Summary (Summary of the case and more detailed summary from chapter 19 and on)
In the 90's, a scandal with gun dealers' took place. An Interpol spy, Richard Whelan, working undercover during that time stumbled upon a rich man craving power, Charlie Blackmore. Some American gun dealers involved in the scandal seemed to work for him. Nothing was ever proven. Blackmore had connections and half of the scandal never reached the justice system. But the Interpol agent kept following the man's actions.
End of 2001 – The investigation on the Paradise Demons had started with an undercover operation. Gloria Paterson posed as Maria Lloyd, a dirty FBI agent that was willing to facilitate the first steps of the organisation in US soil. The infiltration was proved too risky and extreme and she was pulled out by the leader of the operation, Richard Whelan.
End of 2002 – Prentiss and rest of that team, after working closely with the Organised Crime Unit, built the character of Lauren Reynolds around Paradise Demons and she went under with that alias.
– During that time she met Gregory Murphy, an Irish diplomat getting paid to facilitate various illegal transports for Paradise Demons.
– Emily stayed undercover till November 2003 and she left Interpol for the FBI in January 2004.
January 2004 – The Paradise Demons investigation seemed to get closer to an end. But Richard Whelan for some reason froze Gloria's transition to become a full agent for Interpol leaving her in the operator basis status, keeping all the details about her missions and her aliases deeply hidden.
February 2004 – Whelan had suspicions about a guy, under the name Peter Rogers. Rogers was shadowing Henry Fidget, a gun dealer.
– A ship with illegal cargo got stopped but it sunk. After its recovery, it was found that it was carrying MQ-300's. Whelan seemed to know that in advance or at least suspecting it.
– Paterson and Whelan's affair got known to their superiors and they split them up in the field till further action.
– As the arrests of the heads of the Paradise Demons started, some of them took hostages in a farm in Ireland. There were many casualties and Whelan got killed.
– The arrests came to an end and Clyde Easter, finishing off the case, put in a notice for Peter Rogers.
July 2012 – Paradise Demons were revived and the law enforcement named them New Paradise Demons, NPD.
April 2013 – Prentiss and Paterson came to the USA. Emily started having problems with her position, while some of the uppers paid attention to Gloria, pushing for a further promotion. That could mean that someone wanted her transition finalised so they could access whatever information on her and around her was kept hidden for all those years.
May 2013 – A suspicious row of killings started in Washington, two of them related to a private security firm, called Black Cross. There was a terrorist alert and Rogers reappeared.
– A letter threatening law enforcement was sent to the media.
– A bomb exploded in the FBI parking lot.
– Police stations started getting attacked.
– After figuring out Henry Fidget and that he was involved in the gun dealers' scandal related to Charlie Blackmore, Fidget said that Whelan got killed on purpose and he seemed to know that Gloria and Whelan weren't allowed to go in that farm together.
– Rogers was no other than James Hathaway, a private spy.
– Hathaway offered himself quite willingly to the FBI, claiming that he had information about the bombing in the parking lot and he was in danger.
– He said that he was the one that passed the information on Whelan about the MQ-300's on the boat in 2004. This fact plus the previous meant that whoever is behind it was getting inside information, so Interpol had a snitch.
– Black Cross used to offer protection to the Irish diplomat, Emily had met while with Doyle, Gregory Murphy. Judging from a recovered piece of communication between his security ship and someone unknown, he still facilitated illegal transfers.
(Chapter 19 till now)
– Emily decided to go undercover as Lauren Reynolds all over again, just after Hotch informally proposed to her while she was still uneasy about matters regarding her past.
– Emily found Murphy who introduced her to Samantha Brooder, whose exact job was unknown. Emily knew Brooder, too, and the team found out that woman had a relation to Blackmore. Brooder asked Lauren to help her smuggle a cargo of MQ-300's that's waiting in international waters. The FBI decided to play along as it was their only chance to uncover something but knowing the consequences of anything going wrong.
