Chapter 4
Garcia approached, holding Henry's hand after JJ had called the technical analyst after Strauss had arrived. The BAU team walked out of the hospital following Strauss; she led the group to three government SUVs.
"Agent Jareau, Henry and Esmeralda can accompany you, but he will have to go with her to the child play area. He will be safe; you have my word; I have two agents protecting him until his kidnappers have been caught." Strauss told her agent
"Thank you, Ma'am. Where exactly are we going?" JJ asked the question everyone else wanted to know the answer to.
"Langley," she answered
Henry snuggled with his mother sat next to Esmeralda as the confused group of profilers were driven to CIA headquarters for some as yet unknown reason.
EJ
" Place all your cell phones and other communication devices in this drawer, please, your apple watch agent Jareau. Weapons in the red drawer, please." the armed CIA guard asked pleasantly
Once completed and everyone searched, they entered a very secure briefing room already containing four people. The door was closed, and the room security measures were initiated.
" You are all about to be read into an operation well above your security clearance; once you have signed the documents on the table, I will start the brief." announced the man without any attempt to introduce himself.
Various glances were exchanged between the agents before everyone signed the documents on the table, handing them to the man as he walked past. Once he had checked each signature, he locked them in his briefcase.
JJ glared at the red-headed woman she knew as Trish Kenyan, Emily's only friend outside of the team.
" A search you performed, Miss Garcia on Lauren Reynolds, initiated an alert. Once we uncovered that Emily Prentiss was missing and your husband and son Agent Jareau. I contacted Chief Strauss and made her aware of certain things. This is Lauren Reynolds." Emily's picture appeared on the screen.
Looks of confusion passed across the BAU team faces as they looked at Emily on the screen.
" How much do you know about Emily's past?" The unknown man asked.
" Emily is a very private person; she has loosened up since joining the team but is still very private. We accept that as her friends," Answered JJ
He introduced himself as Clyde Easter Interpol liaison with the CIA.
" Emily lost her partner, he was tortured and killed by some gun running group they accidental interrupted. Robson Wolfe, her partner of three years, saved her life before being taken. They suffocated him using expanding foam in his throat. He had been tortured, stabbed in each shoulder with ice picks. After informing his pregnant wife, he had been killed; her long term fiance left her. I used the chance to recruit her for a deep cover job; I used this broken woman I didn't care about. We needed to find an ex-IRA gun runner; all previous attempts had failed their cover was blown. We used Emily sending her in on her own to build her little empire by hostile takeovers. Lauren Reynolds was an absolute star. She killed 21 gun runners, making herself known. She didn't care who she killed. She was seeking retribution for Robson's death. Her signature was Ice picks and a plastic bag. She was a ruthless bitch." Clyde Easter briefed the team.
He continued telling a story, unaware that one blonde FBI agent who happened to be Emily's best friend wanted to pound his head into a bloody pulp for using her friend. JJ started listening again
" She got to Ian Doyle. They got very close, Emily finding out his secret he was a eunuch. A competitor had castrated Doyle years ago. He compensated by abusing his pretend girlfriend. Once he tired of his girlfriend, they disappeared to keep his secret. She survived six months of beatings and abuse while she got all the evidence needed. Doyle one night, let slip he had killed a fed in Chicago. Emily went out the next day and cooked him a lovely meal that she had drugged. Doyle woke tied to a chair with the application tube for a can of expanding foam shoved deep down this throat. Once the drug had entirely worn off, she emptied the can into his lungs and stomach. She initiated her retrieval procedure via a safe house. We buried this successful operation in our secure restricted storage, never to see the light of day again." Clyde looked at the angry expressions glaring at him.
JJ very calmly stood and walked to the standing Interpol agent kicking him in his groin and landing a right hook on his chin as he lent forward, knocking him to the floor " You used a broken woman like a..." her anger got the better of her she went to kick the fallen man.
"No, you don't, Jayje," Morgan told the feisty blond lifting her off the floor, his arms wrapped around her waist.
Trisha Kenyan stood and helped Easter up as she laughed.
"Nice to see your ball control is still reasonable, JJ. You deserved that, Clyde." laughed the CIA psychologist.
"And who are you, really?" asked JJ
Trisha explained to everyone she was Emily's CIA Psychologist and friend. She had grown close to Emily over the years.
"I shouldn't tell any of you this but, Emily is still a very broken woman; she hides it so well behind her Mask. But know this, you as a team have helped her so much you will never know. When we get her back, she is going to need your support. Jennifer, your family, is her emotional anchor reminding her life can be good again." Emily's friend told the group violating a few rules.
We had surveillance cameras around the hospital William LaMontagne is being treated and around your home. We managed to get this photograph of the woman that dropped Henry off near the hospital. We haven't got enough of her face to use facial recognition,
" Bitch is dead! She works at Quantico in the mailroom delivers around our floor. Her name is...Jodie Black. That's how they know so much about us. You best keep me away from her Hotch; she stuck kicking metal pins into my son to cause him pain." warned a furious blonde mama bear.
No one in that room underestimated the furious blonde, all-knowing that it wasn't an idle threat this woman had hurt her child.
"Ma'am, could you arrange for Black to be sent somewhere to keep her busy while we search her locker, so we don't tip her off? It might be our only chance to find out where they have Emily before they kill her." Hotch asked Strauss.
