Welcome back everyone. Thanks to all who continue to review. I love getting them. Now lets go find out what Emily heard. It's probably a mouse.
"Did you hear that?" she whispered, narrowing her eyes and cocking her head to one side.
Derek paused on the stairs. "Hear what?" he asked in puzzlement.
"It sounded like a whimper," she said and moved back to the center of the room.
Derek joined her and together they stood still, straining their ears to hear any sounds besides the furnace turning off. Then they heard a muffled groan and their heads swiveled to the blank wall opposite of them.
"That I heard," Derek said as they hurried over. "It sounded like it came from behind this wall."
They spread out and began running their hands over the paneling, searching for a hidden door. Emily's sharp eyes soon detected a faint seam. She started pressing along both sides of it.
Click!
Suddenly the secret door swung inward on well-oiled hinges. Derek let out a low whistle. Damn she was good! That was the second time in the past year she had discovered a hidden door. Emily's covert training was paying off. They drew their weapons and cautiously approached the opening on silent feet. The groaning grew louder. They burst through the doorway and skidded to a stop when they saw what was inside.
A naked woman, gagged with duct tape, lay on a filthy mattress. Her hands and feet were chained to four stakes driven into the cement floor. The fresh 'A' brand on her chest stood out in stark relief against her pale skin.
"Shit!" Derek swore and holstered his gun. He rushed to the woman's side and knelt down, pressing two fingers against her neck. "She's alive. Call 911!"
Emily whipped out her phone and cursed in French. "Merde! There's no signal down here. I'll have to go upstairs."
Derek nodded. He got back to his feet and began casting around for something to cover her with. The poor woman started to shiver.
Emily took the stairs two steps at a time. The door to the basement was slightly out of alignment so it had slowly closed while they were down below. Just as she was reaching for the knob, the door flew open and Emily found herself face to face with Mitchell Greene. They stared at each other in surprise. Then before she had a chance to reach for her gun, Greene lashed out and punched her in her bad shoulder.
The blow knocked Emily backwards and down the stairs. Her body hit the floor with enough force to drive the wind out of her. The abrupt stop caused her head to bounce painfully off the cement, making her see stars. Emily moaned and clutched at the shoulder that felt like it was on fire. So lost in her pain, she didn't see or hear Mitchell Green descend the stairs and remove her Glock from its holster.
Derek hastily searched the hidden room for any scrap of cloth he could use to cover up the naked woman. When he couldn't, he shrugged off his jacket and draped it over the still form. Then as carefully as he could, he removed the tape covering her mouth.
"You're safe now," he said soothingly as he adjusted the jacket. "My partner is sending of an ambulance." The woman's eyes opened half way then closed.
He was beginning to wonder what was taking Emily so long when he heard a loud thud that sounded like a body hitting the floor. A low moan followed it. The image of her slipping on the steps and falling down the rest of the way came unbidden to his mind. It spurned him to his feet and out through the door. He was totally unprepared for what he found on the other side. Mitchell Greene was towering over his partner with her own gun trained on her. Emily was lying at his feet; hand over her mostly healed collarbone and moaning softly.
Derek reached for his weapon, only to freeze when Greene shifted and pointed the gun directly at Emily's head.
"You try anything funny, Agent Morgan, and she dies," Greene warned.
The dark agent held up his hands. "Every thing is cool, man. Why don't you put the gun down and we can talk about it," he said with a calm voice. He glanced down to see that Emily had come to her senses and was trying discretely to get out of harms way.
Greene's eyes were wild as he cast them about, trying to figure a way out of this. The hand holding the gun was shaking which worried Emily no end since she was much closer to it than Derek. What bothered him more was they way Greene kept sliding his finger on and off the trigger. He had to defuse the situation before someone, namely Emily, got hurt.
A moan issued from the other room. Greene's eyes hardened. He reached down to grab Emily by the hair. She yelped in surprise and in pain as he jerked her upright and shoved the muzzle of her gun against her head. She let go of her bad shoulder to latch on to his hand in a weak attempt to break his grip. The pain she was feeling left her reflexes sluggish.
