JJ's attacker kneels down and places the barrel of her gun against the back of JJ's head. "Let's go or I put a bullet in her brain."
Garcia just nods and precedes Samantha Calvin out the backdoor of the offices and into a waiting SUV.
"You drive," Samantha orders. "Do anything stupid and I'll go back and finish off your friend. Do what I say and you can go free soon."
"What do you need me to do?" Garcia asks fearfully as she drives in the direction Samantha orders.
"Not many people could disable my little bug, let alone do it twice. I bet you can get my bank accounts opened again, can't you?"
"I…I don't…maybe," Garcia mumbles.
"Well, you get me that money and transfer it over to a special account of mine and you get to live. Fail and, well, they'll never find your body."
Garcia whimpers again. She takes the next road that Calvin orders. She knows enough to know she'll never get out of this alive no matter what. Her only chance is to play along as long as possible and pray the others find her before she finishes doing what Samantha wants.
Morgan and Emily catch up to Narvel…at the gates to the commune. Emily looks at Morgan.
"Okay, I didn't see this happening. What's he doing?"
Morgan shrugs. "I have no idea."
The two agents park along the side of the road and get out. They watch as Narvel passes out drinks and snacks to the National Guardsmen at the gate. He smiles as they walk up.
"I know you told me to rest but, well, I couldn't. Instead I decided to live for others as Skinny always taught us."
Morgan grins. "Nice idea, man. I do have one question, though. Why do you have a card attached to the commune accounts?"
Narvel frowns in confusion. "Why what? I don't. Used my Mastercard. Gets me travel points."
Emily frowns. "Are you serious? You didn't use a Visa debit card?"
Narvel shakes his head. "No. Why would I have a commune card?"
"Son of a bitch," Morgan mutters as he pulls out his phone. "Rossi? You two still in Socorro?" He nods as he listens. "I'm sending you an address. Around the same time Narvel was buying stuff at a convenience store someone else was using a commune card. Prentiss and I saw Narvel and didn't double check the time stamp," he adds shamefully. He hangs up and looks at Emily. "We fucked up."
"Yeah, we did," she agrees. "Let's get into the commune and see if we can make up for this." She turns to Narvel. "Out of curiosity, if Mavis had to hide something, where might she put it?"
He thinks a second. "Well, if not in her hut maybe…maybe the school hut. There's a storage closet in there that the teachers use. No one else does."
Emily nods. "Thanks, Narvel. And, about what you did for the soldiers, thanks for that, too. Says a lot about your character that you think of them when you're dealing with all that you are."
He shrugs humbly. "Skinny and my mother would be upset if I forgot their teachings."
Emily nods and jogs to catch up with Morgan at the SUV. Once inside the gates, he drives right to the class hut. Emily pulls out her phone.
"Going to call Garcia and let her know we're here."
He nods as she hits Garcia's number. The two agents go inside to find the closet Emily hadn't found during her search of this building. She gets Garcia's voicemail.
"Hey, Pen, Morgan and I are back. We're in the class hut following up on a lead. See you in a few."
She hangs up and stares at the building. She shakes her head. "The only closet of any type I saw was that one," she points to the one with the horrible mural inside.
Morgan walks over and opens the door. He grimaces as he turns on the black light and sees what Emily had found. "That's just fucked," he states.
"Yep. Morgan, there is no other closet."
"Nope. It was emptied to make room for…for that shit."
Emily sighs. "Her notebooks are gone, aren't they?"
"Most likely. Come on, let's go see what was found here today."
Emily nods and follows him out of the hut. "Maybe we can check in and get a couple hours down time."
"Cross your fingers," he says.
As they walk into the offices, they hear a moan. The two exchange a look and pull their guns. That was a groan of pain, not of frustration. They slowly move forward, guns up. Morgan pauses as Emily checks the computer room.
"Clear," she whispers.
They hear a thump from the office Garcia is using and slowly move closer. Morgan stiffens when he sees JJ on the floor, the red on the back of her head a stark contrast to her blonde hair.
"Fuck," he mutters and quicksteps forward.
It takes every ounce of self control in her body to keep Emily from racing past him to her wife, who is starting to come around and trying to regain her feet, leading to the thump they heard. Morgan quickly clears the office and drops down beside JJ.
"JJ!"
"Unngghh…shut…up…" she mumbles.
