“Keep going.”
What was he doing? Another two steps, and they were twenty feet from the house. The cacophony that had followed the explosion died away as if an invisible conductor had cut them off midperformance.
Her captor called out in Korean. At least she assumed it wasKorean. It was something she didn’t understand. She hoped this was being recorded, and they’d get a translation eventually.
He switched to English and spoke loudly enough for the assembled agents and law enforcement officers to hear him. “I don’t want anyone else to die. David and I will leave here. Agent Malone will accompany us. When we’re gone, we will release her.”
His words were met with silence. No one moved.
“Mr. Park! Why are you protecting him? He killed your daughter!” Luke’s voice rang out in the tense stillness.
The flat of the blade pressed harder against Faith’s throat. So, this was Mi Cha’s dad. She was as good as dead. All she could hope for now was to keep anyone else from dying.
And then Luke stepped into the space between them and the house.
LUKE STOOD WITH FAITHand Mr. Park on his left and the house on his right. “Take me. I’m what you want. Faith has nothing to do with this. Let her go.”
The arm around Faith tightened, and Mr. Park hissed. Luke could see the frustration in his eyes, the temptation to take him up on the offer.
“I’ll come willingly. I don’t know why you want us dead, but I know you don’t want Faith dead.”
“You killed my daughter.”
“We didn’t kill your daughter. We didn’t know anything about her. We didn’t know she was related to our agent, and we didn’t know she was in the car until a few days ago.”
“What is he talking about?” Mr. Park growled the question at Faith, but Luke answered.
“Your wife. Her father was half-Korean, half-American. Mi Chafound Thad Baker, a distant cousin, here in the States. She was hoping some of her American relatives might be a match for a transplant for her mother.”
Faith gave a tiny nod of her head to some question that Mr. Park asked her.
And then the ground rumbled as another corner of the house exploded.
36
THE KNIFE NEVER WAVEREDfrom her neck, but the blade was flat on her skin.
Luke continued to stand between her and the house.
“Why did you kill the bomb maker?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“In Seattle.” Luke took one step closer. “I thought he was a family friend. Mi Cha and David went to see him back in October. From what I heard, you tortured him. No mercy at all. Why would you do that?”
“I didn’t.” He switched from English to Korean and yelled something again. Faith forced herself not to flinch away.
“We can’t prove it yet”—Luke’s tone was persuasive, friendly—“but we’re pretty sure David killed your daughter.”
“David had nothing to do with it. He was here to protect her.”
Luke grimaced. “Yeah. Well. I think he got the bomb that killed your daughter from your bomb maker buddy. And then he killed her with it. I don’t know why. Maybe she refused to sleep with him, and he was mad? Or maybe he was trying to get back at you for something. And then he hightailed it to Seattle this week to kill off your buddy before he could tell you that he’d given Davidthe bomb. Are you sure you’re safe with David? He’s definitely a bit of a loose cannon, blowing up things left and right.”
“Is this true?”
The cold voice at her ear wasn’t so sure anymore. Faith didn’t nod but whispered, “Yes. All of it.”
A yell of triumph came from the house. They must have David Lee in custody. Unless that yell had come from David.
