stoked higher. This could work.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Cassandra,” she said. “Cassandra Kwon.”
She licked her dry and cracked lips. Should she risk telling him? What if another prisoner heard? He’d slumped back into his cage. She had to give him hope. Something to defy the darkness around them with.
She set her voice low and quiet. “Dr. French, help is coming for you.”
He banged his head on the top of the cage when he straightened. “What?”
She almost laughed. “Help is—”
The door to the main part of the building banged open. Two guards entered. Every prisoner inside sat up and huddled to the back of their cage, just like she did. The guards strode to her end of the room.
No!
Her heart stopped dead. She didn’t move, didn’t breathe.
Not me. Not me. Not me.
A guard brought a key to the lock of her cage. Adrenaline flooded her system, pushing from her heart out to her limbs. She scrambled to the back of her cage and gripped the bars, but the guards grabbed her ankles and yanked, hauling her from its dubious safety.
She struggled, flailing and thrashing. She heard Dr. French shouting something but it was beyond her to listen. A blind panic drove her to resist.
But she didn’t have the knowledge, the strength, or the ability to free herself. Within moments, she was strapped back down on the bench.
“Please don’t do this,” she said. “I’ve told you everything.”
Ears stood by the tap. He turned the water on and the sound of it sloshing into the metal bucket pounded a spike of ice through her chest. She shuddered and arched her back, straining uselessly against the ropes.
Choe entered the room.
Her gaze snapped to him. “I’ve told you everything. You don’t have to do this.”
“We do this to make sure, and as a warning to the other prisoners.” He smiled. “Don’t worry. It will be all over tomorrow.”
She sucked in a breath as hope blossomed inside her. Had the Canadian government been told about her? Were they getting her released? “Tomorrow?”
His smile never changed. “Yes. Tomorrow you die.”
Cassie woke up back in her cage. Her hair had dried into stringy pieces that stuck to her forehead and neck. Dr. French was no longer in his cage and Jin-sun hadn’t returned either. The sight of the empty cages made her shoulders hunch. Her breathing became ragged; she hugged herself and dug her nails into her arms.
I will not cry.
She’d cried between the bouts of water but that was different. Now the tears that threatened felt like despair and defeat. She couldn’t give in.
But they planned to execute her tomorrow. They still thought she was some sort of spy. Choe had said they planned to kill her and show her body to the world. She couldn’t let that happen.
She sat up as much as she could in the low cage.
The door to the outside opened, letting in cool, fresh air and thin sunshine. She strained her head to see who it was. Two guards carried Jin-sun back to his cell. He hobbled between them. Something had happened to his foot. She stared. It looked swollen and bruised. Jin-sun winced when his weight landed on it. The guards opened his cage and he quietly crawled inside, protecting his foot from touching the ground. After locking the cage door, one guard stared hard at Jin-sun.
“Remember.”
Jin-sun nodded, strain making the skin around his eyes wrinkle.
Cassie waited until the guards left. “What was that about?”
“Later.” Jin-sun lay down on his side, facing away from her.
She frowned. “I don’t have a later.” Her voice was hoarse and no longer sounded like her. “I’m going to be…executed…tomorrow.”
“Later.”
She stared at him, feeling betrayed by this man who thought he could be her father. He didn’t seem to care that she was going to die. She glanced at his foot and then at his shoulders hunched up even though he lay on the ground.
“What did they do to you?” she whispered.
He sighed and sat up, turning back to her. He glanced at the other cages and wiped his hand across his mouth. “Give me your hand.” His voice was low and urgent.
She didn’t hesitate and stuck her hand through the bars. He gripped hers for an instant, shoving something into it. A piece of metal? She opened her mouth but he gave his head a sharp shake. Okay. No questions. He closed her fingers around the object and released her hand. She brought it close to her body and glanced at the other prisoners. But none of them appeared to be wat
ching.
She opened her fingers. A steel key lay on her palm. Omigod. Her spine straightened as though an electric current shot through her. She banged her head on the top of the cage. A male prisoner across the room lifted his head to look at her.
She clasped her hand over the key and used her other hand to rub her head, drawing the male prisoner’s gaze away from the key with her movement. He turned away without expression.
