A/N: My stories are rated "T" for a reason; potty mouth alert.
Chapter 12
An hour later, with the western sky turning its amber evening colors of sunset, SWAT Captain Morrison and his team, along with all the members of the BAU, screeched to a halt at the end of the driveway to the address Kevin had provided.
A Texas State Police trooper looked at them as they all jumped out of their vehicles. He nodded at Morrison. "Donnie, he hasn't come out; at least past me. And we've got six county mounties on ATV's patrolling every inch of the property line; it isn't that big. He's not on foot."
Matt shook his head. "He's going to make his stand here," he said, wrapping his Kevlar a bit tighter around his body, getting it up closer around his neck. The BAU team followed suit, knowing Matt's standards for wearing Kevlar. Many of the FBI SWAT team noticed and did the same thing. Morrison looked at Matt. "Donnie, it's your call; we're just here to assist in case things go south. We know how to talk to these people."
"Cob, you don't think we need the bio protection?"
"He hasn't used the lab equipment in a while," Dave said.
Reid nodded his agreement. "And from what I saw of the lab, he didn't have the equipment vaporize a poison."
Hollins looked at Morrison, pulling his Kevlar up closer to his neck. "They know this guy Donnie; we trust them."
"Yes sir," Morrison smiled, looking at Matt. "Do any of you have night vision?"
Matt smiled and nodded. "Myself, Hotch and Morgan."
"You're with the assault teams." The three of them nodded, getting that equipment out of their go bags. They each put them on the top of their heads, ready to pull down if needed.
"Donnie, if I may, I'd like Rossi on team two with Lieutenant Lawson. He's our lead negotiator."
"You got it Cob." Lawson smiled, shaking Dave's hand.
"And Donnie; don't let the ladies or the skinny kid fool you. I trust them all with my back. And we may need them."
Morrison nodded. "Duly noted Cob." He gave out the assignments for the two person assault teams in back-up, looking at Matt to add the members of the BAU team that fit. Cruz and Hollins, along with the State Trooper were in reserve. "What's the profile say about this guy in this situation?"
"Suicide by cop," Reid said. "Baxter said something in his journal about not being a caged bird like his Cheer's buddy."
"We got a plan Cob?"
"You've got one helluva a plan Donnie. Let's get it done." Just then, his cell buzzed in his pants pocket. He looked at the caller ID. Garcia knew better than to call him just before a raid. "Donnie, hang on." Morrison looked at him.
"Garcia, you're on speaker."
"Roger that Sir Cob; and you know I normally wouldn't interrupt you while you're wearing Kevlar. But sir, Kevin and I just uncovered some info you need to know."
"Go Garcia," Hotch said. Morrison nodded at him.
"My liege, Baxter legally owns a Smith and Wesson .357 bulldog."
"We didn't recover that from the house," Emily said. Lawson nodded.
"And sir," Kevin said, "Baxter purchased a semi-automatic rifle with a night scope at Sam's Gun Shop less than six miles southwest of your position a little less than an hour ago."
"Good stuff gang," Morgan said. "Thanks for the update."
"Thanks Garcia," Hotch and Matt said in unison. Matt shut down his cell.
Matt looked at Morrison. "Now we know for sure the site is safe from poisons. We're minutes behind him. But Donnie…."
"I hate the frickin' paperwork too Cob," he smiled. He looked around at his team. "Did y'all hear that," he asked, a bit louder. They nodded their heads. "Let's be smart." They all did a comm check.
Matt clamped Morrison shoulder. "Let's move out." Matt and Hotch shook hands, nodding at Morgan and Rossi.
"Y'all have your assignments," Morrison said. "Mount up and let's move." The teams got together in their respective vehicles and drove up the driveway.
As they crusted the crown of the driveway, a single shot pierced the middle of the windshield of the SUV that Morrison was driving with Matt in the passenger side. Morrison screeched to a halt. The following vehicles did as well.
"Keep going," Matt said. "That was just an intimidation shot on his part. The windshield is a damn big target. He couldn't miss. Call his bluff," Matt said with his experienced battlefield voice of command. There was no sense of urgency or alarm. The BAU team recognized his tone. "Move up."
Cruz, in the fifth vehicle back, looked at JJ across the seat from him. She looked at Cruz and smiled, simply nodding her head.
Morrison, trusting Matt implicitly, continued forward. "Morgan, did you see where that gun shot came from?"
"Negative Cob."
"Cob, it came from one of the upper windows of the farmhouse," Dave said. "It fits the profile; he's making his stand."
"Roger that Dave; I see the open window. Our target is the farmhouse," Matt said. "All teams acknowledge and use precautions." They all pinged their agreement.
