The Stripper – Chapter Six
Disclaimer: Not mine.
A/N – I am so very sorry this has taken me so long. I keep waiting for life to slow down just a bit but it really hasn't. I promise I have not abandoned any of my stories.
She was disoriented when she came to. Blinking her eyes Emily tried to adjust to the pitch blackness. Then she attempted to stretch. Confusion marred her features seconds before the panic set in. "Oh God." She remembered Summer's smiling face as she pulled her from the stage. Emily hadn't even questioned why the other woman had been back there. She barely had time to process anything before the rag was placed over her nose and mouth. Her assailant had been strong; she'd scarcely had an opportunity to begin to struggle before she'd gone limp. A sob bubbled up from her deep within her chest as despair overwhelmed her. Unlike his previous victims Emily had seen what the man that currently held her captive was capable of.
Not wanting to dwell on that fact she pictured Derek's smiling face. She knew that he would work relentlessly to pull her from the grasp of evil that she was currently caught in. It had been right in front of all of them and they managed to miss it completely, they had considered and summarily rejected the idea of an accomplice. She wasn't sure that her disappearance would make them revisit it, and even if they did, she wasn't sure they would make the connection in time. It was entirely possible that they would be solving her murder, not abduction.
She sighed heavily and thought of all of her missed opportunities. She would never get the chance to tell Derek that she loved him, and there locked in the back of a trunk she could finally admit to herself that she did. It had never occurred to her that she wouldn't have the opportunity to share it with him. She also wouldn't get to tell him that working with him was one of the main reasons she returned to the BAU. That even when he drove her exasperatingly crazy he still managed to make her smile. Thinking it made her smile now. Then she thought of the fact that she'd never have the chance to get tangled in his arms and let him fulfill the fantasies that his eyes promised every time theirs met. God, she had been so stupid. Why had she hesitated? She did something that she rarely allowed herself to do and gave into her tears.
She wasn't sure how long she laid there giving in to despondency until she was literally jarred into action. A frown crossed her face as she finally realized that she was in a moving car. Rubbing her temples in an attempt to clear her still foggy brain she removed her hands from her forehead and focused on them. She wasn't restrained! She tested her legs. Nope! They, too, were mobile. She could move! Granted her space was limited, but she wasn't restrained. She gave a slight laugh as she wiped at the moisture on her face, silently chastising herself for her moment of weakness. After all, she knew what she was facing with him but he didn't have a clue what he was up against. Emily Prentiss was a fighter and she wasn't about to go down lightly!
With that thought in mind her hands began to roam through the trunk searching for a weapon. It would be too much to hope to connect with a tire iron but she'd take what she could get. Unfortunately she discovered all too quickly that she was the only weapon in the trunk. Refusing to get discouraged by that revelation she felt her way towards the edge of the trunk and began to rip at the carpeted covering. "Shit!" She winced as her finger made sharp contact with the newly exposed metal but it was worth it when her hand came into contact with what she'd been hunting for. She gave a sharp pull on the wires she'd exposed. She continued to tug until she felt the resistance give, satisfied she crawled the length of the space to begin the process all over.
~~CM~~CM~~
Derek thought he was going to go crazy. He wasn't sure how far behind them they were but he knew that every second at this point counted. Too much could happen that they didn't anticipate, especially given who their abductor was. Thanks to JJ they had a license plate number and from that they were able to get the registration information.
The vehicle belonged to a decorated retired police detective from Florida. His former lieutenant had been able to give them a lot of insight into exactly who they were dealing with. Nate Jones' had been a respected law enforcement officer, seemingly above reproach, until his wife mysteriously disappeared without a trace. Nate claimed his wife; a beautiful, leggy brunette, just packed up one night and took off. He assumed that she had grown tired of his often difficult job and the long hours it demanded. Her family had disputed that allegation and accused him of making her disappear. They complained frequently and loudly to anyone that would listen. It was during that period when a lot of people, his superiors included, started to look a little deeper at their star officer. When Jones' realized that fact he quickly tendered his resignation and abruptly left town, supposedly heartbroken by his wife's desertion. But by that time most of the population didn't buy his act and was of the opinion that he killed his pretty dancer wife. They just couldn't prove it.
