Chapter 17

Kahlan shoved Hotch toward the bathroom. "Go take your shower and get ready. I have a couple calls I need to make."

He raised his brows as he appraised her, but he knew she wasn't to elaborate so he grabbed his clothes and went to the restroom to get ready.

By the time he emerged, Kahlan was quietly eating one of the muffins Emily had brought. He sat down beside her and looked at her. "So?"

"What?" she asked innocently and pushed the bag of muffins towards him.

He ignored the bag. "Did you get what you wanted?"

"You need to eat, Aaron. If you don't want one of those, I can order you room service."

"I'm not hungry. What did you do?"

"Eat or I won't tell you," she told him with an evil grin.

He shook his head. "What the hell is it with you and Donna and blackmailing me into eating?"

She took a muffin out of the bag and put it in front of him. "If you won't take care of yourself than we have to do it."

He huffed, took a big bite of the muffin, and then gave her a look that said 'happy?'

She shook her head at him and he raised his brows. "I called and got us a car and some other stuff."

He took a drink of his coffee to help him swallow the muffin. "You're going to make me drag it out of you aren't you?"

She smiled and got up. "I'm going to get ready."

"Kahlan! Tell me what you've done."

She giggled and took her clothes into the restroom. "That muffin better be gone by the time I'm done." He looked around for the nearest trashcan, but before he could get up she stuck her head out of the door. "And I will check the trash." He looked like a deer in headlights and she laughed. He sighed heavily and took another bite. She laughed and shut the bathroom door.

I hate it when she can tell what I'm thinking.

By the time she was done, they had the information from Emily, but they didn't have anything on the three new men, so Hotch called Garcia and Cam. They were in a hotel in Tennessee. "I'm really sorry for disturbing your vacation. . ." Hotch started.

"Nonsense," Garcia told him. "Whatever my liege needs we can give him."

Kahlan laughed. "You have your computers, right?"

"Of course," Cam told them.

"I'm going to send you some stuff and we need to know if you all can find out anything," Kahlan told them as she readied an email.

"I thought you were supposed to be on vacation, too?" Garcia asked. "What has Double-O gotten herself into?"

Hotch chuckled. "She can't go anywhere without getting into trouble," Hotch joked and Kahlan hit him on the arm. "Ow!"

Cam and Garcia laughed. Cam opened the file and shot a worried look to his wife. "What the hell?"

"Ohhh, he's scary," Garcia told them as she looked at one of the photos.

"Yeah," is all Hotch offered.

"Interpol can't find anything, but I know they are not you two," Kahlan told them.

"When is this going down?" Cam asked and they could hear computer keys being punished on the techs' end.

"This afternoon," Hotch told him and they heard Garcia suck in her breath.

"And why have you waited until now for this info?" Cam asked in a tone that told him he didn't like it.

"We just now found out," Kahlan lied.

"So you are working with my raven haired beauty?" Garcia asked.

"Yes, Pen. We're not doing this alone," Kahlan tried to allay her fears.

"You still need back-up you can trust," Cam injected.

"Yeah, but it would take too long to get the team here even if they were all available," Hotch told him. I really wish the team was here.

"And let me guess, Rossi is with the kids?" Cam asked.

"Yep," Kahlan told him. "Call if you get anything."

"Of course," Garcia told her. "And please be careful. I do not need to hear any bad news while on this vacation!"

Kahlan laughed. "Of course," she told her and then ended the call.

She looked at her husband and he sighed heavily. She patted his hand. "I know. I wish they were here, too."

XXX

Within an hour there was a knock on the door. Hotch grabbed his pistol as Kahlan approached the door. "I was expecting someone," she told him, but he didn't put his pistol down.

She opened the door and took a set of car keys with a smile and the man left without a word.

Hotch eyed her carefully as she sat the keys down on the table. "Where'd the car come from?"

She smiled. "Mickey let me borrow it."

Hotch picked up the keys. "Really? He has a Ferrari?"

"I said he let me borrow it; I didn't say it was his."

He eyed her warily. "Then whose is it?"

She just smiled and went to her bag.

"Kahlan?"

She giggled. "It's best you don't know," she told him with a grin. "Do you think they think we're criminals of sorts?"

"Of sorts, why?"

"Think they'll expect us to be armed?"

He considered it a moment. "Possibly. Why?"

She took out her shoulder holster and put it on.

"They'll probably search us," he told her as he sat down.

"Yep," she agreed and slid a pistol under her left arm. She smiled. "Do you think they'll take them from us?"

"I would if I was them."

"That's what I thought, too," she told him as she put a light jacket on.

His brows furrowed. "Then why are you putting it on?"

She smiled deviously and walked up to him. He eyed her suspiciously. "Because they will concentrate on taking the pistol," she started as she held her jacket open and motioned for him to take it.

He stood up and reached in and took the pistol half expecting her to do something to him. "And?"

"And then they'll search the rest of me," she told him and motioned for him to do it, so he did.

Once he was done, he stood up and looked at her questioningly. "So what did that get you?"

An evil smile spread across her face. "This," she said as she held the jacket open.

He took a step back. "What the hell, Babe?"

In the place where the pistol had been sat a leather holder with the throwing knives Mickey had given her. She giggled.