As the teams pulled into the driveway near the farmhouse, they all exited out of the right side of the vehicles, using them as cover. Lawson and Rossi with Team Two went around the backside of an out building to swing around the farm and approach the backside. Part of the Team One assault unit, with Morgan stopped in the driveway about twenty yards behind the other vehicles to approach the front part of the farmhouse.
Team One waited for Team Two to get in place. Matt pointed out the open window to Morrison as they started to move around the SUV. Team Two started to move from the backside of the first building they had went around to head behind a second building that was twenty feet away from farmhouse. As they moved one by one, Matt noticed Baxter rise up and take a shot at that approaching team.
The minute Baxter fired, Matt unleashed his own round. Morrison blinked at the shot and then looked to see a spray of crimson red paint the wall of the bedroom illuminated in the dusk sunshine. "All teams go!" he said.
"Agent Rossi is down," a Team Two agent shouted. Matt and Hotch immediately broke off their entry into the farmhouse to run up the small incline to the area where Rossi laid. An agent was kneeling down in front of Rossi's prone body, protecting his fallen comrade, his weapon pointed at another window.
Matt got to him first, shoving his Glock into his shoulder holster. Dave was lying on his left side. "Dave, where are you hit," Matt asked, gently rolling him on his back as Hotch joined him. It was then that they both noticed the .357 round stuck in Rossi's Kevlar.
"I can't breathe," Dave struggled to say. Matt nodded at Hotch and rose up to stand next to the other agent, re-drawing his weapon.
"Dave," Hotch said. "You're OK. You just had the wind knocked out of you. Just take small breaths," he said, lightly squeezing his shoulder. Hotch gently opened the Kevlar straps, loosening the body armor so Rossi's lungs could expand more. He took Dave's weapon out of his hand, set the safety and put it in Dave's waist holster.
Inside the house, Joaquin Hernandez, Morrison's partner, reached the stairs one step ahead of Morgan. "Go," Morgan said, following him. Morrison was a step behind the two. Hernandez and Morgan breeched the room. Hernandez moved quickly to Baxter's prone body, checking his carotid artery in his neck. He shook his head thirty seconds later, as Morrison looked at the blood and brain matter splattered against the wall.
"Cob is that good of shot," he asked Morgan, shaking his own head.
Morgan held up a finger to him, miking his comm. "Hotch, we're clear. Baxter is dead. How's Rossi?"
"Roger that. He took a .357 round in his Kevlar; he'll be fine." Morrison rubbed his shoulder.
Morgan smiled. "Colonel Matthew Taylor, Marine Corps Reserve, is a trained USMC sniper. Don't ask how his Bureau range scores are," he smiled. "I don't even look any more 'cause I know I'm not going to top them."
Morrison smiled broadly. "That's gotta be a bitch on the office pool come qual time." Hernandez smiled at the convo.
Morgan matched the smile. "Hotch is a former FBI SWAT sniper and Rossi's Marine trained as well. Our office pool on range quals doesn't even let the Three Musketeers in the equation."
Hernandez looked at him. "That's what you call them?"
Morgan nodded. "To their faces," he laughed. "But that's who they are to our team," he warmly smiled.
"Then Agent Morgan," Morrison said, "get your ass out there to check on Porthos," he smiled.
Morgan slapped him on the back. "Nailed that profile Donnie," he smiled. He hurried out of the room. Hernandez just smiled at Morrison, shaking his head.
As that scene was playing out, Section Chief Cruz flew up the incline to get to the three lead agents. My three lead agents he thought. He looked at Matt, holstering his weapon again after Morgan's all clear. "How's Dave?"
Matt smiled kneeling down next to Dave's side opposite Hotch. "Like the old Timex watch commercials; he's taken a licking but he'll keep ticking."
Dave still lying on his back looked at him. "Fuck you Matt."
Matt smiled at Cruz. "Told you." Cruz smiled broadly.
JJ raced up next, with Emily and Blake two steps behind the former soccer player. Reid with his long legs quickly joined the scene as well. Matt looked at Dave. "I've told you a thousand times but you won't listen you old fart. You do not mess with a goddamn .357 Bulldog," he smiled.
Dave shook his head. "God damnit Matt; don't make me laugh. My ribs hurt like hell." Matt helped Hotch get Rossi's Kevlar off, keeping him lying on the ground. Morgan joined them and took Rossi's Kevlar from Matt.
Looking at it, Morgan couldn't resist, following Matt's lead to keep things light. "Umm Chief Cruz, I think you have a lot more explaining to do about write offs on this case." He looked at Dave's Kevlar vest again, handing to Cruz. "That sucker is toast." They all laughed, with Dave holding his ribs.
