The Blackout Girl ✔️

epilogue

Epilogue

It was Kaytee who recommended Nolan take some time off. She'd called Price the next morning and told him to give Nolan leave of absence. The unit chief agreed without question and notified Nolan himself.

She didn't want him to leave, but she knew he had to go home at some point. When Kaytee said goodbye, she had a reassurance that Nolan was going to be fine. She knew he was resilient. It was practically an instinct that welled up inside of her. They could all bounce back, and he would too.

Even though they knew it was for the best, the Field Office didn't feel the same without him. He was a new kid, but he fit into their orbit in such a way that made his vacancy set everything off-kilter.

She found herself looking at his chair, wanting him to hop into it and offer his help on the paperwork she was filing. She handled the report so he wouldn't have to. Between her and Dre, they had the case squared away and archived within a couple of weekdays.

For the rest of the team, it was easy to forget and move on. Yes, it had been a groundbreaking investigation. She hadn't lied when she told Michelle it would be something they taught about in the academy. Sometimes, the worst murders went down in history books. It was a truth Kaytee hated acknowledging.

She couldn't dwell on it. The workload was back full-force, and she was working on finding their next case as fast as possible. There were still calls to be made, press appearances to be scheduled. She was issuing statements, reading police reports, investing herself in her job like always.

Kaytee Carlisle: the FBI's resident workaholic. Dre made plenty of jokes about it when they sipped coffee in the kitchen. She was just glad he still had his sense of humor intact. It was too easy to lose sight of that.

The Monday morning Nolan came back, he hadn't told anyone he would be returning. In fact, they didn't even notice when the door opened at first. Suddenly, Agent Foster was standing in front of their desks with a drink-holder full of lattes, his features sheepish.

There was a flush to his cheeks, life to his gaze. A week off had been good for him. Sometimes, they all needed a break. It was the best way to stay sane in the midst of brutality and gruesome encounters.

His messy brown hair was rumpled per usual, and his favorite red sweater-vest was pressed over his blue button-up. Kaytee was itching to fix the asymmetrical knot in his tie the moment she laid eyes on it. She resisted, gaping at him like she wasn't sure if he was there. The shock hadn't worn off yet.

"Hi," Nolan said, raising a hand to wave awkwardly.

"Foster!" Dre exclaimed. He brought him into a hug before Nolan could protest and clapped him on the back. "It's good to see you!"

"It's good to see you too," Nolan chuckled.

Kaytee hugged him next, standing on the tips of her toes to embrace him. She barely reached his chin, and the consistency of that brought a smile to his lips. Some things stayed the same.

Darren offered him a handshake, and he took it. He was glad to be there, ready to get into the swing of things. This was his family, and as long as he had his team, he could take on anything, no matter what it was.

"So, what's next?" Nolan asked.

Kaytee reached onto her desk and lifted a folder. "You're just in time for the briefing."

"Good," he said. "When do we start?"

"Now," she answered.

End Of Book One.