"Hotchner."
"Uh…Sir…I found him."
"Where?"
"Mark Baylor owns a house just outside of town. We couldn't find him earlier because it's listed under his mother's name, Amelia Bancroft. It took some digging but it's him…I'm sure of it."
"Thanks Kevin. Send us the address."
"Already done, Sir."
Kevin hung up the phone. Suddenly it didn't matter who Penelope had chosen or why. All that mattered was that the team found her and brought her home safe and sound.
Hotch and the rest of the team rushed toward the SUV's. They all knew the risk if they were to arrive too late or that the fact that they now knew where Baylor was risked Garcia's life. Morgan would never forgive them and it would destroy the agent for sure.
It didn't take long for Hotch to find the small single-story home hidden just on the outskirts of town. It was in need of repair and on first glance it looked abandon. Baylor's late model van was parked in the driveway; a sign that he was confident that he'd not be discovered here. Hotch parked just out of sight and they all quietly got out and waited for his orders.
"JJ, Reid take the front, Rossi and I will go around back."
Everyone nodded and headed toward the house guns drawn and ready for anything.
Garcia was scared she hadn't seen Baylor since he'd brought her food hours ago. She had been experiencing some abdominal pain and she didn't want to think about what that could mean. She and Derek had been trying for a while to conceive and the thought that she could lose this baby terrified her. So she took a few deep breaths and prayed that Derek was safe and that someone would find her soon.
Baylor had left her alone. He wasn't interested in her though he knew his partner would have a great time with the curvy woman who no doubt would fight to the death to protect herself and her baby. He hadn't planned on things going the way they did but he'd always been good at thinking on his feet. He was nothing if not resilient. Still, the idea that someone else would get credit for his work didn't sit well with him. Life was about compromises and it was essential that he remained free to live his life besides he already had another little boy in mind. He was getting antsy and he needed company. Perhaps his partner wouldn't mind coming over to babysit his other guest while he ran out for a while. Baylor checked his watch and realized that his new little friend would be out of school in just a few minutes. His mother always took him to the park near their home before going home. Smiling he grabbed his keys and jacket and headed toward the front door.
He had company. He wasn't expecting anyone but it was too late to tidy up before JJ and Reid crashed through the front door. JJ would tease Reid later about how he had channeled his inner Morgan and knocked the door off its hinges with one big kick of his Chuck Taylor-clad foot. Their friend would be proud.
"FBI! Don't move!"
Reid aimed at the unsuspecting pedophile. Baylor froze his eyes bucked in fear as the agents surrounded him. JJ holstered her gun and quickly cuffed the man and led him out toward the front of the house to a waiting uniformed officer. Hotch, Rossi and Reid rushed through the house calling for Garcia entering every room on the way. The last room at the end of the long hallway was locked and Hotch wasted no time kicking the door in. His heart stopped at the sight of her lying on the floor in a fetal position.
"Garcia!"
She didn't move or make a sound as he rushed toward her dropping to his knees.
"I need medical in her NOW!" He yelled into his comm device.
His hands were shaking but he was relieved when he was finally able to feel a pulse.
"Hang on Penelope…help is coming…"
Quantico Police Department – Central Lockup – Later –
Morgan paced back and forth in his cell his body still aching from his late night visit from the three stooges dressed in police uniforms. He needed to talk to Hotch. It was no doubt that his team knew that Penelope was in trouble. He was terrified that their snooping would get her killed before they were able to figure out where she was. He couldn't lose her or their baby. He'd already caused her enough grief to force her to walk out on him. He just wanted her to be safe even if he couldn't convince her to give him another chance.
By now Hotch was certain that who ever was working with Mark Baylor knew that he'd been arrested and would go after Morgan…they were too many steps behind to make a difference. He could only hope that Morgan could hold his own until he got there. So, sending JJ and Reid to the hospital Hotch and Rossi headed back to the police department. He didn't know who had been leaking information to Mark Baylor so there was no one they could trust to protect Morgan.
Potomac General Hospital –
JJ and Reid nervously paced the waiting room floor. Garcia had been rushed there after being found at Baylor's house. Both were relieved that at least she had regained consciousness before being transported to the hospital and so they held on to that as their ray of hope. JJ thought about how happy Garcia was when she'd learned of the baby. She and Morgan had been trying for a while and finally it had happened for them. The pregnancy hadn't been without its problems causing her doctors to force her to stop working. That didn't sit well with her friend.
Reid had found a corner where he withdrew while reading through a stack of old magazines he'd collected from around the room. He needed Garcia to be okay and the baby. He needed Morgan and her to get back together so things could be normal again. He knew the stats and he wanted to stop them from running around in his head but he couldn't. This had been a high-risk pregnancy from the start and the doctors had warned both Garcia and Morgan of the risk stress placed on the baby. Still, time after time Morgan would pull some crazy stunt that would land him in the hospital like it did a few nights ago. He was worried. If anything happened to Garcia or their baby it would destroy his friend.
Quantico Police Department Central Lockup –
"I thought we had an agreement?"
Morgan jerked to his feet with his back to the wall and faced the man that had claimed to be his lawyer less than twenty-four hours ago.
"What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be back here!"
"You've been running your mouth and now you have to pay!"
"Look, I didn't say anything! Where's my wife?"
"Your friends found out that Mark was holding her at his house."
"Where is she?"
"You should have just kept your mouth shut and followed orders!"
"I told you I didn't say anything! Besides, you had to have known that your plan wasn't going to work! My team is good at what they do and they know I'm not a child murderer like your friend Baylor!"
"Well it really won't matter now."
Morgan watched the man pull a knife from his pocket smiling as the blade jumped from the handle.
"So how do you expect to get on this side of these bars?"
Then the man reached into his other pocket and pulled out a large key and pushed it into the lock. Morgan's eyes widened as the door opened with ease.
"You're going to need more than that knife if you step foot in this cell."
Then two of the three officers from the night before stepped in to view and stood on either side of the man.
"Let's just say I brought backup." He leered.
Potomac General Hospital –
JJ and Reid jumped to their feet when the older gray-haired woman walked through the door.
"Penelope Garcia Morgan?"
"Yes!" They answered in unison.
The woman wearily approached them. Reid looked at her, ever the profiler. He didn't like what he saw…he didn't like it at all.