Emily drops down beside her as Morgan pulls his phone to call for help.
"Easy, Jennifer. What the fuck…what happened to you? Where's Garcia?"
"I…don't know…" JJ slowly rolls over, her eyes completely unfocused as Emily cradles her close. "She was…scared. Thought she…got in computers again. Then…nothing."
"Son of a bitch," Emily mutters. "Just stay still, baby. Help is on the way."
JJ tries to shake her head then moans and grabs it. "No. Gotta…find her."
"Jen, you're bleeding, your eyes are unfocused," Emily tells her. "You have a concussion and you know it."
"Fuck," JJ mutters, unable to argue or come up with a better response.
Morgan kneels down. "Did you hear anything?"
"No," JJ mutters. "Just saw her and hurried into the room. I just…thought she was paranoid again like…yesterday. I'm sorry, Morgan."
"Hey, now, no apologies. Your first thought was to help her. With what she's doing what else would you think?"
A deputy runs into the room. "The sheriff said I should take Agent Jareau and Agent Prentiss to the hospital. It will be quicker than waiting for an ambulance."
Emily nods. "Good." She stands, JJ in her arms.
"No, Em. Stay. Find Pen. Please," JJ begs.
Emily stares into her wife's eyes. "Jennifer, no…"
"She needs help, Em. Please…find her. Make up for me…failing her," JJ begs harder.
Emily fights an internal battle because she knows her wife's request is the right thing to do. She says nothing just carries her out to the waiting SUV. The deputy opens the back door so Emily can let JJ lie down. Emily strokes a hand down her cheek.
"I'd be beside you," she states.
JJ nods. "I know. But Pen needs you more right now."
They share a kiss filled with love. Emily leans back and looks at the deputy.
"Avoid the sirens when you can. It will make her head feel worse. And make sure you tell them she's 21 weeks pregnant!"
The man nod. "Yes, ma'am. I'll call ahead to the ER so they will be waiting for us."
"Thank you." She turns back to her wife. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
Closing the door to that vehicle is one of the hardest things Emily has ever had to do. She turns to Morgan.
"Call Kevin. See if he can find Garcia's phones."
"One is on the desk," Morgan notes.
"Then at least one is in her pocket. She carries 3 or 4," Emily points out. She looks down and sees the blood on her shirt from JJ's head wound. "I need…to change."
Morgan just nods as he calls Kevin. Once alone in the RV Emily let's her emotions fly. She draws back her fist and punches the mirror on the door to the bedroom. Twice. She takes a few deep breaths, trying to calm the rage in her body.
Doesn't work.
She'd been walking a line for a long time now. Today could be the day she crosses it when she finds the person that dared to raise a hand to her wife and, consequently, her children.
Hotch answers his phone. "What's up, Morgan?"
"Someone took Garcia."
"WHAT?! WHO?!"
"No idea. Hotch, JJ walked in on the kidnapping. Didn't see anyone but got hit in the back of the head."
Hotch looks at Derringer. "I need an ambulance for one of my agents."
"Be quicker to have a deputy drive them," Derringer says as he pulls out his phone and steps on the gas.
Hotch nods and goes back to Morgan. "Be there in 5 minutes. Wait! Maybe they are going to the hunter's cabin. I'll text the info. Where's Prentiss' head?"
"She's with JJ right now. She'll be solid, Hotch."
"Good. I'll send you the directions to the hunter's cabin and meet you there."
"Sounds good."
Hotch pockets the phone and says a few choice curses to himself. "I spread my team too thin."
"What?"
"No one should have been alone. Now my analyst is missing and an agent is down. Fuck!" He slams his hand into the dashboard.
Maybe that damn commission was right to take a look at his team.
When Rossi and Reid get the call from Morgan they detour to the convenience store to look at the tapes once more. Using the time stamp Garcia had logged they see a man buying lots of easy to carry and keep snacks, much like Narvel had done. But this time they notice the man does his best to hide his face. His hat brim is pulled low and he keeps his head down. Other than height and weight they have nothing.
"So who the hell is this guy?" Rossi mutters. "Shit, he finally paid cash."
Reid shrugs. "I don't know. I'll call Garcia to see if she knows any associates of Calvin or the Harrows." He hits her number.
"Reid, it's Hotch."
