Hell's Fury
Chapter 1
Cab Ride
"Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves." - Confucius
Emily sat at her desk watching Hotch through the window of his office. Since the team had been back at work, united in their common goal, Hotch had said nothing to her about their on off relationship. She had given up hope now of being with him. She knew that he had loved her, and possibly still did, but she had broken his heart by dumping him when he was the most vulnerable, and she didn't think he would give her another chance to hurt him again.
It was painful to see him every day and realise what she had almost had. She knew she was drawn to him more forcefully when he needed her physically, but when he needed her emotionally, she couldn't cope with his passion.
She turned back to her computer as Reid came out of his office and headed back down to the bull pen.
-0-0-0-
Reid thought some after work association would be a nice start to the week, and a chance to be with Hotch not in the confines of work. He leaned across to Emily.
'How about a drink after work, Emily.' he said.
'Sounds like a nice idea.' Emily agreed. 'I'll round the others up.' She looked at her watch. It wouldn't be long until the end of work. They had no case so they could spend some time relaxing.
Reid thought about his week off work. A week in which he had an important decision to make, a decision that would affect the rest of his life – whether or not to stay at the BAU with Aaron, or move on.
Ultimately of course it was Aaron's decision, not his. But he was sure that Aaron would allow him to stay if that was what he decided.
In his heart he had already decided. He would stay if he was allowed to. Now his feelings were out in the open, he was pretty sure that whatever happened, his colleagues would look out for him as they had always done.
-0-0-0-
They sat on the grass at the furthest end of the pub garden, overlooking fields stocked with wild flowers. It was a world away from the wickedness and evil that filled their days, and they wallowed in the beauty of it all. Penelope sat making a daisy chain that she ceremoniously placed about Morgan's neck. He laughed and pushed her playfully. She giggled.
They ate crisps and drank beer out of bottles and lay down on the grass. Hotch was quiet, and watched over his team like a mother watching her children. He didn't lie down. Neither did Rossi who sat beside him.
'Did Spencer come and see you?' he asked.
'Yes. I've given him a week off to think about it. It's a big decision, a transfer. He needs to be sure.'
'Ah so that's how to get time off!' Dave grinned, and added, not totally jokingly, 'Maybe I should try it. I could do with a holiday.'
Aaron gave him a sidelong glance, but said nothing.
When the bell for last orders rang, Hotch bought a last round of drinks. He noticed the women were showing signs of being tipsy, and he called for a cab to pick them up. They would leave their cars at the pub until tomorrow.
It was a seven seater SUV that picked them up. Hotch told the driver the first address, and one by one, the team members were dropped off at their respective homes. Until only Hotch and Reid were left.
'Think carefully about what you are going to do, Spencer.' Hotch said. 'It is a decision that will affect the rest of your life.'
'I will.' he answered.
As the cab stopped outside Reid's building, he opened the door to let him out. A woman standing on the kerb smiled at him, then to his surprise, she raised a gun with a silencer and told him to get back in the cab. He hesitated, and she pointed the gun into the cab and shot Aaron. As he slumped sideways in his seat, Reid, pale with shock got back into the cab.
'Hotch!' he said, eyes wide. But there was no answer. The blood on his shirt was forming a wide stain across his chest.
The woman got in. The driver had not seen what was happening.
'Where to miss?' he asked. She pointed the gun at the radio and shot it to pieces.
'Drive!' she said to the shocked driver. Reid was trying to stop the bleeding as the cab began to move again.
'You've killed him! Who the hell are you?' Reid said, his hands covered with Aaron's blood. He pressed down on the hole in Aaron's chest, trying to staunch the blood flow.
The cab drove out of the city, and back past the pub where earlier things had seemed so good. Reid felt a tear in his eyes as he held Hotch's body in his arms, rocking him as if that would revive him.
'Stop here.' the woman said. The driver pulled up at the edge of the road. The woman raised her gun and shot him point blank in the back of his head; the man's head exploded like and egg and Reid screamed.
'Why did you have to do that?' he cried. 'Why did you kill these two men? Who are you?'
'I am Phoebe Hesk.' she said. 'And they are dead because I didn't need them. It's you we want.'
She pushed the gun into his throat and pushed him out of the cab onto the grass verge. Reid looked back at Hotch who was now lying across the seat.
'Walk.'
'I can't just leave him!' Reid said, desperate to get back to Aaron.
'He's past your help, Reid, now move.' She shoved him forwards into a narrow border of trees and bushes that ran along side the road. As he stumbled through the undergrowth, he saw that there was a narrow farm track on the other side of the trees, and someone, another woman was sitting in a car with the engine running.
