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Chapter Eleven:
Cortland called Rossi the minute Reid finished the conversation with "I'll think about it."
"Rossi," he answered with.
"Agent Rossi what do you know about Colin Feldspar?"
"Why do you want to know?" he asked in a serious tone.
"Because he just tried to recruit Reid into joining the sex trafficking ring we are all trying very hard for him to avoid."
Rossi swore. "I thought Hotch would have spoken Reid before Feldspar could have gotten ahold of him."
"My surveillance," Cortland said suddenly. "Hotch didn't feel comfortable bringing it up at home while I was monitoring him."
"But Feldspar did. He clearly doesn't know the depth of your investigation. Can you fix the loop so no one sees Feldspar speaking about the secret organization?"
"That shouldn't be a problem. What will be is the fact that Reid is thinking about letting himself get abducted."
"The kid has a heart of gold. We'll talk him down. Trust me. Even if it involves trapping him in the BAU."
"Do whatever it takes," Cortland said. "I also have another task for Garcia if she is up to it. I want to recruit an asset."
"I'll see what I can do."
…
Hotch was waiting in the reception area of Feldspar's office.
"You spoke with my agent without telling me," he stated in a deadly tone.
"I don't need 'permission' to speak with any of your agents."
"You should have extended the professional courtesy of informing me about decision to attempt to recruit one of my agents."
"I don't have time for professional courtesy. Your agent seems willing and eager to help out in any capacity he can."
"I think you're overstating his enthusiasm. I believe he said he'd consider it."
Feldspar stared him. "Wait a minute his apartment is bugged? Why didn't you tell me that?"
"You do not know the depth of the investigation being conducted on Dr. Reid. I don't know how else to make myself clearer: Stay away from him."
Feldspar came closer to Hotch's face. "I gave 'him' my business card and to contact me when he has made his decision. Now if you don't have anything else to say Agent Hotchner, I have work I need to do."
Hotch glared at him and then left without saying another word.
…
Cortland spent the day hopping from café to café working on her laptop. She was working on a new slideshow for Tasha. It was disturbing how numb she was growing to the process. All the while her nerves were on fire. They had to talk him out of it. There no way she could imagine Reid getting involved with Tasha.
It was five o'clock and Cortland received no texts about a case so she wandered over to her apartment. She turned on the surveillance cameras and watched as he came in one hour later.
Reid scanned the ceiling looking for bugs and couldn't find them.
"I'm going to let myself get caught!" he shouted.
Cortland called pulled out her burn phone and dialed his number.
"No!" she said. "Please Reid don't."
"Working the Human trafficking task force could free so many people Eileen. It would be selfish not to do so."
"But what about the price of your soul? Can really survive what they have planned for you with your sanity intact?"
"It is a risk I'm willing to take for the greater good."
"But what about your team?" she asked. "They depend on you!"
"They'll understand eventually," he said.
Cortland began to pace around the apartment. "You're beginning to develop a god-complex you know that? You're the smartest person in any room. You feel things on a different level. You think your involvement is the key to solving everything!"
"Eileen I was targeted for a reason. Maybe I am the FBI's best hope of taking down the Society of the Black Sash. It is a risk I'm willing to take."
She suddenly began to tear up. "I don't want anything to happen to you Spencer. I'm in love with you!"
She watched the surprise register in his face.
"You love me?" he said slowly.
"It was one of the reasons I turned myself in. I didn't want you to get hurt anymore. I think everything about you is amazing. It isn't just physical, it is just the way you care about people. The way you make people smile. You are so amazing that it is hard not to fall in love with you."
Reid sat down. "I don't know what to say."
"Say you won't go along with this. Say you'll stay Dr. Spencer Reid."
"I can't Eileen, I'm sorry," he said. "Goodnight."
He hung up and Cortland fell to her knees. She dialed Rossi's number.
"Is kidnapping completely out of the question?" she asked.
"It has crossed all of our minds several times. No luck with you?" Rossi said.
"I told him I loved him and it didn't make a difference," she said as tears fell down.
"I'm sorry. I kind of liked the idea of you two together."
"Really? I have enough skeletons in my closet to fill an anatomy school and legitimate employment is hard to find for a disgraced cop."
"You're witty and I see the way you look at him. He could use someone like you in his life."
"Thank you Agent Rossi."
"Please, call me Dave. You've earned that right."
"Thanks, Dave."
He sighed. "You know what this means right? We have to break the Black Sash before the end of your assignment."
"I'll see about recruiting my asset tomorrow then."
"Anything for Reid."
"Anything for Reid."