– Gloria worrying about Emily and being alarmed by Garcia that Emily was probably pregnant ignored any orders, took advantage of her operator status, that was still on, since Richard stopped her transition probably in an attempt to hide her and some information, made Strauss agree to let her go undercover too as the old alias of Maria Lloyd and take Hathaway with her. That was a decision that left Rossi afraid of the worst, as he came to realise his feelings towards her after a confrontation with Erin and after he found her badge and a laconic note from her with a 'thank you and I'm sorry'. Hotch is also seriously concerned after Clyde finally disclosed that Gloria's injury during her last operation was probably the result of her provoking the man that attacked her, fact that resembled a suicidal attempt.
– Gloria deceived Hathaway and made him contact his superiors. But she got rid of him when she realised that he was about to offer her to Brooder. Gloria as Maria Lloyd knew Brooder as well and Brooder had a grunge against her.
– Hathaway, caught again, gave to the agents information about the transport of guns that Emily was supposed to facilitate. The team concluded that Blackmore tried to make Brooder's transport fail so as to get rid of her. Brooder, suspecting it, asked for Lauren Reynold's help so as to blame the fiasco on her.
– As Gloria tried to spy Brooder, hidden inside a pipe, the pipe broke and she ended up in front of Brooder and Emily. After a rather close one and after Gloria received some beating from Brooder's men, Emily took her with her and the two women had finally a discussion healing their friendship. Gloria clarified that she never blamed Emily of anything, because she knew that Emily was forced to rat her and Whelan in order to keep Declan safe. She also finally uncovered that the possibility of Emily being pregnant made her act recklessly, as just before Richard's death she had lost their own baby during the first weeks of a rather unlikely pregnancy.
Chapter XXV
"A trap is only a trap if you don't know about it. If you know about it, it's a challenge." ~ China Miéville
David was already seated across Hotch's desk when he finished the phone call with JJ. Hotch was surprised that JJ had phoned Rossi instead of him, but when he noticed his friend's features relaxing a bit instantly, he understood why.
"Gloria is OK. She is with Emily.", Dave affirmed what Aaron was thinking, leaving the phone on the table and he rubbed his forehead, the news were good but they didn't bring any relief to his worries, "This woman is going to give me a heart attack someday."
"We should be prepared. Paterson knows that two agents together are not effective and it is dangerous. She is going to split from Emily the first moment she is able to, either if Emily allows it or not.", Hotch had to admit.
Rossi nodded and let a breath. He looked at the younger man balancing how to say what was in his mind.
"And it's not only for the effectiveness that she is going to do it.", he started, "Aaron, think about what Hathaway said, while he admitted that he was trying to lure Lloyd out. Whoever paid him probably didn't tell him about the real person behind the alias, judging from his surprise in the hospital. But he spoke about Interpol, about the former head of the investigation. Did whatever he said sound to you like trying to lure some low level FBI agent out? No."
Gloria was smoking at the corner of the room by the window. She would have gone outside but it was better not to split, at least not yet. It was a cheap motel, nobody paid any attention on laws against smoking. But she was careful to blow all the smoke outside and away from Emily who was taking a nap.
They had to rest a bit after analysing everything known till that moment and before heading for the port but Gloria hadn't slept at all, given that her back was stiff and her head about to explode. The painkillers hadn't done much. And then they say if you don't take medicines often they hit you better. She didn't know, honestly. Most of the times medicines were messing with her mood. So she was an expert in homeopathy meds and he only took regular medicines when it was absolutely needed and that was rare. Of course. She was only once shot superficially, and once cut almost to death. In her line of work that was considered good work or pure luck.
Luck? She didn't know any word like that. Probably the fact that she did survive in Rome was luck but honestly she hadn't really asked for it. Luck was what Emily had inside her. Emily was questioning it and Penelope was the first that put that idea on the table but Gloria was sure. She just knew it. If she had paid attention earlier, she would have noticed it herself. Instinct, feeling she couldn't tell. She used to fool with Richard's hunches. The truth, though, was that his hunches had a practical and logical base, hers most of the times didn't. She had been a girl in dark environments trying to make money to help with her father's gambling debts and just bacause she was the rebel kid. She had developed senses so as to deal with double-faced and dangerous people and as she had gotten older they had developed into something more than normal insticts. Anyway it wasn't the time to analyse the existence or not of a sixth sense. At the end of the day, it hadn't helped her to understand the very reason of Richard's death.
