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“Dee.” Lydia ran into her sister’s arms when Dee returned home.
“What’s wrong?” Dee pushed Lydia’s hair out her face. “Did something happen? Are you all right?”
“It was Jonathan.” She took a deep breath, wringing her hands. “He was here.”
“Did he hurt you?” Dee threw her purse on the couch. “If he did I swear that son of a bitch will be in a coffin by tomorrow.”
“He’s so creepy.” Lydia sat on the couch, rocking. “Just being near him makes my skin crawl.”
Dee sat beside her. “Did...he...hurt you?”
Lydia shook her head though Dee wasn’t convinced.
“Why in the world would you let him in here?”
“He tricked me.” She pushed her hair behind her ears. “I thought he was someone delivering flowers.”
“What flowers?”
“Please tell me what he said isn’t true.”
Dee got butterflies.
“Is there a possibility the baby is his?”
Dee sighed, looking away.
“Dee?” Lydia touched her arm. “Is it?”
She nodded, doing her best not to cry again.
“You slept with him?” Lydia whispered.
“Not by choice.” Dee sniffled. “He drugged me.”
“Oh my god.” The color drained from Lydia’s cheeks. “Oh, Dee.” She hugged her. “No, he didn’t.”
“According to Rena he did.”
“Why wouldn’t you tell me?” Lydia held Dee’s face. “I’m your sister. I love you.”
“I’m ashamed.” Dee’s voice cracked. “I feel like I brought it on myself.”
“Don’t you dare blame yourself. Jonathan assaulted you and he’s gonna pay for this. He got away with the kidnapping but we can’t let him walk away from this.”
“No telling what he could’ve done to you tonight.” Dee seized Lydia’s hands. “I’m getting a restraining order. I won’t risk him hurting you the way he has me.”
“As long as we have each other’s backs we’ll be fine.” Lydia hugged Dee and put her head on her shoulder. “We’ll fight until the end.”
****
An hour later, Connie and Dee raced across Min-jung’s yard.
Dee caught her breath. “Where’s Sung?”
“I didn’t know who else to call. He’s in the bathroom!” Min-jung grabbed Connie’s hand and led them through a narrow, blue hallway to a closed white door. “Sung, please open up.” She banged on it. “Wilks and Quarter are here.”
“What happened?” Dee asked.
Min-jung sobbed. “He’s in there bleeding. I...I don’t know what happened.”
“Sung?” Connie knocked on the door. “It’s Detective Wilks. What’s going on? Are you hurt?”
He let out a deep moan. “Leave me alone!”
“Your stepmother says you’re bleeding,” Connie said. “What happened to you? Do you need to go to the hospital?”
He shouted back in Korean.
“What did he say?” Dee asked Min-jung.
“He says I shouldn’t have called you.” She wiggled her small nose as she wept.
“Where is he bleeding?” Connie asked.
“He was holding his arm.” Min-jung held the top of hers. “And his shirt was covered with blood.”
“Sung, you need to go to the hospital if you’re bleeding too much.” Dee knocked on the door. “Listen, okay? We want to help you so you don’t have to be afraid.”
“You’re gonna throw me in prison.” He sniveled. “You wouldn’t understand!”
“Understand what?” Dee softened her voice. “The last thing we wanna do is hurt you. Can we see your arm?”
“No.”
“Sung, please.” Min-jung put her forehead to the door. “I’ve always loved you as if you were my own. That’s why when your dad died I promised I’d always be here. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“Then come out.” She pulled on the doorknob. “Please.”
He parted the door, sweat beading on his face and the sleeve of his shirt soaked in blood.
“Jesus.” Connie took out her phone.
“Don’t,” Sung said. “You call someone and I’ll lock myself up in this bathroom again.”
Dee gestured to his arm. “What happened to you?”
He winced, glancing at his stepmother.
She said something in Korean as if trying to convince him to speak.
“I was shot,” Sung blurted out, shivering. “We didn’t know he had a gun.”