Strauss stood just nodded as she walked out of the room.
EJ
Jodie Black had gone to hand-deliver some time-sensitive documents to the capital building. This was a common occurrence for mailroom staff, so that Jodie wouldn't think twice about it. Her driver, a senior FBI agent, had been briefed on the purpose of the trip.
Watching the FBI SUV disappear off base, Hotch, Morgan, and JJ watched as the padlock on the locker was opened carefully. Garcia had detected the hidden security camera monitoring the locker. She had used their trick and looped the feed, feeding them footage she had recorded earlier after discovering the monitoring device.
Searching the locker, they found a computer and cell phone under the false bottom of her locker. Garcia examined the computer, discovering
EJ
Amanda sat looking at Emily's beaten face, one swollen eye shut completely.
" Emily looks like you are close to meeting Ryan again, but don't you worry, Emily, I have plenty more planned for you." smiled Amanda Black
Feeling the effect of her injuries and blood loss, Emily passed out, returning to her most treasured recollection.
Emily was happy to place Henry's birth five years ago.
" Damn, these Braxton Hicks contractions hurt so much," JJ complained to her best friend, Emily.
" Are you sure you're not in labour, Jennifer?" asked a concerned friend
Scrunching her face fighting the pain, she concentrated on her breathing. " No, they are just Braxton Hi... My water just broke, Emily," shouted JJ in worry. "Will's home visiting his mother; I told him he was safe to leave." rambled the scared blonde
" Come on, Mama, let's get you to the hospital so you can pop out my godson already." laughed Emily as she helped her friend towards the elevators.
" I hate you right now, Emily Prentiss," smirked JJ
Joined by Garcia, the three ladies used the lights and sirens to get JJ to the hospital quickly
EJ
Six hours later, Emily held her godson Henry in her arms; the brunette had fallen for the less than an hour old boy as soon as she had seen him swaddled in his mother's arms.
" Hello Henry, I'm your godmother, Emily. It's a good job. You look like your father and not your old mama." she smirked as Henry grabbed her finger.
"I heard that, Prentiss." laughed a tired JJ
The tiny blue-eyed newborn made Emily's heart start to pull its fractured pieces together. The broken woman felt real unadulterated joy in her own heart for the first time since Robson, her partner, had been murdered so horrifically. That moment Emily promised she would protect this young man, no matter what it cost her.
End happy place
" No, you don't." snarled Amanda noticing Emily smile
Hitting her broken ribs instantly brought the brunette out of her head in an excruciating way.
Coughing, she grimaced as a further rib broke, causing her a massive wave of pain. At that precise moment, Emily reached the end of her threshold for pain. She decided it needed to end; she intended to anger Amanda, using her husband's name.
" I remember your Ryan now, it took me a while because he wasn't worth my undertaking at first, but I needed something to amuse me for the afternoon. Plus, I needed to make an example of someone. I knew you were in that box hiding. You didn't even attempt to save your so-called beloved husband. Waited for me to leave to pull these out of his cold shoulders..." Emily was cut short by a barrage of punches from the furious woman.
" Nice try, Emily." smiled Amanda
Emily didn't answer. She was busy coughing up blood from her punctured lung after the onslaught of punches from Amanda.
" Time to hold your breath again. Let make it more fun this time, Emily," Amanda smirked, stabbing Emily between her fifth and sixth rib, completely collapsing her left lung
Slipping on the diving mask, she filled it up with water and watched Emily start to struggle to breathe. After a few minutes, she pulled the mask off, allowing the brunette to breathe again. Coughing, Emily cringed in pain from her broken ribs.
For the next half hour, Amanda filled the mask with water and emptied it repeatedly, causing her nemesis to panic, eventually. Satisfied, she left the wheezing woman alone in the dark.
EJ
Walking into her bosses office, Jodie Black smiled " All done delivered as asked anything else before I leave?" she asked with a smile
"Yes, I would like you to accompany me to the integration room; Jodie, I have some questions I would like to ask you about the kidnapping and assault of my husband, detective William LaMontagne, son and Special Agent Emily Prentiss. Hands behind your back" announced JJ
Jodie looks surprised and, unfortunately, doesn't move as instructed. Seconds later, she is face down on the floor with JJ's knee firmly in her back. Jodie's arms are pulled behind her back and secured by handcuffs by a highly pissed off blonde agent. Remaining professional, JJ whispers into the woman's ear, " You better cooperate with us, or I get to play with you. You hurt my son, you bitch." warned the pissed off blonde agent.
Morgan lifts the prisoner to her feet, handing her over to agents.
Garcia walked over " The only other location on her GPS is a farm. You need to confirm this with her sir, I can't be sure the data hasn't been messed with. Might it be worth checking out anyway?" asked a desperate analyst
Hotch considered Things for a few seconds. " Dave, you and I will question Black. Morgan, Reid and Jareau check out this farm. Be careful." he warned everyone
EJ
Garcia had looped the security camera feed from the interrogation room; should they view the pirated feed, they would see an empty space. Garcia smiled, looking at the empty room on the screen. " Take that evil woman, hurt my Godson and his dad and his godmother wait until my boys and Mama bear gets there. Royal Rumble time," smiled Penelope Garcia, pleased to be able to do something about the case.
"Sir, cameras are looped. Your room looks empty to anyone viewing their feed," she tells Hotch
tbc
