CHAPTER V

GARCIA'S POV

Hotch was nervous and that much was pretty obvious. Even with his usual serious expression, he couldn't hide it.

"He really didn't say anything else?" Morgan asked for the millionth time, while we walked towards Reid's hotel room.

Hotch denied.

"Keep asking won't change the answer, Derek" Rossi stated, seemingly tired.

Before anyone could knock on the door, it opened, reveling something at least disturbing.

"Come in" Reid invited calmly "I was waiting for you"

I felt my eyes widening.

"Wow" I whispered, not being able to move "You are so… So HOT, Sweet Cheeks!" I exclaimed, examining Reid head-to-toe.

He was wearing jeans pants with a white, tight shirt and a leather blue jacket rolled up to the elbows. In his left wrist, he wore a round, apparently expensive, watch. However, it wasn't just the clothes that were different – less "nerds" – he was different. The posture, I noticed, showed security, just like his eyes – mysterious, profound.

Spencer smirked a little and I could almost feel my heart skipping a beat. Who was that man and what had he done to the innocent, open-smile Spencer Reid?

"Thanks, Garcia" he thanked, making a sign for me to get in behind the others, that were already seated in the two couches on the room. In front of them was a chair. On top of the bed was a high-tech laptop that made me drool. Ok, I thought, where is my doctor of the dark ages?

"You can seat, Penelope" he said, pointing to the couch and seating in the empty chair.

Reid took a deep breath, looking to each one of us with an undecipherable look on his face. I frowned. Since when had he stopped being an open book?

"So?" I asked, without being able to support the tension "What did you want to tell us?"

"Yeah, Pretty Boy" Morgan agreed with concern "Spill"

Spencer smiled. Again that not-familiar, not-open smile.

"To tell the truth, Derek" he started, calmly "I don't know where to start"

Hotch took the word, seeming slightly irritated.

"You can start with why you've been acting so weird since this case started" he said "And be honest"

Spencer nodded slightly, thoughtfully. He looked at JJ, who was biting her lips nervously.

"First of all" he started, looking away from the blonde "I'm sorry"

"What for?" Blake asked, with exasperation "For God's sake, Spencer, spill it out!"

I couldn't agree more. The suspense was killing me.

"I'm sorry for have lied" he answered, staring at Alex "And for many other things. I am not naïve to think that I deserve your forgiveness, but still…"

He paused, sighing.

"Well, let's start from the beginning" he said "Khrabos, the Russian mob. Organized by a closed hierarchy inside the façade company Pisces and Technology. The lower workers know little to nothing about the organized crime - the ones that really matter are the so called Captains. Only captains are tattooed with their symbol and they're the ones that really command all activities. They used to be five, but with Franceska's death, are now four. One is the CEO, of course, but he isn't the most important – he's only another puppet. The most important is Rafe… Rafe Carmichael"

"How… How do you know all this?" Rossi asked with caution.

Reid took something off his pocket and raised it to his face. It was an ID with his picture. It took me a second to notice the mistake, but soon I understood.

"You…" I started, but my voice was muffled by the very irritated voice of Hotch.

"Explain" he demanded.

Spencer, or Rafe, as the ID he held seemed to claim, nodded. He put away the ID and, pulling the white shirt until a little bellow his clavicle, he reveled a black, star-shaped tattoo – exactly the same as the victims.

"I am a Khrabros Captain" he said calmly, as if talking about the weather "Inside the Company they know me as Rafe Carmichael, the cover I established almost eight years ago, while working to take down their dirty schemes"

I felt dizzy. All of it seemed surreal.

"What do you mean by cover? Work to take down their dirty schemes?" Morgan asked between gritted teeth "Eight years ago you already worked for the BAU!"

Spencer, or whoever he was, agreed.

"Yes, I did, to protect myself" he said.

Hotch sighed, impatient, already ready to ask something when Reid resumed.

"Rafe Carmichael is a cover, just like…" he paused "Just like Spencer Reid. Few people know who I really am. Gideon, Emily, high scale FBI agents, my true bosses and, of course, JJ"

I turned to face her automatically, just like everyone else. The blonde nodded, without a word.

"Who are you?" Morgan asked, staring at Reid with a sad and disgusted face.

The man sighed.

"My real name is Matthew Gray" he said.

Hotch stared at him with cold eyes.

"Before you said… "my true bosses", who would that be?" he asked, flatly.

"Matthew" stared back at him.

"Isn't obvious?" he questioned.

I gulped, feeling betrayed.

"You work for the CIA, don't you?" I asked, reluctantly.

He nodded.

"Since I was eighteen year old" he said "Undercover as an analyst, which wasn't my job in the slightest"

"And what is your real job?" Blake questioned, seeming hurt "Because you clearly are not a profiler"

Spencer, as I had always known him, stared at her. I wondered what he was feeling, but his face showed as much emotion as a rock. Suddenly, I felt the urge to cry and had to gulp in order to prevent the tears.

"My job is… complicated" he answered "Let's just say I am a jack-of-all-trades in the intelligence community. Proof of that is the fact that, two years after the beginning of the operation to bring down the khrabros, that at the time were trying to kill me, I achieved my goal. The Russian organized crime in LV is completely controlled by the captains and the captains, besides myself, are all CIA and NSA agents"

I dried a tear that had fallen off my eye. It was like I didn't knew the man seating in front of me anymore.

"Are you saying that" Hotch started " the Russian organized crime is controlled by the American government?"

He nodded.

"Exactly. Everything is controlled by us" he stated "And, finally answering your question, Aaron, the reason I was acting weird since the beginning of this case is because, from the start, I was afraid to blow my cover, which, indeed, just happened."

Everyone remained silent for a moment, absorbing all that information, before David asked:

"And what do you know about Sasha Kuneztsov?"

Reid gritted his teeth.

"Sasha Kuneztsov was a terrorist" he said "When we were reorganizing the khrabros, we noticed that there was something odd about the hours of entrance and exit of the mechanic. At first, we thought it was Dimitri, but it was Sasha and some other men. One of my agents was able to infiltrate their group and we find out that they were planning a terrorist attack in important points of the US, using bombs and biological agents. They were calling it the White Plan."

When no one said anything, Spencer continued.

"When we figured what was going on, I had to act" he paused, sighing "Triple shot at the forehead, so close that are almost imperceptible… It's my M.O"

"Excuse me?" Morgan asked with a strangled voice "You're saying that…"

"Morgan" he interrupted, staring at the man "Isn't it clear enough? I said my job was complicated, but if you want me to spell, fine: I'm a mercenary, an assassin, I go after the people that the agency tells me to and, although I do a lot more than just killing, that is a very important part of my résumé"

Derek's face got pale and I was pretty sure that I was losing color as well. That couldn't be real.

"The fact is: Dimitri knows I killed his wife, but he doesn't know who she really was. He believes that the Russian mob, in this case, me, confused her with someone and killed her in cold blood. He is going after the important ones and, after he get pass Mikhail, he'll come after me"

"And are you afraid, Reid?" Hotch asked, sarcastically.

Spencer smirked tiredly.

"No" he said "Because that's how we're going to catch this son of a bitch"

Hey there my fine, furry friends! (Yes, I am using this phrase. Sue me)

How are you doing? Are you guys still alive after all this wait or everyone already turned into skeletons? Sorry in any case. Really, I truly know how awfull I've been and for that, I apologize.

I hope this chapter was worth the wait :D'

Thank you again for everyone that reviewed, favorited and followed this story. It means a lot to know that there are people actually enjoying it.

Hope to see you again soon,

Kisses,

Bri.