Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or its characters.
Whew! Sorry it took so long for this chapter to come out. I also appreciate all the reviews and I'm sorry if I haven't gotten around to answering your reviews. Also, I know there were questions about Hotch saying Derek would be in trouble when they found him. When I said that I meant he would be in trouble with the higher ups (like Strauss!) Here's the newest installment!
"Hello Erin," Rossi said coolly as he and Hotch entered their Section Chief's office. "You called us here." He fixed his dark eyes on Strauss' narrowed ones and crossed his arms over his chest. Hotch proceeded to sit down and urged Rossi silently to do the same.
"Yes, I did," she said. She leaned forward and folded her hands together. "Agent Hotchner, David. I just received a call from St. Thomas Hospital in DC. A man was shot in the foot by an 'Agent Morgan'. He reportedly demanded information on a kidnapping and when this man didn't give it, he was shot." She raised a brow at them. "Were you aware that one of your agents has 'gone rogue' so to speak?" Her stare was cool and unyielding as she glared at them. Neither man flinched, but they knew this would be bad for Derek. He'd shot someone while off duty, and worse, under orders to stay at the BAU.
He was going to be in some serious trouble with Strauss when he got back.
Hotch took a small, unnoticeable sigh and responded evenly, "We just found out he knocked out Dr. Reid while we were examining a scene related to Penelope Garcia's abduction. We're going to find him."
"Yes," she said sternly. "You will. We all look bad with Agent Morgan running around, shooting off toes. When you find him, you bring him back. You bring him here."
"Ma'am, with all due respect, if we find him and he has something of value to offer to the investigation, we'd like to keep him on board. Then you can suspend him," Hotch offered, trying to find a reasonable compromise for Strauss. And finding an even footing with Erin Strauss could be near impossible.
Rossi nodded. "After you look into the situation…fully," he tossed in.
Strauss scowled at both of them, particularly fixing her gaze on Rossi, who she shared a friendly sort of animosity with. "Very well," she said grudgingly and reluctantly. "But the moment he decides to pull his gun, he's coming back."
Hotch nodded. "We understand," he said hardly, rising from his seat. "We'll play it by the book." Within reason, he added silently in his head. The look he shared with Rossi said they were on the exact same page.
XXXXX
"Seth Astin?" Hotch asked brusquely as he entered the stark white hospital room where their suspect had his foot propped up on a pillow. JJ followed him inside.
The man on the bed was eating a cup of red Jello looked up and scowled. "Who the hell are you?" he grumbled, a small amount of gelatin dribbling down his chin. "What do you want?"
"Mr. Astin, I'm Agent Hotchner and this is Agent Jareau; we're with the FBI," he responded, showing his badge to Seth. "We're here to ask you about the man who shot you."
Seth rolled his eyes. "That crazy asshole? What do you want to know? Why he shot me maybe? Answer to that is I don't know!" He tossed the Jello cup away and opened a pudding cup, digging into that too.
Hotch and JJ exchanged a glance. "We need to know the specifics about his shooting you. Tell us what you know about Penelope Garcia's abduction."
Seth groaned. "I'll tell you what I told your Agent buddy," he growled. "I don't know anything about her. I was hired specifically to piss him off. I had no idea this woman was really kidnapped."
JJ spoke up. "So, you're telling me that you thought a man wanted you to just make fun of someone regarding a woman's disappearance?" she asked incredulously. "For fun?" She stared at him like he was crazy.
Nodding, he continued. "The guy who hired me was named Drake Melvin," he said. "I don't know a damn thing other than he was paying me well to taunt an Agent in the FBI about a woman being beaten and raped."
"And you thought that that was a way to earn a few dollars?" JJ spat in disgust.
Seth scowled at her. "Lady, I have to pay the bills somehow," he ground out. "I have to pay child support and feed myself."
"I wonder what your kid would think of your day job," Hotch grumbled. "Now, for a more serious matter. The charges. We're interested in making a deal with you."
He eyed them both warily. "Talk to me."
"You do have the option of pressing charges against Agent Morgan," Hotch said coldly. "But if you decide to do that, we'll get you for accessory to kidnapping." He watched Seth's eyes grow wider. "But my assumption is you don't want to do jail time for something you don't know anything about and something we can get you so easily convicted for. So, if you decide not to press charges against him, we'll make sure the worst you get is probation."
Seth seemed to ponder this before nodding slowly. "If you can guarantee me no jail, I'll not press charges against him. I can even tell you where he's going."
JJ nodded stiffly. "We're listening."
XXXXX
Penelope fell to the floor as her bonds were untied and she collapsed out of her chair to the concrete. She moaned in pain and looked up with her swollen eyes at the face of one of Harold's henchmen. He smiled ridiculously at her and she bowed her head, feeling completely dejected that there was little to no hope she would make it out of this alive. Her chances were dwindling as her body grew weaker with each beating she took. With her luck, she thought bitterly, she would die before she was in danger of Harold's grand finale. The henchman kicked her roughly in the ribs and she mumbled incoherently about the pain she was feeling.
"Please…" she whispered looking up, hoping her face would evoke sympathy in him.
"Believe me, I'm not interested," he hissed, kneeling down next to her and grabbing her hair to yank her head backwards. "So quit your begging."
He pushed her head back forward and she felt a few tears fall from her cheeks. Would she ever be rescued or was she doomed to die in the prison.
XXXXX
Derek looked up at the building the business card from Seth had led him to. He crumbled the card in his hand to a wad of paper. If this bastard knew anything about Penelope's whereabouts, he was going to tell him everything he knew or he would shoot his feet too. He knew his actions from hours before would not go unpunished, but he didn't care; he had to get Penelope out of captivity and healed.
Knocking on the door, he waited impatiently for an answer. When the door swung open to reveal a white man in his thirties covered in tattoos, smoking, and wearing rapper attire, he asked, "Drake Melvin?"
"Yeah?" he slurred. Derek could practically smell the alcohol on his breath from the doorway.
Without another word, he brought his fist up to clock him in the nose and leaned over his body that fell to the floor, clutching his bleeding face. "Tell me where Penelope is!"
So short P/D sections, but I wanted to focus on the background stuff momentarily. Let me know your thoughts!