Gloria was thinking hard trying to analyse and adapt the new circumstances to the situation like she had done so many times in the past. She had discussed with Emily some more parts of the case but she hadn't told her that they shouldn't be together not only for strategical reasons but because Gloria was the fish in a fishing game she still couldn't understand. She was planning to inform Emily. But Emily had looked tired and Gloria had dropped the subject for later. However, she couldn't tell if they could really split up anymore without it looking suspicious. They had to adapt and improvise.
The other reason, also, that Gloria's instincts were hyper alert that evening was one name that Emily mentioned earlier: Victor Malone. She hadn't asked her why she mentioned that name over the phone, too. So Victor Malone? Was he the other missing key?
"You are not sleeping.", Emily's voice came from the bed as she sat up, counting that they still had some time till they had to leave.
"I'm OK.", the other woman replied, throwing the rest of the cigarette out of the window and shutting it, "Sorry for that. I blew it all out. I couldn't hold it anymore and I didn't want to leave you alone."
Since when did Gloria had to apologise to Emily for smoking? Since she thought that she was pregnant. Otherwise Emily had realised early since she found her again that she had taken the habit regularly and it wasn't a casual thing as before. Now she knew all the reasons. Actually she had come to understand even more things about the woman opposite her, even why she had showed that soft spot for Jack almost immediately. It wasn't only the fact that he was a child without a mother like she had been. Her lost baby would have been around his age, too, if he or she had survived. Gloria a mother? She would have changed so much. But knowing how she was now, it sounded so strange. Come on, it sounded strange for Emily and motherhood had crossed her mind and there was a possibility that she was already.
"What's on your mind?", Emily asked.
Gloria sat at the old chair across the bed.
"Are you sure you don't want to rest a bit more?", she asked.
"Ria…", Emily said a bit more firmly, enough with the extra pampering.
"What did Clyde want to know and you told him about Victor Malone?"
Emily let a breath. They had decided that they would have no more secrets between them.
"Malone is the person that asked for the favour back."
"Malone asked for the dirt. On me or Richard?"
"For the whole Organised Crime Unit in general and since I told him that you two were the only people I knew mostly, he asked about Whelan. He had suspicions about you two. But he wanted confirmation."
"How the hell did they suspect anything?", Gloria murmured.
"Ria, you were practically living together for almost a year.", Emily reasoned quietly.
"We were taking every possible precaution…"
Emily couldn't agree more. Whelan had worked undercover, Gloria was a spy. If two people were able to hide a relationship were those two. Emily had suspected that Gloria was with someone seriously when she knocked on her door three evenings without calling first and she hadn't found her. But she had no clue to assume that her friend was with her leader. That information had come straight from her friend's mouth.
"Emily, you have morals. You aren't just going to jump a guy and not get attached! It's not you."
"Did you get attached?", Emily insisted.
"Em, I'm not proud of it, but I'm not you.", she replied dropping her eyes, "But don't you think I know why you said yes to 'befriend' Doyle so easily?"
"Since you know everything, why did I do it?", Emily challenged.
"I'll tell you why. No man sticks around. The job, the hours, the classified and horrendous stuff we are working on day in and day out, the luggage any of us carry around. It seems that no one is ever going to stay, to love, to understand. So why not use and abuse ourselves? To a game lost what do you have to lose? Tell me this is not what you are thinking!"
"That's irrelevant."
"Irrelevant? I've been there, Emily!", Gloria argued intensely, "I've been with wrong men for a million of wrong reasons, thinking exactly like that, and I didn't always have the excuse of the 'job'. I wanted it. Wrong or more wrong I wanted it and sometimes I even needed it. Simple! That's our only difference. You persuade yourself that it is 'for the job'. Newsflash: you are doing your job better than anyone will ever appreciate it. So proceeding with this ridiculous idea is not 'for the job' or the 'greater good'. The 'job' and the 'greater good' have far more ways to catch Doyle than to put you in this position."
Emily let a breath. Her friend's words had put her in thought.
"But…", Emily hesitated looking towards the view of her window, "But do you think that anyone will ever there…, you know…"
"Absolutely. Believe me, it's me saying it, the one who has far more issues than just a complicated job when it comes to relationships and I had never thought of such a chance till seven months ago."
