Jay and Buddy darted inside J and J antiques. They were red-faced and breathing hard.
Jay gasped for air and flopped on an antique couch. "My lungs are about to collapse. Need. Oxygen!"
"Jason!" Buddy called out.
Jason came in from the other room. "Hey, Buddy, hey Jay. What can I do for you? It looks like you've run a long way."
"We were over by the old building near here and -" Buddy stopped and gasped, "And we need your help. A friend of ours went inside and - then some guys came in and we think she's in trouble!"
"The old building?" Jason questioned.
"Yeah. Me and Buddy were staking it out."
"Why?"
"Because we've been seeing weird things there recently, like people loading boxes into it, and then people picking them up later, and weird meetings with people at all times of the day."
Jason frowned. "Like a cartel?"
"We think so."
"Alright, in that case, I think we need to call the police." Jason picked up the phone and dialed.
Jay got up from the couch and glanced around. "Hey, where's your sidekick, anyway?"
Jason looked at him sideways. "My sidekick?"
"You know, Richard."
"Oh, he's upstairs, would you go get him?"
"Roger, Captain Rogers." Jay saluted him and marched up the stairs.
He burst through the door.
"RICHARD 'BUCKY BARNES' MAXWELL!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.
Richard came around the corner. "You called?" he paused, "Wait a sec, Jay? What do you need?"
"Jason needs you downstairs. It's an emergency!"
"Ok…" Richard said uncertainly. He followed Jay down the stairs.
"Thank you, Detective, we'll be there in five." Jason set down the phone,
"We've got to go meet Detective Polehaus," he pulled out his car keys, "I'll explain on the way."
Before they walked out the door, Jason turned. "Jillian, please watch the shop!"
Jillian came from the back room. "Can't I go with you?"
"No, the shop is still open and we need someone to watch it."
She pointed at Jay and Buddy. "Can't they do it?"
Jason cast an annoyed glance at her. "No."
"Aw, man."
Jason and Richard walked out the door before Jillian could ask any more questions.
Blair had hidden away inside the storage closet for about half an hour, hoping that the men who were there would go away, so she could make a safe escape. The young women fingered the camera nervously. She had all the evidence she needed, but now she was trapped. What would she do if she was caught and they found out what was on this camera? Suddenly, she didn't have time to wonder anymore. The doorknob turned. Her jaw hardened. No. I'm not going down without a fight. The door swung open and a guy appeared in front of her. Upon seeing her, he started and opened his mouth to say something. Blair jabbed the man in the throat, then jumped out of the closet and shoved him inside of it, deadbolting the door. It only took a few seconds for him to start shouting and pounding on the door.
She had to get out of there quickly.
She rounded the corner, still clutching the camera, and ran into two men. She swiftly push - kicked one in the stomach and he went crashing back, the other guy pulled out his stunner and made a strike at her, but she jumped back, she delivered a lightning-fast hook kick, knocking it out of his hand. She then dove for it. The camera dropped out of her hand and clattered to the ground, but she didn't notice. She grabbed the stunner and stunned the man with it.
She tore off down the hall, now even more desperate to get out of there.
A loud yell echoed down the hall. A young man, about 20 or so, came running down the hall. His face was red with rage, and he was charging right for her. He barreled into her, they tumbled back, and he pinned her against a wall with his hands to her throat. She reached, trying to go for his eyes, but he knew what she was trying to do and jerked back. He stepped back, punched her in the ribcage, she staggered and winced. The man took another step back and swiftly brought his leg down hard on her shoulder in an ax kick.
She cried out and dropped down upon impact, but as she did, she swung her leg over and knocked his feet out from under him, giving her a chance to get back up. The man recovered quickly and got up as well, now even angrier than before. Sparks flared in his eyes.
The man let out a savage yell and swung at her, aiming for her jaw. She ducked, and took a step back, prepared herself to deliver a powerful kick, then realized she was backed against a wall.
He came for her again, she dodged the punch and his fist met the wall. He swung at her once more, this time she blocked the blow. She quickly rolled out of the way, and out of the corner of her eye, saw a hydraulic jack.
Blair grabbed the metal handle, and it slid out easily. She turned to face him. She barely had time to think when he kicked high, aiming for her head. She quickly dropped down in a squat, then sprang back up. Before he could make his next move, she brought the crowbar down on his head. He collapsed to the floor, unconscious.