She widened her eyes at Jin-sun. How? she mouthed to him.
“It’s not important,” he said in a low voice.
That she couldn’t believe. What had he done to get it? Did his foot have anything to do with getting it?
Her lips trembled with the start of a smile. They had a key.
Jin-sun scowled and looked significantly at the prisoners surrounding them. “Later,” he murmured and then he lay down again with his back facing her.
Omigod.
Hope threatened to plaster a grin on her face but she forced it off and kept her gaze on her knees, which she hugged to her chest and rocked.
I’m coming, Rose. I’m coming home.
Cassie rolled the key between her fingers again. Impatience bit at her, making her skin pinched and her muscles tight. She rolled her shoulders to loosen them. Jin-sun sat hunched over, but calm, in his cage. He gave a small shake of his head, the same as he’d been doing for the last two hours.
Night had fallen hours ago. It must be close to midnight, but how the hell was she supposed to know? She couldn’t wait to put the key in the slot, even as her mind conjured all sorts of horrible things that could happen as soon as she left the cage.
This could all be a ploy to make her think she could escape, before they shot her in the back. She grimaced. She’d be lucky if they shot her in the back. Her mind shied away from the torture she’d already endured and knew it could get much, much worse. Choe had mentioned he wouldn’t give her to his men to play with because he wanted her recognizable for the cameras tomorrow. If they caught her escaping, he might renege on that.
She swallowed hard. She wouldn’t get caught.
Her gaze went to Jin-sun. They wouldn’t get caught. His hurt foot was worrisome, especially considering she didn’t know the extent of his injury. He wouldn’t let her look at it. But they’d both escape tonight, even if she had to carry him. There was no sign of Dr. French, but she wasn’t enough of a hero to search the building at night for him. Nor did she think too long on the other prisoners. She desperately wanted to help these people, but she knew her limitations. The more people they took with them, the less chance of success they had to actually escape.
She clenched her fist around the key and looked again at Jin-sun. When could they leave?
He nodded and her stomach took a running leap off a tall building and into free fall. It was time. She bit her lip and scooted closer to the lock on her cage. A glance around the dark room showed prisoners sleeping or at least facing away. She unclenched her fingers that had been holding the key too tightly. Her hands shook and she almost dropped it.
Jin-sun made a hissing noise at her.
Shit. Get it together, Cassie.
Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast. Again she heard Derrick’s voice in her head. She took a deep breath and released it. Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast. She brought her hands up to the lock again. Slower, smoother. Breathing regularly. She inserted the key, wiggled it to get a good fit and then turned it. A click that sounded too loud in the quiet prison tensed her muscles. She counted ten breaths without moving before pushing on the cage door.
It opened!
Excitement burst inside her, shooting through her limbs. She grinned at Jin-sun, who smiled back. He held out his hand and she handed him the key before pushing her door open farther. Cold from the cement floor seeped into her knees, reminding her that it was October. She could handle the cold outside even without proper clothes, though her feet would bear the worst of it. Especially considering she’d probably have to carry most of Jin-sun’s weight because of his injury.
She looked at him. He sat calmly in his cage, a sad smile on his face. She gestured at the lock on his door. Why hadn’t he unlocked it yet?
He shook his head.
She held out her hand for the key.
He shook his head again, the smile on his face fading like a sunset.
What was he doing? She dropped to her knees and gripped the bars of his cage.
He pointed to his ankle. “I will only hold you back.” His words were barely a breath of air and she only heard them because she was so close.
“We can make it,” she whispered back.
“No.” He added a shooing motion with his hand as if she were a recalcitrant child. When she didn’t move, he sighed. “I made a deal with the guards to free you.”
“They broke your foot.”
He nodded. “So I could not run as well.”
“What did you give them?”
“There are rumors that I am a rich man and have money tucked away in my old town. I told the guards I would tell them where my money was hidden.”
“You paid for my release?”
He a glint of mischief appeared in his eyes. “No. I have nothing to my name but the clothes on me. I started those rumors over a year ago in case I ever needed the leverage.”
