Hello! I know, I'm a terrible writer. It's been soooo long since I last updated anything. Unfortunately it's that time of year and it's only likely to get worse until after Christmas. I'll update when I can but none of my stories will be updated with any regularity. Sorry!!!! I'll try my best though.
Enjoy!
Susanne
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
The trip to the hotel was short. The BAU members had taken rooms in the nearest hotel they could find. Climbing out of the squad car, Hotch opened the door for Reid and stepped back as the younger man manoeuvred his injured leg and the crutches. He could see exhaustion in every line of the thin man's body. Leaving the squad in the loading zone, the officer followed them inside.
"We'll take it from here," Aaron tried to reassure the man. He didn't really like having someone following him around. It made him a little nervous. The last thing Hotch wanted was to appear unsettled in front of the stranger.
"I have very specific orders, sir. I'm to guard both of you until you return to the station," the officer said, an apologetic smile on his handsome face. Hotch looked at the man's short blond hair and bright blue eyes. Suddenly, Hotch felt very old and worn out when he looked into those overeager depths.
"Fine," Hotch growled as he and Reid made their way across the lobby toward the elevator. They were on the sixth floor. There was no way in hell that Hotch was going to climb them. As he followed Reid's limping gait, he tried to ignore the young man protecting their rear. He didn't bother to ask who'd given the man his orders. At the moment it didn't really matter.
On the sixth floor, Hotch and Reid exited first, Reid stumbling slightly on his crutches. Instinctively, Hotch reached forward and caught hold of the thin man's nearest shoulder until he got his balance back. The officer brought up the rear, quickly checking up and down the hall to make sure no one was coming up on them.
"Thanks," Reid breathed as he slowly clomped down the hallway. He averted his head, allowing his hair to partially obscure his face. Reid hated it when he blushed but he seemed to be doing it a lot lately. He hated using the crutches, especially when they caught on the edge of carpets as had just happened but he was unable to walk very far without them.
Silently, the trio made their way down the carpeted hallway. Hotch's room was the third one on the left, Reid's the fourth one on the right. Using the magnetic key card in his pocket, Hotch swiped his lock and then opened the door. Before he went inside, though, he paused and waited until Reid had opened his door and made his way inside.
As soon as the door closed, Hotch slipped the deadbolt in place. Since getting back from being kidnapped, he needed to have the doors locked at all times. It was the only way he felt safe. With a sigh, Hotch undid his jacket and carefully put it on the back of the nearest chair. Then he went to the bathroom to wash his face.
Finished, Hotch headed to the bed in the next room. He'd pulled his tie loose and slipped it over his head. Taking his holster off of his belt, Hotch placed it on the bedside table, along with his cell phone and credentials. Feeling a little more relaxed, Hotch climbed onto the bed and promptly fell asleep.
OOOOO
Entering his room, Reid locked the door handle. Suddenly exhausted beyond words, Reid leaned against the closed door and looked around his room. He was currently sharing the room with Morgan. The older man wasn't about to leave him alone at night unless it was absolutely necessary. Far too often Reid would wake Morgan in the middle of the night because he was having a nightmare. As a result, Reid and Morgan really hadn't been getting a lot of sleep since this case had started.
With great effort, Reid pushed his protesting body away from the door. Limping forward on his crutches, Spencer shucked his coat, messenger bag and shoes by the time he reached his bed. Carefully he unclipped his holster, cell phone and credentials and put them on the table between the two beds. Reid virtually collapsed onto the bed, his crutches clattering to the floor between the beds. Sighing, he tenderly lifted his injured leg onto the bed and then allowed himself to lie down. Almost before his head hit the pillow, Reid was sound asleep.
OOOOO
For a solid hour the officer stood outside the two bedroom doors. On his shoulder mike he could hear the other members of his station and what progress hadn't been made so far. His face carefully neutral, the officer silently gloated. They had absolutely no idea. Even the profilers had it wrong. He wasn't as old as they thought he should be and he certainly didn't have a delivery job. Hmmm. Well, he supposed on some level that made sense. Even if it was wrong.
The officer stood against the wall beside Reid's door, his hands behind his back. In his right hand he had a master room key. His captain had given it to him, just in case. It made things all too easy. Oh, the plans he had for the thin young agent in the room.
Carefully checking the hallway once again, the officer turned toward Reid's door and swiped his care through the lock. He was almost giddy as he saw the red light turn green. Silently, the officer opened the door and slid inside. The room was dark. The agent hadn't bothered to turn any lights on. He hadn't needed them after all.
The officer stopped at the door long enough to allow his eyes to adjust. The door had opened into a short hallway. On his right was the bathroom door, open and dark. On his left was the closet. Six feet ahead were the two beds. On the nearest one, the officer could just see two stocking clad feet. He was mildly amused by the fact that the socks didn't match.
Quiet as a cat, the officer paced down the hallway. Rounding the end of the wall that contained the bathroom, he came upon the two beds. On the bed he found the young agent, apparently sound asleep. His brown hair was splayed across his pillow while his left arm was resting across his eyes. As the officer watched, the agent took a deep breath and then seemed to settle a little deeper into sleep. At least that's what he hoped was going on.
