Chapter 19

Cody and Brody both dropped and Hotch's head snapped to Kahlan. A shot had hit right next to her shoulder. Jesus Christ!

Felix turned towards the barn and he ran into the barrels along the walkway. "Barrels!" he yelled and stumbled his way through them as Hotch took a shot at him, but he made it around the corner.

Kahlan saw the door to the house slam shut. "The children!" she yelled and started back toward the house as she fingered her watch.

"Kahlan!" Hotch yelled as he tried to catch up with her.

Gunfire erupted from the side of the house and Kahlan skidded to a halt as she realized the shots were tracing her husband. No! She turned and fired. All she could see from her vantage point was the end of an assault rifle, but she fired, several times. The stock of the rifle exploded as the slide of her pistol stayed back in the lock position letting her know her clip was empty. Damn it! The shooting had stopped, though, as Hotch reached her, and she threw the pistol down.

He put his hand on her shoulder and she nodded. "We need to signal Emily."

"Already done," she told him with a quick smile. He nodded and they headed back into the house, but Hotch forced his way in front of her before she got to the door.

He opened the door slowly and looked around. Seeing no one, he entered with his pistol at the ready. Kahlan kept on eye on the outside for a couple heart beats and then followed Hotch inside.

A strangled scream type grunt escaped Kahlan as Vicktor aggressively grabbed her by the hair as he came out from behind the door.

Hotch turned, saw what was happening, and cringed. He'd never try to shoot Vicktor with the way he was shielding himself with his wife, so he stood still.

"What? Don't like the way I'm treating your woman?" Vicktor asked him sarcastically as he moved Kahlan so that she was closer to his chest.

Hotch's face scrunched up as he watched Vicktor manhandle his wife. "No. I'm just starting to imagine what she's going to do to you."

"What?" Vicktor asked as he yanked up on her hair and whimper escaped her. "You think this little thing can do anything to a big guy like me?"

Hotch locked eyes with his wife and he could see the blue of her eyes darken as anger seethed from them. "You do what you have to do," he started and Kahlan knew he was talking to her. "But, I can't watch," he finished and turned around.

"Huh?" Vicktor asked in disbelief. He had a split second to wonder what Hotch was talking about before Kahlan reached up, grabbed the wrist of the hand holding her hair, and swung herself up and around him. Before his brain could register the threat and fight back, her legs wrapped around his neck. She squeezed, and one disgusting snap later, he dropped to the floor. She landed on her feet beside him.

Hearing Vicktor hit the floor let Hotch know it was safe to turn around. "That was fast," he told her and went to her.

She rubbed her head and kicked Vicktor in the side. "I can't believe that asshole pulled my hair!"

Hotch studied the man on the floor. "Is he dead?"

"Yes!" she told him and kicked him again. "What is he, ten?"

Hotch fought hard to keep a chuckle down, but he lost the battle when he looked at her. "You ok, Babe?"

"It's not funny! That hurt!"

He pulled her into hug. "Sorry, but we still have five more."

She pushed herself away from him. "I know. We. . ." she started but they both turned to a sound at the door.

"Vicktor!" Adrian yelled as he brought a pistol up and leveled it at the couple.

Hotch pushed Kahlan away from him, aimed, and fired all in one swift movement.

Adrian's face showed the shock he felt as he fell to his knees, blood staining the front of his shirt.

"Nice shot, Hun," Kahlan exclaimed as she picked herself up off the floor where Hotch had shoved her. Before she could get back to her husband, a sound made her spin around.

Hotch watched in horror as Stephan threw a knife at her. "Kahlan!" he yelled as he dove for her, knowing he would never reach her in time.

Kahlan's hand moved with lightning speed as she caught the knife and threw it back at the man in less than a split second.

Stephan clutched his throat and made a few gurgling noises as he fell onto his ass and then to the floor.

"Jesus Christ, Babe!" Hotch yelled as he stood frozen in his spot.

Kahlan looked at Stephan and winced. "Sorry. I guess I shouldn't have killed another one, huh?"

"What?" Hotch asked as he looked back and forth between Kahlan and Stephan, now lying face down on the floor. "No, I don't care about that!"

"Then what?" she asked dumbfounded.

He opened his mouth to say something and then swallowed hard. "You caught that?!" he exclaimed still not believing what he actually saw. "And threw it back!"

"Sorry?" she said sheepishly as she ducked her head some.

"How?" he asked as he finally stepped to her.

"Reflex?"

He shook his head, still in disbelief. "Damn, Babe."

She smiled at him. "At least the main guy is dead."

Hotch gave her a look. "No he isn't."

