“How could Leland do this to me? I know him. I’ve been to his house many times. I’ve met his wife and his daughters. How could he do that to me? Even if he doesn’t like me, I’m still Pearce’s wife. And Leland is friends with Pearce.”
“We have no friends. We trust no one. Friends. Enemies. They’re one in the same.”
“How did you know something might be going on? Or did you just find out by accident?”
“Leland wasn’t supposed to be at Wingate’s party, so when he was, I became suspicious. I knew something was being planned for Wingate, which made me even more suspicious. Because if Wingate was being killed, I should’ve been told. I’ve been assigned to keep an eye on him so he doesn’t step out of line, so if he was being killed, I should’ve been the first to know. But I wasn’t.”
“So that’s why you went up to Leland’s room to talk to him?”
“Yes, but I wasn’t expecting to find out you were part of the plan. When Leland gave me that piece of paper, and confirmed you were being killed, I panicked. But I couldn’t let him see that. I had to go along with the plan and act like I was fine with it. I left his hotel suite and went back to the ballroom. I knew you were scheduled on a commercial flight, so that piece of paper didn’t make sense. You and Wingate would be on separate flights. I went up to Wingate and casually asked him who was going to be on his plane to Hartford. He didn’t mention your name, but I knew they’d find a way to get you on that plane. Taking down a private plane is much easier than taking down a commercial jet. And sure enough, the next day I talked to Wingate’s press secretary before his speech, and she mentioned that you were flying to Hartford with them. Luckily, I already had a plan in place to make sure you didn’t get on that flight. And that’s how we ended up here.”
I think back to earlier today, after he called me. “There was a woman at the hotel. She looked just like me.”
“Yes. I hired her so that they’d think it was you that got in that Mercedes. They tapped into the hotel cameras and were watching you, except it wasn’t you. It was a different woman. And while they were distracted, watching her car drive away, I was able to pick you up in the limo, hopefully without being noticed.”
“What about the plane? I wasn’t on it.”
“The Mercedes arrived at the airport, as planned, and they saw the fake you go inside. And you were listed on the flight records, so they assumed you were on the plane when it went down.”
“But why would Wingate leave without me?”
“Once everyone else was on the plane, I called Wingate, pretending to be Pearce, and told him you’d changed your mind and were taking the later commercial flight. So Wingate and his staff took off without you.”
“If they investigate, they’ll know I wasn’t on it.”
“When the plane crashed, it went up in flames. The fire destroyed everything. There won’t be much, if any, remains.”
My stomach knots. “So they killed all those innocent people just to get rid of me?”
“And Wingate. He’s always been difficult to deal with and the organization had had enough. Wingate knew too much to stay alive, so they arranged for his plane to go down.”
“Why didn’t you save Wingate? And all those other people?”
“The plane had to go down. In order to save you, I had to make it look like their plan worked.” He sighs. “I wish I could’ve saved those people, but I had to make a choice. It was you or them. And I chose you. You’re like a daughter to me, Rachel, and Pearce is like a son.”
“Then why did you stop talking to us?”
“Because they ordered me to. I was Pearce’s mentor for years, but they thought I was getting too close to him. Too emotionally involved. So they forced me to move to DC and told me to keep my distance from Pearce. But I haven’t done so. I’ve been calling him every week on a phone that can’t be traced.”
“You have?” I stare down at the table. “He never told me. He hasn’t told me any of this. I feel like our whole marriage has been a lie.”
“It hasn’t been a lie. Look at me, Rachel.” He waits until I do. “Don’t you ever doubt how much Pearce loves you. If he could have, he would’ve told you everything. He wanted to, many, many times. But doing so would’ve put you at risk. People who find out our secrets get killed. So I’m telling you now, everything I’ve told you today must remain confidential. You can never tell anyone what you know. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” My head is pounding, my thoughts racing so fast I can’t keep up. I don’t want to believe any of this, but for some reason I do. Maybe because deep-down, part of me always knew Pearce was hiding something from me. I just didn’t know what.
“Why didn’t you tell Pearce?” I ask. “When you found out about the plan they had for me, why didn’t you tell him?”
“Because Pearce can’t think straight when it comes to you. If he knew of their plan, he would’ve gone on a rampage, trying to kill every damn one of them, and in doing so, he would’ve got himself killed.”
I take a breath, trying to calm down enough to stay focused on what he’s saying. “So what happens now? What do I do?”
“You’re leaving. Tonight. You’re taking an overnight flight and you’re leaving the country. You are no longer Rachel Kensington. You have a new identity. A new passport. A new history. You didn’t grow up in Indiana. You grew up in Maryland. Your father worked on a fishing boat.” He reaches under the table and slides out a drawer. Inside is a folder. He takes it out, sets it on the table, and slides it over to me. “You need to memorize the contents of that folder. That’s the new you. You will assume the identity I’ve created for you.”
“So I’m dead now?” Tears fall from my eyes. “I’ll never see my son again? I’ll never see Pearce?”
“You will. It’ll just take time. I’m going to see Pearce tonight to tell him what happened. I’ll tell him you’re alive. Then it’ll be up to him to find a way to get you back.”
