Chapter 6 - The Lie Her Mother Carried
Grace found Eleanor in the upstairs guest suite.
Her mother was awake.
Sitting on the edge of the bed.
Waiting.
Grace held the phone.
“You met David Mercer.”
Eleanor closed her eyes.
“Yes.”
The answer hurt more than denial.
Grace shut the door.
“Three weeks ago.”
“Yes.”
“You told me you hadn’t seen him in decades.”
“I lied.”
“Clearly.”
Min-jae remained outside.
Grace had asked him to.
This conversation belonged to her.
At least at first.
“Did you hire Joon-seok?”
“No.”
“Did Mercer?”
“Yes.”
“You knew about my date?”
“No.”
“You knew he was watching me?”
Eleanor hesitated.
Grace’s voice hardened.
“Mom.”
“Yes.”
Grace stepped back.
“Why?”
“Because Mercer called me three months ago.”
“And you didn’t tell me.”
“He said Han had returned to New York.”
“So?”
“He said you were in danger.”
“And you believed him?”
“I believed the part about Han.”
Grace laughed bitterly.
“Then you helped him spy on me.”
“I asked Mercer to keep you safe.”
“By having someone follow me?”
“I didn’t know what methods he would use.”
“That is not an answer.”
Eleanor stood.
“I was terrified.”
“So you lied.”
“Yes.”
“You let me keep working at Haneul.”
“I didn’t know Min-jae owned it until tonight.”
Grace believed that.
Her mother was terrible with technology and worse with rich-people gossip.
Still.
“You met Mercer.”
“Yes.”
“What did he want?”
“The missing pages.”
Grace’s anger cooled.
“What pages?”
“Michael removed the most important section before he died.”
“Where is it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Mom.”
“I truly don’t.”
“Then why would Mercer meet you?”
“Because he thought I did.”
Grace sat down.
“What did you tell him?”
“That Michael once said the list would stay close to Grace.”
Grace frowned.
“Close to me?”
“Yes.”
“How close?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did Dad give me anything?”
“Many things.”
“The recipe box.”
“He gave you that.”
“Anything else?”
Eleanor thought.
Then froze.
Grace noticed.
“What?”
“Your cookbook.”
“What cookbook?”
“The blue one.”
Grace stared.
Her father’s handwritten cookbook.
It sat in the kitchen at Haneul.
Grace had brought it months ago because the restaurant’s pastry chef wanted her apple cake recipe.
“Oh no.”
She ran downstairs.
Min-jae followed.
“What?”
“My cookbook.”
They reached the kitchen.
Gone.
The shelf where Grace kept it was empty.
Jun-ho checked cameras.
At 3:14 a.m., during the chaos at Grand Central, someone entered the kitchen.
Chef Luis.
Grace stared at the screen.
“No.”
Luis had worked with her for four years.
He trained her at another restaurant.
He recommended her for Haneul.
Min-jae spoke quietly.
“How long has he known you?”
“Six years.”
Jun-ho tracked his phone.
Off.
Grace looked at Min-jae.
“Mercer.”
“Likely.”
They searched Luis’s locker.
Empty.
Except for an envelope addressed to Grace.
She opened it.
I’m sorry.
I never meant for any of this to happen.
Mercer said your father destroyed my family.
I believed him.
By the time I understood the truth, it was too late.
Do not come looking for me.
Grace lowered the letter.
“That means we’re absolutely going looking for him.”
Min-jae sighed.
“You are impossible.”
“You like me.”
He froze.
Grace realized what she had said.
Jun-ho silently left.
Grace looked at the floor.
“Well.”
Min-jae stepped closer.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You said something.”
“I say lots of things.”
“You said I like you.”
Grace looked up.
“Do you?”
The air changed.
No explosions.
No guns.
No mafia fathers.
Just them.
Min-jae stared at her.
Grace suddenly felt more nervous than she had while facing armed men inside a chapel.
“Do you?” she repeated.
His voice was quiet.
“Yes.”
Her heart kicked.
“Oh.”
He stepped closer.
“You already knew.”
“I suspected.”
“Because I stopped breathing?”
“That was a clue.”
His mouth almost curved.
Grace looked at him.
“How long?”
“Long enough.”
“That is not a number.”
“Grace.”
“How long?”
“Four months.”
She stared.
“You’ve liked me for four months?”
“Yes.”
“And said nothing?”
“Yes.”
“You threatened two waiters.”
“One.”
“Three.”
“One deserved it.”
She laughed.
Then stopped.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Min-jae’s expression became serious.
“Because men like Han exist.”
“That’s not fair.”
“No.”
“To you either.”
“I know.”
Grace swallowed.
“I still want to go on dates.”
His face tightened.
She smiled.
“With you, idiot.”
Min-jae actually blinked.
Grace had never seen him surprised so many times in one night.
“With me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
She stared.
“That might be the least romantic response possible.”
“I meant—”
“I know.”
She stepped closer.
“You make terrible coffee.”
“I know.”
“You’re bossy.”
“Yes.”
“Terrifying.”
“Apparently.”
“And you have enough emotional repression to keep ten therapists employed.”
He frowned.
“That seems excessive.”
“But…”
Grace touched his jacket lapel.
“You remembered my mother has arthritis.”
His expression softened.
“You knew my birthday.”