Reid frowns. "Oh, uh, sorry. Thought I hit Garcia's number."
"You did," the chief confirms then explains what happened.
"Holy shit! Is JJ okay?"
"Seems to be. Morgan and Emily are on their way to the cabin. Derringer and I are on the way now. Just had to stop and check something for Kevin so he can start searching for Garcia."
"We're on our way," Reid says, hurrying towards the door, Rossi following him. "Hotch, an unknown man tried to use a commune credit card this morning. Bought gas and some easily carried snacks and drinks with cash finally."
"Shit. He may be planning to meet up with whoever it is that has Garcia."
"Hotch, if they make her free up the accounts or transfer money they won't need her," Reid points out.
"I know. Let's pray she can stall long enough that we catch up to her."
Hotch hangs up and hurries out to Derringer's SUV. He calls Kevin.
"Lynch, what do you have?"
"Penny's personal phone is on its way to that cabin you mentioned. Should be there in 2 or 3 minutes."
"Morgan and Prentiss?"
"About 20 minutes behind but catching up. Garcia's vehicle isn't driving as fast as theirs is."
"Good. The unsub doesn't know we're onto them yet. Can you block electronic signals from that area?"
"Yes, sir. But it will block cell phones, too. I'll have to block the tower they installed there at the commune."
Hotch thinks a second. "Do it."
"Yes, sir. You'll be going dark in 3 minutes."
"Good. I'll send a text to warn everyone." Hotch hangs up and tells Derringer what's going on as he sends a text to the rest of the team.
Derringer glances at the man beside him. "This Garcia…she's not a full agent, right?"
"No. But she's smart and she won't panic. She'll do what she can to stall."
"Why take her?"
"The money. They want her to free up the accounts."
Derringer nods. "Makes sense." He shakes his head. "We pretty much knew but didn't officially know it was about the money. All these people for…for nothing."
"It was about more than the money. The unsub got off on slowly taking over these people's lives and then killing them and setting them up to look like blind cultists following a leader to their death. They are a sociopath of the highest order."
"I know a little about profiling. You're warning me they won't go quietly."
"No, they won't. They won't hesitate to kill any of us or themselves. They have to win, even if that just means avoiding jail on their own terms."
"Son of a bitch. I want them to pay, Hotch. I want them to live the rest of their life in a cage for what they've done here."
"I second that," Hotch agrees.
"Pull right up to the steps," Calvin orders Garcia.
Garcia does as ordered. Calvin reaches over and takes the keys. "Get out."
Garcia obeys and Calvin meets her at the front of the vehicle. She gestures for Garcia to precede her into the cabin. She places a laptop on the table in the single room dwelling.
"Sit down and get logged into the bank," she orders.
Garcia sighs, moving as slow as she can without drawing undue scrutiny. After a few minutes she frowns.
"I have no signal," she tells her captor.
"WHAT?!" The woman screams. She pulls out her own cell phone and sees no bars. "How the FUCK is that possible?!"
Garcia is not sure if she should answer or not so she remains silent. Calvin walks over and places the gun at the blonde's temple.
"How the fuck is this possible?" she asks menacingly, answering Garcia's unasked question.
Garcia swallows. "Pr- -pro- -probably got cut if they found JJ…uh, Agent Jareau and saw me missing," she guesses.
"Turn it back ON!" she pokes her hard in the temple.
"I can't! I swear I can't! It would have to be initiated by an agent and be done through the phone company, not our computers. We can't block communications like this in the field," she lies, praying Calvin doesn't know better.
Calvin starts to pace, muttering incoherently as she goes. Finally she comes to a decision. "Get up. We'll drive out of here on a back road and do the transfer from another town somewhere."
Garcia stands and folds up the laptop, making sure to leave its modem on. If all is going as she thinks it is, Hotch had Kevin block the phone signals. Hopefully he is also tracking the personal phone in her pocket and maybe picking up on the signal from the computer, too, if he's trying to find other signals near hers.
"Where do I go?" Garcia asks as she gets behind the wheel once more.
Calvin reaches over and puts the keys in the ignition. "Back the way we came. I'll tell you when to turn."
Garcia turns on the SUV and starts to drive back down the dirt road. As they turn one corner they see another SUV flying towards them.
"STOP!" Calvin shouts.