Breathing hard, she dropped the pipe, and it clanged loudly. She barely noticed. Her heart was pounding in her chest. Everything seemed to be spinning. She had been fighting for years, but the first few moments after a spar never failed to make her head spin and her vision blur. As the adrenaline started to subside, she looked at the wall and saw a dent where his fist hit the wall. She looked down at the punk who lay still on the floor.
This guy had clearly taken some form of MMA, he was too good to be an amateur. But he had one flaw. He was angry.
"Sorry about that," Blair whispered. Now it's even more urgent for me to get out of here.
She took a sharp turn and was about to head down the stairs, but then bumped into a HUGE man who resembled the Incredible Hulk. One look and she knew he was an opponent she would not be able to go against.
She turned to dash it, but he grabbed her in a powerful grip, swung her over, and slammed her against a wall. She felt something in her side crack upon impact. She collapsed to the floor with a groan.
Before she could get back up, he picked her up as though she weighed nothing at all, and veritably threw her down the stairwell. She crashed and tumbled down the stairs, the last things she heard were loud shouts from voices she didn't recognize, pain, and a sharp stabbing in her side. Blair crashed down the final few steps and her head collided with the floor, or was it the wall? A cry escaped from her mouth before her body crumpled, everything went dark, and she knew no more.
"Ok, men, approach the building carefully, and quietly. But remember, we're just checking around." Polehaus's voice came over the speaker.
Richard and Jason sat in an unmarked car, listening in to the three officers on their walkie-talkies. They were parked about a hundred yards down the road, just out of sight.
Things were quiet for a couple of moments, then his voice intoned on the speaker once more.
"Alright, get ready to enter the building in three...two...one."
Silence.
Richard and Jason sat intently, waiting for any sign of what was going on. A full minute passed, though it felt like an hour.
In the distance, toward the direction of the complex, they heard faint yells, mixed with squealing tires. The engines faded away, presumably they drove off in the opposite direction.
The speaker crackled back to life, making them jump.
"Alright." It was Officer Henderson this time, "They panicked and left. I'm going to leave and follow them."
"Copy that, Henderson," Polehaus replied. "Richard, Jason, you two can come to the building to look around if you want."
"Copy that Detective." Answered Jason, "We're on our way."
The two men jumped out of the unmarked van and bolted down the dirt road toward the building.
They walked into the building tentatively.
"Detective?" Jason called.
"Over here." The cop shouted.
The two walked through the broken-down door and down the small hallway leading into the building. The floor was concrete, although it looked like there had been tile or carpet there before. Old paint was peeling off the walls and some of the windows were cracked, some covered with cardboard, some left as they were.
"Man, what do you think this place was before it got like this?" Richard asked.
"An office complex, most likely." Was Polehaus's reply, "Though I'd have to do some looking around to confirm that."
They rounded the corner and saw him standing there, writing something down on a notepad. This part of the building was left open, possibly a reception area.
In another room, you could barely see a staircase.
"Well, it appears there are more exits here than we thought." Called out Officer Burke as he walked back into the building. "I think they got out by way of the fire escape, on the opposite end of the building."
"That makes sense." The detective nodded. He looked at Richard and Jason, "You two can look around if you want. Jason, your experience as an agent may be helpful. You may be able to find something we miss."
Jason nodded. "Okay, I'll be happy to do whatever I can." He looked at Richard and gestured to the room with the stairs, "Shall we start in there?"
"Why not?"
They started for the room.
"Be careful, and if you see or find anything suspicious, call us immediately," Polehaus called after them.
"Understood sir," Richard called back.
They walked into the adjacent room, their footsteps echoing in the desolate place. It was larger than the room they came from. Along the wall, there was a flight of stairs, leading up to the second floor, then there was a landing, then there was a second staircase, leading up to the third floor. Jason walked over to a door and opened it, peeking in to see what was in there. It was too dark to make out anything clearly, so he pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight.
"I'll investigate here Richard, but you can go anywhere you like."
"Sure." He gazed at the stairs, "Maybe I'll go look up there." He pointed to the staircase.
"Okay." Jason gave a thumbs-up, "Just be careful."
Richard grinned. "What makes you think I'll be anything else?"
"Well -"
"Strike that from the record." He scampered halfway up the first flight, and turned around, "Don't do anything stupid." he shouted, "At least not till I get back."
"How can I? You're taking all of it with you!" Jason playfully retorted.
Richard smirked and quickly jogged up the stairs, deciding to investigate the third floor first, then down to the second.
He hopped up the last few steps and looked down the hall.