“Yes.”
“You put a chair in your office because my knees hurt.”
“Yes.”
“You always eat what I make.”
“Except kimchi.”
“Coward.”
He almost smiled.
Grace looked at his mouth.
Min-jae looked at hers.
Then Jun-ho burst through the door.
“Boss.”
Grace jumped.
Min-jae closed his eyes.
“Jun-ho.”
“Sorry.”
“You should be.”
“We found Luis.”
Grace turned.
“Where?”
“Old warehouse in Red Hook.”
“Alive?”
“For now.”
“How do you know?”
“Mercer sent a livestream.”
Jun-ho held up the phone.
Luis sat tied to a chair.
Behind him stood David Mercer.
He held Grace’s blue cookbook.
Mercer looked directly into the camera.
“Grace.”
Her blood chilled.
“If you want your friend alive, bring Eleanor.”
Grace stared.
Mercer smiled.
“And bring Kang Min-jae.”
Min-jae’s face hardened.
“Why me?”
Mercer answered.
“Because Han Tae-sung is coming too.”
Grace whispered, “He’s setting a trap.”
“Obviously,” Min-jae said.
Mercer continued.
“Midnight.”
The feed cut.
Grace looked at the clock.
10:36 p.m.
Min-jae pulled out his phone.
“No.”
Grace crossed her arms.
“Don’t start.”
“You are not coming.”
“It’s my cookbook.”
“Grace.”
“My chef.”
“Grace.”
“My mother.”
“You are the target.”
“So are you.”
“That is different.”
“How?”
“I can defend myself.”
Grace picked up her metal tasting spoon.
Min-jae stared.
She put it down.
“Fine. Bad example.”
He almost smiled.
She stepped closer.
“We do this together.”
His eyes met hers.
“Together.”
At 11:52 p.m., they reached the warehouse.
NYPD tactical units waited two blocks away.
Jun-ho had become surprisingly enthusiastic about legal backup.
Grace wore body armor beneath her coat.
Eleanor sat in another vehicle.
Seo-yeon remained guarded at Haneul.
Min-jae held Grace’s hand before they entered.
“Stay behind me.”
“I’ll stay near you.”
“Behind.”
“Near.”
“Grace.”
“Min-jae.”
He gave up.
Inside, Luis sat tied beneath a hanging industrial lamp.
Mercer stood beside him.
Han Tae-sung stood across the warehouse.
Seung-won knelt at Han’s feet.
Alive.
Bruised.
Grace exhaled.
Mercer smiled.
“Everyone is here.”
Grace held up her father’s notebook.
“Let Luis go.”
“Cookbook first.”
“You already have it.”
“I have the shell.”
Mercer opened it.
Pages had been cut from the center.
Grace stared.
“They’re gone?”
Mercer smiled.
“Your father was clever.”
Han shouted, “Where is my daughter?”
Mercer looked at him.
“Still obsessed.”
“Where?”
Mercer turned toward Eleanor.
“You tell him.”
Eleanor stepped forward.
“I don’t know.”
“Liar.”
Grace noticed something.
Luis was looking at her.
Then at the floor.
Again.
Again.
She followed his gaze.
A metal drainage grate.
Something white beneath it.
Paper.
Grace slowly understood.
Luis had hidden the missing pages.
Mercer didn’t know.
Neither did Han.
Grace moved one step.
Min-jae noticed.
“What?”
She whispered, “Keep them talking.”
His eyes flicked toward the grate.
He understood.
Min-jae looked at Han.
“Your daughter is dead.”
Han’s face twisted.
“No.”
“You spent twenty-seven years chasing a ghost.”
“No.”
“You destroyed everyone around you because a child was afraid of you.”
Han raised his gun.
Min-jae didn’t move.
Grace edged closer to the grate.
Mercer saw her.
“What are you doing?”
She stopped.
“Nothing.”
“Move away.”
Grace smiled.
“You know what your problem is, Mercer?”
He pointed his gun.
“I doubt you’re qualified to diagnose it.”
“You think smart people can’t be distracted.”
His expression changed.
Too late.
Jun-ho cut the power.
Darkness.
Grace dropped.
Her fingers reached under the grate.
Gunshots erupted.
She pulled out the folded pages.
Then someone grabbed her hair.
Grace screamed.
Mercer.
Min-jae shouted her name.
A gun pressed against Grace’s ribs.
Emergency lights flickered on.
Mercer dragged her backward.
“Drop it!”
Min-jae froze.
Mercer pressed the gun harder.
Grace held the pages.
Han stood ten feet away.
Seung-won crawled toward cover.
Luis fought against his restraints.
Mercer whispered into Grace’s ear.
“Give me the list.”
“No.”
“Grace.”
“No.”
“You’re exactly like your father.”
“Thank you.”
Mercer smiled coldly.
“That wasn’t a compliment.”
Across the room, Min-jae slowly lowered his weapon.
“Let her go.”
Mercer laughed.
“The feared Kang Min-jae.”
His arm tightened around Grace.
“Finally kneeling for someone.”
Min-jae’s eyes stayed on Grace.
Then Han raised his weapon behind Mercer.
Not toward Min-jae.
Toward Grace.
Eleanor screamed.
Grace turned.
May you like
A shot exploded.
And Min-jae fell.
