Chapter 31

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KAITLYN STONE
I walked into the warehouse with Jonathan and Cameron close behind me and saw the silhouette of a man, roughly five feet ten inches tall staring out the large window out at the city with his back to us.
"Hello? Can I help you with something?" I called out to him causing him to turn at look at me.
I instantly recognized his messy blond hair and light brown eyes as he smirked at me.

I instantly recognized his messy blond hair and light brown eyes as he smirked at me

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"Hello, Kaitlyn."
"Conrad?" I breathed his name a moment before I ran towards him so I could hug him.
"Hey there. Kay said you're struggling." He whispered in my ear.
"I'm okay." I insisted pulling away from him.
He studied my face seeing right through my lie as he always did.
"She told me about Scott. I'm sorry, Katie. I know how much he meant to you. Taking on the Director position is no joke." He sighed looking over my shoulder at Cameron and Jonathan.
"Which one of you is Jonathan Black?" He asked them.
"I am." Jonathan stepped forward towards me almost protectively.
"I'm Conrad Hawkins. I served in Afghanistan with Kaitlyn in the Marines. I was her medic. She's like my baby sister and if you hurt her I'll rip you apart." He smiled shaking Jonathan's hand.
"Conrad." I sighed shaking my head.
"I'm just glad you aren't an ex-boyfriend with how she reacted to seeing you."
Conrad laughed and looked at me.
"Conrad and I met after Chase died, he was there for me when I'd pushed everyone out of my life. No one outside of the team knew I spent time in Afghanistan so my relationship with Conrad isn't documented anywhere and I haven't seen him in... what... three years?" I looked at him.
"Yeah. Abour that." He shrugged.
"Not that I'm not glad to see you but why are you here?"
"I heard you were struggling. I'm a third year resident at Chastain Park Memorial Hospital who has never taken a vacation. You need me here so I'm here." He smiled at me.
"You could have just called? How's Nic?"
"Nic's fine." He answered shortly.
"You know running from her isn't going to fix your relationship..."
"I know that."
"I just worry about you. You're almost forty."
"I'm still plenty young. I'm attractive. I'm a doctor."
"You're in love with her."
He stopped and looked at me.
"I need to think about this. Let me help you, Kaitlyn."
I sighed and nodded conceding that I needed his help. I needed all the support I could get.
Jack led his team into the room and looked around at us. His eyes settling on me standing between Jonathan and Conrad who immediately stepped forward placing themselves between Jack and I.
"Boys... It's okay. This is Jackson Morgan, the deputy Director of the CIA." I said stepping around them.
"Jack, this is Dr. Conrad Hawkins and Jonathan Black. The man you blew passed at the front door is Cameron Black, Jonathan's twin brother."
"I heard about Wyatt." Jack said gently.
"I'm sorry."
"I'm handling it." I answered respectfully.
"This is Anthony Spencer, technical analyst for the CIA." He said gesturing to a tall man standing to his left with jet black hair and piercing blue eyes.
"And Dana Horne, senior field agent." He motioned to a petite blonde woman with deep set brown eyes to his right.
I nodded at his agents before leading the group of seven over to a metal table in the middle of the room so Jack could begin the presentation of his evidence.
"Over the last decade the CIA and the FBI have worked in tandem to hunt down international terrorists and spies." He began.
"Now, we have reason to believe that this woman..."
He laid his picture down on the table for us to see. Conrad reached forward and touched it.
"I've seen her before. I can't place her but I've definitely seen her before." He said looking at me.
"We have reason to believe that she is Drake Blair's daughter, the man who killed Kaitlyn's husband and stepfather." Jack continued looking at me.
"She has been linked to dozens of homicides and now that her father's been taken care of we believe she will come directly for you. We have found a barrage of evidence that she and her father were keeping tabs on both you as well as Jonathan and Cameron for some time before the attempted attack in New York and even Chase's murder." Jack laid out surveillance photos on the table of myself, Jonathan and Cameron as well as a few of Chase.
"I have Agent Spencer browsing the computer data to try to give us a lead but it'll take time."
"I expected that." I said leaning forward to get a better look at one of the pictures.
It was of the exact moment that Chase purposed to me.
"I was raised by one of the best assassins of the generation and I had no idea they were watching us." I murmured.
"It's not your fault, Kaitlyn." Jonathan said as Conrad touched my shoulder.
"I'll get Jordan to work on the technical things with Agent Spencer." Cameron said earning him a curt nod from the harsh looking agent.
"I'll be in touch with you personally as we find things out. I'd like to ask the same of you, Director." Jack looked at me.
I nodded refocusing on the man standing in front of me.
"I know it's a lot to take in. We'll go ahead and leave, give you time to think about things."
"Yes, thank you." I answered and the left, leaving their pictures and business cards on the table.
"Are you okay?" Conrad asked turning to face me leaning against the table.
"I'm fine." I answered mechanically.
"You know I know you better than that." He looked at me hard.
I sighed.
"It is a lot to take in but I'm okay." I focused on his face.
He nodded.
"I want to stay for a couple weeks. See if I can help."
I nodded.
"Cam and I are going to take Conrad's rental so you two can catch up." Jonathan said leaning down to kiss me.
He turned and walked out of the room with Cameron close behind him.
"He's jealous." Conrad observed.
"He has nothing to be jealous about." I elbowed him before we walked out to my car.
"How the hell did you get a Venom?" He asked climbing into the passenger side.
"I'm an assassin. I can get whatever I need." I answered.
"What happened with Wyatt?" He asked cautiously as I pulled onto the freeway.
I sighed and glanced over at him.
"He drugged me and tried to rape me a couple of days ago." I answered fixing my eyes to the road.
"That's why he's so protective of you with me. He doesn't know anything about our history, does he?"
"No. Barely anyone does. I don't talk about it." I sighed.
"Neither do I." He said.
I nodded lost in thought for a moment.
If Conrad knew her or had seen her then they knew about him and our relationship. I had been so certain that no one knew we'd served together but now I was concerned for his safety.
"I'm still a Marine." Conrad said sensing my anxiety.
"I can handle myself."
"They got to Scott. Chase was a soldier too." I reminded him.
"You know I'll stay here as long as you need but I like it at Chastain. I don't really want to lose that job."
I sighed knowing he was right. I couldn't ask him to put his life on hold anymore than I could ask that of the twins.
"We'll just keep things the same for now but you have to call me if you see her." I urged.
"I will."
"I mean it Conrad. No heroics."
"I'm all about heroics, Katie. You know that." He winked at me.
I sighed and shook my head.
"You'll be the death of me, Conrad Hawkins."
In front of us a red sports car swerved hard in front of a white pickup truck causing it veer to the left hitting the divider sending it flipping across the freeway striking a pale blue minivan before coming to a stop teetering off the overpass.
I slammed on my brakes and looked over at Conrad before we both jumped out of the car and ran over to the pickup.

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