“Who had a gun?” Dee asked.
“Ted Hines.”
“Isn’t that one of the names in your notebook?” Connie asked.
Sung glared at Min-jung. “You told them?”
“I showed it to them, yes.” She rocked, clasping her face. “I was worried about you. I’d do anything to make sure you’re okay.”
He stumbled back into the bathroom and fell against the sink.
“Why did Ted shoot you?” Dee asked.
“Because we tried to kill him.” Sung winced and groaned. “KTA.”
Connie nodded, inching toward him. “And what’s KTA?”
“My friends. You already know, don’t you?”
Dee extended her arm toward him. “Did KTA kill the Kengs and Tommy Kim?”
“We vowed to rid the world of evil.” He stood from the sink. “We’re not monsters. We’re problem-solvers.” He touched his arm, whimpering. “More than the police ever were.”
“What problems do you solve?” Dee held her breath for his answer.
“Pedophiles and rapists have no business on God’s earth.” He pointed to the tile floor. “They are the most disgusting predators ever created. They steal sanity and they ruin lives forever.”
“Is that what the Kengs, Tommy, and Ted are?” Dee’s voice cracked. “Rapists and pedophiles?”
“Yes.” A spark of pure hatred corroded Sung’s eyes. “Normand raped Priti.”
Connie’s mouth fell open.
“Tabitha knew it and so did Faith and they didn’t do a damn thing about it. All they cared about was saving Normand’s reputation.” Sung switched his eyes to Dee. “Priti loved Faith like a sister and Faith betrayed her. She allowed her father to take advantage of her.”
“When did this happen?” Dee whispered.
“When she stayed over the Kengs’ the last time.” Sung flinched, wobbling. “It tore Priti up. She was a virgin. Her dream was to wait for marriage. In one night, he crushed her whole world. She’s getting through it but she’ll never be the same again.”
“Do Priti’s parents know?” Connie asked.
“No.” Sung’s cheeks filled with air. “Normand always acted funny around her. She said he made her uncomfortable, but he was respected in our community so she ignored her instinct.” He raised a shaky fist. “After it happened, she felt that KTA was the only people who cared about her and we are. She became one of us and we protect her.”
Connie squinted. “Are all of you in KTA victims of sexual assault?”
“Yes and we vowed to get every person who ever laid a hand on us but it’s about more than us. Hyeon showed us that.”
Dee gaped. “Hyeon?”
“Yes. He’s our leader.” Sung beamed, raising his head. “He told us of our purpose. He gathered us together. See, he counsels children of abuse and he taught us we didn’t need to be sad. We needed to take action for all the children who’ve suffered.”
“My god,” Connie whispered.
Sung sucked his teeth in obvious pain. “KTA does what the justice system doesn’t.”
“You were abused?” Min-jung crept toward Sung. “Why didn’t you tell me? I would’ve helped you. I would do anything for you.”
“Who abused you, Sung?” Dee squinted.
Tears filled his eyes and a terrorized glow swept across his face. “My dad.”
Min-jung laid her hand on her bosom. “What?”
“Yes.” He wiped his running nose with his hand. “Dad wasn’t the upstanding citizen you thought he was. He was a sick, perverted bastard who took pleasure in hurting his own son.”
“No.”
Sung closed his eyes. “He made me have sex with him.”
“No!” Min-jung slammed her eyes shut. “This can’t be true!”
“Oh it happened. Over and over again. You wonder why I didn’t cry at his funeral?” He rocked his head, a smirk appearing. “Because I was laughing inside. Him dying of a heart attack was the best gift I’d ever had. There is nothing more painful than being hurt by the person who’s supposed to protect you.”
“No.” Min-jung slid to her knees, sobbing. “God, help us.”
“Hyeon created KTA?” Connie asked. “He gave you the guns and everything?”
“He taught us to shoot and trained us in everything we needed to make this happen.” Sung smiled. “His uncle sexually abused him when he was a kid.”