'Get in.' Hesk said, indicating the passenger's door. Reid got in, and turned to look at the woman who was driving. Then he recognised her. This was the woman who was working with Amos Cunningham. And he, Reid, was the one who caused his death!
He felt Hesk holding the gun to the back of his head as the car drove along the track and joined the road. The car drove past the abandoned cab, and Reid felt numb with shock as he pictured what was lying in the car. His hopes floundered as they drove on past and left the cab behind.
-0-0-0-
'There has been a shooting just outside the city limits.' the cop on the other end of the phone told Rossi. 'A cabbie has been killed and the passenger shot. I think the passenger might be still alive. He was when they took him off in the ambulance.'
Dave frowned. This was nothing to do with them. They were not working the case, and wouldn't be either. This sounded like a one off robbery.
'Why are you telling me this?' Dave asked.
'We think the guy who survived might be one of yours. Hotchner, his name is. FBI.'
Dave was instantly alert. 'Where have they taken him?'
He jotted down the name of the hospital, and put the phone down. He ran out into the bull pen. He called from the walkway.
'Hotch has been shot in a cab robbery.' he said once he had their attention. 'I'm going to the hospital. I'll have my phone on.'
He ran to the lift where he was joined by Prentiss.
'I'm coming too.' she said. 'When did it happen? Do we have any details?'
'Nothing, except Hotch is badly hurt.'
'Was Reid in the cab? He and Aaron were both in the cab when I got out.' she said.
'Get Morgan to have the cops check if they got to Reid's apartment.' Dave said. 'Reid said he was going away this morning. If the cab got to his apartment, we'll know he is safe. He wasn't in the cab when they found it.'
Dave got into the driver's side of the BAU SUV. His own car was still at the pub. He drove too fast to the hospital where Hotch and he himself had only recently been discharged. They parked in a no parking zone and ran into the reception.
'We're here for Aaron Hotchner, only recently brought in. can you tell me where we can wait for news.'
They were directed to a now familiar OR waiting room. Dave realised that he was shaking as he sat and put his hands to his face. Emily's mobile rang, and she quickly answered it. It was Morgan.
'The cab stopped off At Reid's building, so he was out of the cab before Hotch was shot. He'll be on holiday now – I think he was planning to go to Vegas. I've been trying to get hold of him, but his phone is switched off, or out of service. Tell Rossi I'll keep trying. He needs to know.'
She closed her phone and relayed the message to Dave. 'Hotch gave him a week off. Let's hope we can get in touch with him before the week's out.'
-0-0-0-
The car drove off the high way and stopped in a wooded car park where people stop when they walk in the woods. there was no one else there, and grass and other plants had pushed their way through the gravel indicating that it wasn't a well used place.
The woman who introduced herself as Marine Cox pushed Reid out of the car.
'We're here.' she said.
Hesk got out and pulled him onto his feet.
'Now walk.' she said and thrust the gun into the small of his back. The way was hard going. the undergrowth here was thick. Reid stumbled as the vines and brambles seemed to reach out to his legs and pull him over. Hesk tightened her grip on the gun. She was getting annoyed with him.
'Get the hell up.' she said, and pulled at his hair. Reid stood up, his hands now bleeding his own blood where he had caught the brambles when he went down. He was walking in a daze, trying to come to terms with what had happened. Hotch was dead, and he was in the hands of the same people who had tortured him to the point of dying. There was nothing he could do at the moment other than do as the two women ordered him. But he was going to take the first chance he could to escape.
He stumbled again. This time Hesk lost her temper and hit him on the back of the neck with the side of the gun barrel.
'Get up you pathetic creep!' she yelled as he fell forwards onto his face in the thorns.
'Don't kill him yet!' Cox shouted, pulling Hesk back before she could start beating the fallen agent. 'There's plenty of time for that later. Let's just get him back first!'
It wasn't far now. Reid half crawled along the forest floor. Then Cox shouted for them to stop. There was a trap door set into the ground. Cox lifted the door and pushed Reid into the dark hole. There were no steps, and Reid fell into the dark damp hole and landed awkwardly on his side. He cried out in pain as he felt a rib crack and he tried to stand up. He looked up to the rectangle of light that was the trap door, and tried to get onto his feet, but the door was closed over him and he was left in absolute darkness in the hole.
He wasn't sure that his eyes were closed or open the darkness was that complete. He walked forward painfully to the rocky wall of the tomb. The hole was about six feet square, with dirt floor and rocky walls. Water was running down the walls and forming mud around the edges of the hole.
Reid sat down in the corner. He was starting to panic. What if there were animals down here? What if no one came for him? What if he was being left to die?
He bent up his knees and wrapped his arms around them.
What if......?
Reid felt a deep primeval fear as he rocked in the dark silence.