Inching forward, the officer stared down at the young agent. He was so beautiful. All the officer could think of was how much he wanted him. How much he wanted to get inside him. The officer's father would be completely and totally disgusted by his thoughts. So would his church. But it was his father that held the most sway over his opinions, his father and his belt.
The officer was so lost in thought that he didn't really notice that Reid's right hand was straying toward his service revolver. The young agent could sense that someone was in the room with him. Fear was trying to overpower him, to make him jump out of the bed and run. But that wouldn't help. Reid knew that the person wasn't Morgan. After the time they've spent together recently, the older man knew better than to sneak up on him or to hover unannounced.
Reid's heart raced as he tried to consider his options. There weren't many at the moment. The only thing he knew for sure was that he wasn't going to let anyone kidnap him again. That had happened far too often in his career as a profiler. Moving slowly, so as to not draw attention in the darkness, Reid felt relief flow through him as his hand came to rest on his gun holster. Just as slowly, the young profiler began pulling the leather holster toward him.
Unable to ignore his impulses any more, the officer stepped toward the bed, his own weapon in his hand. Reaching down with his free hand, the officer tried to place his hand over Reid's mouth. Unfortunately, though, the young man's arm moved into the way. Before he had a chance to recover from his surprise, Reid slipped off the other side of the bed, his own weapon up and aimed.
"What do you want?" Reid demanded in a loud voice. He knew the walls of the hotel room were relatively thick but he was hoping the sound of a raised voice would draw Hotch's attention. The way Reid was crouched beside the bed at the moment was sending shooting pains through his thigh and hip. He wasn't sure how long he could stay there without succumbing to the pain.
"Ah," the officer hedged. This wasn't going right. The kid was smarter than the others he'd grabbed. Back peddling on his plan, the officer tried to come up with a plausible explanation for his being inside the room. "My superior wanted me to check on you and the other agent just to make sure you were all right."
"I'm fine," Reid said his gun still aimed at the man. There was something about the officer that just wasn't sitting well. Reid wasn't sure if he was just being paranoid or if there really was something wrong with the man. "I think it's time for SSA Hotchner and I to return to the team."
"That's not necessary," the officer said. "I've been keeping abreast of the investigation and nothing new has happened since you left."
AS gracefully as he could, Reid tried to stand up. His leg and hip were killing him. As the young profiler nearly made it to an upright position, the gun never wavering, Reid's hip gave up, causing him to stumble. The sudden movement threw Reid's aim off for a fraction of a second. That was all the officer needed.
Hurling his body across the bed, the officer tackled Reid to the ground. With a sweeping motion of his own gun, he knocked Reid's gun out of his hands and felt the breath whoosh out of the smaller man's lungs as he landed on top of him. A small sound came from Reid's lips as his eyes closed against the pain flowing through his system. He was barely even aware of the fact that he wasn't breathing.
As much as the officer hated to mar Reid's beautiful face, he brought the butt of his gun down on the side of the boy's face. It was a last ditch effort to get control of the situation. And it failed miserably.
The door to Reid's room flew open and Hotch came barrelling inside, his revolver out and panning across the room. It came to rest on the officer's head. A moment of surprise flashed through Hotch's brown eyes before they narrowed in anger.
"Get off of him," Hotch ordered. He would find out what the hell was going on in a minute. Right now he needed to know that Reid was okay.
The officer pushed the barrel of his gun under Reid's chin as he physically picked the stunned younger man up and placed him on his feet. Still now completely aware of his surroundings at the moment, Reid's legs tried to go out from under him again. "He's coming with me."
"No, he's not," Hotch replied. While he carefully watched the officer, all the pieces of their current case fell into place. This was their Unsub. For reasons beyond him, he and the team had never considered a member of law enforcement. That was their first mistake. "Let him go."
"No, I don't think I will," the officer stated. He was trying to inch the stunned young man along the wall and toward the door. Reid wasn't being particularly helpful. Getting frustrated, the officer turned his attention from the senior agent to the man in his arm. At that second, Reid brought his head up and smashed the officer in the nose. Blood spurted into his hair but the move had disorientated the officer. Ignoring the pain and shock, Reid stumbled away from the man, giving Hotch a clear shot.
Within seconds, Hotch had the officer on his stomach, his hands bound behind his back and was on the cell with Morgan. As he explained the situation, he kept one eye on the officer and the other on Reid. The young profiler had retreated to the bathroom and came back out with a cold, damp cloth on his face where he'd been hit. He didn't even seem to be aware of the fact that he was limping without his crutches.
"Yeah, send medical. I think the Unsub has a broken nose and I want to get Reid's face checked out," Hotch said into his cell as he watched both men. Still holding the cloth to his face, Reid sank down into the nearest chair and heaved a sigh of relief. Well, at least he didn't get kidnapped again. That was a start.
