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“Keep calm!” Emily picked her glass of champagne and took a sip.
“How are you so calm?!”
“It’s not that hard.”
“What if he finds out we’re-“
“He won’t find out anything Hotch!”
“You shouldn’t call me Hotch.”
“I shouldn’t call you Hotch in front of him. I know it. Stop shaking you leg.” She had never seen Hotch that worried. “We’re just a couple with things to sell.”
“I’m so bad at this.”
“Just sit back and frown, be the grumpy husband and I’ll do the talking.”
Hotch sighed. “Alright…”
“I know, it should’ve been Rossi or Morgan, you plan, you don’t act, but it’s only the three of us on this case.” She turned her mic on. “Can you hear me Penelope?”
“Loud and clear.”
“There he is.” Hotch swallowed his saliva.
“That’s Silas, and the man with him… Penelope can you analyze his face quickly?”
“Not as quick as a lightning but I-“
“There’s no need for that, I know him.” Hotch’s voice was shaking. “He’s Enoch Donovan.”
“How do you know him?”
“I’m the prosecutor who sent his brother behind the bars for life and after the court, he sworn he would bury me alive.”
“…”
“I should leave.”
“He already knows he’s meeting an Aaron Hotchner and an Emily Prentiss.” Said Emily. “Relax. They came here knowing we work with FBI but they’re supposed to think we’re corrupted.”
“Emily, this is…”
“Pretend you don’t remember him. Here he comes.” Emily got up, so did Hotch.
Hotch’s tiny ray of hope disappeared before the greetings were finished. “The world is a weird place Hotchner!” Said Enoch. “You and I making a deal… I wouldn’t even see that in my nightmares.” Enoch chuckled.
“So, you have replaced McMilan and Curtis.” Silas sat. “Weird we never heard about you two.”
“Family matters made us keep our heads down.” Said Emily with a smile. “We got a little unlucky after Tom and Mina were arrested so…” She held Hotch’s hand. “We had to step in.”
“Enoch told me you have a son.” Said Silas as he looked at Hotch. “Don’t worry man, Enoch knows past belongs in the past. Be cool. How’s your boy?”
Hotch was sweating a bit bad. “He’s good.”
“Great. So what do you have this month?”
“1 kilogram.” Said Emily.
“Not enough.” Said Enoch.
“You should wait one more month then.” Said Hotch, sternly.
“You are holding grudge? Really?”
“Enoch, stop.” Silas ordered.
Enoch sighed.
“1 kilogram and what?” Silas asked.
“Two diamonds, one carat in total.” Said Emily.
“That’s worth something now. Your woman’s smarter than you Aaron.” Enoch picked his drink.
“I guess we have a deal then.” Said Silas.
“We still haven’t said the price.” Said Hotch.
“10k for the coke and 1k for the diamond. You should accept.”
“Well… after Tom and Mina got busted… it’s a bit harder to find you stuff.” Said Emily.
“Don’t twist your words.” Said Silas.
“She means to say 18k for the coke and 2k for diamonds.” Said Hotch.
Enoch bursted into laughter, he was having tears from laughing so hard. He suddenly stopped. “Were you serious?”
“Do I look like I’m joking?” Asked Hotch.
“Your face is a joke to be honest.” Enoch replied
“That’s the price, take it or leave it.” Said Emily.
“Look beautiful.” Silas leaned forward. “I know how arrogant you guys are but you can’t find any better costumers. Maybe you don’t know the rules.” He leaned back. “You two have guns but my friend here is already pointing his at your husband’s crotch. He’s dying to pull that trigger so, how about you come with me. Negotiation doesn’t seem to be his forte but I like your way of speaking.” He smiled. “Don’t even try Aaron.” He got up and pulled Emily up by her arm, then gently slipped the gun out its place and put it on her back, hiding it under a newspaper, he also took Hotch’s gun. “You really thought you could throw my people in jail to make money for yourself and I wouldn’t notice?” He whispered into her ear. “Move bitch.”
Aaron could feel the gun barrel touching his inner thigh, or maybe it was the silencer.
“Here we are, Aaron Hotchner.” Enoch smirked. “Did you really think stealing a job will make you money… you still don’t know who to mess with and who to not, do you?”