Emily surprised looked back at her friend that dropped her eyes to the table shyly. Was the hard Interpol spy really blushing?
"Really?", she smiled, "You didn't say anything."
"I didn't know what was going with me, him…", the other woman answered quietly.
"And… Does he know…?", Emily dared to ask given the discussion they had.
"He does. Everything."
Emily got a bit confused. How was that possible? Honestly, Gloria was restricted by far too many rules not to ever disclose her actual role in the agency outside of it. For a moment Emily thought that soon enough she would in her shoes.
Her friend should have guessed her thoughts and she lifted her eyes.
"We work together.", she revealed.
Emily frowned, counting the men of the Organised Crime Unit and of the team Gloria was in. There was only one man that could fit her type and could really know everything.
"Don't try to guess. It's Richard. And don't start with your politically correct ways, too, please.", Gloria spoke again quickly and uncomfortably, obviously concerned about Emily's opinion, "I know that we are not supposed to be together. I know how it looks. I know what people will think. But..."
"Ria, is he making you happy?", Emily stopped her reassuringly.
She wasn't going to judge. Emily with her work mentality would never be involved with someone from the job, even less with her own boss, but Gloria and Whelan were professional, clever people. If they were bending or breaking the rules – the policies regarding the matter were not that strict and merely dependent on people and circumstances – then they had a very serious reason. Given her friend's words and the light that crossed her face as she nodded, that reason existed.
"Then I'm happy for you, too.", she smiled again and she squeezed Gloria's hand.
"That's why I'm telling you: There are people, there is life, Emily. You may think that it doesn't happen. I may thought that it was impossible. But it happens. Don't make that life more difficult to happen."
Emily observed her friend for a while. Gloria was always even more cynic than her. Her life till then had already proved it: crazy personal life without depth and constant play around rules and dangers. She had nothing more to worry about than her own self-preservation and that strange feeling of enjoying the rush. Emily had never imagined that that woman would ever speak like that, would ever even think like that. But Emily wasn't about to pull back now.
"I can't recall my decision now.", she said steadily and Gloria shook her head annoyed.
"What's the matter with Malone?", Emily got back to the subject.
"Malone was head of the Communication Liaison with American authorities. That's why you had asked his help for Declan. Malone was also the one that Richard tried to push more than anyone else to retrieve that boat from the bottom of the sea. You see the boat had American flag. He never mentioned Blackmore but he had told Malone that what was going on was bigger than the Paradise Demons. They had a fight over it. Also, Malone was one of those that cleared the paths for that initial operation for Paradise Demons with me here. He knew that the undercover agent was pulled out."
"And Malone was the one trying to ditch Richard..."
"It can't be a coincidence. How many are the chances? Emily, Richie at some point realised that he had spoken to the wrong person."
"Never show them everything. They will never forgive you."
Emily rubbed her forehead. Her colleague's point was more than clear. Victor Malone was the snitch. Unfortunately she couldn't agree more and it was unfortunate because since that man knew all that, he had assumed even more. A female spy being pulled out before completion and the man responsible being involved with a spy later were two facts, plus whatever information he had from the people paying him, that could lead Malone to one simple conclusion…
"Then Ria, they may do know you about you…"
Gloria let a breath. They came to the hardest part.
"That's not news. It doesn't bring light to the reason they try to fish me. That's the problem.", she said simply.
"My guess is that when Emily went in, Gloria decided to use herself as a catalyst. They want her, they can have her. She thinks that she can turn some things around and feed us what we need, before Emily has to play Lauren for long. She did it for Emily, but not to just keep an eye on her.", Rossi continued explaining.
"Are you sure, Dave?"
"I know what I heard, Aaron. And I know how Gloria thinks. Frankly, I am the first person not liking her plan.", Rossi's voice became low, "But it explains everything, her note included."
David lowered his eyes. He knew it. He knew it from the first moment that leaving a note like that wasn't from someone just going under to help, even against orders. It was from someone betting her own life on that case.
"Which is the reason they want her, though?", Hotch wondered for a moment, "She is not going to offer them anything."
"I don't know. And I don't think she does either."
Emily got shocked and scared. She rose up from the bed.
