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Author of 12 Stories |
The sun was still high in the sky when Hawke and Dominic took off for the lair. Because of time, they took the Jet Ranger instead of the Jeep to Airwolf. They landed as close to the lair as they could and made the short walk to the lair. They were able to walk in and forget about the code since Caitlin had already turned it off. The remaining sunlight illuminated Airwolf and the small form sitting on the ground next to the lady.
Hawke nudged Dominic when they saw her and both men walked toward her. She was sitting on the ground with her knees pulled up to her chest and her head hanging down.
"Angela?" Hawke asked.
The mop of red hair shook back and forth and Caitlin raised her head. Her face was pale and tear stained. "It's Caitlin," She said and accepted Hawke's hand so she could stand. When she was standing, she said, "I'm Caitlin O'Shaughnessy. I'm a former Texas Highway Patrol officer and now work at Santini Air as a female stunt pilot. You're Stringfellow Hawke and Dominic Santini."
Hawke and Dominic smiled.
"I only have one question," Caitlin said.
"What is it, sweetheart?" Dominic asked.
"Before I woke up in the hospital, the last thing I remember is leaving Hawke at the hangar." With tears in her eyes and a catch in her voice, she asked, "What happened to me and where were you guys?"
Hawke pulled her into his arms and squeezed tight. "You're going to be okay, Cait?"
It was the first time that Caitlin had been at the FIRM in six weeks. On Dominic's request, she spent the last few days with San Diego doctors getting a complete workup. Her memory was back, with the exception of the few days before she woke up in the hospital. All three men would clam up when she mentioned it. A neurologist told her that part of her memory may never come back. She didn't know if she could live with that.
After Dominic picked her up at the hospital, they headed for the FIRM where Michael greeted her with a hug.
When she was seated with a drink in her hand, she said, "So what is this meeting about?"
Hawke was already in the office when they arrived. Dominic took a seat on the couch and Michael sat on the edge of his desk. "Henri Duveaux has been officially charged with the selling of Sleeping Beauty and the deaths of several people because of the drug. I sent cleaners to the mansion to get rid of your clothes and fingerprints, but they were already gone. As far as the FBI, CIA, and FIRM are concerned, Angela Wolfe doesn't exist. I would like to know who cleaned Duveaux's house."
"Kelby?" Dominic asked.
"As soon as Kelby handed Rupert over to the authorities, he was whisked away for debriefing and his new undercover position. Someone else got to the house before we could."
"Does it matter?" Hawke asked as he shrugged his shoulders. "Henri is in prison, the formula for Sleeping Beauty has been destroyed, the drug warehouse cleaned from top to bottom and Caitlin is back with us. As far as I'm concerned, the case is over and none to soon." He stood.
"What are you talking about?" Caitlin asked.
Dominic joined him. "Well, there's an inspection next week and the hangar is a mess. The helicopters need washed and we have a stunt flight in two days that will take up a whole day."
"Then we should get to work," Cait said. She pushed herself out of the chair.
Hawke slapped Dominic on the back. "We're going to take a vacation. After all, we've had double the work load since you've been gone and no time for ourselves." Hawke opened the door and both men left.
Caitlin felt mortified at what they were leaving her with and her face must have shown the mortification. She turned to Michael. "Michael?"
Michael shrugged his shoulders. "What do you want me to do about it? I've always has double the workload and your absence never affected it." He went around his desk to sit down.
Caitlin turned back toward the door. "Guys! Guys! Wait up. Can't we talk about this?" She opened the door and took a step back.
"Surprise!" Hawke and Dominic shouted. Between the two of them, they held a cake that said WELCOME BACK in green frosting.
Caitlin felt the tears welling up. "You, guys, are great."
They set down the cake and Dominic put his arm around her. "You didn't think we would take off on you after you came back." He kissed her on the temple.
"Welcome home, Cait," Hawke said, grinning widely as he handed her the knife to cut the cake.
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