Garcia stomps the brake pedal. Morgan had done the same. The two SUV's are now in a standoff, like two cowboys at high noon.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Calvin mutters over and over. "Back to the cabin. NOW!"
"Uh, I don't have room to turn around," Garcia notes.
Calvin puts her gun to Garcia's head. "Use. Reverse. GO!"
Garcia swallows and twists in the seat as she puts it in reverse to practically crawl back to the cabin.
Morgan can feel the tension radiating off his partner; his friend. "Prentiss, you clear headed on this?"
"Would you be?"
"Emily…"
She takes a deep breath. "I don't know, Derek. I just…don't know."
Before he can push for more he sees the other vehicle come around the corner. As both cars come to a halt, the agents see the fear in Garcia's eyes. When Calvin puts the gun against her head, Emily growls.
It is then Morgan knows he may have to stop his partner before she crosses a line she will never forgive herself for crossing.
He starts to follow Garcia as she carefully picks her way backwards back up the road, which is more an ATV trail. The narrow road combined with her fear is not helping her keep it straight.
"Easy, Baby Girl," he coaches from afar. "No need to speed. No need to do anything but stay alive.
Emily's hand is wrapped around the butt of her gun so tightly her fingers start to tingle. She eases her grip enough to let the blood flow once more. That woman with Garcia had attacked JJ. She had to have seen JJ is pregnant but attacked her anyway. She takes a few calming breaths. There would be no shooting to injure. There would be no warning shot. She would shoot to kill and to hell with the consequences.
"Prentiss, when we get to the cabin she'll take Garcia inside. Go around back and make sure she doesn't try to get out that way while we wait for Hotch and Derringer."
"No."
He grabs her arm. "You will FOLLOW orders or I will cuff your ass and leave you in here. You're not throwing your life or career away, Emily. Not on my watch!"
Emily levels a glare at him. "Don't you fucking try to babysit me, Derek Morgan."
"I'll do what I have to do to protect you from yourself. JJ wouldn't want you to do this, Emily. You know it."
Yes, he's right. No, she doesn't care. Morgan sees that and shakes his head. Garcia stops right near the steps to the cabin. Calvin drags her out the passenger side, keeping her close as Morgan pulls to a stop a little ways away.
"STAY BACK OR SHE'S DEAD!" Calvin threatens as she drags Garcia up the two steps and back into the cabin.
As Emily goes to get out of the SUV, Morgan grabs her arm and cuffs her wrist to the steering wheel.
"WHAT THE FUCK?!"
He grabs the keys from her hand as she tries to unlock herself. He grabs her gun in case she tries to shoot herself free.
"Be pissed at me. I'll get over it."
He gets out and positions himself behind the hood of the SUV to wait for Hotch and Derringer. He ignores Emily cussing him, his potential offspring, his dog and anything else she can think of.
Hotch and Derringer pull in beside Morgan's SUV. Hotch glances once at the agent cussing the world from the front seat. He raises an eyebrow at Morgan.
"Report."
"Unsub is a female. She dragged Garcia back into the cabin at gunpoint." He glances to the SUV. "She's not thinking clearly, Hotch. I have her gun and her cuff keys."
Hotch nods. "Go around back and make sure they can't try to get out via the woods. We won't make contact until Rossi and Reid get here."
"Yes, sir," Morgan says, handing Emily's gun over. He then moves off to watch the back.
Hotch glances at Derringer. "Keep an eye on the door while I talk to the hothead in the car."
Derringer nods, his gun trained on the door as he watches for any sign of what the people inside are doing. Hotch walks over and opens Emily's door.
"Uncuff me," she demands immediately, her eyes wild with fury.
Hotch studies her carefully. "No."
She grabs him by the front of the shirt. "Damn it, I deserve a chance at that bitch!"
"Are you even hearing yourself? Are you? Son of a bitch, Emily, listen to what you are saying! You aren't thinking about justice, you're thinking about revenge. I've been down that road before. I won't let you walk it, too."
She stares into his eyes. "You…you got a chance at Foyet. I deserve a chance- -"
"No, you don't. You'd feel fine now but later it would eat you up inside. You could never look at your wife or kids again without knowing you betrayed everything you stood for just to get revenge. Jennifer Jareau Prentiss is alive. Do you really want to face her and tell her she's the reason you're losing your badge? Or worse? I only have to face Hailey in my dreams and that's hard enough."