“If anything happens to Emily-“
“What? You’ll do something stupid and become a eunuch? Definitely? There are a few arteries near there too, you may get lucky and not bleed to death.”
“It was my plan okay?”
“Interesting, cause I’m pretty sure she said that too…”
Why was Garcia so silent?
“What’s that?” Enoch pressed a finger against Hotch’s jaw so turn his head and have a better view of his ear. He took the invisible headphone out. “I’ve seen these before.”
“It helps me hear better.”
Enoch put it in his ear, Garcia was smart enough to play static and live sounds of the environment, or was it just Hotch’s luck that Enoch heard that even though there was a signal jammer in Enoch’s bag, just like a normal hearing aid. “You’re not hard of hearing Aaron.” He took it out and threw it in Emily’s glass. “Let’s see how long you’ll survive without a mic.”
Silas came back in. “Hello again Aaron.” He sat.
“He had a mic.” Enoch showed him the headphone he threw in Emily’s glass.
“It’s a hearing aid.” Hotch protested.
“Are both of you two hard of hearing now? Cause your beautiful Emily had one too and we have a strict rule of no electronics for a reason.”He put the box that kept them connected on the table. “This was in her bag.”
“Where is she?”
“She’s being taken care of.” Said Silas. “Really good care I should say. You can get her back if you give the coke and diamonds to us.”
“I don’t have them.”
“Who does? I’m really interested to see if you two cost a bag of coke and some diamonds to your boss or not.” Silas smirked.
“I’m certain I cost more than you two. Two smugglers, the only thing you are not is worthy.” Said Hotch. “Just two rats picking things up for their boss.”
“Shut it.” Silas got up and stood behind Hotch. “Get up grumpy. Let’s see how much you really love your wife.”
“If you hurt her-“
“I’m going to enjoy it so much, so much more if I torture her in front of you.” He placed his gun, Emily’s gun to be more exact, on Hotch’s nape.
He took Hotch to a black van that was parked there and opened the door. There was a third man they didn’t know, he was bulky. Emily was lying there, with a black eye and her hands tied.
Hotch felt the zip tie tighten around his wrists and he was pushed in.
“Be nice to Bear.” The door closed.
“Emily… Emily…” Hotch kneeled next to her.
“I’m okay.” She moaned.
“Did he do this?”
“Yes I did.” Bear talked. “Want to taste it too?”
“Don’t do this.” Said Emily. “Please… for me.”
The man hit Hotch against the floor of the van for no reason. “Matching black eyes is romantic.” He punched Hotch hard enough he fell subconscious.
“You said you won’t hurt anyone for no reason!” Emily protested.
“His foot hit my thigh, I didn’t like it.” He slid his finger on Hotch’s face. “You have a really good taste.” He studied Hotch’s face. “Wrinkles are irresistible but he still looks good, he was definitely cute when he was younger. Frowns and wrinkles will take the cuteness away but it’ll still leave its trace. Is that a scar?”
“Get away from him!”
Bear didn’t listen, he unbuttoned Hotch’s shirt.
“Stop!” Emily kicked the man.
He grabbed Emily by her hairs. “I don’t take orders from you bitch!” He stroke her.
Hotch was more conscious now, he kneed Bear in his crotch.
Bear stroke Hotch as well, harder than he stroke Emily.
“But you do take from me! Hands off him for now.”
He backed off, leaving the two.
“You okay?” Asked Hotch.
“I’ve had better days.” Said Emily.
“I’m sorry…”
“Don’t be, we were set up. We were ready for anything but this.”
“I should’ve called Dave.”
“Definitely not…”
“He’s a better negotiator and he’s better under stress.”
“He’s just as good as you are.”
“Who’s Dave?” The man asked.
“My cat.” Said Emily. “Did you really fall for that?”
“Ow…”
“I’m sorry.” Said Emily, he accidentally hit her foot against Hotch’s knee, where Bear had hit him kinda hard.
“It’s okay.”
“Let me see your face.”
The black eye was forming. It was bigger than Emily’s. His cheekbone was swelled too. “Doesn’t look good, does it?”
“Not really.”
“You look good though.”
“You don’t have to be nice.”
“I’m not being nice.”
“Shut up before I tape those big ass mouthes of yours.” Said Bear.
