The door opened suddenly and she jerked around to see the puzzled look in his eyes.
"What are you doing in here?" He barked.
"Nothing!"
"Miranda?"
"I-I was just checking…I was going to clean him up a bit, like last time…the boys are going to want to visit again."
"I'll decide if they visit or not. He may not be alive long enough for another visit."
"I'm sorry, I just thought…"
"I didn't ask you to think, Miranda!"
Chester came closer still looking hard at the young woman. Morgan lay still watching the man, hoping he wasn't there to continue where he'd left off only minutes ago. His pain had now morphed into numbness he was helpless to stop whatever the crazed man decided to do next. He thought for a second that he'd gotten through to the girl but now watching her reaction to her guardian he knew she was not only loyal but she was terrified of him.
Chester shifted his glare to the half–conscious man and pushed him with his foot watching for a response from him. Morgan strained to hold his moan inside closing his eyes trying to shut himself off from his present reality.
"Your quite resilient, Agent Morgan. I'm impressed." He chuckled. "That just means I'll have a lot more fun watching you suffer before I kill you."
Morgan remained silent opening his eyes ever slightly glancing at Miranda searching for some sign of compassion but all he saw was her undying desire to please the man who'd saved her life and showed her the love that she'd never been shown before.
"Go on, get out of here. It's time to feed the little brats!" Barker instructed.
Without another word, Miranda quickly turned and left the room. Then Barker kneeled down close to Morgan and whispered in his ear.
"If you think you can turn her against me, think again. She belongs to me and if I told her to slit your throat, she'd do it without even blinking!"
BAU Headquarters – 3 hours remaining –
"I think I found something!"
Garcia ran into the conference room, out of breath and wide-eyed setting her laptop down and taking a seat.
"What is it, Garcia?" Hotch asked anxiously.
The team surrounded her as she began typing and pulling up her current search.
"Barker's wife was adopted as an infant and that's why I didn't find anything under her maiden name, Cranston." She began. "Her birth mother, Martha Merriweather was from a wealthy Virginia family and when she became pregnant at sixteen her parents forced her to put the baby up for adoption. Meghan Barker was born, Anna Merriweather, of the Fredricksburg, Virginia, Merriweather's."
"So how's this relate to the case?" JJ asked.
"Hold on, you're trying to get on the train before it pulls into the station, Blondie!"
The others looked around and shook their heads at the bedazzled tech.
"Apparently, Martha began searching for her daughter after graduating from college and moving away from her parents. Mother and daughter reunited about ten years ago and became close. When Martha died she left Meghan everything including several properties"
"What are the…" Reid began.
Garcia lifted her hand to silence the young genius. Quickly, he stopped giving her his full attention.
"Okay, so before I was almost interrupted…again. There is a building located in the old business district of Fredricksburg in the name of Anna Merriweather."
"Also known as, Meghan Barker." Rossi added.
"Exactly! It's a perfect location because it and all of the buildings in a five block radius have been abandoned and rundown for years!"
"Good work, Garcia!" Said Hotch.
"I've sent the address to your tablets."
"Let's go!" Hotch ordered.
The team headed out but not before Garcia stopped them.
"Guys…"
It was Hotch's turn to stop her in mid-sentence.
"Don't worry, will be careful and we'll bring him back to you!"
Teary-eyed she nodded and watched as they headed toward the elevators.
Warehouse – 1 hour remaining –
Chester, Miranda and the other four men were seated in a far room that may have once served as an employee lunchroom. It was sparsely furnished with a few round tables and chairs, a refrigerator and an old worn out microwave. Surprisingly it was relatively clean considering that no one had occupied the building for at least fifteen years. The motely crew sat making idle conversation as they sipped on coffee that had been brought in from a local coffee shop. Bagels and cream cheese sat in the middle of one of the tables and it appeared that Chester Barker was holding court as they all hung on his every word.
Barker had spent the last five years making use of his late wife's fortune and planning his revenge and as he glanced at his watch he knew that the time he'd looked forward to was now here. He stood and his subjects' eyes shifted upward waiting for his orders to stand as well.
"It's about time to bring this little party to and end."
The other four men shook their heads snickering in agreement. Miranda silent, watched the men. She couldn't shake the look in Morgan's eyes when he whispered his pain-filled plea for help. She heard the others beating and taunting him at Chester's commands. She'd been a witness and a participant in his sick plans but still she wasn't prepared to see the suffering watching him being brutalized before her eyes. Then there was the little boys who clung to each other for dear life not knowing what to expect confused as to why they'd been brought to such a god forsaken place and kept away from their parents. The same man who'd acted on her behalf and yanked her from the streets sick and starving and gave her a place to live and food was the same man who now stood before her barking out orders and kicking and beating the living daylights out of a defenseless person. The clock was winding down and she was having a hard time justifying the madness. She knew that in less than an hour she would be expected to once again do her part in the killing of a person she'd never met before and had done nothing to her. Even though Chester had promised he wouldn't hurt the boys she knew deep inside that it was a lie. He would never leave any witnesses that could verify what he'd done and as she watched the five men head toward the prisoners she realized for the first time that even her life was in danger.