"Take out your gun and put it on the floor, Agent Morgan," Greene ordered.
Derek hesitated, his hand halfway to his weapon and locked eyes with Emily. She knew better than to say anything aloud that could make the situation worse so she used her eyes. He could see her brown eyes were filled with pain but also with determination. She silently told him not to do it but to take the shot. Her confidence in him was unwavering. But his confidence in himself wasn't as strong. He had almost lost her once and he wasn't going to let that happen again. He slowly removed his gun and bent to set it on the floor. He looked at Emily again as he straightened, expecting to see disappointment in her expressive eyes, but all he saw was understanding.
"Kick it to the workbench," Greene said.
Derek did as he was told. The three of them watched the gun skitter over the cement. When it came to a rest, Greene flung Emily to one side, causing her to fall on her bad shoulder and went to retrieve the gun. When Derek made a move to help her, Greene swung the gun in his direction, freezing him in his tracks.
"Don't move, Agent Morgan," Greene said. Keeping an eye on both of them, he reached back and plucked a thick roll of duct tape off the workbench. He tossed it to Derek. "Tape Agent Prentiss hands to the stairs."
The dark agent looked at him before moving over to Emily who had managed to push herself up into a seated position next to the staircase. "Are you all right?" he whispered as he lashed her hands in front of her to one of the spindles.
"I'm fine," she whispered back. "I just got the wind knocked out of me."
Derek knew she was lying. He had seen the wince when he had moved her arm. Now he was worried that she might have re-injured the collarbone when she had fallen.
"It's not too tight?" he asked when he was done.
"No," she said with a slight shake of her head.
"Can the talking," Greene commanded, earning a glare from both agents. "Now do her feet."
Derek taped Emily's ankles together. Before straightening up, he gave her knee a comforting pat. Slowly he turned and looked expectantly at the UnSub. Greene made a flicking motion with the gun, indicating that he wanted Derek to move away from Emily. Now Greene had a small problem. He had one agent tied up, but how was he going to restrain the other without putting the gun down? Meanwhile, Derek balanced on the balls of his feet ready to jump him when his guard was down.
Then Greene remembered seeing a flash of metal on the back of Derek's belt when he had bent down to tied up Emily. "Do you have handcuffs?"
Derek didn't respond. "Answer me!" he screeched, his voice raising several octaves.
"Yes," Derek said, glaring at him while willing his hands not to clench.
"Good. Take them out and sit down in front of the workbench." When Derek didn't move as quickly as Greene would have liked him to, he pointed one of the two guns now in his possession at Emily's head. "Faster!"
He went over and sat down, leaning back against the leg of the bench.
Greene nodded. "Now I want you to tape your legs together and then cuff your hands behind the bench's leg."
Derek glanced one more time at Emily, who was watching him intently, before cuffing himself. Greene waited for the sound of the handcuffs being ratcheted into place before approaching the glowering agent. Keeping the gun aimed at Derek, he reached behind the leg of the workbench to make sure the handcuffs were secure. He even tightened them on the off chance that Derek had purposely left them loose enough to slip out of them. Satisfied, Greene stuck the gun under his belt to pick up the roll of duct tape. He ripped off a piece and slapped it roughly over Derek's mouth. He then turned his attention to Emily.
"You don't have to do this, Mitchell," she said in a calm and even voice as he approached. "Just let us go and we can work something out."
"I can't," he said, tearing off another piece of tape and securing it over her mouth. "You know my secret."
Greene double checked the tape around her wrists, found it wanting and wrapped more around them. Now that the two prying agents were properly restrained, he could relax…well…somewhat relaxed. He started pacing and muttering to himself as he tried to figure out what to do with them. Derek and Emily watched him over the gags with pissed off eyes.
