Chp. 24

Garcia was practically floating as she hurried to the room Emily and Morgan were sharing. She knew that her tough as nails crime fighters hearts' were slowly breaking at the loss of the little boy who had stolen their hearts. Penelope was thankful she'd had a part in getting their boy back to them, however small that part was. When she reached their room, Garcia hesitated. If they were asleep, she should just let them sleep. But then she thought about if she was in the same situation as Emily and Derek. If someone had information about her child's whereabouts, Penelope would want to know, asleep or not. She knocked on the door, hard enough that they would respond, but lightly enough that she wouldn't wake anyone else. A minute passed, and the door opened. Morgan stood shirtless and Garcia had force herself to concentrate on why she was here and not fantasize. "What's up, Garcia?" His voice sounded hopeful in her ears and she was glad she could give him good news.

"They found something. The man Mark captured gave up Spencer's location and I confirmed that it belongs to associates of William Reid. Mark, Will and another deputy are on their way back here. They want to recon the location before going in and wanted to know if one of both of you want to join them." Garcia said, in a surprisingly calm and atypical tone.

The two agents answered as one, "Definitely." "Absolutely.", and checked their sidearms as if further emphasis was needed that Derek and Emily were intent on getting Spencer back no matter what the cost. The three made their way down stairs to find Mark, Will and another man they didn't recognize.

"Derek, Emily. This is Deputy James Blake, U.S. Marshals Service." Will introduced as the three deputies were preparing themselves for the recon. Garcia took one look at the various weapons, assault and ballistic vests, helmets and grenades scattered on the pool table, and went to her corner of the Billard/War Room that contained her babies. Derek and Emily exchanged uncertain looks, but she was the first to speak. "I thought Garcia said this was recon."

Mark looked up from where he was filling magazines pouches on his vest. "It is, but I don't wanna get caught with my pants down, and if the opportunity to extract Spencer arises, I want to be able to take advantage of it. Sound of about right to you, mom?"

Emily looked like she'd been slapped. " What did you call me?"

Mark rolled his eyes as he picked up a Sig Sauer P-220 .45 caliber pistol and slid the weapon into the crossdraw holster on his vest. "You heard me. You think we don't know why this case means so much to you? We get it, you care about Spencer like he was your own. Both of you."

James picked up when stopped. "Whether you believe it or not, taking William Reid into custody is secondary to getting Spencer back to you."

Morgan looked at Will. "They telling the truth man?"

Will looked at his wife's colleague and nodded. "Yeah, Derek."

With that confirmation, the two agents stepped over to the table and took inventory. "Do we want to know where all this stuff came from?" Emily asked.

"My personal arsenal." Mark said. As if he could sense what Emily and Derek were thinking, Mark shrugged and asked, "What? I don't have a wife and kids to spend my pay check on. I spend it on these toys and that fancy car out front."

The conversation died as the group finished their preparations. Emily and Derek selected the MP-5A3 and MP-5K from Mark's collection, complete with sound suppressors for both weapons. Due to his training with the 160th SOAR, James was proficient with the HK MP-7, in addition to a Glock 17 as his primary sidearm and a Glock 19 as a backup. Will and Mark carried their personal AR-15s and Glock sidearms. Once they were all ready, they headed out through the front door, climbed into a black SUV and drove off.

000

Carolyn stirred as she felt the vibration of a car start close by. That, or it was the fact that her son was going into combat sometime in the near future that was interrupting her sleep. She thought about all the times David had gone out with HRT during the early years of their marriage. It had been different then, she had been different. This time it was her son, the little boy she'd carried for night months, had celebrated his victories with and comforted him after defeats and losses. She was the one who'd protected him and now…now the shoe was on the other foot and despite all her training in dealing with the human psyche and human nature, she couldn't stop looking at this situation through anything but a mother's eyes. As if reading her thoughts, Dave reached out in the darkness and took her hand, giving a gentle squeeze. After almost forty years of marriage, they didn't need words. In that moment, Carolyn knew they would face the days to come just liked they'd face everything else in the past, together.

000

"How close are we, Garcia?" Mark asked, using the Bluetooth commo set that tapped into the SUVs internal speakers.

"About five miles out."

"Thanks."

Mark killed the headlights and flipped down the Night Vision Goggles he was wearing. It was risky, because Spec Ops personnel normally grew accustomed to night vision prior to rather than during a mission.

"How far now, Garcia?"

"About one and a half miles."

"Thanks, radio silent from here out."

"Got it. Be safe."

"Will do." Mark click off and slowed the truck before pulling off the road and parking.

"We walk from here. Everybody get as much info as you can. Meet back here in two hours. Blake, you're will me. Will, you're with Morgan and Prentiss. Everybody stay frosty out there." With that, Mark and James stepped out of vehicle and started toward the farmhouse. Will, Morgan and Emily took a different route. Two hours later, group had collected all the on-sight intelligence they could without being seen. They rendezvoused back at the SUV and were driving to Rossi's mansion. They would get a few hours of sleep and the planning would begin in earnest.

000