"Where shall I start first?" He mumbled to himself. Maxwell thought for a moment, then shrugged. He'd just start with the first door. He cautiously opened it and peered in.
The room appeared to be an office. There was an old desk and chair that had been shoved to the right corner of the room. He turned on the flashlight on his phone. The sun was setting fast, and it was getting too dark to adequately see. He searched around for anything that could be a clue to what was going on. He opened the drawers on the desk and searched. Nothing but old cobwebs and dust. This office was never used. Richard exited the room and was about to open the next door when his foot scuffed against something. He looked down and shone his light on the floor.
"A camera." He muttered to himself. He squatted down next to it, examining it all over, looking for an identifying mark or a name, something that could give him a clue. He noted that the lens was shattered and the side was cracked. It had been dropped. Or thrown. He examined it further and found a name written on the sling strap in sharpie. Property of Blair C. Duncan
Richard's heart nearly stopped. He was worried that Blair was involved with this and now his suspicions appeared to be confirmed.
One thing doesn't make sense. Why is it on the floor? Maybe she was in a hurry when she dropped it? When the police arrived?
Maxwell flipped the camera over and looked around for where the memory card was. Ah-ha! He quickly slid the small compartment back and, forgetting what Polehaus said, took out the memory card and put it in the inside pocket of his jacket.
I'll take care of this when I get back home.
He walked down the hall, his mind was reeling with wonderings and theories, he rounded the corner and was so lost in thought that he nearly tripped over the body that lay on the ground.
Good grief, forget looking in the offices, everything that's helpful is on the ground! I-
He audibly gasped when he realized just what exactly he had stumbled onto.* (*No pun intended) A young man, probably twenty or so, lay still on the ground. Maxwell swallowed hard. Was he - dead?
He knelt beside the man, trying to keep his hands from trembling as he touched his neck and felt for a pulse. It was there. In the deathly silence, he could hear the man's barely audible breathing. It was weak but steady.
"At least he's not dead." He whispered with relief.
He stood back up, put his hands on his hips, and shook his head. "But now this adds even more to the mystery. What happened to him? This wasn't the cops, we'd know if that was the case." He scanned the area around the body and saw a hollow metal pipe, probably sixteen inches long. "This looks like a handle from one of those hydraulic jack things."
They had used one at Triple J's a few days ago, and he remembered the handles could come right off if they weren't tightened on. It could be used as a weapon quite easily. He almost picked it up, but then refrained. They would use that to get fingerprints later.
He shone his flashlight on the wall and saw scuff marks and a small dent on the wall nearest to the man. He ran his fingers lightly over them. "Signs of a fight?" He said thoughtfully. It was looking more likely.
Richard decided to go find Polehaus, he'd know what to do.
He rounded the corner and came to a place on the opposite end of the building. It was a room just like the one he and Jason had been in, all the way down to the stairs. He squinted. It was too dark to tell, but it looked like something was on the landing between the first and second flight of stairs. He trotted down the first flight and shone his flashlight down to the landing.
What he saw made his blood run cold and his heart race. He ran down the rest of the stairs and looked closer, hardly daring to believe it.
It was Blair. She lay there, no life showing in her crumpled form.
He knelt by her and gently held her left hand. "Pulse. There's a pulse." He could see her chest rise and fall steadily. He let out a sigh of relief.
"Blair?" he whispered.
No response.
He shook her shoulder. "Blair! Wake up! Can you hear me?" he said a little louder this time.
Blair slumped back to her original position and made no sound. He saw a small gash in the right side of her temple, a stream of blood still trickling down her face.
Richard tried to suppress the panic he felt rising inside of him. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't tell if she was in a coma or unconscious, and he didn't want to move her, for fear she had broken anything, or that stirring her like that would add to her pain. He felt so helpless.
He looked at her softly and brushed the hair away from her face. "I wish I knew what to do. You would."
Well, I do know one thing.
He quickly picked up his phone and punched in the number. The phone rang once, then a woman's voice on the other end answered. "Nine One One, what's your emergency?"
The clock struck eleven that night.
Richard sat down in a chair in the intensive care unit waiting room and opened his laptop. Whit had brought his computer earlier that night.
Connie sat one chair over from him and Jason was standing by the door answering a phone call.
He put in the password, pulled the memory card out of his jacket pocket, and inserted it into the card slot. He clicked the start menu on the bottom of the screen and opened the file.
He started scrolling through the photos.
