Disclaimer: Anything familiar belongs to JE and the creators of Criminal Minds.

Warning: Adult situations, adult language

Chapter 60: Tuesday, August 30th, 1300-1600

Palm Beach

JJ's POV

We woke up this morning, knowing that today will be the day that we capture the unsubs and begin to close this case. I know that I have enjoyed working with Ranger and his men. I find them all to be highly competent, professional, and downright yummy to look at. Yes, I am married, but I can still look. If they ever opened an office in the D.C. area, I would encourage my husband, Will, to work with them. It would be safer than working as a D.C. cop, and he would still get to put away the bad guys.

We met at eight this morning to make sure everything was still as planned. We Skyped in with the rest of the team from our safe house. Emily informed us that two of the players were arrested trying to break into Marco Sanchez's home. Marco runs the Miami branch of Rangeman. They have the burglars in their custody in the Miami Rangeman. We will question them later. We were also informed that some of Ranger's men in Trenton observed Terry Gilman, Richard Orr, and an infant board their flight to Miami. We will receive a notification when they get off the plane here in Miami.

Shortly after ten, we get a call from Tina Conti. Matt answered the phone, confirming that we will be here waiting, and giving them directions to the house from I-95. It's a good thing Ranger thought to give us that information ahead of time. She confirmed that Richard Orr, also known as Enzo, was arriving with her. When we hung up with her, Emily called with confirmation that Hector saw Terry and Richard leaving Miami International with the baby. They were using a rental company that someone from Rangeman has a relationship with, so we were able to plant trackers and bugs in their car. We know what they are saying and where they are at any given time. Emily and the rest of the team are monitoring their communications from the other house, but it is not wise for us to be listening in. They are concerned that we might slip with some sort of information when we meet with them.

At eleven-thirty, we get a text that they should arrive within the next ten minutes. I don't have to feign nervousness and excitement. It's been a long time since I've been the one lying in wait with a setup. I forgot the adrenaline rush that comes with the territory. Suddenly, we hear the car pull up into our driveway. I head towards the door, opening it before the car is even shut off. I see them both get out of the car, and I don't see any weapons on them. I watch as Terry, no Tina, gets the baby out from the back seat. I must admit that my heartstrings are pulled when I see him. He is a beautiful baby, and I hope that he is either reunited with his birth mother or given to a good home somewhere when this whole matter is over. I observe the moment when Terry sees Rossi, but I also know that she dismisses him right away. So far, so good. I open the door, stepping out on to the porch with my arms wide open to take my son in my arms.

"Good morning, you must be Samantha Wilson," Tina says to me.

"Yes, I am. Is this our baby?" I ask, allowing the anxiousness and nervousness to sound in my voice.

"Yes, he is. Would you like to hold him?" Terry asks me.

I nod my head, and she hands him off to me. I take him in my arms, looking him over, to make sure that he hasn't been hurt. I call out to Matt. "Eric, Honey, our baby is here."

"Where is my strapping son?" He asks as he enters the room. I show him the baby as Tina and Enzo follow us into the kitchen. We do a good job of acting like expectant parents. Tina sits at the table, with Enzo next to her, pretending to be overjoyed at our happiness. I feel his diaper, and I can tell that it is full and needs to be changed soon. I hope the baby can wait a few minutes before the timing is better to get him out of the wet diaper. Five minutes is all we need.

"You have the paperwork with you, correct?" Matt asks.

"Yes, Eric, we do. We need you and your wife to sign on these pages and initial in these locations." Enzo informs us, pointing out all the spots where our signature or initials are required. I sign first so I can get the baby out of the room. Matt goes second. Once all the paperwork is signed, the doorbell rings, signifying the arrival of our family to see the baby. I go and answer the door with the baby while Matt keeps Tina and Enzo entertained in the kitchen.

"Hi, Emily, Luke. I'm so glad you came. Look, our baby has just arrived. If you go into the kitchen, Eric is in there with the adoption agents. We are just finalizing the adoption. You can help us decide on his name. I'm just going to bring the baby into the nursery, he needs his diaper changed."

"Oh, Samantha, he's so handsome. We'll join you both in the kitchen. Come in when you're ready. If you need any help, just give a shout." Emily answers.

I bring him into the nursery, locking the door behind me. I start to change his diaper and almost scream when I see Tara at the window with Manny. She mimes for me to open the window. I do as she asks, and we have a whispered conversation.

"I think it will be best if I wait in here with the baby. That way, we can keep him locked in the room and out of harm's way. Manny will give me a lift in." I nod my head in agreement, help Tara climb in the window. I place the baby in the crib, where he places his thumb in his mouth and closes his eyes. I nod to Tara, then leave the room, double-checking my gun before entering the kitchen. I hear Emily debating with "Eric" over baby names.

"Samantha, now that you're back, maybe you and your husband can agree upon a name for your angel. The birth certificate is the last piece of paper we need to fill out before we can leave you here with your son. Enzo will file the paperwork with the local authorities this afternoon, with everything being legal by tomorrow." Tina informs us, clearly starting to get uncomfortable. I think we all realize we need to act sooner rather than later.