He stopped in mid stride and spun to face them, his face lit up with excitement. "I know what to do," he said and looked at Derek. "You and I are going to take a little ride to this rough neighborhood I know. When they eventually find your body, the cops will assume you wandered into the middle of a gang feud. They won't find much of your car. Those kids are damn good at striping down cars."
He turned and leered at Emily. "Agent Prentiss, on the other hand, is going to stay here." Her eyes narrowed in anger. "You're going to entertain me when I'm done with the other one. It might be awhile since I just got her." Greene let out a nervous laugh.
Brinngg!
The sound of the doorbell ringing froze everyone in place. Three pairs of eyes looked up the stairs. Two were filled with guarded optimism, the other with apprehension. Greene gave them one last nervous look before dashing up the stairs. Derek and Emily didn't move. They waited to hear the click of the basement door shutting before they attacked their restraints.
Emily yanked as hard as she could against the tape that held her fast to the railing of the staircase. But with one arm hampered by injury, she made little to no progress. She exhaled heavily and leaned against the side of the stairs. She was stuck, literally. Ignoring the pain in her shoulder, Emily checked to see if Derek was having any better luck.
Like Emily, Derek was tugging at the handcuffs and not having much success. He gave them a hard yank and was surprised to feel the workbench wobble. That gave him an idea. With Emily watching in curiosity, he planted his feet on the floor and pushed back, hoping he could tip it. His legs shook from the strain but he eventually managed to raise the leg of the bench just high enough to slide the chain of the cuffs beneath it.
Derek grunted in triumph. Now he was free of the workbench he just had to get his hands in front of him. And that wasn't going to be easy. He was a big guy and not as limber as other people. While he struggled to get his hands past his hips, Emily turned her attention to the basement door. She tried to shift into a better position but the tape held her in place. In the end, she was forced to crane her neck in an awkward position to keep watch. They had no idea how long Greene would be gone so they couldn't waste a minute of it.
With one more painful jerk, Derek got his hands past his hips and easily around his legs. He reached up and ripped the tape off his mouth, wincing as several beard hairs went with it.
"I'm almost free," he said, keeping his voice low so that it wouldn't carry upstairs and let the Greene know he was free.
Emily nodded that she had heard while keeping her eyes glued up the stairs. Derek reached awkwardly into his pants pocket to fish out the key to the handcuffs. He inserted the key into the locks and within a matter of seconds his hands were free. Now he had to get the tape off his ankles. Derek looked around for something to cut it with since they didn't have time for him to pick at it. Then he remembered seeing a utility knife on the workbench. He rolled to his knees, grabbed the knife and quickly sliced through the tape.
Suddenly Emily let out a loud grunt. Derek turned and she jerked her head at the stairs, indicating that Greene was returning. He nodded and reassumed his position. "Be ready," he whispered before putting the tape back over his mouth and his hands back behind the leg of the bench.
Emily nodded and hoped that the UnSub wouldn't notice that Derek was no longer restrained. The two agents watched Greene as he thundered down the stairs.
"I thought I would never get rid of that old biddie," he grumbled as he can to a stop in front of them. "She sure likes to talk."
He grinned and pulled out the gun he had hidden under his shirt when he had gone upstairs. "Agent Morgan, it's time for us to take that little drive I mentioned earlier. I can't have the neighbors getting curious about your car parked in my driveway. As you can see they're a nosy lot."
When he took a step toward Derek, Emily started to thrash around and make loud noises. It hurt her shoulder to do so, but she had to distract him just long enough for her partner to get into position.
Greene stopped and frowned. "Cut that out," he said.
His words only made her tug harder at the tape and grunt even louder.
"I said stop that!" he growled. He turned and raised the gun as if he was going to strike her with it. Emily glared back, daring him to try.
That was all the time Derek needed. He ripped the tape off his mouth and launched himself at Greene's unprotected back. He struck high, hands hitting at the shoulders then sliding down to pin the arms. Greene, surprised by the sudden attack, pulled the trigger. The gun roared in his hand. At the sound of the gun firing, Emily instinctively ducked her head, trying to make herself as small of a target as possible. The bullet buried in the wood right where her head had been. She looked at the bullet hole and let out a shaky breath. That had been a little too close for her comfort.