"Emily, I know I'm putting you in danger.", Gloria spoke quickly, "And believe me that was the very last thing I wanted."
"It's not about me!", Emily got angry, "You shouldn't be here completely for your own safety not mine!"
"I'm not here working for Interpol. I'm not taking orders from you anymore."
Gloria had explained that part also. She had told Emily how she had surpassed everything and everyone, about that discussion with Strauss, how that deal with the devil was made. And no, during that deal the devil wasn't Strauss.
"Ria, we are to facilitate a transport that Blackmore thinks that it will fail and it won't! They know you are an agent. They'll think you are on them!", Emily argued.
"And doing what? Letting them bring guns like the one that killed the man I was involved with? Standing right in front of them? These facts don't fit with someone either trying to catch him or seeking for revenge, even if I appeared due to bad luck and nothing more. If they had wanted me dead, they would have done it all these years, Brooder would have finished it today. By the way that one knows nothing. She wouldn't have held her rage, if she had. Blackmore has kept it for himself. But the only thing he is informed about is that Lloyd and I is the same person. Nothing more. He still doesn't know who exactly he is dealing with. He will only get to learn the person that will appear. Emily, the problem is the consequence his knowledge may bring to you."
Emily shook her head.
"They won't even imagine that I am an agent, too. I know how to play it right. But you are pushing your chances to the edge!"
"I've been doing this my whole life. For good or bad that's what I do. That's all I've ever known. And believe me I can still do it pretty well. Come on. Let's get ready.", Gloria replied after balancing Emily's confidence.
She ignored her friend's anxious stare. She took the ankle holster from the parcel, fastened it on her right ankle and put the small gun that Emily kept as spare in the room in it, tidying the leg of her jeans over it and making sure it didn't show. Her alias wasn't supposed to be armed but she had to keep one as a precaution.
Emily watched her as she balanced her leg and the extra weight in the far too casual way that women usually try high heels on. Gloria used to wear these things and quite often just for personal safety and nothing more. In the past she had thought that Gloria was exaggerating. She wasn't. She was aware from her very start in the agencies that she couldn't depend on anyone for safety, nobody to trust and no one to trust her fully, too. She didn't know what she would be asked to do next and nobody knew what she had done already. That was the underline of her status, anyway.
"Emily, you have a very small idea to who you are talking to!"
But Emily had a very accurate idea about the person, not the professional spy. What bothered her was that tone in her friend's voice again. So she decided to do one thing since she couldn't do anything more. She had to stir back the fighter in her friend. Gloria was a fighter in many ways. But she had given up one fight, the fight for her own life. Emily had to pull back that woman she had seen those years ago, the one that had told her that there are things apart from 'all this'. And that fighter could beat the part that had pushed Gloria to that suicidal mission. Probably she wouldn't have been there, if Emily hadn't decided to go undercover, if she hadn't been suspecting that she was pregnant. But that could just be the trigger.
"That's not all you know.", Emily said steadily, "Just don't use it to escape."
'Don't use it to escape from life.', she wanted to say but she didn't want to be that blunt.
"I am not escaping from anything.", Gloria stated.
'There's nothing to escape from in the first place.', she wanted to say but she didn't want to be blunt, as well.
"There are people, there is life, Ria. It happens. You don't just make that life difficult to happen. You don't let it happen at all anymore.", Emily repeated her friend's own words.
Gloria dropped her eyes, recognising them. Back then she was ten years younger and in love. Now she was forty and alone. Could she ever be again that person that said those words? Or that person was forever buried in the same grave as Richard? She had tried to pull her pieces together. She had. But the circumstances were never smooth or something happened to drag her down again, like what had happened and had brought them in that motel. She knew she was selfish asking for easy times when she had never changed anything radically. But the rush and the job were the only things that were familiar, even if she knew that in some time they would eat her up. How much can someone do or change alone? They say that the person has to figure out their lives alone. But that's not true. You can do a lot, not everything and Gloria was either too closed off, too messed up, too untrustworthy or too aggressive for most people. And just to admit the truth, she always found it difficult to approach them or express her feelings. Everything was a mess, her and her life all together.
