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Kono had managed to send a suggestive text message to Jose. It had been two days since the extraction and she was sure that he had made no connection between her and what had happened with Catherine.
Kono sat at the back of the bar with her legs crossed, revealing just enough to excite him. She wore a black skin tight dress and nursed a drink while she waited. Jose entered looking around desperately for her. She signaled him to come to where she was sitting. Danny sat impatiently across the room and was keeping a close eye on her.
"Hey there big boy" Kono said in a sultry voice
"Hola Chica, you left early the other night" He said
"I had a lot of fun" she responded
"We can do it again" He raised his eyebrows and smiled a nasty grin.
"How about tonight?" She leaned in closer
"I can't tonight, I have to work" he was disappointed
"Oh that's too bad, maybe we can get together after" she whispered as she leaned in closer to him.
"I don't know, I'm gonna be in Sand Island and I don't know how late I'll be back" he was a plethora of information
"Well, what time do you have to go to work? Maybe we have time before you go" she asked as she rubbed her leg against his
"I don't have to be there until 10:30, want to go somewhere now?" he was anxious
Kono's phone rang "Hello, Oh I'll be right there." She hung up. "I'm sorry stud, but I have to go. I'll text you later" she leaned over and faked a kiss on his cheek and walked out the bar with Danny following close behind. Idiot. She thought to herself.
Steve and Chin were in the kitchen eagerly preparing the Ops gear. Malia came down the stairs dressed in her lab coat and carrying her medical bag. Steve signaled to Chin to go and talk to her.
"Malia, thank you so much. I appreciate you coming and helping. It means a lot to our team"
"Chin you know if you ever need anything you can always call me" she smiled "She is doing really good. Just keep an eye on her. Physically she'll slowly recover, emotionally, I recommend therapy. Traumas like this often lead to suicidal tendencies; please keep your eyes on her. Tell Steve to try to get her some help. I really do have to go; I have patients waiting for me."
Chin escorted her out the door and stood and watched as she drove off.
"She's really great man, why did you let her go?" Steve asked
"I can ask you the same question" he responded
"Point taken" Steve agreed
"Well, the Ops gear is ready, Danny and Kono are on their way back and all we have to do is wait. I'm going to go get a fresh shirt from upstairs. Do you need anything?" Steve asked as he got up.
"No I'm good" Chin replied
Steve proceeded to climb up stairs when he ran into Catherine coming down the stairs. She was wearing jeans, sneakers and a blue T-shirt. Her eyes were red and had dark circles. Her skin was pasty and her lips were dry. She had some gashes and a bruise was prominently displayed on her face.
"Where do you think you are going?" He asked her as he grabbed her arm and pulled her back up stairs.
"I'm coming with you guys" She responded as she released his grip
"Oh no you are not" he said
"Oh yes I am. There is no way in Hell that I am going to pass up this chance" She was adamant
He grabbed her wrist and gently guided her back into the bedroom. "You are going to shoot a gun with these hands?" Her hands were shaking. "I am not giving you a gun"
"You don't have to" she raised her shirt, to reveal a gun in her belt.
"Where did you get that from?" he was curious, it wasn't one of his
"I had it here with my stuff" she responded cunningly
"Why did you feel that you needed a gun while you were here?" He didn't understand
"Are you kidding? You used to leave me here alone all the time. Half the world was out to kill you, and you want to know why I felt I needed protection? Seriously?" she explained
"Ok, I get it, but you are still not coming." He insisted
He sat on the bed and motioned for her to sit next to him.
"Are you ok? I mean really ok?" He asked as he looked at her directly
"I'm fine" she avoided eye contact
He gently reached, touching her chin and turning her head to face him. "What were you trying to prove?" he asked softly
"I wasn't trying to prove anything. It just got out of control" she began to tear
"I'm sorry, I don't want to upset you, but that was not you, I told you this was too dangerous for you" he said
"I knew it" she raised her voice and got defensive "You couldn't wait to say I told you so"
"That's not what I meant" He stood up and paced the room. "I just don't get it, how did you get in so deep?"
She stood up and faced him "I got scared. He killed Roberts in front of everyone. He called a meeting and killed him" she began to cry "He had a wife and a baby. A baby, Steve, a baby"
Steve reached over and held her tightly in his arms. "Do you have any idea what it did to me to see him touch you like that and to see you doing blow? Was that so necessary?"
She sat back on the bed and held her head in her hands, pulling at her hair "It was the only way that I could convince him that I belonged there." she paused "I had to try to gain his trust, He thinks he loves me. I had to use that to my advantage. It was just sex, nothing more. I admit it, I lost control of the situation, but I got the information that is going to take him down. I wanted to kill him with my bare hands, but I had a job to do…he trusted me…he told me about the entire operation…I couldn't let Roberts' death be in vein" she wiped her face with her hands and looked at Steve "I have to be there tonight"
"It was just sex? Since when is it ever just sex for you?" Steve questioned angrily
"Trust me, with him it was. I had to convince myself that it was nothing. It wasn't like it was with you, at least not for me. You should understand what it's like. You know what it's like to just have non meaningful sex. You did it with me for years. I used him to my advantage, just like you always used me to your advantage. You see Steve, what we have here is not much different then what you and I had. I loved you and you, you; well let's just say I was a means for you to get information. You get laid and close a case all at once. The worst part about it was that I allowed it to happen." She had summed up their relationship.
Steve nodded his head in disgust "You are so wrong and I am going to forget what you just said. When you clear your head, then we'll discuss this, but I can assure you one thing. WE are NOT like you were with him. I cannot even believe that you think that. He was a case, a criminal and until you realize that, you are going nowhere!" he shouted
She resolved to his protest and spoke softly "Listen you have two choices, I go with you or I just go on my own. Seeing as I am still a little shaky and a lot fuzzy, I would prefer to go with you. Please"
Steve looked at her with pity and continued to pace the room. He hesitated, looked directly at her and grabbed her shoulders as he spoke directly to her. "Fine, but you are back up. You stay back and just support. I don't want you face to face with him. Got it?"
"Ok" she said staring directly at him.
He pulled her closer and held her tightly in his arms. "You are so wrong about me, so wrong about us." He whispered in her ear. As much as he was disgusted with her reasoning, he had feelings for her. He knew that this emotional state was temporary and that she was seeing things through a mindset that wasn't typical for her. This was not the sweet innocent girl that he had fallen for so many years ago. He just wondered if she ever would be, ever could be, again.