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Dave’s personal cell phone buzzed on his hip as he and Prentiss were going over victimology again. He saw who it was and considered letting it go to voicemail. There were two reasons he didn’t…she never called at this hour and he never let her go to voicemail.
“Hello.” He tried to sound casual.
“David, I don’t want to scare you but you need to come home right now.”
“You don’t want to scare me but you tell me that?” he asked. Emily was looking at him so he got up and walked across the room. “What's going on? Is Noah alright?”
“It’s not a good idea to speak over the phone.” Erin said. “We’re alright but something is happening. We need you here.”
He could hear it in her voice; this was not a test. If anyone knew how important his work was it was Erin. She had all it took to be an excellent profiler; Dave tried to push her that way once. It was their second big rift in a long relationship. If she said she needed him home then he was going home.
“Prentiss, I have to go back to Quantico.”
“What? What happened?”
“It’s a family emergency and they need me.”
“OK.” She nodded. “Please call us and let us know when things settle.”
“Yeah. I’ll call Hotch and then get out of here.” The phone was already on his ear as he said it. “Aaron, its Dave. I have to go home; there's a family emergency.”
“We’re on our way there now Dave. I’ll pick you up and take you to the air strip.”
“I was going to the airport. A commercial flight is fine.”
“We’re in Scotia, New York. The flight back to Quantico is less than an hour. If this is an emergency then you need to get home now.” Hotch said. “Who knows how long it could take to get a commercial flight. I will deal with Strauss if I have to.”
“Something tells me that you won't.” Dave mumbled.
“I’ll be there in 15 minutes.”
Dave nodded, hanging up his cell phone. He could tell Emily wanted to know what was wrong. She wanted to comfort him, calm his nerves. It was one of her specialties.
“I'm sure you don’t want me in your personal business, Dave…”
“I trust you Emily, you know I do. I just don’t know what's happening. I need to get home and find out.”
“I understand.” She nodded.
Noah had been with him for four months and the team still didn’t know. He and Erin had been together for two years and they definitely didn’t know. That relationship wasn’t really any of their business. Though close, the team only invaded each other’s sex lives for shits and giggles. But Dave opened his mouth countless times to tell them about Noah and couldn’t.
There were no pictures in his office or a screensaver on his phone. He felt guilty for not sharing what would surely be seen as good news. Part of it was because Hotch was separated from his son right now. They were going to catch Foyet but until then Jack was in an undisclosed location. Also, Erin had just signed the paperwork to adopt Noah.
It was going to be difficult, if not impossible to introduce his son to the team without her being part of the conversation. Dave didn’t care if they knew…Erin was not a dirty secret. She also didn’t want his team privy to her personal business. Her relationship with Hotch, et al was contentious at best.
Nothing short of a miracle would fix that. The last thing Dave needed or wanted was his life becoming BAU fodder or vice-versa. He and Erin did their best to keep the personal personal. It was a preference not a requirement but they both preferred it.
“Hotch has the car running for you, Rossi.” Morgan walked into the police station conference room.
“Thanks.”
“Have a safe flight.” Emily called after him.
Dave held up his hand to acknowledge her but was already halfway gone.
“What's going on?” Morgan asked.
“I don't know. He got a phone call and said he had to go. He said it was a family emergency.”
“Let’s go.” Dave said as he strapped himself in and Hotch hit the gas.
“What's going on, Dave? I know you wanted to tell me something a few months ago but stopped yourself. You wanted to tell me about L.A.”
“Aaron, you’ve got enough going on. I promise that you don’t need to worry about me. There have been some things happening; some changes in my life. Its not that I don’t trust you, I do…”
“You never have to tell me anything you don’t want to.” Hotch said. “We also don’t need to play games. Your family comes first; go home and take care of them. When the time comes for us to have our talk I'm sure that we will. Just know that I always have your back.”
“I do know that.” Dave nodded. “Thanks.”
Hotch dropped him at the airstrip. Dave was surprised that the jet was gassed up and ready to go. He climbed in and put on his seatbelt. There was one text sent as they ascended. ‘I’ll be there in about 90 minutes. Hold on, I love you and I’ll be there.’
***
Dave had no idea what to expect when he pulled up to his Fairfax home. As his SUV turned into the driveway he was surprised to see two black, unmarked Buicks parked on the curb. He knew exactly who they were. What was the FBI doing at his house? His heart started beating too fast as he got out of the car, rushed to the security door, and unlocked it. Making his way to the den, Mudgie was the first family member to greet him. Erin sat on the couch with Luke Harris, Noah’s sitter. Three FBI agents sat with them.
“Erin, what's going on?” he asked. “Mike, what are you doing here?”