She was shocked and looked to Vicktor's body. "It isn't Vicktor?"

He chuckled. "Nope."

She wilted. "Damn. I would have put money on him."

He shrugged. "It's Ethan."

"What?! I thought you said he was at the bottom of the totem pole."

"That's what they wanted us to think, but as a watched and studied them, it was obvious he was the man in charge."

She shook her head. "Then he's still out there."

He nodded. "And he's not the only one."

She shrugged. "Three more."

He nodded. "Yeah," he looked toward the room where the children were. "Where do you think they are?"

She smiled. "I told the women to get them some place safe."

He looked at her in disbelief. "You can speak Spanish, too?"

She laughed. "And a few others."

His mouth hung open.

"What? You've never asked if I could speak a foreign language."

He shook his head and went toward the door leading into the house slowly with his pistol at the ready. He glanced one more time at Sebastian. How the hell does she do that shit?

Kahlan got behind him and kept an eye on the doors behind them. She glanced one more time at Vicktor. How the hell does he figure that shit out?

Before Hotch got to the door, the end of an assault rifle came through it. Hotch grabbed the end of the rifle and pulled its owner into the room. One powerful punch and Felix was down on the floor without the rifle.

He scrambled and grabbed Hotch's leg. Hotch tried to kick him off, but went down with him. They wrestled and fought, but Hotch finally stood up and straightened his shirt to find Kahlan standing with her arms folded across her chest.

"If you boys are done playing now, we still have two more."

Hotch huffed as he wiped blood from the corner of his mouth where Felix had landed one of his punches. "You could have helped."

She smiled. "I didn't think you'd want me to step in on your fun."

He ran a hand through his messed up hair. "Fun?" he huffed. "Yeah, that's what I'd call it, fun."

She giggled. "Ethan and Sebastian."

He nodded. "Ethan and Sebastian." He took her hand and went through the door. After looking both ways, they went through a long room and then came to a central room at the back of the house.

"We should split up," Kahlan suggested as she eyed the stairs leading up to the next floor.

"You find Ethan, and I'll. . ." Hotch started.

"I don't think so!" Kahlan interrupted. When Hotch was about to argue she held up her hand. "Sebastian is my kind of bad guy. Ethan is yours."

He fixed her with his stare. "Kahlan!"

"Don't try that Unit Chief shit on me, Aaron! You know I'm right!"

His face softened. "Kahlan, please."

"Aaron, I can do this," she told him seriously.

He took a deep breath. "Then take this," he told her as he held out his pistol to her.

She pushed it back to him. "You need that. I'll be fine." They both turned toward the door leading outside as they heard something. "Go," she told him and pushed him toward the door as she heard the floorboards upstairs creak. Something in her told her Sebastian was upstairs.

"Be careful," he told her seriously and started for the door as she started for the stairs.

Before he went out the door, he turned to her one more time and she looked back over her shoulder at him. 'Be safe!' she demanded without words. He nodded and was gone.

XXXXX

She went up the stairs quietly keeping an eye the hallway above her as she took out the knife at her waist. She made it to the top of the stairs and stood still as she listened for any movement. She smiled when she heard a slight sound in the room at the far end of the hall.

She approached the door to the room as quietly as she could. She tried to see into the room, but it turned right past the doorway. She inched along and advanced in the room. As soon as she was into the main part of the room, a two-by-four hit her in the side.

A grunt of pain escaped her as she fell to the ground and her knife slid across the floor too far out of reach to be helpful.

Sebastian laughed a throaty laugh as he grabbed her by the hair and picked her up roughly.

Really, you're going to pull my hair, too? What's with you guys? She tried to kick him as he was pulling her up, but he blocked it.

"I knew you were more than a wife when I saw you at the gala. I could see it in your eyes," he told her as he wrenched her around and put a powerful arm around her holding her to his chest tightly.

"So you're not as dumb as your brother, huh?" she asked sarcastically as she tried to slam a heel onto his toes, but he moved his foot in time.

"My brother is not as dumb as you think. He is. . ."

"Yeah, I know. He's the leader. My husband figured that out easily enough, so your brother is not as smart as you think he is," she told him as she struggled to get out of his grasp.

"He's smarter than you. We will still be alive at the end of the day, and you and your husband won't be," he told her as he shifted his arm to hold her more tightly.

"He's the brains? Then, I guess, that makes you the muscle."

He laughed as he wrenched her arm behind her and yanked up on it. A whimper escaped her as she tried to stand on her toes to keep the pressure off her shoulder. He leaned down and nuzzled her hair away from her neck and breathed in her sent with a smile. "I protect him so he can get the work done."

