The Assassin's Deception

Chapter 34

CONRAD HAWKINS 2013 AFGHANISTAN
Kaitlyn's screams often echoed through the makeshift hallways in our underground tomb. I hadn't seen her in six months since we were taken on July fourth. The separation and the horrible sound of her screams weighed on my psyche and I could be sure she felt the same way. The physical pain they inflicted upon us while horrific paled in comparison to hearing the other suffer.
Early the morning of December twelfth the door to my cell swung open and I prepared myself for the onslaught of torment they would undoubtedly inflict.
The leader of our captors stood in the doorway just staring at me for what felt like hours before another man walked up behind him with Kaitlyn hanging over his shoulder. Almost involuntarily I shot to my feet the chains around my wrists the only thing stopping me from rushing towards them.
They laughed at my struggle tossing Kaitlyn's nude unconscious form at my feet. Her body was covered in a multitude of welts, bruises and deep cuts. They'd chopped her waist length deep brown hair to a rough choppy bob exposing ligature marks on her throat and neck.
I could barely contain my fury looking at her lying broken on the dirt floor.
"Can you at least let me take this shirt off to cover her?" I asked not taking my eyes off the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed heavily.
After a pause one of them walked forward and unchained my wrists so I could take my tattered shirt off and ease Kaitlyn into it. I didn't even notice that they closed my cell door leaving us alone and otherwise unrestrained. I pulled her unconscious form into my arms so I could feel her heartbeat.
It didn't take long for the sound of her heartbeat to lull me to sleep.
I woke sometime later feeling her move on top of me. My eyes shot open as I looked down into her eyes.
"Conrad?" She breathed my name reaching up to touch my face.
"Hello, Kaitlyn." I couldn't help but smile at her a rogue tear falling from my eye.
"Oh, sweetheart, don't cry. It'll be okay." She wiped the tear from my cheek.
"How?" I whispered as she struggled to sit up.
"We'll figure our way out of here, Conrad. We're together now and we'll find a way out of here, together."
I nodded and pressed my forehead to hers.
The door to our cell burst open and in an instant we were surrounded by a group of men.
"Conrad!" I heard Kaitlyn scream my name as one of the men punched me in the face knocking me to the ground.
CONRAD HAWKINS PRESENT DAY
"Conrad. Conrad? Conrad!" Kaitlyn's voice echoed in my head pulling me back out of my memories.
"Kaitlyn?" I asked weakly shaking my head trying to clear my vision.
I couldn't focus on her face.
"We're not there, Conrad. We're home. We're safe." Somehow she knew I couldn't see her but her voice sounded like an angel speaking to me from the heavens.
"Where are you?" I asked trying to look towards her voice.
"I'm right here." She said softly placing her hand on my chest.
"What is his problem?" A male voice said above us.
"What is your problem? You don't have the slightest idea what we've been through." She growled harshly causing me to flinch beneath her touch.
"It's okay." She assured me moving her hands so they rested on either side of my face.
I reached up and covered her hands with mine.
"Cameron, please get him out of here. When I raise my voice it triggers him." She said gently but firmly.
I didn't hear Cameron answer her but the tension dropped almost immediately. I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them to look at her. Her face slowly coming into focus.
"There you are." She smiled at me clearly still concerned.
"It felt so real..." I sighed looking into her eyes a traitorous tear fell down my face onto her hand.
"It always does... Come on. Let's get you to bed. You need to rest."
I nodded letting her help me get up. I leaned against her as she lead me down the hallway to a bedroom. I collapsed heavily into the bed.
"Will you stay with me?" I asked reaching up towards her.
"For a little while." She smiled at me taking my hand in both of hers and sitting on the edge of the bed.
"I'm sorry." I whispered.
"No. Conrad..." She shook her head, her eyes glistening with tears.
"No. Listen. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you then and I'm sorry for pushing you away when we got home. I wouldn't have made it through that without you but at the same time hearing your screams shattered me. I should never have moved to Atlanta. I should never have left."
"Conrad, we don't have to do this now. You rest and we can talk about this later." She soothed me holding my hand to her chest.
I could feel her heartbeat and it calmed me much as it had in that POW camp in Afghanistan. I belonged with her, be it as a friend or a lover, I belonged with her.