“I'm glad you made it.” she got up and walked into his waiting arms. Dave held her tight, kissing her temple.
“I wish we were seeing each other under better circumstances, Dave.” Special Agent Mike Casper stood and shook his hand.
“Tell me the circumstances.” Dave sat down on the couch with Erin.
“When Agent Strauss came home this evening she found a manila envelope in the door addressed to her with no return address. She thought something about it was suspicious so the Deputy Director’s office was contacted. He asked me to come out and investigate. I opened the envelope and these were the contents.”
Agent Casper handed Dave four photos. The first was Noah playing in the yard of his preschool. He was there Monday through Friday from 9 to 1. The second was Erin and Noah in the mall shopping. Then the third was all three of them on an outing. Finally there was a picture of Noah and Luke playing in the side yard with Mudgie. Looking at each picture again and again, Dave felt his blood boil and then go cold. He handed them back to the agent and Mike handed him a typed letter in an evidence bag. It was in all caps, short and to the point. SO OFTEN YOU'RE AWAY AND YOUR FAMILY ALL ALONE. SOME DON’T REALIZE WHAT THEY HAVE UNTIL IT’S GONE.
“So he's a fuckin poet now.” Rossi grumbled.
“You know who sent this?” Mike asked.
“George Foyet, I'm sure.”
“The escaped serial killer?” the female agent asked.
“Do you know another?” Dave countered.
“Agent Rossi I'm sorry, this is Agent Sasha Green and Agent Doug Lambert. You think Foyet sent this?”
“I'm willing to bet the house. He likes to taunt…it’s his thing. I'm sure you know that my Unit Chief’s ex-wife and son are in protective custody due to his threats.”
“I know.” Mike nodded. “The FBI and U.S. Marshals are working hard to apprehend him. There’s a possibility he could go on the Ten Most Wanted list in as soon as two weeks. The man is a violent psychopath with no problem lying dormant while he waits to strike. We have no idea how long this case could be active.”
“Not for long if he thinks he can threaten my family.”
“He's quite dangerous Agent Rossi.”
“So am I.” Dave replied.
“David,” Erin put her hand on his thigh. “I know you're upset but we have to think logically about our next move. A psychopath knows where we live.”
“We need to immediately put your family in protective custody.” Mike said.
“I can't leave my job.” Erin looked at him with wide blue eyes. “I'm the BAU Section Chief. That’s not going to be possible. And Luke is just our sitter; we can't turn his whole life upside down.”
“What about a personal detail?” Dave asked.
“We’re stretched thin as it is.” Agent Lambert replied. “I don’t think that’s going to be possible.”
“We’ll definitely have someone here for the night though.” Mike said. “One of my agents will escort Mr. Harris home. I doubt he's truly in danger if Foyet intends to scare you into backing off, Agent Rossi. Agent Strauss and your son are the likely targets.”
“I agree.” He looked at Luke. “I know this sounds scary son, and it is. I understand perfectly if you want to bow out of caring for Noah.”
“No offense Agent Rossi but who will you get if I leave?” he asked. “I’ll be OK if we have security. Also, I have a Taser gun and I am not afraid to use it.”
“I hope that it’s registered, young man.” Mike said.
“Yes sir.” Luke nodded.
“I'm going to call Kirk.” Erin got up and left the room.
Dave looked after her and then at Agent Casper. That’s what Erin did when she didn’t know what to do, she got efficient. The woman was truly efficient. They would probably have an entire Secret Service team by the time she got off the telephone.
“A detail in front of the house is good for tonight. I have friends in the Fairfax Police Department and the County Sheriff’s Department so I can get some extra patrols added to the neighborhood. I'm not Foyet’s target but I'm sure he thinks he can frighten me from backing up my teammate. His intent is to isolate Aaron Hotchner by taking away all his love and support. This is some kind of message that he’s about to strike; he wants us stretched thin. He’s been off the grid for months.”
“Then we really need to talk. Agent Hotchner should be there.”
“He's in New York working a case right now.” Dave said. “I doubt there is anything that can be done tonight, Mike. Take Luke home, let me make sure Agent Strauss is alright, and I’ll call you as soon as Agent Hotchner gets back to Quantico. I really appreciate you coming out and being thorough.”
“It’s my job.” Mike stood and shook Dave’s hand again.
“Your reputation precedes you and I want you working on this case.”
“I’ll stay on it; I'm sure the Deputy Director can make it happen. We’ll talk soon Agent Rossi.”
“I’ll walk you out.”
Dave went with the three agents and Luke to the door. He told the young man since tomorrow was Friday he should have a three day weekend. Dave would see him bright and early on Monday morning. Luke nodded, said goodnight, and left. Dave locked down the house, put on the alarm, and took the phone off his hip.