Some of them were papers with names, dates, and locations on them.
One of them seemed to be a profile.
Name: Myron HorowitzAlias: noneThat would explain why Jason saw Myron two days before. There was more to it, but he scrolled past and found more like it. Another said:
Name: Agent Sierra RollandAlias: Savannah Richardson
These guys were keeping tabs on who was working for them!
There were a lot of other things as well. Lots of forms from a place called Revolution Enterprises.
Revolution Enterprises. Why does that name sound so familiar?
He pushed that out of his mind as he continued scanning through the photos.
Another photo showed lists of contacts in various places. Some were in Chicago, Odyssey, Connellsville, and even Washington D.C.
He scrolled through the other photos and found several shots of some people entering the building.
Suddenly, the pieces snapped together. It all made sense now.
Blair wasn't at the building because she was working with them. She was working to expose them.
Richard ran his hand through his hair and gave a heavy sigh. "Well, I've made a mess of this, haven't I?" He muttered under his breath. It was a relief to know she wasn't involved in this racket. Not only that, but she was actively trying to bring them down.
Richard closed the computer.
He rested his head in his hands. He sighed loudly and tapped his foot nervously.
"Is everything okay?" Connie looked over at him.
"No." He shook his head, "I don't think it is."
"What's wrong?"
"I looked through the photos on the memory card."
Connie leaned in slightly. "And? What did you find?"
"And it looks like she was trying to get evidence to convict the people working in the building."
"Seriously?" She exclaimed, "That's amazing!"
"It is, yeah. But all this time I thought she was working with them. The last time we talked, we had a really difficult conversation."
"Oh, a lot of tension, huh?"
"Exactly. I told her I didn't know if I could trust her." he sighed, " You should have seen the look on her face. She looked so… sad - and hurt." He murmured, rubbing his eyes, "And it's my fault. I've been betrayed by a lot of people in life, and I was afraid it was happening again." He felt his throat constrict. He couldn't break down, he couldn't.
Connie put her arm around him. "I don't think Blair would do that. She's not your father, Brownlow, or your mother. She's her own person."
"I know. And I should have known that earlier."
"It's entirely understandable why you didn't. And you know what? In her own way, I think Blair understands too. She probably didn't know how to explain, or if she could tell you without compromising herself."
"Maybe. Now - I just hope that conversation won't be our last."
"I don't think it will," Connie said reassuringly. "The doctors are just waiting for her to come back into consciousness. Whenever she wakes up and is well enough to talk, you guys can have a little chat and get it all in the open."
He looked at her and gave a small smile. "Thanks, Connie."
"Hey, it's what friends are for."
Blair slowly woke up. A shaft of light pierced through and she opened her eyes, then promptly shut them. The light was blinding, even though it was just barely peeking out through the slightly opened curtains. Where was she? There was a weird noise, a slow, consistent, beeping, sound.
A heart-rate monitor?
Blair opened her eyes again, squinting, trying to get her bearings. She rolled over and felt a stab of pain in her chest. She inhaled through clenched teeth and rolled back to her original position, and started to relax again. Everything started coming into focus as she looked around.
She was in a hospital room. The young woman reached to brush her hair away with her right hand, then gasped. Her arm was in a splint.
"Wait a minute." She said aloud, "I remember what happened."
"You got beat up pretty badly, that's what happened." A voice from the chair by the nearly drawn curtains spoke up.
"Connie?" Blair lifted her head, which hurt to do, "What are you doing here?" She whispered, suddenly hearing how hoarse her voice was.
Connie smiled radiantly even though she looked exhausted. "I've been here a while. A lot of the night, in fact."
"I've been here all night?"
"Yup, since about nine."
Blair reached down with her free hand, groped around for a moment, and pressed a button, making the top half of the bed rise, so she could see Connie without looking up. "How did you find me?"
"Well I didn't, Richard did. He went to that old abandoned building with Jason and the police, and found you there, unconscious."
Blair thought hard. "I think I have some memory of riding in an ambulance. And doctors. It's all just a bunch of vague flashes."
Connie nodded understandingly. "You were touch and go for a while, Richard was with Jason and he called me, and we've been here ever since." she corrected herself, "Well, Jason left after you were stable enough to get moved out of intensive care, and into this room. That was probably about..." Connie calculated mentally, "Two in the morning."
Something was dangling by Blair's non - cast arm and it was annoying her. She lifted her arm and realized an IV was there. "I know how I broke my arm, but what about my ribs?"