“You just said you didn’t want to tell him because of how he’d react.”
“Once he knows you weren’t on that plane and that you’re alive and safe, he’ll be able to think this through and come up with a plan. Pearce knows how they work. He’ll understand why I did this and why the crash had to happen. When I meet with him tonight, I’ll tell him how I think he should handle this, but ultimately it’ll be up to him. He has to be the one to do this. I can’t do any more to help him. Or you. I’ve already put myself and my family at risk by doing this.”
Jack must see the hopelessness on my face because he reaches over and holds my hand. “Pearce will get you back. I don’t know how, but I know he’ll find a way. As long as he knows you’re alive, he will spend every waking moment trying to find a way to get you back. But it could take months, or even years, so you need to be patient. And you must never contact him. Or me. Or anyone else from your former life. If you do, you’ll put us all in danger. You need to wait for Pearce to come get you.”
“No!” I yank my hand back from his. “I can’t do this. I can’t leave my family behind. Just take me to Pearce. I’ll hide out at home. Or somewhere near the house. I’ll stay in hiding until Pearce can figure this out.”
“It’s too risky. We can’t risk someone finding you. If they discovered you were alive, they would kill you, and they wouldn’t bother with a plane crash. They’d kill you as soon as they saw you. And what if Garret was with you when they did it? What if you were shot at, but the bullet accidentally hit your son?”
“Oh, God.” I cover my face with my hands. “Don’t even say that!”
“This is why you can’t go back. Not yet.”
“Then I’ll move somewhere else. I’ll go to the West Coast, far away from anyone who knows me.”
“You can’t be here, Rachel. You can’t be in the US. We have members all over the country and all of them know who you are. And the public knows you. If someone saw you, they’d report it. You’re supposed to be dead.”
“I can�
��t leave the country. I can’t be that far away from my family. There has to be a different way.”
“There is no other way. The only way to keep you and your family safe is for you to go far away where nobody knows you.”
I close my eyes, tears streaming down my face. “I don’t think I can do it, Jack. Garret needs me. He’s just a little boy. He needs his mother. I can’t leave my son.”
“You have to. You’d be putting yourself in danger if you stayed.”
“Not if I stay hidden. Pearce will find me a safe place to hide where Garret could come see me.”
“There’s no safe place to hide you. Not here. Not in the US. If you remain here, they will find you. And when they do, you risk them harming more than just you. They could do something to Garret. Or Pearce.”
I shudder at the thought. “Why? Why would they hurt them?”
“To punish you for their plan not working.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“The organization has spent years planning this plane crash and they’d be livid if they found out it was all for nothing, especially the members on the planning committee. One of those members might take their anger out on Pearce or Garret.” Jack gazes off to the side, rubbing his chin. “If Pearce doesn’t do this exactly right…if anything goes wrong in his attempt to get you back…”
“What?” I ask, my eyes glued to him. “What is it, Jack? What would they do?”
He looks back at me. “They might decide to punish both of you.”
“How? How would they punish us?”
“By taking Garret. Doing so would hurt both you and Pearce more than anything else.”
“What do you mean they’d take him?” I’m shaking now, as more tears fall from my eyes.
“Rachel.” His tone is soft yet still very serious. “This is just one of many possibilities. I’m not saying it would happen, but when people are out for revenge, all bets are off. These people..the members…they’re ruthless bastards.”
“Just tell me.” I hiccup a breath. “Tell me what you meant when you said they’d take him.”
He nods. “I meant they might…kill him.”
“No!” I squeeze my eyes shut and more tears spill down my face.
“If they wanted to get back at you and Pearce—”
“What is WRONG with these people?” I scream. “They’d really do that? To an innocent little boy?”
“They tried to kill you. That’s all the answer you need.”
“But if they want Garret as a member why would they—”
“I didn’t say the organization itself would do this. I said someone from the planning committee might. Someone who’s angry that they wasted time on something that didn’t work. Maybe that wouldn’t happen, but it’s a definite possibility. And as much as it hurts me to even bring that up, you need to know what could happen. You need to know what they’re capable of.”
I nod, and wipe my face.
“This is why you can’t go back there. It’s too dangerous. For you, but also for Pearce and Garret. You need to get far away from here and let Pearce figure this out.”
“What if he can’t?”
“He will. Just give him time.”
I swallow past the burn in my throat and take as deep a breath as I can. “So where am I going?”
“That’s up to you. I wanted you to be able to pick the location, but it needs to be someplace remote. A small town. A place they’d never look.”
I pause to think. “I know where to go.” I tell him the location and he says he’ll tell Pearce.
“We need to hurry.” He gets up from the table. “We’re behind schedule. I’ll give you ten minutes to look over that folder. After that, I need you to cut your hair and change your clothes. I’ll bring you new clothes and a new wig and some glasses. You need to cut your hair short, so it doesn’t show under the wig.”
My vision’s blurring and I feel lightheaded. I close my eyes and wait for the feeling to pass.
Jack touches my shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
“Rachel, you need to be strong or you’ll never survive this. You need to become someone new and live your life as if nothing has happened. If you act nervous or anxious, people will suspect something’s up with you, and if that happens, you risk being found out.”