The rest of the ride was in silence. Emily resting her head against Hotch’s shoulder and Hotch against Emily’s head.
The car stopped and the door opened.
“Moment of truth.” Said Enoch. There was a cabin and a casket. “I got I made immediately after I found out it was you. It’s not only made of wood, I had them use metal in it to make sure you won’t break out of it.” He smirked. “But that’s for you, all yours.”
Hotch tried to limp away from him with the hurt knee but he was hit from behind.
“You can barely walk old man!” Enoch laughed.
Silas took Emily out. “No one was following us, whatever your boss heard… doesn’t matter. You two will die anyway.”
“And you’ll rot in prison.” Said Emily.
“We will be in Canada then, you fed to the dogs and your husband six feet under the ground… nothing will be found. I’ll assure that.” He pushed her to the building. Touching her body a bit.
Emily ran to Hotch. “Can you walk?”
Hotch got up on one leg. “I guess.” He looked around. “Didn’t we have backup?” He whispered.
“We did.” Emily said with a sigh.”
Emily tried to help him walk but it wasn’t easy with one leg. Silas tried to pull her to himself but Hotch hopped between them. “Don’t touch her!”
“Fine.” Silas chuckled.
Emily and Hotch were led to a room in the dark moist basement of the building.
“Do you think they will find us in time?” Asked Emily.
“Doesn’t matter, these idiots can’t do anything, they take orders from a higher up.”
The door opened once more.
“Sir?” Emily almost got up.
“Do you know him?l
“Yes-“
“She was good at her job. Abby?”
“Gabby.” Said Emily.
“What’s going on?” Hotch almost mumbled.
“Classified stuff.” Said the man before Emily spoke. “But I can tell you this, I gave her the tiny push she needed to go high and higher in Interpol and then become your squire.”
Hotch was confused and Emily was embarrassed.
“Don’t you want to introduce me to your friend girl? Where are your manners, I’m Jamie Martin-Williams, Aaron Hotchner, right?”
Hotch got up hesitatingly.
“Turn around, I won’t bite.” He untied Hotch’s wrists with a knife and then Emily’s, then shook hands with Hotch.
“Sorry for those guys, they don’t have any manners. Unlike them, I know that alive hostages are more worthy than the dead. Well if-“ His phone started ringing, he checked who it was. “If you excuse me, I’ll be back soon, get comfortable.” That was followed by two blankets being thrown at them by a man and the door being closed again.
“I’m sorry.” Emily mumbled.
“I don’t want to ask you questions you can’t answer.” Said Hotch. “Just, if you can, tell me, was this before or after Doyle?”
“Before.”
“Okay.”
There was a moment of silence.
“I completely moved on from it.”
“It’s okay.”
Another moment of silence.
“I didn’t want to-“
“It’s okay Emily. You don’t have to explain anything.”
“…”
“I know a couple people from Interpol, I know why he was fired.” Said Hotch. “I get why you don’t want him near you.”
“I was one of them….”
“…?”
“I was one of those girls.” Emily bit her lips.
“That son of a bitch-“
“Not like that… he… he didn’t harass girls sexually when I was there, he just wanted to feel powerful.”
“…”
“When I got the case, my first actual case as a spy, I thought I was so lucky, I was new and I had the most perfect thing ever. It was one of the only circumstances my mother was proud. Then I find out luck doesn’t come for free.”
“I’m sorry…”
“He didn’t push me… I got transferred… he tried to talk me out of it to keep me…”
Hotch held her hand.
“He made me believe I deserved it… that I didn’t deserve what I had and he was making it worth it…”
“Almost all abusers do this… and… as cliche as it sounds, it always works…” Hotch sighed.
“Who was yours?” Emily asked. “You don’t have to say if you don’t want to.”
“My father.” He replied. “I made everyone call me Hotch cause I didn’t want to hear his name every second.”
“…”
“Something’s bugging me… why is he doing this?”
“Cause he wants something from the FBI, ransom?”
“Not that… why is he buying stuff from corrupted cops and agents?”
“They’re cheap and corrupted men of law are easier to manipulate.”
“Why would he need those stuff… he has purchased three paintings…”
“He isn’t really a collector…”
“Corrupted people hurt the system.”
“And law enforcement is so fragile cause it relies on people’s trust.”
“He wants to creat an scandal.”