The force of Derek's tackle sent both men sprawling. The gun went spinning out of Greene's hand when his arm hit the floor and landed in the corner, safely out of the reach of both combatants. Derek, who had landed on top of Greene, tried to wrench the man's arms behind his back and pin him. But Greene was stronger than he looked. He broke Derek's grip, twisted around and threw an elbow, connecting with the agent's jaw. The blow stunned the dark agent just long enough for Greene to scramble out from under him.
Greene lurched to his feet and turned, planning on delivering a swift kick to Derek's ribs. Emily twisted around and thrust out her bound feet, tangling them in his legs. Greene lost his footing and fell on his back with a loud thud. Derek was on him within seconds. He hauled back and delivered three vicious punches to the face, knocking Greene senseless. Derek climbed off and stumbled over to the workbench to retrieve the abandoned roll of duct tape and handcuffs. He quickly secured the prisoner hand and foot before moving to Emily's side.
Derek knelt and as gently as he could, pulled the tape off her mouth. "Thanks for having my back, Partner."
Emily licked her lips before speaking. "Always, Partner," she said with a smile. She gave her hands a tug. "Umm…do you think you could cut my hands loose? This position is a tad uncomfortable."
"Oh. Right," he said sheepishly and went to get the utility knife.
Derek held her right arm steady as he cut through the tape with his free hand. Then as gently as possible, he eased the arm back into the sling. "Sorry," he apologized when he saw her wince.
"It's fine," she said with another smile.
He peered closely at her face. Her words told one story while her brown eyes told another; she was in pain. "Better?" he asked when he was done.
"Much," she said gratefully, keeping the pain she was feeling out of her voice.
Derek retrieved the gun from where it had landed and handed it to her. "You sit here and cover him while I'll go call for backup and an ambulance."
"I've got it handled," she said. "If he so much as twitches, I'll shoot him where it hurts the most."
"Then if he's smart, he won't," Derek said with a grin. He gave her good shoulder a squeeze. "I'll be right back."
"Be careful when you try to open the door," she called out as he mounted the stairs.
Emily waited for him to disappear from sight before shifting the gun to her right hand. With her left, she reached over and rubbed her aching shoulder. Her head throbbed but not as much as the shoulder did but now that her arm was back in the sling, it didn't hurt as much. She was hoping that it was a sign that she hadn't done as much damage to her shoulder and collarbone as she had initially thought. Hopefully she hadn't broken the bone again because she really didn't want to be stuck in the damn sling for another long six to eight weeks.
Derek returned a few minutes later. Before he had a chance to speak or sit down, Emily made he go and check on the victim in the secret room. Before he went, he frisked Greene for the key to unlock the chains that held the woman fast. Finding it, he hurried off.
"How is she doing?" she asked when he came back.
"She's holding her own," he said, sitting down and taking the gun from her.
"Emily nodded. "Good."
The partners sat shoulder to shoulder in silence, staring at the unconscious form of the UnSub while they waited for backup to arrive. Derek, at one point, sighed and ran his free hand over the back of his head.
Emily glanced at him perplexed. "What is it?"
He grimaced. "Hotch is going to kill me for letting you get hurt."
She nodded in agreement. "Well my doctor is going kill me for the same thing," she said seriously. Then she nudged him with her foot. "Since we're both going to die, we can have a double funeral to save money. I already have a casket, a plot and a headstone. I'm sure they can squeeze you in with me."
Derek stared at her in shock, stunned that she would say something so morbid sounding. Then his face slowly broke into a grin when he realized she was pulling his leg. Emily's joke eased the tension hanging over the room and they broke into a round of uncontrollable laughter.
Well that was an action packed chapter. I hoped you liked it. Don't forget to let me know what you think. See you next week. Until then.