“Yes. I understand.”
He leaves the room and I’m left with the folder. Inside are sheets of paper outlining who I am. My likes, dislikes, where I grew up, what sports I played, what schools I went to. It’s all very detailed and I’m sure I’ll never remember it all. I see my passport and look inside at the photo. It’s my face but the hair is so different that it doesn’t look like me.
My name is one that’s very common. I’m sure Jack did that on purpose so if anyone tried to find something out about me, it would be difficult. There must be thousands of people with this name. Probably more.
After I read through the folder, I shove it aside and sob, grieving the loss of my son and my husband. My former life. I imagine the pain that Garret and Pearce are feeling now, thinking I’m gone, and I sob even more.
When Jack returns with my change of clothes, he comes over and pulls me up from my chair and into his arms. “I’m sorry, Rachel. I’m sorry it’s come to this. But Pearce will come for you. I promise you he will. Just be strong, and never lose hope.”
I nod, then straighten up and wipe my tears. He leaves me alone in the room and I change into black pants, a white shirt, and a gray cardigan sweater. The clothes and the colors will make me blend in, not stand out.
I let down my hair, gather it together, take the scissors Jack left me, and cut straight across, watching my long brown hair fall to the ground. I cut it to chin-length, which is the shortest I ever remember having it. I make some more cuts to even it out, then I put on the new wig. It’s light brown, much lighter than my normal color, and shoulder-length with long bangs. I put on the tortoise shell glasses and look at my reflection in the mirror Jack left in the room.
I take a deep breath as I see this strange person looking back at me. I can do this. It’s just for a little while. Just until Pearce finds me. He’ll find a way out of this. He’ll find a way to get me back and keep me safe. I know he will.
Until then, I’ll be someone else. I’m no longer Rachel Kensington. I’m Jill Smith from Maryland.
And today is the first day of my new life.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Three Months Later
PEARCE
“Dad, did you hear me?” Garret asks.
We’re eating dinner, sitting on the stools that line the kitchen island. Tonight’s dinner is chicken, roasted potatoes, and a salad. Charles made it and I’m sure the food is very good, but I really don’t know because I can’t even taste it. I eat it, but I’m not aware of how it tastes. I’m not aware of anything right now. Not even my son.
“Dad?” I hear him again.
I look up from my plate and see Charles looking at me. He glances at Garret, signaling me to respond.
I turn to Garret. “I’m sorry, Garret. What were you saying?”
“That I don’t have swim practice tomorrow. Coach is going out of town with his family.”
“Okay.” I look down at my plate again.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Garret moving the food around his plate with his fork. His head is slanted sideways and resting on his fist, his elbow propped up on the counter. It’s the classic bored kid look, but he’s not bored. He’s frustrated. With me.
Every night, we have dinner in silence. Or Garret says something, but I don’t hear what he said because I’m not listening. I know I need to pay more attention to him, and I try. I really do. But then my mind wanders to Rachel and the life we used to have, and I get lost in the memories.
These past few months, I haven’t been able to move on. I can’t get past my grief. I find it hard to get through each day. I go through the motions; taking Garret to school, going to
work, then coming home and having dinner. But I’m not really aware that I’m doing those things. The days just go by, one after another, and I never feel any better.
Some nights, I don’t even show up for dinner. I work late or go in my room, but I know that’s not fair to Garret, so tonight I’m having dinner with him. But whenever we have dinner together, it’s always here at the kitchen island. I refuse to eat at the dining room table because it reminds me of Rachel. I tried sitting there once, but it was too hard. I kept imagining her there next to me, smiling and laughing as we ate our meal. She always led the conversation, asking Garret and me about our day, then telling us about hers. I loved our family dinners. I looked forward to them every night. And now? I hate dinner. If it weren’t for Garret, I’d skip it altogether. I have no appetite. No desire to eat.
“I need to get to my other job,” Charles says.
I glance up and see him wiping his hands on a dish towel. “Thank you, Charles. Dinner is delicious, as always.”
Charles makes all our meals now. I hired him soon after Rachel died. He asked if there was anything he could do to help, so I asked him to work for me. He already had a job at a restaurant, and he did small catering jobs on the side, but he agreed to my offer. He had to change his work schedule at the restaurant from days to nights, but he did it because he felt so bad for Garret and me. So now Charles is here every afternoon to make dinner, then he leaves at six to go to his other job. He also does all the grocery shopping for us, but he makes sure he’s always here when Garret gets home from school. I didn’t like the idea of Garret being alone in the house every afternoon, so it’s worked out well having Charles here. I’ve thanked him repeatedly for doing this for us and I pay him double what he’d make anywhere else.
“Garret, good luck with your science test tomorrow,” Charles says.
“Yeah, bye,” Garret mumbles.
Garret loves Charles, but tonight he’s not being very friendly to him. I don’t think it has anything to do with Charles. It’s because of me. Garret is still upset that I didn’t hear him when he told me there was no swim practice tomorrow. From his mood right now, I’m guessing he talked to me all through dinner and is just realizing now that I didn’t hear a word he said.
Protecting Her Page 27