That had been three years ago. Armed with a name and a SSN to track Garcia was able to find even more damaging information. She was able to follow his trek from southern Florida up the east coast. Using bank statements she was able to spot locations where other pretty brunettes had mysteriously gone missing. Not all of them were dancers but all of them were definitely dead. There had been enough differences to keep them from being connected until he became fixated on strip clubs. The man was definitely devolving.
Rossi's argument with the Virginia State Police captured Morgan's attention. "What do you mean you need probable cause?" The older man growled. "He abducted an undercover agent. We have an eye witness report. How do you think you got the damn license? I don't care if you can't authorize it. Let me talk to someone who can. I want my agent brought back safe. We've seen what this guy does to his victims."
The words caused the knot, already formed in his stomach, to tighten. She was in that trunk blind. She didn't have anything, no weapon, no wire, hell, hardly any clothes. He scrubbed a hand over his face. They weren't even sure if she was lucid. Hotch's voice went up a notch. "You're sure? That a girl."
"What?" Derek demanded, picking up on the excitement in his leader's voice.
"The taillights have been disabled." The pride in Hotch's voice was evident.
"There is your just cause." Rossi immediately stated. "Pull his ass over for faulty equipment."
Hotch nodded. "How do we play this?" He asked out loud. "Do we send one car and make it a seemingly innocent traffic stop or do we go full force?" They all understood what was at stake; an error in judgment could make their already bad situation worse.
"It's not unusual for a cop to have back up on a traffic call." Reid commented.
"We have to assume he's armed." Blake added. "He's become lazy and careless, has he been building up to this? Is his endgame going to be a shootout?"
Rossi frowned. "He may spook the second he sees a cop."
"So what do we do?" Hotch asked again. "Absolutely not." It was clear JJ had an idea that did not appeal to him. "That is far too dangerous."
"Put her on speaker." Rossi demanded.
Frowning at the other man, Hotch complied.
"All we would have to do is clip him." JJ was heard stating. "We can time it so we know that you are directly behind us and we just go over into his lane a little bit."
"He's a former police officer he's been trained in defensive driving." Hotch responded wryly.
"Throw him off his game." JJ growled. "Send two patrol cars by him prior. Shake him up."
"We don't know that that will rattle him."
"You want something that is going to throw him off his guard so you don't end up with a battle on your hands." JJ said with exasperation. "His adrenaline will already be elevated, having the cars come up will set him at edge then, when they go around him he'll feel a little cocky. He already thinks he's smarter than the police. We'll cut in from of him and clip him." At this point there was a little reluctance from Jess heard in the background.
"So what you're suggesting is I give him two more hostages." Hotch commented tightly.
Derek couldn't help but admire her plan. "His hero complex is going to kick in. Especially when he sees the heavily pregnant woman in the car, if we can get him distracted..."
"That's MY heavily pregnant woman." Hotch growled. "There has got to be a better plan. That is shear lunacy. Jess is not a stunt driver. Depending on the rate of speed the car could go into a spin and we could make this situation worse than it already is."
"Aaron, we're on 66, if we do it after the patrol cars go we'll be traveling at a low enough rate of speed to make the impact less jarring."
Hotch's sighed heavily. "JJ you're not a member of the BAU, Jess is a civilian. I can't sanction or authorize this plan. I won't. It's far too dangerous."
"Fine I'll console myself over your high morals when a stray bullet from either the police or a suspect that is set on death by cop kills either you or my best friend."
"Jennifer." He knew that he was fighting a losing battle.
"I'm sure the kids and I will be fine." She sniffled for effect.
He was a sucker for tears and she knew it. "It is too dangerous." He reiterated.
"I'll never regret marrying you. I love you."
In light of the situation the snickers could be heard throughout the vehicle. "I don't like the idea, JJ. You're not going to goad me into it." He sighed again heavily. "How far behind are we Garcia?"
"You're making excellent time, sir. At this rate you'll be caught up to them in five minutes, possibly less."