Connie shook her head, batting slowly.
“Hyeon’s dream is to make sure no other child ever feels the pain he did,” Sung said. “He loves children. Don’t you see that? He gives us power.”
“You’re not a child anymore.” Min-jung turned away from him. “You’re a killer. The reason doesn’t make it right.”
“I’d rather go to prison for killing every pervert on this planet then to live among them.”
“I hope you mean that.” Connie took out her handcuffs. “Because you might.” She ordered him to turn around and read him his rights.
Min-jung shrieked, throwing her hands in the air.
“I sympathize with you, Sung.” Connie locked the cuffs. “I’m sorry for what you’ve been through but two wrongs don’t make a right.”
He watched her over his shoulder as she pulled him from the bathroom. “I need to go to the hospital.”
“We’re taking you there now.” Connie took him away with Min-jung running in behind them.
Dee got on her phone and ordered the arrests of Hyeon and the rest of KTA.
****
A Week Later
“There are different options for a prenatal paternity test.” Dr. Bell sat behind her desk. “I’d recommend the NIPP procedure. It’s not harmful to you or the baby.”
Dee crossed her legs, clasping Winston’s hand in her lap. “How does the procedure work?”
“It’s as simple as can be.” Bell smiled. “We collect DNA from both of you and compare the fetal DNA to Winston’s to see if it’s a match and that’s it.”
Dee looked at Winston who kept his sights on the doctor.
“What’s fetal DNA?” Winston asked.
“It’s DNA that’s present in the mother’s blood.”
“When can we do this?” Dee asked.
“Dee’s about five and a half weeks pregnant.” Bell read Dee’s chart. “The test is done around the eighth week so in about three weeks.”
“Three weeks?” Dee sighed.
“Hey, it’s better than waiting nine months to find out.” Winston squeezed her hand. “If we do this, there will be no question who the father is once the results come in? You guarantee it’s accurate?”
Bell nodded. “I’d put my life on it. So, if you like, my nurse can set your appointment with the lab downtown.”
“Yeah.” Dee sat up in the chair. “That’s fine. I want this done.”
“Are you all right, Dee?” Bell asked.
“Yeah, I’m just...” She fanned her warm face. “Kinda hot. Overwhelmed I think.”
“Or just pregnant.” Bell smiled. “Hot flashes are common in pregnancy so get used to it.”
“There’s so much I’m going to have to get used to.” Dee half-smiled at Winston. “When will I get over this shock of being pregnant?”
“Probably not until you hold that little one in your arms.” Bell winked. “Then you’ll have the shock of being a parent. I’ve had three so I know what I’m talking about.” She checked her watch. “Since you’re here, let me do a quick examination.” She stood. “Let’s go to the room across the hall.”
Winston helped Dee out her chair as a nurse entered the office.
She smiled at Dee and Winston. “Dr. Bell, can I speak to you for a moment?”
“I’ll be right back, Dee.” Bell scampered off behind the nurse.
“Woo.” Dee sucked in a deep breath. “This is so scary.”
“Breathe.” Winston rubbed her shoulder. “You’re not alone in this.”
“Being here and talking about the test reminds me it’s real. I was hoping this was just a bad dream.” She took his hand. “If the baby is Jonathan’s we’ll never get rid of him. He’ll be in our lives forever.”
“Look at me.” He caressed her cheeks. “Whatever happens we’ll deal with it. I’m not leaving you. You’re still worried about that, aren’t you?”
“What if it’s his?” She closed her eyes, fighting tears. “Jonathan would have rights to the baby. This is a mess.”
“Come here.” Winston guided her head to his shoulder. “It’s gonna be all right.”
“I did this to us.” She gripped his waist. “I brought that monster into our lives.”
“You believe in our love?” He stroked her hair.
She nodded into his shirt.
“We’ll get through this, Dee.”
“How?”
“Like we always do.” He rocked her. “Together.”
THE END
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