Author's note: I'll just say that the fun begins in this chapter. You can take that however you need to.
A touch of brutal pain
If Alex was good at anything, it was planning and being patient. Waiting around for Agent Morgan to leave was no problem for him. He reviewed the file James gave him for the third time; there was no such thing as being overly prepared for this type of endeavor. Having arrived well in advance of the FBI team, he'd taken his time to drive around the area near Agent Reid's apartment building to take stock of what resources were around should he need them.
Alex leaned forward and stretched his stiff shoulders. He cast his eyes around the nearly deserted street. Seeing no one in sight, he decided to get take a risk and collect a little more crucial information. He casually walked to Agent Morgan's SUV and peered into the dark windows. He didn't dare try the door in case the alarm was set. The backseat was empty except for a few water bottles and two duffle bags. The bags were different enough that he felt it safe to assume that one belonged to each agent. So if he left them both here, he must be coming back to the car for them eventually.
He moved to the front of the vehicle and saw a pile of papers lying on the passenger seat, the two on top appearing to be prescriptions. This could be good news! If he's going out to fill these before he goes back to the apartment, that will take him at least fifteen minutes to get to the closest pharmacy. Assuming there are no lines or traffic to slow him down, that gives me thirty minutes alone with Agent Reid! The thought brought a happy smile to his face. Plenty of time!
He was suddenly grateful that he'd come up with two different plans. The first required a bit more time and mess, but death came quickly. The second plan was fairly quick and clean, but death took a lot more time. Either would work for him, but he was happy to not have to get his hands dirty this time. Less evidence to risk leaving behind.
Alex glanced at his watch again; nearly twenty minutes had passed since the agents' arrival. He let out a deep, impatient sigh and decided to stay in the fresh air while he waited. He leaned on the wall next to the front door of the building and lit a cigarette. As he smoked it slowly, he rechecked the pockets of his cargo pants to ensure that the necessary kits were in place. Finally, he patted the inside pocket of his jacket and smiled as he felt the tiny, cool vial inside. The cigarette grew smaller.
Finally, heavy footsteps caught Alex's attention, and he glanced up slightly to see Agent Morgan hurrying to his SUV. Finally! Alone at last! He couldn't hold back the slight predatory grin that crossed his lips as Agent Morgan headed in the direction of the pharmacy. As soon as the vehicle was out of sight, Alex entered the building and walked briskly to the elevators. As he waited, a couple came up next to him and watched the elevator come to the bottom floor. How fortunate. The elevators required a code to be entered along with the floor number as a security measure. He'd acquired a generic override code that should work, but he'd hoped that someone else would be going up at the same time. He smiled at the couple as the three of them entered. Alex deliberately stood in the far corner, allowing the man to take control of the elevator. He turned to Alex with a friendly smile and asked which floor he would like.
"Four please," Alex responded politely. He could really turn on the charm when necessary. It was something his brother never learned, but the skill served Alex well on numerous occasions. It certainly didn't hurt that Alex had the looks to back up his words. Alex exited the elevator on the fourth floor, and he took the stairs to his final destination-the sixth floor-to avoid detection on security cameras. Just in case.
He walked briskly to number 612 and paused outside the door. He couldn't ask for a better location; the apartment was at the end of the corridor and around a slight curve, hiding the doorway from immediate view of any noisy neighbors. He removed the first kit from his pants pocket and arranged his tools on the floor. Then he put on the soft leather gloves he'd picked up from a thrift store; they could never be traced back to him. After a quick glance at his watch, he pulled out the special toy James had set him up with. The device was so expensive and high-tech that his fingers tingled just holding it. The tiny remote control could deactivate any installed alarm system for five minutes before the system would reset, giving him ample time to break in and disable the alarm by hand.
He pressed the buttons on the remote and waited for the green indicator lights to turn on. Once it was safe, he retrieved his other unique item from its place on the floor. The small key was made of a moldable plastic that could conform to the inside of most locks of a similar size, allowing a customized key to be made as needed. Alex worked swiftly to unlock both the doorknob and the deadbolt. He was confident that the chain would be off so that Agent Morgan could return. He collected all of his tools and carefully pushed the door open, holding the knob to maintain his silence. He slipped into the dark hallway and slowly closed the door. Instead of closing it all of the way, he removed his shoes and set them next to the door, both preventing it from opening and allowing him to move stealthily across the wood floor.
After cutting the wires to the alarm panel near the door, Alex began his careful pursuit of his prey.
Reid shifted carefully on the couch, trying not to disturb his injury anymore than necessary. He pried his eyes open and looked around the dimly lit living room. He thought a shuffling noise had awakened him, but now the room was silent. His eyes roamed the area checking for anything abnormal, but, seeing nothing, he started drifting back to his fuzzy world of pain and exhaustion. The sudden movement took him completely by surprise.
A hand covered his mouth while simultaneously a heavy weight pressed into the couch, straddling him and holding down his good arm. His eyes flew open in panic, but his terrified scream was muffled into a mere exhalation. Reid looked into cold, angry blue eyes-eyes that were vaguely familiar from somewhere. It was then he realized the man on top of him was speaking.
"Well Agent Reid, we haven't had the pleasure of meeting, but I believe you know my brother, Adrian." the man spoke with a snarl, both his expression and voice conveying extreme rage. The low, threatening tone sent chills down Reid's spine. Adrian? Who's Adrian? How do I know him?
The confusion must have been evident on his face as the man continued speaking. "You know, my brother that you shot this morning. He is ok, by the way, and sends his regards." He punctuated his words by pressing down on Reid's injured shoulder, causing him to yell in pain against the fingers that stifled his voice. Oh, that Adrian! This is his brother? Then I was right about there being two killers? This is bad.
Adrian's brother wasn't giving him a chance to respond though. He was busy adjusting his position, moving Reid's right arm so that the man's knee was pinning down his hand. His left arm was effectively trapped in the sling, and the man was sitting low on his hips, so using his legs wasn't an option. He was stuck. He watched the man in wide-eyed horror. With his now free hand, the man began to take off his belt, talking all the while.
"My brother was stupid enough to get caught by you, but I won't follow in his footsteps. All of our hard work- my hard work- and planning won't be thrown away by some damn FBI genius that doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut!
Reid saw the belt coming toward his throat, and his panic rose swiftly as he shook his head frantically. His movements did nothing to slow the advance of the leather that encircled his neck. He tried to gasp for breath as the belt tightened against his airway, but the hand blocking his mouth prevented any significant intake of air. Finally, the man pulled his hand away and Reid gulped as much air as he could. The man stared down at Reid with a smirk that made his skin crawl.
"Now you can't scream, can you?" He asked with a satisfied tone. He demonstrated Reid's inability by slapping him hard across the face and digging his knee into Reid's trapped hand. "It's too bad my brother isn't here to see this. He would love it. Thanks to you he isn't here so I have to enjoy it for him. Of course, for him this would just be the beginning, but I don't have to tell you about his hobby. I'm sure you know all of the details."
By the end of the monologue Reid was hyperventilating as the minimal oxygen began to make him lightheaded. He heard the spiteful voice continuing to mock him as gray spots danced in his vision. "…It's a shame no one will ever know that you were right…too bad they didn't listen to you sooner…they won't be able to catch me…"
The voice faded with the light in the room, and the silence overtook Reid along with the darkness.