"Do we have state troopers in place?" Hotch asked Rossi.
"They have six deployed standing by at the ready." Rossi got a status from his state police liaison.
"Send two, let's see how our unsub responds." He pressed the gas pedal hard, desperate to make up the distance. "I want to know immediately if he is giving flight."
The car was silent as they waited for the report back from the local police. They could hear the sirens approach as JJ's line was still open.
"They can't determine what the suspect is doing. There are no lights on the vehicle." Rossi stated. "Although it appears that the he is slowing and letting them pass." He exchanged a look with Hotch.
"Send the other units." Hotch ordered. He barely had time to give the command when the distinct sound of impact was heard. "JJ!"
"Shit. Ow." JJ's voice was heard over the impact. "We're okay."
The vehicle with the team was silent when they heard Jess's frantic. "Oh my God. JJ, he's coming. He's out of his car. Oh God, he looks pissed."
"It's okay, Jess. Calm down." JJ's voice was soft and controlled.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" An angry voice could be heard yelling. "You came all the way over in my lane. Where the hell did you learn to drive?"
"Oh GOD, I think she's coming!" JJ's voice now carried loud and clear over the speaker.
"Shit, are you alright?" The man's tone changed abruptly.
"I'm sorry, my sister in law… Pregnant…" Jess was barely coherent through her tears.
"Jess, it's okay. I shouldn't have grabbed at you. Ooooh! Oh God, I don't want to have my baby on 66." JJ wailed.
"Don't you worry, sweetheart, fortunately for you I have some experience with just this type of emergency." The unsub's voice was oddly tranquil and reassuring. He was obviously in his element, his earlier prize for the moment completely forgotten.
Hotch's hands tightened on the steering wheel and Rossi shook his head. "She is just playing, right?" Reid asked, voicing a question none of them wanted to consider.
"Up ahead." Morgan saw the silhouette of the vehicles from the glow of the street lamps. "We need to have the LEOs approach first. There's a good chance he might recognize any of us. We don't want to jeopardize the chance JJ bought us."
"If I slow down can you jump out?" Hotch questioned Morgan. If his reckless wife was going to stick her neck out they were damn sure going to make sure they got Emily out of that trunk.
"Kids play." Derek scoffed, searching for a tool to pop the trunk. "Now all we need is to make sure JJ keeps up the distraction."
"Oh no."
"What, what's wrong, JJ? I knew this was a bad…"
JJ cut her off quickly. "It'll be okay, Jess. It's just water."
"You might want to crawl in the back and lie down, ma'am." The unsub advised. "Let me help you."
Rossi watched as the muscle on the side of Hotch's face pulsed. "She's probably improvising."
"Or she's giving birth attended by a psychopath." They were closing in fast, they watched as two state police cars came off of the entrance ramp.
"They are sending an ambulance just in case." Rossi stated reassuringly.
"That doesn't make me feel any better." He glanced back at Morgan. "Ready?"
"I can't have the baby without Aaron." JJ was overheard wailing. "He missed the first one. Maybe this is just AGH…." Her scream split the air just as Hotch hit the brakes and Morgan jumped from the vehicle.
Emily sat poised for attack. She wasn't sure what happened. It felt like they'd been forced off of the road but it had been several minutes and she was still ensconced in the trunk of the car. She'd been elated to hear the sound of the screaming sirens followed by dismay when they faded. Then the jolt of the car had snapped her out of her melancholy and she braced herself for the moment the trunk was opened. Only they'd been stopped for a while and nothing. Maybe that was part of his plan, maybe he thought if he made her wait long enough she wouldn't be prepared, maybe he thought…
"Emily?"
Oh God, it was working, she was already delusional.
"Emily can you hear me?"
"Derek?" Her voice boomed in the small space.
"Be careful, ease away from the back of the car."
She hurried to comply then wondered what was taking him so long. Again she could hear the sound of sirens approaching and wondered where her assailant was then she stopped thinking altogether as an arm reached for her.
He barely lifted the trunk not wanting to draw any undue attention. "Easy, I've got you."
"Took you long enough." She muttered before launching herself into his arms.