Emily walks towards the table, where Matt and Luke are already standing. She is next to "Tina" and begins to talk to her as he grabs her arm. "Theresa Gilman, you are under arrest for kidnapping, conspiracy, forgery, tax evasion, and fraud." She reads her the revised Miranda rights as Matt does the same to Dickie. I can see them both struggling, claiming to know nothing about anything.

"Do you know who I am? I'm Theresa Grizoli. My Uncle Vito Grizoli will have you all fired for this. I did nothing wrong. I run a perfectly legal business. How dare you!"

"Terry, shut up. You are only making things worse." Dickie wisely tells Terry. I am finding it all rather amusing. Manny, Woody and a couple of other Rangeman come into the house to process the scene, taking the coffee cups used by both Terry and Dickie, all the paperwork in Dickie's briefcase along with the laptop he has and processing the car. We will be bringing them to Rangeman's Miami headquarters before we take them into federal custody.

A representative from Children's Services enters the house, and we show her where the baby is. He's sleeping peacefully in the crib, unaware that anything happened. The woman is matronly, in her early fifties, with her hair tied back. She has a kind face, but tough exterior.

"What do you know about this child's mother?" She asks. We find out her name is Paola Pedrano.

"Nothing. I believe everything we were told was nothing but a lie. All I can tell you is that the birth mother is most likely in New Jersey and may or may not be in trouble herself." Emily responds.

"I have a wonderful foster family available for this child. They are a forty-year-old couple who lost their five-year-old child to leukemia. I know that they would consider adopting another child, so if the birth parents aren't an option, this child could go into a good, stable home. Thank you for helping us get him. It does seem like these two put kids in better situations, but one ever knows for sure."

"You're welcome. Please keep us in the loop regarding where this child goes. We have all fallen in love with him in the short time we have known him." I say, said to see him leave.

"Definitely. I will also request that whoever ends up with the baby keeps you abreast of his progress. In our line of work, we need to remember all those who we help, because there are way too many that we are unable to help and save in this world."

Truer words could not have been spoken. We've seen many people we were too late to save. It's part of the job, but it never gets easy. Having a positive outcome every now and again keeps us all moving forward and capable of doing this job day in and day out.

Mrs. Pedrano takes the baby with her, leaving us behind with her card. Emily addresses the team.

"We need to pack up all of the stuff that we have here and head back to Miami. We will meet at Ranger's estate first, then head to Rangeman headquarters. Ranger is now going to confront his mole. We'll be able to question all the parties at his office. It is only after we question them that we will inform MDPD that we have them in custody and then the local field office will come by to bring them into federal jurisdiction. You all did a great job. Hopefully, this case ends today."

"Are you going to let Manoso hear the recording from the car?" Rossi asks.

"What recording?" Matt responds.

"While Terry and Dickie were in the car, they spoke about how they wanted to kill Stephanie Plum. It will go towards their conspiracy charges. I think he has earned the privilege to hear what they had to say. Also, with his mediating the Families back in Trenton, this could give him leverage that he didn't have before. I don't think we need to worry about him interfering in our case. I think he will allow justice to be served." Emily answers.

"Uh, Emily, guys, I have some bad news." Garcia states.

"What's up?" Tara asks.

"It seems Dickie sent a text to a "Cobra" authorizing him to kill Stephanie Plum. Exactly the way they discussed it in the car. We need to warn Ranger and Stephanie now."

"You're right, Garcia, I'm not happy about this. When did he send the text?"

"About five minutes before you arrested them."

"Garcia, he sent a text, right?" Rossi asks for confirmation. Garcia nods. "Did he mention Stephanie's name specifically or did they use a code name?"

"No, Stephanie's name is given."

"That's excellent news. We have evidence of a conspiracy to commit murder, in writing. Luke, look at the other messages that were sent from Dickie's phone to others and try to emulate his style. Keep engaging this Cobra to see if you can find out the details, when, where and how they plan to take her out. We may be able to draw out our final unsub that way." Rossi finishes.

"I'm on it." Luke states. With that, we all start to scurry around to get back to Miami. An hour later, we have the vehicles packed. We decide to stop someplace locally for lunch and finally, start on the road for Miami at three-thirty. It took us almost two hours to get to Ranger. We arrive at the estate at five-fifteen. I called Ranger on the way, so he was expecting us. We bring our new evidence into the guest house, getting the board ready to brief Ranger and his team before we head to Miami Rangeman to question our suspects.

Ranger walks in at ten after six with Stephanie. We update both and watch as Stephanie pales and Ranger gets angry upon hearing the recording from the car. I feel guilty because I know how hard it must be for Stephanie to hear what they are saying, to know someone wants you dead simply for being you. I hope Ranger can help her cope with everything that keeps happening to her. We decide to head to his company's headquarters. He informs us that he and Stephanie will go to Rangeman after the kids are asleep. They are trying to keep things as normal as possible for their sake. We thank him once again for all his help before we leave for his building. Marco will meet us there and escort us to where we need to be.