Chapter 13: THE EASY WAY
Mackenzie ducked under the crime scene tape of her and Dante's apartment. It had taken her over an hour to get there without a car and she knew she didn't have a lot of time. She had slipped past two on duty officers and despite the fact she had training for this, they'd twig on once the FBI found out she was gone.
"Shannon, where are you?" Mackenzie said loudly.
"You came! I was not expecting that!" Shannon said exiting the shadows.
"This has to end! You have to stop hurting people!"
"Really? Like they stopped hurting us?" Shannon said, sarcastically. "Oh wait, they didn't stop. We only got saved when our 'precious government' stepped in and even then it was too late."
"Shannon, it's never too late," Mackenzie said quietly.
"That's where you're wrong."
Mackenzie jumped back as Shannon aimed a strike at her stomach. She knew she had to give herself up to Shannon but she had to make it look realistic. Mackenzie had to fight back.
"Shannon, you don't have to do this!" Mackenzie exclaimed.
In response Shannon launched another hit at Mackenzie which she dodged again by grabbing her arm and twisting it behind her back. "I don't want to hurt you!" Mackenzie said.
"Well that doesn't apply for both of us," Shannon spat.
She brought her head back, hitting Mackenzie square in the nose. There was a loud crack and a mist of blood sprayed in front of Mackenzie's face. Despite being stunned she kept her grip but Shannon retaliated again by elbowing her in the ribs. Letting out a cry of pain, Mackenzie let go and stumbled back as Shannon swiped her legs from beneath her. Trying to stay on her feet Mackenzie grabbed the coat rack but brought it out of the wall making her land heavily on her right shoulder.
Before Shannon could do any more damage Mackenzie sprang back up and punched her in the stomach, dropping the coat rack. While Shannon was stunned, Mackenzie pulled her into a headlock.
"Shannon, stop! Just hand yourself in!"
"That's not going to happen! You'll have to beat me first!"
Shannon elbowed Mackenzie again in the ribs but somehow Mackenzie kept her in the headlock. She hit Mackenzie again causing her to fall heavily on the ground but able to maintain her grip, although in process knocking over the hall table.
"We're equally matched! Give up!" Mackenzie yelled.
"Are we now?" Shannon gasped but with a tint of evil in her voice.
She pulled out a knife from the waistband of her trousers and plunged it into Mackenzie's arm. Mackenzie released her hold screaming as Shannon removed the knife but Mackenzie didn't give up. She grabbed Shannon's wrist and punched her in the head with her good arm as hard as she could. This time it was Shannon's nose that broke but it didn't affect her stamina. She responded by kicking Mackenzie in the stomach a few times leaving her crying and coughing on the ground.
"Right we can either do this the easy way or the hard way. The hard way is I knock you out and carry you out to my car. The easy way is you lead me to a back exit and come willingly. Your choice," Shannon said slyly.
"Easy way," Mackenzie coughed. The only reason she was still conscious was the adrenaline coursing through her veins.
"I like your way of thinking. Now get up and put this on. Make sure the hood is up."
Mackenzie slowly got up using the wall for support and took the hoodie of Shannon. She pulled it over her head carefully and pulled up the hood like she was told to do. She looked down to realise that the hall carpet was soaked in her blood and maybe some of Shannon's too.
"Good. Now lead me to that exit."
Mackenzie left the apartment slowly using the wall for support and led Shannon to the fire exit. She was in a lot of pain and was finding it hard to keep going. When Mackenzie made it down the stairs, she collapsed to the ground, head spinning.
"Well that saves me a whole lot of bother doesn't it?" Shannon said as Mackenzie lost consciousness.
20 minutes later
JJ, Morgan and Hotch entered Mackenzie and Dante's apartment building in full assault gear.
"Morgan you take point, JJ behind me. Do a room to room search. Even though the patrolling officers said they saw somebody being dragged to a car twenty minutes ago with Mackenzie's appearance, Larson might have rigged this place with booby traps," Hotch said.
Morgan nodded and took lead quickly followed by Hotch and JJ and carried out a room to room search as he had been instructed. In a matter of minutes a chorus of clears had been yelled through the apartment. They all returned to the hallway.
"There was definitely a struggle or some sort of fight in here. This place is a mess," Morgan said referring to the hole in the wall and knocked over hall table.
"There's also blood on the floor," JJ said kneeling down and pulling on crime scene gloves. "From the state this place is in Mackenzie put up a fight. It could be either Mackenzie or Larson's blood."
"The officers on duty said both of them had a bleeding nose. But that wouldn't cause this amount of blood. With the state Mackenzie had been said to be in it's probably mostly hers," Hotch said.
His phone rang as Morgan was about to say something. "One minute," He said answering the phone.
"Hello…Yes…That's great Reid…We'll be there soon," Hotch said. He hung up the phone and turned to Morgan and JJ. "That was Reid. They found something at the safe house. They think Mackenzie figured out Larson's location."
JJ and Morgan nodded and followed their boss out the door.
"Let's hope she did," JJ said. "Because every second that Mackenzie is with Larson, the less chance there is of her surviving."