Derek gave a slight chuckled and held her tightly for a moment. "Oh sweetheart, as much as I like the idea that you were waiting for me to save you this rescue mission isn't quite over yet." He punched a number on his phone and spoke into the device. "I've got her, she's fine, alert. Have a LEO pull up alongside for the handoff. Then I will get into position."
Emily frowned up at him as his words penetrated. "He's not in custody?" They sat crouched behind the vehicle.
Derek shook his head sharply. "He thinks he's delivering baby Hotchner."
"Give me your ankle piece." Emily demanded holding out her hand for the weapon just as a state police car pulled up.
Derek shook his head. "You were sedated. You need to be cleared before you can handle a weapon. You know the protocol."
"I know that my friend is in danger." She growled angrily.
Derek sighed and waved the police car on. "It's easy to see why you two hit it off so well. Neither of you listen."
Emily's eyes narrowed. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means that there is enough manpower here to bring down an army and you think that your presence is required in the situation, even though you were drugged and driven around in the back of a trunk for over twenty miles before being force from the road. But sure, let me give you a gun."
"Are you suggesting that I couldn't handle a gun?"
Derek rolled his eyes. "I'm telling you that you don't need to be involved, we've got this covered."
"That's my friend."
"She's my friend too. She's Hotch's wife. I kind of think he'll know what to do best in this situation."
"I wasn't questioning that." The flaring of her nostrils told him she didn't like his implication otherwise.
Any attempt to placate her was gone; all of his training went to the wayside. He wasn't concerned about JJ he trusted Hotch had the situation well in hand. All he cared about at the moment was the woman in front of him. "What the hell were you doing leaving the stage? You were told not to leave my sight."
Emily bristled at his tone and the abrupt change of subject. "I didn't think…"
"You're God damn right you didn't think. We have protocol for a reason. Regardless of what happens during the operation you don't break from the plan. You didn't follow protocol."
"Oh, wow, I'm sorry, it's totally all my fault I was drugged and thrown in the back of a trunk." She hissed.
"If you would have followed protocol…"
"You've got to be kidding me! Where the hell was the guard on the door? You want to talk to me about following protocol? Seems to me there were a few details we all overlooked in this case." Emily huffed. "You're mad at me because I trusted someone that we had looked at and summarily dismissed? Really Derek?"
The hurt in her eyes was his undoing. "I didn't know if we would get to you in time." His voice broke over the admission.
Emily's eyes misted and she allowed herself to admit. "Yeah, I was a little worried myself."
The words were barely out of her mouth when he was drawing her to him. "Just let me hold you for a minute." They both took comfort in the fact that she was securely in his arms.
The sound of a throat clearing interrupted them. "Um, hey, Morgan. Prentiss. Hotch is waiting for a status. He wants Prentiss looked at and cleared by a doctor."
The pair looked up guiltily. "Where is Hotch?"
"While you two were squabbling we secured the unsub and discovered that JJ wasn't completely improvising." Rossi stood grinning down at them.
Derek got to his feet and moved to help Emily as Rossi handed her an FBI windbreaker for cover.
"What do you mean?" Emily asked as she glanced around taking in the manpower and noticing that neither JJ nor Hotch were anywhere in sight.
"Well," Rossi exclaimed with a grin, draping an arm over both Morgan and Emily, "Looks like we'll have a new member to the BAU family by the morning. What do you say we get those hands checked out and then we'll all go see how JJ is progressing?"
"I'm fine, Dave." Emily protested.
"Protocol requires any time an agent is drugged they need to have a complete blood screening." Reid proclaimed with a slight twitch of his lips.
"Yep, that is the protocol." Dave agreed, not bothering to hide the grin on his face.
"How long were you standing there listening to our conversation?" Derek asked tightly.
Blake smiled as she reached the group. "Morgan, your line is wide open. Hotch wanted me to thank you for your confidence in his abilities but to tell you your job was to secure Emily in the awaiting police car then to back him and the rest of us up. He said to expect to answer to him at his earliest convenience on your breach of protocol."