"Yeah?" she asked as bile rose up her throat at the man being way too close. "You're the one who killed those Interpol agents?"

"Yep," he told her as she let go of her arm and turned her around to face him as his grip on both of her arms dug into her. "It was so easy; a child could have done it," he told her and she could see the lust in his eyes as he looked her up and down.

"Oh, like one of those kids down stairs? I guess you're responsible for stealing them away from their families, too?"

"I killed most of their families so no one would miss them," he told her with a smile and then started to untuck her shirt with one hand as he held onto her with the other.

She smiled. "That's all I needed to know," she told him and then brought up a knee to nail his family jewels.

He groaned as he doubled over and she slipped from his grasp, but he backhanded her across the face before she get far enough away from him.

The force of the blow sent her flying to the side a few feet. As soon as she stopped, she got into a crouch and threw a knife.

He smiled as he looked down at the knife sticking out of his gut. "Your aim sucks."

She went to the floor and covered her head just in time as he exploded. The sickening sounds of pieces of Sebastian falling off the ceiling made her almost want to throw up as she made her way to her feet. She took one more look at what was left of the man, shook her head, and went in search of her husband.

XXXXX

As soon as Hotch was outside, he saw Ethan run into another building, so he followed him with his pistol at the ready. He approached the door with caution and checked inside with a quick look. Not seeing Ethan, he took a tentative step in and walked down the long hall. As soon as he was at the end, a board swung at his head made him duck. He rolled forward and turned as Ethan aimed the board at him again.

The board connected with Hotch's right arm and Hotch's pistol went sliding across the floor.

Hotch swept a leg out and took the man to the ground and jumped on him before Ethan could get up, but Ethan fought him off and punched Hotch in the stomach.

The air gushed out of Hotch's lungs as he struggled to get into a standing position.

"You'll pay for killing my friends!" Ethan yelled and swung a fist at Hotch.

Hotch dodged the blow by sweeping Ethan's arm past him and he landed a punch to Ethan's right kidney.

Ethan elbowed Hotch in the face, but Hotch kicked him in the back of the knee. As Ethan went down, he turned and took Hotch down with him, and he was on Hotch's chest within seconds.

Hotch struggled to get the man off of him, but Ethan grabbed him by the throat. Hotch's hands tried to pry the big man's hands away, but he couldn't break his grasp. Ethan smiled. "I bet Sebastian is already having fun with your wife."

Sparks started flashing in his vision as his brain screamed for oxygen as Hotch tried to force the man away. That didn't work either and tunnel vision was closing in on, but visions of his wife came to mind. No! I'll kill him if he hurts her! He fought to stay conscious as he felt around on the ground around him. His hand wrapped around something metal, and he swung with all his might and caught Ethan in the side of the head. Hotch's lungs sucked in air greedily as Ethan's grip relaxed and he slumped to the ground.

Once Hotch was out from under the rest of Ethan's body, he unconsciously reached to the small of his back for his cuffs. "Shit!" he exclaimed and looked around for something to tie up the man. Finding nothing useful, he cussed again.

Once Hotch was done with Ethan and had retrieved his pistol, he headed out of the building back towards the house. His head snapped up when he heard a small explosion. No! He tore into a run.

His heart almost stopped when Kahlan ran out the door and right into him. "Kahlan!" he exclaimed in relief.

"Aaron!" Kahlan exclaimed at the same time.

They both laughed and then appraised one another. "Oh my God, Babe!" Hotch yelled as he realized she had blood all over her.

"It's not mine," she told him quickly and put her hands on the side of his face to examine him. Blood was still coming out of his nose. "Are you ok?" she asked as she winced when she saw his neck and knew that Ethan had tried to strangle him.

He pushed her hands away. "Yes. Are you?"

She took a deep breath. "Yeah," then she rubbed her head. "Well, except my head. That asshole pulled my hair, too!"

He bit his lip to hold back a chuckle and grabbed her shoulders to examine her a little more closely. "That explosion? That was him?"

She winced. "Yeah."

He shook his head.

"I threw the wrong one?" she offered with a little look that reminded him of Joey when she was trying to get out of trouble.

"Sure you did."

"He said he killed some of those kids' families so he could steal them!"

"I don't doubt he deserved it," he told her as he wiped off part of her face to reveal a bruise. "Are you sure you're ok?"

She rubbed her head again. "Yes."

He finally couldn't hold the chuckle back. "I'd tell you I'd kiss it to make it feel better, but I think you have some intestine in there."

She made like she was going to get sick. "Shut up, Aaron."

He laughed some more. "You might want to go wash yourself off," he told her as he steered her back toward the house.

