Reid carefully and quietly pushed up the window then pulled himself into the abandoned room. He remained covert as he walked to the door and peeked down the hallway; he then waved for Prentiss who followed suit. She stood directly behind him as he turned around with his finger over his lips. They both could hear faint talking in the distance. Reid decided to press on.
They stepped into the hallway and were careful to not make a sound. Reid abruptly pushed Prentiss back against the wall as a door swung open, but hid them as a woman stepped out carrying a tray. Reid held the door open so they wouldn't be seen and then dashed into the pantry that was just a few feet from them. The woman stopped and looked back at the swinging door as it closed, then shrugged.
Sloane was seated at the head of the dining table with Alex and Duncan on either side. Alex poked at her potatoes with her fork. She wasn't being shy about showing her displeasure for having to be there.
"Julian, how much longer are you planning on dragging this out?" she asked with disdain dripping from her voice.
"Drag what out?" He questioned as he savored a sip of Pinot noir.
"Keeping me here. Honestly, there is no reason for it," she gulped down her wine.
Sloane smirked, "Believe me, there is a reason."
The woman placed more bread down on the table and left as quietly as she came in.
Reid and Prentiss remained quiet as they stayed in the pantry then he heard a grumble and stared at Prentiss.
"What?" She whispered, "I haven't eaten, and that food smells delicious."
He peeked back out as he cracked the door to see a man walking down the hall toward the dining room. The man stood in the doorway and nodded to Sloane who excused himself from the table. He took a few stepped backwards, closer towards the pantry door.
"What is it, Karl?" Sloane questioned.
"Sir, some people have been spotted trespassing on the island and it was reported that the girl's boyfriend was one of them," Karl reported.
Reid and Prentiss shared a puzzled look with each other.
"What would you like us to do, sir?" Karl asked.
"Take care of them," Sloane snipped then returned to the table as Karl walked out in the opposite direction.
"They must be talking about Hotch," Prentiss whispered.
Reid nodded then peeked back through the door again.
"Let's go." Sloane snapped his fingers in a demanding tone.
"Where to?" Duncan asked.
"To the bunker, and quickly," Sloane ordered.
"Wait!" Alex threw her arms down. "I'm not going anywhere, least of all to a bunker."
Sloane took a step forward as his eyes pierced hers. "You are coming with me."
"Or what?"
"Or Duncan will shoot you." Sloane spoke plainly.
Alex glanced to see Duncan holding out his Desert Eagle handgun pointed directly at Alex. She knew it would only take three seconds for her to swiftly remove the weapon from his hand but weighed her options and gave in. "Lead the way."
Reid and Prentiss witnessed the scene. Prentiss held onto his arm to keep him from rushing out to stop them.
"I guess we know which side he is on," Prentiss surmised as Reid sneered. "Do you think we should regroup?" She asked. "They could use our help."
Reid thought for a moment. "No, we need to stay with Alex."
"What? They said they are going to take care of them… and you know what that usually means. We can't just let them being sitting ducks," Prentiss argued.
"You said you understood the risks involved, I didn't ask you to come with me you volunteered. Our only mission is to rescue Alex… The rest of the team are here to do that, too."
Prentiss knew he was right. "Okay, then we better get moving."
The two crept out of the pantry and moved down the hallway toward the dining room. He watched as Duncan followed after Alex still holding his handgun as they turned down the hall. Reid let them get a good distance ahead but not too close to be noticed.
After they turned the next corner, Reid paused; he then turned to Prentiss after he heard a crunching sound.
Prentiss wiped cracker crumbs from her lips. "What? I'm hungry." Prentiss replied with a guilty expression.
"Are you finished?" Reid asked with raised eyebrows.
Prentiss clapped the remainder of dust from her hands. "Yup."
He rolled his eyes then continued down the corridor.
Duncan pushed into Alex's back with the barrel of his gun as she reluctantly made her way down the steps.
She looked around at the large open space and scoffed. "This looks more like a basement rumpus room than it looks like some top-secret hideout."
"Things aren't always what they appear," Sloane announced.
"You're telling me," Alex whispered to herself. "So, why am I here? What was so horrible that we had to come hide-out in this bunker of yours?"
"Your boyfriend has trespassed on my island."
"Aaron is here?" Alex's eyes widened.
"Yes, and he brought with him a few friends and for some reason Mr. Lawyer his carrying a gun." He stepped closer to her while Duncan was still close by. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"
"If he is here, it is to get me. If he has any weapons, I am sure that they are only for defense. After all, you KIDNAPPED ME!"
"I suggest you calm down," he said in his authoritative tone.
"Look, you can just let me go and I will walk out of here, Aaron and I will leave this place. I will make sure that his friends leave too and you won't have anything to worry about. I will forget that this ever happened and we can both go about our lives," Alex tried to haggle.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart, it doesn't work that way with me. You see, they are trespassing onto my island. They brought guns and appear menacing to me; I feel threatened. I have every right to defend myself."
"But they are here for me. If you let me know, this will end peacefully and we will leave and never come back to your island again," Alex was beginning to show traces of fear in her voice.
Reid recognized her emotion and resisted everything from barging into the room at that moment; he and Prentiss continued to remain hidden.
Sloane shook his head. "I don't think you understand. These people know about this location and that I am here. They won't just leave. I need to protect myself."
"What are you talking about?" She jeered. "You act like you're some big head honcho. You owned a few strip clubs, that doesn't really make you The Godfather or anything."
Duncan shot her a concerned look.
"Oh, you poor, sweet, naïve Alex. You really don't have the faintest idea of what is going on; you never did. It can be rewarding holding onto information and waiting for the perfect opportunity for it to all come pouring out." He smirked at her.
Morgan led the team just out of the tree line and steadily approached the massive estate. "Over there is where we saw Alex."
"Who knows where she is now," JJ remarked.
"And still no sign of Prentiss or Reid," Rossi started. "I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing."
"Whatever it is, we need to keep moving," Hotch reminded as they pushed on.
They walked past the fountain where Duncan and Alex were chatting just a few hours earlier when they were suddenly surrounded by eight men with rifles pointed directly at them.