Reid smiled. "Thank you Mr. Carothers." Alex Blake unloosened her own, rubbing Reid's shoulder with her own smile.
"Amen Doc," Matt added.
Scott Lawson hustled up. "We've got EMT's on the way; glad you're OK Rossi," he smiled, looking at him.
Cruz handed him Rossi's vest. "Scott, would you mind putting that in one of the vehicles?"
Lawson smiled. "Not at all; I want to get some of my equipment off and then we'll help y'all with the search. I'll get the med crew up here."
"Thanks Scott," Matt said. He looked at Dave. "How you doing?"
"I can breathe again," he smiled. "It hurts like hell, but I can breathe." Matt rubbed his shoulder with a smile.
Hotch looked at the rest of the team. "Let's get started with the search. The sooner we get that done, the sooner we can get out of here." He looked at Matt. "You got him," he asked, nodding at Dave.
"The joys of being second in command; I get the sitter jobs," he said to Cruz, giving Hotch his Irish bullshit smile as he pulled off his Kevlar. JJ took it and the team moved to the vehicles. The rest of the Dallas crew was already pulling their gear off. Hollins at the end of the driveway waved the EMT crew up and pointed to where they needed to go.
The two EMT's parked next to the Bureau SUV behind the building Team Two had used for cover. They jumped out, grabbed their bags and went to Rossi's side. Matt introduced himself, told the two what happened and stood up to move away a bit to let them do their job.
Five minutes later, the band of brother and sisterhood of the Bureau made a circle around David Rossi. The search of the farmhouse could wait. They all needed to take care of their own.
"You're not putting me on a goddamn backboard," Dave argued.
"Agent Rossi," the lead EMT drawled, "I do my job by the book. And rule one in that book says I'm not Superman; I don't have X-Ray vision. I think you have a broken rib; if that has a splinter in it, it could puncture your lung. I don't want to deal with that."
Matt looked at the EMT's nametag. "Hey Chris, can I offer another solution?" The EMT looked at him. "Chris, I respect the job you do and I appreciate you wanting to do it by the book. But I know my teammate. Look around," he said, twirling his index finger. "Every one of us are trained and re-certified in field first aid. I think we can find enough volunteers to do a straight body lift."
Chris Enders looked his partner in the eye. Jamaal Needham smiled. "I'll get the gurney."
"I'll help you Jamaal," Scott Lawson said. They headed to the ambulance.
"Reid, you've got Dave's head," Matt said. Reid nodded. "Hotch and I can lift his shoulders."
"I want the wound area," Enders said.
Matt smiled at him. "Wouldn't want it any other way."
"I can take the other side of the torso," Morgan said, standing next to Hotch.
"We've got the rest Chris," Donnie smiled, looking at four of his team already getting in place to take care of Rossi's hips and legs.
"So we do a straight lift and Jamaal slides the gurney right under him," Chris smiled. "I can live with that."
"So can I," Dave said.
"Shaddup Dave; you're not part of this conversation. Works for us," Matt smiled at Chris. "You've got the lead." Chris nodded.
"Chris, we're a go," Jamaal said, getting the gurney in place with Lawson.
Matt pulled Dave's weapon off his belt and blindly handed it over his head. Emily grabbed it. "Got it Matt."
They all knelt down to do their job and got into position; Enders first getting his hands under Rossi's ribcage. He nodded at Morgan and Hotch and Matt moved under Rossi's shoulder as Morgan took got his arms positioned as well. "We all set," Chris asked, looking around. He heard a chorus of good, set, ready. "On my mark of lift; one, two, three lift." The nine people lightly lifted Rossi in the air and Jamaal and Lawson guided the gurney underneath. "And three, two, one, down," Enders said.
David Rossi was gently laid on the gurney. "Thanks guys for the smooth ride," he smiled.
Once the EMT's had Rossi secured on the gurney, the same group picked up the gurney and carried it to the back entrance of the ambulance so it wouldn't have to roll over the rough ground. Along the way, every member of the FBI teams gathered and gave his shoulder a rub, wishing him well, following along to the ambulance door.
David Rossi looked at his fellow agents as the EMT crew got him settled into the ambulance. He gave them all of thumbs up. "See you later."
Scott Lawson looked at Matt, nodding at the SUV next to the ambulance. He rubbed his shoulder. "Take that one; we can double up with the rest of the crew." Matt started to move to vehicle. "Hey Cob," Lawson smiled, as Matt swiveled to look at him. "Keep us all in the loop."
"You got it," Matt smiled and got in as the ambulance slowly pulled down the driveway.
###