She looked at her hands; they were covered in blood and dirt. "Yeah. I need a sink, a big sink," she told him and then went in the door.

He shook his head and then used the bottom of his shirt to wipe his face off. His head snapped to the road as several vehicles made their way toward the house at breakneck speed. He huffed and sat down on the bumper of the Ferrari.

Emily was out of the first SUV before it was even stopped. "Are you alright, Hotch?" she asked as she ran up to him.

"Bout time you all get here," he told her dryly. Her desperate look made him chuckle. "I'm fine."

She looked around quickly. "Where's Kahlan?"

"Inside getting cleaned up," he told her and then pushed himself off the bumper as Clyde approached them with a big grin. As soon as he was within reach, Hotch dropped him to the ground with a powerful punch to the jaw.

Clyde's hand went to his jaw as he looked up at Hotch with shock.

"That's for not telling us everything!" Hotch yelled.

Clyde got to his feet slowly. "Alright, I deserved that." Emily gave him an 'I told you so' look. "Where are they?"

"There's one in the second room in there," Hotch told him as he hooked a thumb toward the house. "And your main guy is that building," he finished with a point to where Ethan was.

"Only two?" Clyde asked disbelievingly wondering if the others were even there.

"Only two left alive," Hotch told him dryly.

Clyde smiled and turned to his people and directed them to collect the prisoners and such.

"When you get upstairs, that mess is, or was, Sebastian."

Emily shot him a look and then looked down at his feet. "Where are your shoelaces?"

He shrugged. "I didn't have my cuffs." She laughed and started to go into the house.

Hotch put a hand on her arm. "Your bag in there?" he asked as he gestured to the SUV.

"Of course."

"I think Kahlan would appreciate a shirt. She was a little close to Sebastian if you know what I mean."

Emily cringed as she imagined it. "Sure," she told him and went and got her bag and went in search of Kahlan.

Kahlan finally emerged as agents started escorting the children out of the house. She smiled at them and then smiled at her husband. He held his arm out and she went to his side and he put his arm around her shoulders. Her hair was wet from her rinsing it out.

He leaned down and kissed her on the head. "Better?"

She giggled. "Yep." Her head snapped toward the other building as agents pulled a yelling Ethan toward one of the awaiting vehicles. She looked at Hotch and smiled.

"What? At least I left two of them alive."

She winced. "I guess I do need to get better at that, huh?"

He laughed.

"I wish this thing was still good," Emily told them as she walked up carrying the laptop. There was a bullet hole shot through it and the couple realized that was the shot they heard in the beginning.

Hotch grinned and reached over and took a tiny flashdrive out of the back of it. "I think this probably has everything you need," he told her as he handed it to her.

Emily looked at it questioningly and then at Hotch. "What's this?"

He shrugged. "I don't know," he confessed and then looked at Kahlan. "She put it in there."

She smiled. "It copied of everything on the computer. All you need to do is put it in another and you'll have everything."

"Nice!" Emily told them and then put the flashdrive in her pocket.

"Well, I'd say you two did even better than everyone thought," Clyde told them as he walked up to them.

Kahlan slipped out of Hotch's arm and struck Clyde with one swift hit at the base of his throat. "That's for bugging the hotel!"

Clyde dropped to his knees as a whine escaped him. Once he could breathe again, he got back to his feet rubbing the spot. "Ok, I deserved that, too."

Kahlan then noticed the bruise starting to form on the side of Clyde's jaw and shot her husband a smile.

"If you two are done attacking me, I would like to get you debriefed."

"What's there to debrief? Six are dead, two are alive, the children are safe, and Emily has all the proof you need. I would even think all of their contacts are on there, too," Kahlan told him and then looked at Emily. "What's going to happen to the children?"

"We're already searching for their families," Emily assured her.

"Sebastian said he killed some of them."

"We'll look for extended family if needed."

"Where will they stay until then?"

"We'll put them in a facility in London."

Kahlan sighed, and Hotch took her hand. "Don't worry, Babe. They'll be fine."

She huffed. "Have you read 'Oliver Twist'?"

"Jesus, Kay! I think our facilities have improved in the last few centuries!" Clyde told her.

She shot him a look that told him she wasn't so sure.

"I think we're done," Hotch said as he stood up. "Let's get out of here."

"Excellent idea," she told him and he walked her to the side of the car and opened the door for her. She got in, then he got in, and they left.

Clyde shook his head as he watched them drive away.

Emily looked at her phone as it vibrated. 'Call if you need anything,' came Hotch's text. She laughed and then went back in the house to make sure everything was taken care of.