Emily leans back in the seat, her emotions starting to settle a little. "She's pregnant and she was bleeding and she'd already been- -"
"I know. I know all of that, Emily. I can't imagine what you're feeling but I do know what you will feel if I let you out of this car and you ignore your badge, ignore your oath, ignore the fact that your son calls you Batman." He offers her gun to her. "Can you take this and know you can look at them when all this shit is done?"
She takes a deep breath and reaches for the gun. Her hand stops. "I…I don't know…I just…don't know, Hotch," she answers honestly.
"Good." He puts the gun in her holster and leans over to uncuff her. "Get with Morgan around back. Tell him you owe him for this."
Emily nods and gets out, shame in her eyes. "I was a real shit to him."
"Yep. He'll have fun kicking your ass over it for sure," he replies.
"Yeah, he will. I'll need a sick day the day after," she says as she pulls on her vest and grabs Morgan's.
"Might need more than a day. He's pretty damn pissed."
"Yeah, I know," Emily says. "I'll make it right with him. Promise."
"Good. Plan to see a shrink when this is over."
"Yes, sir."
Emily hurries into the woods and around to the back of the house. Morgan sees her and pins her with an icy stare. She tosses him his Kevlar vest.
"I'm an ass. You can kick it later."
"Plan on it," he nods as he puts his vest on.
"And Morgan?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry for all the shit I said."
He nods. "We'll discuss it after I put your ass in traction."
Emily sighs, knowing she has a lot of groveling to do for putting her best friend in the position she did. Not to mention for the horrible things she had said. The two move to opposite ends of the house so they can watch both sides as well as the backdoor.
"What the fuck do we do? Shit, shit, shit…"
"Um, can I make a suggestion?" Garcia asks her agitated captor.
The woman spins and levels her gun at Garcia. "WHAT?!"
"You need to reach out to them. More and more agents and cops will come. If you wait too long they will just plan to bust in here."
Calvin starts to pace again as she considers what the analyst has said. For so many years her preparation and planning had not failed her. She'd be a grifter for a lot of years and only done time a couple times when her partners had failed her. But this time they had planned to kill the partners, too. She had met the perfect man a few years back and together they had come up with the ultimate score. It had been so easy! Integrate themselves in this idiotic bunch of hippies with money. Seduce that idiot Harrow and get his sister to help, too. She had been shocked when she saw how much the internet hosting had earned this group of people and carefully hatched her plan.
Now her partners were dead, her husband was waiting for her at their rendezvous point with the firearms and small amount of cash they had already recovered, and she had no windfall to show for 4 years of work. She glares at Garcia.
"You talk. I'll be right behind you and don't think I won't blow your fucking brains out if you try to get away," she threatens.
Garcia nods and moves towards the door. "What do you want me to say to them?"
"Tell them to pull back, let us go, and I'll release you later unharmed. Tell them I'm willing to die here before risking jail."
Garcia eases open the door. She sees Hotch and Derringer staring at the cabin and hears another vehicle coming.
"SHE WANTS YOU ALL TO LEAVE, LET US GO, AND THEN SHE'LL LET ME GO LATER!"
Hotch lifts a megaphone. "We can't do that, Garcia."
"SHE'S WILLING TO DIE HERE IF YOU DON'T AND TAKE AS MANY OF US OUT WITH HER AS SHE CAN!"
"YOU HAVE 5 MINUTES!" Calvin yells over Garcia's shoulder as she jerks her back into the cabin and slams the door.
She pushes Garcia into a chair and continues to pace. Suddenly she turns and pins Garcia with a glare.
"What did you do?"
Garcia starts. "Uh, what? When? I'm just sitting right here!"
"At the door! What did you do? Did you signal them? Did you do something to- -"
"Nothing! I swear! I won't do anything that could get me or them hurt. I promise."
As she had spoken, Garcia had seen Morgan's head peek up above the back window. She feels better knowing her team has her surrounded. She decides to try talking to the woman again.
"It really would be better if you just give up. Then I can tell the police and lawyers and stuff that you were willing to do the right thing. Then instead of- -"
Calvin storms towards her and puts the gun barrel against Garcia's forehead. "Shut the fuck up! I'm not giving up. They better let us go or you die right here with me, got it?"
Garcia gives as small a nod as possible as Calvin starts to pace once more.