"We have to dig the rest. We can't pull Emily back now.", Hotch spoke and he looked over to a new pile of papers in his office, "And this is only the half about Paterson. I hate to say it but we can't run after her."
"Aaron…", David started and Hotch could tell that he was getting angry.
"She is in for a result with all the skills. Judging from my previous experience, second-guessing this woman is a waste of time.", he cut him off.
"Hotch, she has put herself up for sacrifice!", Rossi rose his tone, "So are you doing the same as Easter and Strauss did? Leaving her to her fate?"
"No, I am not and you know it.", the younger man replied firmly, offended, "But worrying about the two of them and making guesses on what a completely unpredictable agent will do next doesn't help either them, us or the case, Dave! We can't carry on like that! We have to focus!"
Rossi let a breath and nodded. He was overreacting without sense. He was just too shaken.
"Sorry.", he whispered, "I know I am not much of help. I've never been like this before…"
"It's OK. I understand.", Hotch empathised more softly, "And you did help. Till now we were thinking that this case is impersonal, blind attacks. But it is personal. The person behind it has Paterson targeted for some reason. That's a second. He planned and killed a specific Interpol agent nine years ago. We have personal targets hidden behind blind terrorist attacks, shootings and a few bombs.", he carried on, "That's a specific M.O. When did we have terror attacks that were aiming to kill one single person at the end?"
"The New York shootings four years ago. We never figured out the person running that terrorist group.", Rossi followed his thought.
"Exactly. And they killed an agent in the process, too. We had thought that nine years were a far too long cooling off period.", Hotch concluded and quickly stepped out of the office, "Easter!", he called as he rushed towards the conference room where Garcia was, Rossi close behind him.
Clyde turned up and rushed upstairs without asking what was going on.
"Garcia, according to the files you got, which FBI Field Office was Maria Lloyd in?", Hotch asked quickly.
"The New York field office.", the tech girl replied.
"And SSA Kate Joyner was running it and she informed about the undercover operation.", Hotch said as a matter of fact.
Garcia's eyes rounded and double-checked the screen in front of her.
"And you just proved why you are the boss.", she confirmed, "She was the one aware that Lloyd was an agent. Not an FBI agent, I mean."
"She had mentioned that she was facilitating international ops if needed.", Hotch explained.
"Do they kill off everyone that has to do with that undercover operation on Paradise Demons?", Rossi asked, his worry increasing all over again.
Brooder had sent the information as agreed. The small container was unloaded on one of the deserted docks at the side of the port and quickly loaded on a small truck waiting. The cargo ship with the container had arrived at the port a couple of hours earlier. That container was the only one needed to be passed under the customs' nose.
Emily and Gloria were inside the car outside the gates of the port, waiting for confirmation that everything went smoothly and being careful of their surroundings. But it didn't look like Brooder was going to appear. Of course, she was thinking that the transport will fail, aware of Blackmore's trap. Both women were quiet. After Emily's phrase, they hadn't talked about anything. Gloria had become awfully silent, apart from checking for any still open convenient stores so they could get a pregnancy test on the way back. Emily got along with it. Pushing her more could only result to a dispute and it wouldn't help.
The ring of the text message startled both of them. Everything had gone as planned and the truck drove in front of them. Gloria, who was the one behind the driving wheel, started the car and followed it.
After half an hour of regular driving, she pressed the gas a little more bringing their car right behind the truck clearly showing to the driver to speed up a bit.
"Someone is following us.", she said, "There is one car sneaking behind us."
"Things didn't go as planned for someone.", Emily commented, "And/Or he learned that someone they were looking for has appeared.", she threw a look at the driver who was getting concerned.
Gloria knew that, since Blackmore wanted her, he was going to approach her somehow but she had wished that wouldn't happen while she was on the road with Emily in the passenger's seat.
"We'll carry on as agreed. Whoever is, he is not going to attack us while we have their package as small as it is. Just, when we stop, you are not coming out of the car.", Emily clarified and the other woman nodded, "If he is not sure that you are with me, he is not going to make any move. We'll get rid of him afterwards."
"Did you ever learn who was in that hospital that they wanted to bomb?", Clyde spoke, after Hotch had filled Easter in about his thoughts and the New York shootings and Rossi had said to him that according, to Emily, the name he was looking for was Victor Malone.
