"Ah buenas tardes Senor Montegro. Thank you for taking the time to come and meet me." A short man in a black button down shirt and gold chain greeted a much taller figure, obscured by shadows.

"I don't like taking stupid chances Remirez. The new product better be good." The figure stepped out of the shadows. His face was young but his voice was laced with a malice far beyond his years.

The two men stood for a moment in silence. Their eyes locked in an unspoken battle of wills. Their surrounding was an abandoned barn; that let in little of the late after noon sunlight.

"It will be arriving at the usual time with the usual open bidding." Remirez blinked first. "That's not the only reason why I asked you here."

"Oh?" Montegro's voice was low and dangerous.

Remirez sighed as he considered his next words. "Senor Montegro, some of our scouts and a number of fellow bidders have expressed some concern over how you enjoy your acquisitions." He tried to sound as diplomatic as possible. Montegro frightened him which was unusual. Remirez was not one to be easily intimidated and he did his best not to let Montegro see his fear.

"What I do with my acquisitions is my business." Montegro snapped

"Yes of course however some are afraid you are putting us in danger. More importantly, word has reached the ear of Senor Salizar and he will not hesitate to terminate your participation should he find the situation to be beyond your control. The success of this business depends upon our level of discreteness. Not everyone enjoys the same activities as you do and they do not want to have their acquisitions repossessed because you were sloppy."

"Of course. I wouldn't want your bidders to lose faith in your organization or worse yet, force Salizar's hand." Montegro mocked. "None the less, I will see that there are no more mistakes."

"See that you do." Remirez gained some confidence. "And if you must continue your diversions with local authorities, be sure not to be caught. If we feel the federales are getting close, the scouts will have no choice but to tie up all lose ends, and this is Salizar's promise."

The veiled threat had no effect on Montegro. He simply looked up, taking in Remirez, "I always clean up after I am done playing with my toys."

This statement chilled Remirez but he refused to show it. "New shipment will be on the block tonight and I think there will be a few that may spark your interest."

……………………………………………..

"Good morning everyone." Hotch's tone was heavy as he entered the bull pen.

"What do we got?" Morgan knew something was up from his superior's voice. He leaned against a desk, arms folded.

"Conference room," was Hotch's only response.

………………………..

"Natalia Kambelova, age 27, Russian national, here illegally. She was found six months ago dismembered behind a bar in Center City Philadelphia" Hotch opened with the image of a brutally mutilated body on the main screen in the conference room.

"Alexandra Sarento, age 23, Italian national also here illegally. She was found two months ago in Philadelphia. Rosita Suarez, age 24, Mexican national, found one month ago. Minh Trang, age 22, Philadelphia resident, found three weeks ago. "Julia Aramingo also a Philadelphia native and 24 years old, found yesterday. The Philadelphia PD contacted us asking for our help in this case." Hotch presented the team with images of each victim.

"That's not all, It appears our unsub has left calling cards." Hotch presented photos of both Trang's and Aramingo's homes. In both there was the blood smeared word, "Cargo," scrolled across the wall.

"Cargo?" Morgan asked.

"He views his victims as cargo?" JJ asked more than stated.

"Possibly." Gideon answered deep in thought.

"How did the foreign nationals get into the US?" JJ asked.

"We don't know. Because they entered illegally, until the murders we had no idea who they were or that they were even here. Even after their bodies were found, it was difficult to id them. Philadelphia police were only able to identify the foreign nationals after their pictures were circulated online. To make things more complicated, the same message was found in each of the homes of the other women in their various countries." Hotch explained.

"How was he able to get these women through customs unnoticed?" JJ was thinking out loud.

"Notice the injuries. They're inconsistent." Reid cut in, examining the images of the dead girls. "They were surgically tortured, each in an individual way."

"You're right, and it looks like our killer is getting more confident with each kill." Morgan agreed

"What do we know about the unsub?" Gideon regarded the team.

"He shows a distinct preference for girls in their 20's with dark hair and the increasing sadistic nature of each death

"The tortures are different in each victim. The methods being implemented aren't ritualistic." Morgan observed.

"His actions are well thought out, excluding rage as a cause. The torture suggests that he has a sense of ownership over his victims." Gideon noted.

"But why the difference in methods?" Hotch was speaking more to himself than anyone else on the team.

"Maybe his methodology is dependant on the victim. The torture is the ritual but it changes with each new person." Reid offered

"Our unsub has access to funds and the travel. He most likely works as a professional." J.J. observed.

"What about the victims? What do they have in common?" Prentiss cut in.

"Nothing as far we can tell, except, they were all in their twenties and female. The unsub isn't discriminating between socio-economic classes, professions, or ethnicities." Hotch answered.

"Theres one more thing," Hotch motioned to the screen which was displaying the unsub's message on another wall. "Kathryn Finnigan went missing from Philadelphia two weeks ago. Her body has not surfaced."

"He's keeping more than one victim at a time. She could still be alive." Prentiss began to rise.

"If she is, there is no saying what kind of torture she is going through. Time is running out for her." Gideon stared at the bloody message.

"Wheels up in thirty." Hotch dismissed the team.