"You broke your arm, and cracked two ribs, and had to get 7 stitches for that cut on your head, all of which you got when you presumably fell down that stairwell," Connie reported. "You got a lot of nasty bruises too."
Blair's eyes widened, as it all began to flood back to her. "I - I got into a fight with some people. And one threw me down the stairs."
"What were you doing there, anyway?" Connie inquired, pulling Blair back to the present.
"Trying to find the truth." Blair sighed, "But I'm afraid it all went to waste."
Connie frowned and gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry. Though, from what I've heard, you're pretty lucky to be alive right now. The police arrived just in time."
"Did they ever catch the guys who were there?"
"They did get a guy who was lying unconscious. He's still out though."
Blair looked sheepish. "I'm afraid that's my fault. But in my defense, he attacked me, and that jack handle was the perfect weapon."
Connie looked at her. "Oh yeah, me and Richard were both wondering about that."
"I managed to fight some of them off but he was the only one I knocked out, per se."
"Wait, you fought them off?"
She nodded. "Yeah. I'm a red belt in taekwondo and I've taken four years of Krav maga, so I know how to fight."
"Richard will be interested to know that," Connie grinned cheekily, "Speaking of whom…."
Blair looked confused. "Why, what did he do?"
"He's barely slept, and has hardly left your side since they moved you here! He only just left a few minutes ago to go get coffee. You should have seen him!. Before you were moved from the ER, he was pacing the halls, and so nervous, he didn't know what to do with himself!"
Blair gave a small smile. "He's very sweet to be so concerned."
Connie giggled. "I'm telling you, he's smitten."
Blair sat up abruptly. "Wait, really?"
"Yeah! You seriously didn't see that?"
"No, I assumed we were just friends."
Connie snorted. "Well, he sees you as more than that for sure."
"Connie, please don't jump to conclusions -".
The door creaked as it opened. Both girls immediately shut their mouths and looked at the door.
Richard walked into the room, holding a cup of coffee and looking worn out. His eyes flooded with relief upon seeing her awake.
"Hey there." he said softly, "You gave me quite a scare."
"Sorry."
"Don't be." He opened the curtains, letting the morning light fill the room with its inviting presence. "You're quite a brave woman to do what you did." Richard stood by the window, looking out over the skyline of Odyssey.
Blair shook her head, even though it hurt a lot, and made her feel dizzy. "I don't know about that."
"Well either way I'm proud of you. Your relentless pursuit of the truth is admirable. We have enough evidence to convict these guys now. It's just a matter of finding them."
The bedridden girl smiled modestly and blushed.
He lowered his voice and looked at her with sincerity. "And I'm sorry that I doubted you. I should have trusted you."
"All is forgiven." Blair answered, "But you're talking like I didn't lose the camera or something. I lost it during the fight."
Connie interrupted momentarily. "Blair has taken four years of Krav maga and is a red belt in taekwondo." She reported.
Richard's jaw dropped. "Oh my goodness, of course, you are!" He laughed, "That's so boss! Come to think of it, it also explains the crowbar."
"Thanks. But surely they have the camera and have destroyed the evidence by now."
Richard grinned roguishly, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a memory card.
She grinned back at him.
A few moments later, two men walked into their room. On their shirts, they donned FBI badges. One man was very tall, with an irritated expression on his face. The other was in fact, Mitch.
Richard looked surprised. "Hey, Mitch."
"Good to see you again, Richard." The two men shook hands.
Connie looked between them with a befuddled expression. "Wait, you two know each other?"
"We've had some run-ins, yeah. He came with me when I came here from Chicago."
"What?!" Connie squawked.
"It's a long story, Connie." Mitch smiled. "I'll explain later."
"We meet again, Bourland." Blair nodded politely to the first man.
"I wish the circumstances were better, but enough of the pleasantries." He leaned forward against the foot of the bed. " You need to spill, Duncan, and I mean everything."
"It's kind of obvious, isn't it? I got a little banged up."
"A little?"
She snorted. "I've had worse than this, you know."
"That's not the point. The point is, you were never supposed to get involved in this. You were being so irresponsible!"
Mitch jumped to Blair's defense."Bourland, ease up on her, she doesn't know the protocol for how these things work. I was the same way and did the same things when I was working as AREM, and even in my beginning years with the FBI."
"You're an FBI agent?" Richard asked Blair.
"I'm not on the payroll."
"Yeah, they can't afford her," Mitch jokiny replied.