So smart. So brave. So kind. “They’re going to kill you,” she whispered.
“It is time for you to go.”
“Please,” she said. Whether this man was her father or not, he’d been the closest thing to a friend she’d had in this misery. “I can’t leave you.”
“You would make any father proud,” he said. “But you must go. Think of Rose.”
Rose. The name of her daughter sent a tiny shockwave through her. She had to escape, to survive. She sighed soundlessly as despair squeezed her heart.
She would leave this man who’d sacrificed for her in order to get back to her daughter. And to a man who needed to become Rose’s father in more than name.
Her vision blurred for an instant. She blinked rapidly and pushed an arm through the bars to grip Jin-sun’s hand. He returned her grip with surprising strength. They would execute him in her place tomorrow for his part in this.
He released her hand and gave it a gentle push. “Go now.”
Her eyes pricked and she wiped away moisture. She bit her lip. Hard. It was time to go. Jin-sun had sacrificed himself for her. She had to make that count.
She gave him a nod and got off her knees. In a crouch, she went to the outside door and peered through the window. No guards.
Had that been part of whatever Jin-sun had done to get the key?
She kept in a crouch, slowly opened the door a crack, and slid outside into the cold night air.
12
Derrick gazed at Hwasong prison camp through his night vision goggles. Minimal guard movement at two in the morning. He had Bravo and Charlie teams with him and they’d been scoping the place out for the last hour since they’d made it here. It had been a bit tricky obtaining two vehicles to fit eight of them but it had been worth it to save the time.
Of course, they’d had to dump those vehicles at the last town and hump their way in on foot. If they were lucky, the cars might still be there when they got back, but he wasn’t going to count on that.
He keyed his comms. “Bravo Two, this is Bravo One. Sitrep.”
“This is Bravo Two,” Marc said. “Two-man patrol every fifteen mikes. Nothing we can’t handle, Hawk.”
He’d put Jake in charge of Charlie team. They would watch their backs when Derrick’s team went in, and hold their exfil for them. “ETA for next patrol?”
“Five mikes.”
“Roger. Five mikes to go time.”
“Copy that.”
“Hawk out.”
Derrick continued to survey the prison, looking for anything that might disrupt their plans. The place relied on their electric fence, isolation, and the surrounding mountains to help keep the more than ten thousand p
risoners contained. Most of them had nowhere to go and no way to get there. A few soldiers with a dog would be able to overtake any starved prisoner who made it past the electric fence. It wouldn’t be easy to escape but it could be done. The fact that so many prisoners didn’t suggested the terrorizing tactics the guards must use to keep the prisoners contained.
Thoughts of those tactics and what could be happening to Cassie made his jaw clench. He had to wait.
But what if they were killing her right now? He could stop them.
No. He’d be risking not just the mission, but also Cassie’s life and those of his team if he charged in there. He had to believe that they wouldn’t kill her just yet.
If they even had her. What if she’d just lost her sat phone in the woods somewhere? Here he was, charging to her rescue, and she might already be crossing the border. His jaw clenched even further. He would have a few choice words for her if that was the case, and he’d make her listen to him. No story was worth the risk she’d taken.
How could she take this chance with her life? He shook off his frustration. It wasn’t the time or place to think about that. The mission and his team called for a clear head.
Two men in uniform strode by the inside of the fence. They held their rifles loosely in their hands, chatting quietly in Korean, a language Derrick knew very little of. But he suspected from their tones and the ease in their voices that neither of them expected or suspected trouble.
Once they were out of sight, he keyed his mic again. “Bravo team, go.”
Dante ran from the shadows to the fence and dropped to his knees while Derrick covered him. Within seconds, Dante had the electricity bypassing a small section of the fence before he snipped the links. He pulled the section of fence back far enough for them to squeeze through. Dante put away his tools and wiggled through first. Derrick went after, with Marc and Sarah following.
They ran for the concrete slab of a building and put their backs against the wall. No light shone from the interior, but they all had their NVGs. He took point and pushed open the door. Not even locked. This wasn’t a place they worried about the prisoners getting into. He frowned. Or out of, obviously. Did they have the right place? It matched the photo Cassie had sent them.