Chester again checked his watch sending two of the men to stand guard at the north and south entrances of the building; he knew that the FBI would eventually figure out where they were and he didn't want any surprises before he finished his business. Another man was sent to have the van ready and running so that he could make his escape after he killed his captives. Miranda felt her nerves shift into overdrive as she watched her mentor stride toward the other side of the warehouse. His face had changed it was darker, stone-like and fixed as if his mind had gone somewhere beyond their present location. She'd never seen him like this before.
"Chester?" She uttered.
He ignored her and kept walking.
"Chester?" She repeated.
"Chester! You promised you wouldn't hurt the boys."
"Yeah I know I did."
"I would have never agreed to be a part of this if I thought you would hurt them. They're just babies!"
Chester stopped suddenly and without warning grabbed the young woman wrapping his big hand around her petite throat and slamming her against the wall pinning her with her feet dangling above the floor. She could smell the stale coffee on his breath as he glared at her. The other man remained silent and watching.
"If it weren't for me you'd be dead! You owe me! Now, if you can't do your part let me know and I'll snap your neck and be done with you!"
She felt his hand cutting off her air supply as she struggled to breathe. Trying to be tough like the street urchin she had become she strained to shake her head to acknowledge his authority. Then he smiled and leaned in and kissed her sweetly on the forehead and without any further word released his grip. Gasping and trembling she landed on her feet fighting the tears and waiting for his next move.
"I'm sorry, Chester." She choked out. "I didn't mean anything! Of course I'm down with you! Always!"
"Good." He smiled confidently at her. "Now stop the bullshit we've got work to do!"
Without another word she followed him with a renewed commitment and allegiance to him.
Morgan was awake he heard the door open and he braced himself for whatever Barker had planned. He saw the man and Miranda step in the room she avoided his gaze as she stood closest to the door.
"This is your last chance to get it right, Agent Morgan."
"Just tell me what you want me to say and I'll say it."
"You still don't get it do you?"
Barker motioned to the man who moved swiftly to Morgan pulling him to his feet.
"Sit him in the chair. I want to make sure he has a front row seat to the show!"
"Look, man, I'm sorry for what happened to your family! You want me to say I screwed up? Okay, fine, you're right, I screwed up! It was my fault! I'm the reason your family was killed! Okay?"
"Too late. Time's up!" Then looking at the nervous young girl. "Go get the boys!"
"NO! Morgan yelled at the top of his lungs. "Barker, please don't hurt them! This is my fault not theirs!"
Miranda looked at Chester questioningly.
"I said, go get the boys!"
"Okay, okay, I'm on it!"
Miranda made a quick retreat. Morgan tried to stand but was held in place by the heavy hands of the man that still had not said a word.
Morgan watched as Miranda opened the door to the boys' room and beckoned for them to follow her out. Morgan, distraught shook his head as he continued to struggle against the hands that were placed firmly like anchors on his shoulders.
"Now you'll finally understand how it feels to lose the most precious of things. You and your team are like a family, are you not? They'll blame you too. After all, it will be your fault that they had to die."
Chester pulled a knife from his pocket pushing a button and releasing the blade.
"Please, don't do this…"
Chester ran his finger up and down the blade as if he were mesmerized by its smoothness.
"I've grown quite fond of killing. The thought of slitting the throats of those two little boys just does something to me."
"You don't have to do this! Kill me! Not them!"
Chester looked up and smiled as Jack and Henry followed by Miranda entered the room.
"Uncle Derek!" They yelled in unison.
The boys tried running to Derek but Miranda grabbed them holding them in place.
"Don't do this…I'm begging you."
"My are you two just the cutest!"
Chester was so caught up in the terror he was causing that for a moment, just a brief moment he forgot that the man he'd taken great joy in brutalizing was still breathing. He hadn't been as thorough as he should have been while planning his revenge on the man he blamed for the death of his family. For if he had, he'd learned that all Derek Morgan needed was a brief moment and a breath, nothing more. He would take that last of what he was and protect his family and the innocent who couldn't protect themselves. He was beaten, bloody, weak yet he managed to summons from somewhere deep inside, enough strength to jerk from the grip of the man and ram his body into Chester Barker. It caught the overconfident man off guard as he was pushed roughly into the wall. The man didn't have time to react before Derek sent a swift kick to his midsection causing him to double over.
He could hear Jack and Henry crying and screaming he also felt the sharp piercing pain in his back but he had to remain focused. He remembered that they were working the case, the three of them and he shot a look to the two little boys.
"It's time!" He yelled.
Without hesitation, Jack jerked his arm away from a stunned Miranda and grabbed Henry's hand bolting for the door. Morgan felt another surge of strength but it didn't matter, Chester and his accomplice had gathered themselves and overpowered him.
He wasn't expecting to win, he was weak and they clearly had the advantage he only needed to distract them long enough to get the boys out of the room. The men pounded their fist into his body and kicked him repeatedly. He knew he was dying but he was happy that the boys were on the case.
The room was getting darker and his body growing numb to the beating but he took comfort in knowing that his team would be there soon to rescue the boys. He trusted them it was all he had to hang on to. He closed his eyes as the darkness overtook him and he prayed that his friends would one day forgive him.