"The Secret Service never disclosed that information but they will have to now.", Hotch replied, "As for the agents involved, they kill everyone that can make a connection."
"At least for Malone, I can tell why he is left alive. I'm bringing his ass over here immediately.", Clyde said with a restrained anger, it was finally time for those people to start paying for a murder, multiple ones actually.
"Discretely, Easter. We don't want to raise alarms. Don't forget we have two agents under.", Hotch warned.
"Don't worry. I don't forget that.", Easter replied and stepped out of the room.
"But is there any possibility that Kate knew about Blackmore's story?", Rossi asked.
"I don't think so. But she was probably aware of something. Paterson can figure that out.", Hotch answered, "We have to talk to her and you are going to do it."
He looked straight at his older friend. It was actually a piece of information that could be retrieved over the phone. But a face-to-face meeting would help more. Hotch should have normally sent some neutral person, like JJ. But he didn't plan on leaving the British spy to her fate like Rossi had accused him in the heat of the moment. Instead he was sending the very person that could bring her some balance. He owed it to her and he owed it to David, as well. When all this would finish and Emily would accept his proposal, Aaron was planning to ask David to be his best man and he was sure that Emily's first choice for maid of honour would be Gloria. They were the ones that brought them close and together, at the end of the day.
Rossi was for short surprised and then he nodded.
"OK. Thanks.", he said.
"And I have to talk with the people from Secret Service all over again."
The two women went on according to the plan without surprises, in spite of whoever was watching them. They and the truck stopped at the side of the road. Emily came out of the car alone and only after the two men driving it – two agents in reality – were out first ready to pull their guns if needed. She ordered one of them to open the container and she checked the contents: only two MQ-300's, ten shotguns and fifteen regular guns. The rest was potatoes. Yes, potatoes. As expected the cargo was small, a test and, in case of the smuggling failing as intended, a minimal loss. They left the truck to go to a warehouse at the north of the city warned to take precautions if someone followed them. The two women managed to shake their own tail after some speeding, too many rounds and a lot of random turns and they finally got back to the motel just before dawn. In the meantime, someone from the team had brought Gloria's car, the one left by the restaurant, and had left it in the parking lot. So Gloria finally had her things.
Emily phoned Brooder to tell her that her package was safe. Brooder sounded surprised with the news.
"Alright. I'll meet you tomorrow noon to tell you aboout the next one. And bring that other bitch with you.", Brooder said sternly and ended the call.
Gloria didn't say anything. She grabbed her bag and left for the room next door, murmuring a 'good night or actually good morning'. She had proposed to Emily to stay in different motels. But Emily was convinced that sleeping in different rooms was enough. Nobody knew where they were, anyway.
Emily called JJ and told her everything, Gloria's plans of action included. JJ didn't comment. She just informed her that Rossi was going to appear in short time so she shouldn't be alarmed if she heard anything. Emily didn't text Ria. That woman was able of not hiding from Blackmore but of hiding from David. Of course she wouldn't physically hide but she would put up the façade. It was better for David to surprise her a bit.
Emily placed her small gun under the pillow and she lied on her side. She looked over towards her nightstand. There was one thing that she had kept avoiding thinking of during those hours. There was a pregnancy test placed on the old and scraped wooden piece of furniture. They had also managed to stop by a 24 hours convenient store and had gotten it. She was in a rotten motel room, litterally sleeping with a gun and a pregnancy test beside her. Emily knew that whatever the result of this little thing was, there was no way going back now. For sure that wasn't the way for any woman to discover if she was going to become a mother. 'Mother': such a sweet and frightening word at the same time.
She let a breath and closed her eyes. The next hours held many surprises and even more dangers.
"You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have." ~ Bob Marley
I know… It's been so-so long since I last updated and honestly it wasn't because of holidays… I was running around most of the summer… Anyway. I promise the next chapter won't take that long.
Spoiler: Emily has something to do with the person in the hospital.
Last but not least, I really want to thank one person from here since she doesn't have an account and I can't message her. Mariana, thank you for your review! It's so sweet and encouraging! Thank you so much! (Don't worry about your English. Mine is not perfect, either.)
I'm looking forward to your reviews!