Protecting Her(108)

“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?”