There were a few important phone calls to make. Shit just got real; he had no intention of standing by while anyone threatened his family. George Foyet hadn't properly done his research. Dave Rossi wouldn’t dissolve into a puddle of guilt and helplessness. He was more of an angry and even vengeful type of guy. That little love letter might be the last mistake The Reaper ever made.
***
Erin woke suddenly in the middle of the night, sitting straight up in bed. Dave wasn’t with her but Noah was. There was no way in hell that she was letting her baby sleep alone. What if some monster came and took him in the middle of the night? Yes, the house had alarms and there were agents outside but Foyet was like something out of a horror movie. He was like Michael Myers and just couldn’t be stopped. She was going to protect her family with all that she had.
“David?” she looked at him sitting across the room on the couch. He was holding a Glock.
“Everything is fine Erin, go back to sleep.”
“Do you want your son to wake up in the morning and see you with a gun?”
“He won't see me.”
“I see you.” she said.
“That’s because you never listen to me, woman. You need to get some rest.”
“I don’t want to have another nightmare.”
Erin climbed out of bed and joined him on the couch. Dave wrapped one arm around her, the other still holding the gun. It was silly, no one could get past the state of the art security system he had. But Foyet got the jump on Hotch and stabbed him nine times. Thank God he was alone. Rossi wasn’t letting anyone catch him off guard or lay a hand on his family. He would go down shooting.
“What did Kirk say when you talked to him?” Dave asked as they did their best to relax. He’d wanted to ask earlier but he knew Erin was upset. He would just give her space and time to make sense of all of this. Now was as good a time as any.
“He’s going to give Noah a three agent detail. He wanted to push one on me but declined. I know he’s just worried but we managed a compromise. From now until this mess is over I will have a personal escort to and from Quantico and of course when I'm with Noah the detail will look after me as well.”
“OK.” Dave nodded. “I think Foyet's playing us but I'm surely not going to leave you guys open to attack.”
“Haley and Jack Hotchner are in protective custody with the Marshals.” Erin said.
“Yeah. Hotch doesn’t even know where they are but they are safe. Sam Kassmeyer promised to look after them as if they were his own. We need to get this bastard off the street, baby; we need to finish this.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means we need to get ahead of him. We’re going to have to make him think he’s won. Foyet won't be able to resist taking a victory lap.”
“Well what the hell does he want?” Erin asked.
“He wants Hotch to lose everything. He wants him to suffer. Haley and Jack are already gone…all his has left is his team and his job.”
“How can George Foyet control Aaron’s team and his job?”
“He's already gotten to me. If my family is in danger I'm surely going to put them ahead of my friend. I wouldn’t be surprised if JJ is threatened too since she’s a mom. There are other ways to break this team apart. We’re not super human.”
Erin sighed as she thought about it. This team had been fractured and even broken before but they always bounced back. They did so because as much as Aaron Hotchner drove her crazy, he was a good leader. But what if he wasn’t the leader anymore? What would happen to the team then?
And how would a move of that nature be perceived by George Foyet? The last thing Erin wanted was anyone’s life in her hands. She didn’t want to be a part of this sick bastard’s game. Here she was though, tired and scared, holding on to Dave and wishing it would all go away.
“Maybe there’s something I can do.” she said. “If he really is watching all of us maybe there's something I can do.”
“What are you thinking?” Dave asked.
“I think it would be better if you just trust me. Do you trust me?”
“I trust you with my life, Erin. I just need you to be careful and stay safe.”
“I will.” She nodded. “I'm going to do everything I can to help bring this to an end. It has to be a peaceable end David; I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
“He's a psychopath…I can't promise you that. That’s not the game he's playing.”
“OK, well I don't want you to get hurt. If you die on me I will kill you.”
“I don’t like to make those kinds of promises but George Foyet isn’t going to be the one to take me out. I've got lots more years to get on your nerves.”
“I love you.” she cuddled closer and kissed him.
“I love you too, baby. C'mon, you need to get some sleep. I’d feel better if you just stayed home tomorrow but I know you won't. So you don’t need to be at your desk falling asleep.”
“Are you going to join me?” kissing him once more, Erin got up from the couch.
“I want to say yes but it would be a lie. I just need to do this, just tonight. I need to think and go to a place that I can never get to if I'm holding you.”
“I don’t understand but I do understand.”
“No more nightmares. This is about to be over. I can definitely promise you that.”
“You look like I feel.” Mike said as he sat down.
“OK well tell me how I can look like you look.” Dave countered.
“I'm ready to talk to Agent Hotchner when you are.”