“Just like the one he had, but much worse.”
“Two FBI agents killed by their rescue team in a building full of drugs and stuff… that will be a mess…”
“We have to buy more time.”
“I have a plan.”
It took Jamie half a day to come back.
“How much do you trust the system you work in?”
“A bit.” Said Emily.
“Not at all.” Said Hotch.
“How so?” Jamie asked Hotch.
“This system killed my wife. That should explain.”
“I’m sorry for that. You’re lucky to have someone.”
Hotch chuckled. “Work relationships don’t count.”
“Come upstairs with me.” Said Jaime.
They sat around a table with a few guns pointing at Hotch and Emily.
“Sorry for that, just for safety. I know you wouldn’t do anything stupid.” Said Jamie. “So… Aaron… if you could change this system, would you?”
“Definitely.”
“How?”
“Crash it and build a new one.”
“What if I tell you you could do that, or contribute in it?”
“I’ll be more than happy to hear that.”
“What about you Emily?”
“Not interested.”
“You don’t know how to control women Aaron do you?”
“Just this one, I like her, really, but sometimes… eh…”
“I get it.” Jamie chuckled. “So… will you cooperate Aaron?”
“How?”
“Dying.”
“Not really, take her, I want to live.”
“Aaron!” Emily snapped at him.
“What? You don’t expect me to throw myself in front of a bullet for you, do you?”
“…”
“I’ll help you but as an alive man.”
“Good then… you can escort the lady to her room. Leave the two of us alone, men need to talk.”
Emily took a deep breath as the door locked behind her, she trusted Hotch.
In less than five minutes, she could hear furniture moving and things being thrown, she kept banging the door but no one replied.
And ten minutes of silence.
Suddenly the door broke open, it was the SWAT team.
Five minutes later everyone was out of the building, almost everyone.
“Where is Hotch?!” Asked Emily.
“He hasn’t been found yet…” Said Rossi.
“He was with Williams.”
“We found Williams, he has a hostage.” Said Morgan through his mic.
“Hotch…” Emily ran back inside.
“Let him go and this will end peacefully.” Said Morgan.
“I don’t want your peace!” Jamie pressed the knife harder against Hotch’s neck, holding him close like a shield.
“You don’t have to do this.”
“You don’t understand rat!”
Hotch squirmed but he couldn’t do much with a bleeding head and tied wrists and ankles.
“Let him go!” Emily was behind Jamie, pointing a gun at him too.
“Maybe you should beg.” He slowly turned around, for a moment both Emily and Morgan had clear shots.
One to his head, one to his back.
“Hotch!” Emily untied him and hugged him. “I was scared!”
“It was taking two long and he was going to kill us … I dialed 911 on his cellphone when he was in toilet. Turned out they had already tracked the van they took us with.” Hotch chuckled, his head hurt.
“What happened to your plan?”
“I just wanted to get to a phone and keep you away from that monster.”
“You lie now…” Emily stroke his hair.
Paramedics picked Hotch up.
“How did you find us?” Emily asked Morgan.
“They had a signal jammer at the meeting, Penelope noticed something was wrong and called us back, sorry tracking that van took so long, they changed the plate twice.”
“We had a backup…”
“They thought you went in that van voluntarily as you were planning to get to the root of this, they followed you until they lost you and when they noticed, it was late.”
“Thank you.” She hugged Morgan.
Emily visited Hotch in the hospital a few hours later.
“How’s your head?”
“Has had better days.”
“You didn’t have to do that in there.”
“My abuser is dead, I know what’s it like to be around the person that made you hate yourself… you didn’t have to bear his presence more than that.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m sorry for what I said in there. I was trying to be like him.”
“You are awful at being like those people.”
“I still convinced him to leave me alone with his phone.”
Emily chuckled. “You’re not like them, you can never be like them.”
“Thankfully.” Hotch sighed.
“Jack’s lucky you’re his dad. Speaking of him…”
“Daddy!” Jack ran into the room and into his hug.
“Buddy! I missed you.”
“Uncle Dave said a bad guy hit you.”
“I hit him harder.” Hotch chuckled.
Emily slowly walked out.
“Emily, wait.” Said Hotch.
He wanted to say something but Jack interrupted him. “Thank you for bringing daddy back.”