He looked at her and she could tell he was trying to figure out how she had done it.

She laughed. "It's just like a magic show," she told him as she put her hand on his chest. He looked down at her hand, and she smiled. "If you give them something to focus on, then you can do whatever you want wherever their focus isn't," she told him as she showed him his wallet in her other hand.

His hand went his pocket to find it truly empty. He snatched his wallet out of her hand. "How the hell?"

She giggled. "A magician never reveals her secrets."

He shook his head. "You're a damn pick pocket! That's how you get bugs on people so easily!"

She shrugged. "I could've been a great thief."

He shook his head again. "Great. My wife, the cat burglar."

"Works, though, doesn't it?"

He chuckled. "You never cease to amaze me."

XXX

As 1:30 approached, Hotch was starting to get nervous. He paced as he waited for the call from their unsubs. The burn phone from Emily sat on the table beside Kahlan. When he heard a vibration, his head snapped to the phone. Kahlan giggled. "I think that one was yours, Hun."

Hotch shook his head and pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Go ahead, Garcia, you're on speaker."

"I really, really, don't like what we found out," she told him seriously.

"Exactly what have you gotten yourselves into?" Cam asked.

"No time to explain. Just tell us what you found," Kahlan told them as Hotch sat the phone on the table and sat down beside Kahlan.

"Creepy guy's name is Sebastian Walker. . ." Garcia started.

"Walker?" Hotch quickly asked.

"Yep, he's a brother to Ethan, and he's wanted in several countries for various violent crimes including several murders," Garcia explained.

"He's an assassin," Cam clarified.

"Son of bitch!" Kahlan exclaimed as she stood up and turned away from the table. "I knew it!"

Hotch looked at her and took a deep breath as his stomach flipped. "The others?"

"The blond is an American by the name of Brody Timmons. He's also wanted for several crimes here in the US, but disappeared about three years ago. Of course we now know he has left the country," Garcia told them.

"He was a Ranger in the army," Cam pointed out.

Hotch's stomach got even tighter and he swallowed hard.

"And last, but not least, we have Stephan Christoph from right there in England. He is suspected of several lesser crimes, but they have never been able to pin anything on him," Garcia told them. "Are you two sure you have to do whatever it is that you are doing?" They could tell how scared she was.

"Yeah, Pen, but don't worry; we'll be fine," Kahlan tried to assure her.

"Are you equipped for this?" Cam asked.

Kahlan laughed. "Yeah. Mickey gave us some stuff."

"Mickey? Really? I thought he was out." Cam said excitedly.

"Nope. . ." Kahlan started when the burn phone vibrated. "Shit. Gotta go guys," Kahlan told them as Hotch reached for the phone.

"Call us! Call us as soon as this is over or I will never sleep again!" Garcia yelled.

"Yep," Hotch told her and then ended that call and picked the other phone. "Talk," he said haughtily.

Kahlan had to chock back a laugh at his greeting.

"Yeah," Hotch told the caller. He looked at his watch. "Yeah, I know the place," he lied as he quickly wrote something down. Kahlan looked at it and nodded. "You sure this will be worth it?" he paused as he listened. "She has her hopes up, and I will be very pissed if she is disappointed," Hotch told him with an edge in his voice. "Alright. . . We'll see you there," he finally finished and ended the call.

He took a deep breath. "They want us to meet them there and then follow them to the kids. They're about fifteen minutes outside the city."

Kahlan nodded. "Well, at least they're letting us keep our own car. That's a plus," she told him.

"You get all that, Emily?" Hotch asked. Kahlan had called her as soon the burn phone went off.

"Yeah, Hotch. We'll get to the rendezvous before you and then follow once we figure out where their headed."

"No," Kahlan said seriously.

Hotch looked at her. "Kahlan, we need back up."

"Hotch is right. . ." Emily tried.

"And we can signal for them to come when we need them. They have killed every agent Interpol has sent. They can stay back," Kahlan said forcibly.

Hotch pinched the bridge of his nose as he thought about it.

"Hotch?" Emily tried.

"Aaron!"

He bit his lip as he looked at his wife and then looked at the phone.

"Aaron, I have a little more experience with this, please trust me," she pleaded quietly.

"How will we find you when you signal us?" Emily asked Kahlan.

"Through the use of a 7CT."

They heard her suck in her breath. "How the hell did you get your hands. . . never mind. I don't want to know," Emily told her.

"I believe you can trace the signal?"

"Yes," Emily told them and Hotch could hear the defeat in her tone.

"So you can bring the cavalry when it's needed?" Hotch asked to clarify.

"Yes," Emily told him honestly. "Pen sent me the info on those guys. Hotch you two do not need to go through with this! We can. . ."

"We'll signal you when we want you, and you better come," Hotch told her using his Unit Chief tone.

Emily sighed. "Alright, Hotch. Please be careful and watch each other's backs!"

"We got this," Kahlan told her.

"We better get going," Hotch told them.

"See ya, Em," Kahlan told her and ended the call.

She stood up and faced her husband. "You ready?"

He took a deep breath and let it out through his nose. "As ready as I'll ever be," he told her, and she could hear the worry in his voice.