“There are some things we need to discuss first. One, I haven’t gotten around to telling my team I have a son. I just found out recently myself and there's been a lot going on here. So this will be news to Aaron and I'm not sure how he's going to handle it. Two, my relationship with Agent Strauss…”
“That’s off the table.” Mike replied, making a slash motion with his hand. “We all know about the antiquated fraternization rule. No one obeys it but we vets know how it goes. I would've never said a word.”
“I appreciate it, Mike. Erin is very concerned about what's happening to her team and to her family. I would never try to compare what she’s going through with Agent Hotchner but she’s worried. And when she worries so do I. So…” Dave got up from his desk.
Mike stood too and they left the office. As they headed next door he could feel a lot of eyes on him. He’d worked in a few field offices over his years in the FBI. The smaller the field office, the more like family it was. This was whether you liked it or not.
Agent Hotchner worked with a team of six primarily but oversaw about 55 profilers and 25 other personnel. Considering all he had been through surely his team was his family. How was it going to make him feel that someone’s personal vendetta against him had spread to the people who cared about him? Mike Casper was about to find out.
“Aaron,” Dave knocked and poked his head in. “We need to talk.”
“Come in Dave.” Hotch stood from his desk when he saw another agent with him. “Good morning Agent…”
“Michael Casper.” He held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you Agent Hotchner. We need to have a conversation.”
Hotch didn’t even have to ask what it was about. He could hear it in Casper’s voice. They were going to talk about Foyet. All he wanted to hear was that the bastard had been caught, or killed, but he knew that wasn’t coming. Something else was going on here and it didn’t sound good. Dave and Agent Casper sat down and so did Hotch. Whatever it was he needed to be ready so sitting was for the best.
“What’s going on?” Hotch asked.
“I should start.” Dave replied. “Do you remember when I was telling you about L.A. and stopped myself? I need to finish that story now.”
“Don’t you dare apologize to me. This isn’t your fault; you didn’t start this.”
“I need to end it though.”
“I know.” Dave nodded.
“And you have a son?” Hotch almost managed a smile when he said it. It was hard for him to imagine but not because Dave wasn’t good with kids. He knew he had enough nieces and nephews for about 3 basketball teams.
“I wanted to tell you; I wanted to tell the whole team. I just didn’t know how. There would've been a lot more questions than I even knew how to answer.”
“Do you know how to answer them now?”
“No.” Dave shook his head. “But Noah is my little boy and I'm sure you know from experience that I will do anything to keep him safe.”
“Yeah.” Hotch nodded. “We need to finish this. I'm not sure how yet but I won't stop until Foyet’s done. He’s not going back to prison.”
“I know. He has a grand finale planned. We have to make sure he doesn’t get his way.”
“I just want Jack back home and I want him safe.”
“I know.”
“Are you sure protective custody for Noah isn’t a better idea, Dave? You're in and out of the field and if something ever happened to him…”
“He’ll be safe. Kirk got a special detail for him; three agents. I have someone looking after him that I trust with my life. I'm worried, it would be a lie to say I wasn’t, but I'm also confident in the people who are there to protect him.”
“Who's going to protect her?” Hotch asked.
Dave just looked at his friend and Hotch looked at him. They didn’t need to name names or say too many words. He knew and Dave knew he knew and that was that. He sighed.
“She insists she can protect herself, which I wholeheartedly believe. But I'm looking after her.”
“Alright. We’ll talk some more about this in the coming weeks. I need to get this paperwork finished.”
“Yeah.” Dave nodded. “I know you don’t like leaning on anyone, Aaron, and I understand it but I always have your back. All of those people out there do too. We’re all in this together. You might not like it but when someone comes after you and your family, they come after all of us.”
Hotch nodded. He didn’t want to be responsible for anyone else getting hurt or even worse. But Foyet wasn’t going to stop…he would have to be stopped. Hotch couldn’t do it alone. The job was too much for him. Foyet was hell bent on something and would see it through to the death.
They were two different men, didn’t operate the same. Hotch refused to become the kind of man who could do what he did. He might have to in order to stop him. That was the scariest thing of all and perhaps it was Foyet’s intent. He wanted to make Hotch as much a monster as he was. If he was going to go down that rabbit hole he didn’t want anyone having to follow.
“Thanks Dave.”
“You're welcome. I’ll see you later.”
Dave left his office and went back to his own. He needed to call Erin and check in with her. He knew she was waving off a detail but if things got crazy he would put his foot down about that. He wasn’t going to lose her. Foyet didn’t care who he hurt. Killing Erin would be no skin off his back.
Dave wasn’t going to let that happen. He was tired of letting this happen. They needed to start making the rules, not following an invisible lead. It was time for this to be over and things to return to normal. Foyet started a war and there would surely be casualties. If Dave has his way, that psychopath would be the only one.