Blair smirked and chuckled, "That's hardly correct. " She turned back to Bourland. "I had been tracking Al Seigel ever since Washington D.C. The chase finally led me down here, where I found he was working alongside a network of men and women for some boss in Chicago. I don't understand why they chose to operate in an abandoned building, but that was not for me to find out. My mission was to expose them." She recounted all that she was doing in the woods. "If I ever had to leave, I set up a camera and reviewed the footage when I got back. Fortunately, I didn't need a warrant because the place was abandoned and condemned, so they did not have a reasonable expectation of privacy."
"Well, you are correct about that," Mitch admitted.
Richard looked impressed. "You do your research don't you?"
"You better believe she does," Mitch agreed.
"I came into the building with a camera, looking for any documents, names, places, anything that would be helpful, and took pictures of them. But after about twenty minutes, some guys came in. I think they were just some punks from Vance's gang. I hid in a storage closet, hoping they would go away." She paused, "They didn't. I was caught, got into a scrap with some of the men, one was too big for me to handle, slammed me against a wall, then threw me down a stairwell, but at the best possible timing, the police arrived. I assume that Jay and Buddy were the ones who alerted them?"
"Well, they alerted Jason, who alerted the police," Richard explained.
"They're good kids."
Connie rolled her eyes. "Well, I might question that statement when it comes to Jay."
"That leads us to the present." she gestured to Richard, "He found me when they were investigating the building and the EMTs brought me here."
She looked at the agent quizzically. "Seriously, did you think I would leave this case alone?"
Bourland rolled his eyes. "No. But I didn't think you would get this far into it either. You couldn't leave well enough alone, just like Brad."
Richard raised his hand as though he were a student asking a question. "Um, if I may ask this question, who is Brad?"
Blair looked down and swallowed hard. "My twin." Her voice broke when she said this.
"Your what?!" Connie and Richard shouted at the same time.
"I had a twin brother, and he was an FBI agent. That's how I know Mitch and Bourland. He was involved in a case involving Al Seigel. But Al -" her lip trembled, and she gripped the blanket. " - killed him. It was almost a year ago. After the funeral, I decided to track Seigel and help bring him to justice. The chase led me here about two and a half weeks ago." She looked at Richard, "That's why I was there that night at the antique shop. That was him."
"Oh, I have so many questions," Connie muttered under her breath.
Blair looked back at Bourland, "If Brad had left it alone, we wouldn't even have a case right now. They wouldn't even have come close to catching him."
"Peter, she has a point there." Mitch pointed out.
"Stay out of this Mitchell! I don't need two mavericks ganging up on me here." he turned back to Blair, "And if he had left the case alone, you wouldn't be here in this condition, and Brad would still be alive!" Bourland fired back.
The room fell deadly silent.
"Maybe we should go," Connie whispered to Richard. They both stood up and were about to walk out.
"You can stay," Blair said without looking at them.
The twosome sat down in unison.
"Brad didn't let anything stop him from getting to the truth, Bourland." Blair said quietly, "And neither can we. I was exercising my right to continue chasing down this case to bring Seigel to justice, and I have operated within the bounds of the law as well. Though I admit, I never thought I would get in over my head like this, but when I realized how much bigger this was, I couldn't drop it."
Bourland was quiet for a few moments, processing all that she had said. "Your brother left an amazing legacy and was one of our best field agents. Your work has been invaluable, Duncan, don't get us wrong about that. So please don't take this wrong when I say you have to get off this case for now. We'll likely have you back in court when we try everyone involved, but for now, you're a liability, and you need to recover. Me and the boys at the FBI will take care of this."
Blair looked at him. "I have done what I could."
The FBI agent looked at her like he didn't quite believe her. "You mean it? No more chasing the bad guys and infiltrating their bases?"
"Not in this condition, I'm no idiot."
"Alright. We'll be in touch." Bourland looked at Richard and Connie, "We'll see you later. Mitchell, let's get out of here."
Mitch turned to follow Bourland. Before he went out the door, he turned to the trio. "Bye, all. It was good to see you guys again."
"It was good seeing you too," Connie replied. "Though, I'd still like an explanation for what's going on."
"I'll try to tell you what I can when I get the chance." He walked to the door and opened the door, before he went out he cocked his head in Blair's direction, "Watch her closely, you two."
They smiled.
"We will."
"You have nothing to worry about," Connie assured him.
Mitch smiled and nodded. "I know it. Thanks again." He walked out and shut the door behind him.