"Ha. Ha." Derek quickly pulled the device from his ear and enjoyed a moment of celebration with his team. They had caught the bad guy and everyone was alright. He watched as Emily hugged both Blake and Reid, sighing as he once again realized how vitally important she was to him. He watched as Blake wrapped an arm around her waist and walked with her over to the waiting ambulance to get checked out. He should have been the one to insist but he stepped back from her once the others joined them. He knew the comment from Blake had been a joke, but he also knew there was a kernel of truth to it. He was going to have to do something. He'd never be able to function properly if he was worried about Emily being in danger all the time.
He looked up to find Rossi watching him intently. "Don't overthink, pal, it will all work out."
"I didn't back my team up." He found himself stunned by the fact.
"We didn't need you, Derek." Rossi assured him.
"This time. What if it happens again?" The thought terrified him.
Rossi let out a deep sigh. Not sure how to answer the question. "Derek, we're all invested in one another, we're all concerned about the others wellbeing…" He trailed off as he studied the younger man.
Derek shook his head as he finished watching the EMT check Emily's vitals then cleanse and bandage her hands. "I'm in love with her."
The older man smiled at the admission. "So what are you going to do about that?"
The question startled him. "I don't have a damn clue."
Emily smiled as the EMT gave her a clean bill of health. She thought that Derek would have made his way over to her but he hadn't. She stood and surveyed the scene. The car she'd been ensconced in was being placed on a flatbed bound for the lab. The unsub had already been removed from the scene. She spotted Reid and Blake but no Derek or Rossi. She frowned.
"You all clear?" Blake asked as she approached.
"Yeah, where is everyone?" She continued to study the scene.
"Rossi gave Jess a lift back to the house. He thought she might need a little assistance, especially when Will finds out what happened tonight and why he was called to sit with the kids."
"And Derek?" Emily prompted. She watched as Reid and Blake exchanged glances.
"He caught a ride from one of the DC cars back to the club. He wanted to close that scene down himself."
"Oh." She hoped her disappointment and confusion wasn't noticeable. "Okay. Have we heard anything on JJ?"
"Hotch called." Reid answered. "He said it was going to be a long night, they've admitted her but her contractions have slowed down considerably. Her blood pressure was slightly elevated so they want to monitor her. They aren't sure whether or not the baby is actually coming tonight. He said to send everyone home and he would let us know if anything changed."
Blake wrapped an arm around her. "It's kind of anti-climactic, right?"
He just left her. Emily allowed herself to be shuttled over to the waiting Suburban. "Did he say anything?"
Blake winced. "I think he's dealing with a little delayed shock."
"Oh right, because he was chloroformed and thrown in the back of a trunk. No, that was me!" Emily growled.
Blake chuckled. "Emily, sometimes when men are confused about what to do they often do the wrong thing."
Reid nodded in agreement.
"I'm not sure I understand what you're trying to tell me."
Blake shrugged as she climbed behind the wheel. "He's trying to sort out how he feels."
"He knows how he feels." Reid amended. "He's trying to figure out what to do about it."
"I think I'm having a delayed reaction because you both sound like the teacher on the Peanuts cartoons. What are you trying so hard not to say?"
"You might as well just tell her." Reid told Blake.
"Why do I have to tell her? You tell her, you've worked with her longer."
"Exactly which is why I know how she'll react."
"Reid." Emily twisted around in the front seat and glared at him. "Tell me – right now – what is going on?"
"Morgan kind of had an epiphany." At her unrelenting glare he continued. "About you."
Emily scowled. "And that sent him into shock?"
"I don't think Morgan's ever really been in love before." Reid volunteered. "Lust, sure, he used to have a different woman every other week but it's been awhile since he…"
"Reid." Blake's caution came too late, Emily sat stunned.
"We. I. I mean…" She blinked over at Blake unsure what to say. Her eyes filled with tears. "Are you sure?"
Blake smiled over at her. "I'm sure as soon as he pulls his head out of his ass he'll tell you himself."
Thanks for reading. (I hope you're still reading!) As always, I sincerely appreciate any feedback and favorites/follows. I truly have not given up my favorite fanfictiondom I just haven't had much time to devote to it.