Part 7
Aaron picked up the phone as soon as it rung
"Yes?" Aaron barked into the phone.
"Mr. Hotchner, you don't know me, but I know your brother-in-law Spencer Reid. My name is Arnold Crenshaw and I've been Spencer's father's lawyer for well over 30 years."
"What's this about?" Aaron asked his voice more gentle than it had been previously. Before he had been annoyed at the interruption, but now this Crenshaw had his attention.
"Will came to see me a few days ago," Crenshaw explained. "He got the pictures and the letter that your sister sent. He was enraged. I think it was more due to the fact that all his previous predictions that his son would never accomplish anything that made him so furious."
"Good, he deserves to be," Aaron smirked.
"I won't disagree," Crenshaw sighed. "I've known Will for nearly 40 years and he was always a hard, uncompromising man and that's not necessarily a bad trait in a lawyer sometimes. I've also known Diana Reid, for nearly 30 years. I think you can guess which one I like more."
"No, it's definitely not hard to guess," Aaron chuckled sardonically.
"Diana is an intelligent, loving women, extremely charming and as much as I don't like to talk bad about my clients..."
"You can't say the same about William Reid," Aaron finished.
"No, unfortunately I can't," Crenshaw said with a sigh. "The reason I'm calling you is to warn you. I think Will's going to do something stupid. I'm not exactly sure what. I told him there was nothing I could do when he wanted to have his son declared incompetent, something that would never hold up in court. I tried to tell him that the only way he was going to do that was to manufacture evidence, something I will have no part in and really, it wouldn't work, because of the job that Spencer chose to go into. I really don't expect his team to put up with his father trying to declare him incompetent. They would only give witness to how many cases that Spencer has helped solve."
"Why would he want to have Spencer declared incompetent?" Aaron asked starting to get enraged.
"He wants access to his grandchildren that are going to be born soon, though I think it has more to do with the fact, that Spencer is proving all his predictions when he was just a boy wrong. He tried to tell me that he was just trying to make his children strong by ignoring their needs, not showing any affection and while he broke his son's arm once and it was just an accident, he was never sorry for it. Even now he doesn't think he did anything wrong. If that's his response to his son having a broken arm, I hate to think what Spencer's childhood was like. I also suspect that Will knows how much his son is worth, which isn't that hard to find out depending on who you bribe. Will hasn't said so, but I think that's what his main focus and not his grandchildren like he claims. I know because of the patents to Spencer's name that he's worth about $8 million, even without his job with the FBI. I think Will believes that if he takes in his grandchildren then at least part of that money will be his."
"So you think that's why he'll try to have his son declared incompetent?" asked Aaron.
"I'm not sure what he's thinking anymore," Crenshaw admitted. "I was thinking that he might try to approach you, convince you, he just wants to spend time with his grandchildren or maybe pay him off so he'll go away. I tried to tell him that you would only send him away and that he'd be lucky to get out of your office alive. I mean you could drag him before the Council and while they couldn't convict him for past crimes, that doesn't mean that they can't do anything about current ones and at best he'd get a warning. Personally though, I don't think he's really thinking at all. I don't think he realizes at the moment, that if he doesn't drop this he's at least going to end up in prison and that's the best case scenario."
"I could crush him if I cared too," Aaron agreed calmly. "While Spencer has done very well for himself and is very wealthy I have much more money and influence and then he does, but then I'm also considerably older by more than 10 years so that's not really surprising. I think he's done very well for himself and he's only 30, especially since his job is a big time drainer."
"So do I," Crenshaw agreed. "I always knew he would go places, since I've known him since he was just a babe. That's part of the problem I think, Will doesn't want any of his children to be more successful than he is, which is just stupid. A parent should be proud of their children's accomplishments."
"It's an all too common theme though," Aaron said and Crenshaw agreed with a grunt. "So far William Reid hasn't even been a minor annoyance, but if he dares try to come after my family, I promise you I'll deal with it."
"That's what I tried to tell him," Crenshaw admitted. "I tried to remind him that the Hotchners are one of the few first families that remain in Virginia. One of the few families left that got Omegas equal rights. Unfortunately he wasn't really listening, he was too lost in his anger and I'm not sure if that anger is because his son was more successful at an earlier age or because he was wrong about the son he disdained for being useless. I really think that seeing his grandchildren is just an excuse. I think he will try to convince his son and his mate to give at least some of that money to him and only then will he go away. I doubt very much Spencer is going to fall for that kind of bullshit, as not only does he know his father, he's also too intelligent to not see through whatever his father tries to throw at him. If he can't get what he wants I'm afraid that he'll do something even more stupid."
"I have to agree with you he is, what do you suspect?" Aaron asked immediately.
"I'm not really sure actually," Crenshaw admitted. "While I've known Will for decades, it's hard to predict what he will actually do, especially since he's as angry as I've ever seen him. You do things when you're angry that you wouldn't normally do. I doubt he's thinking straight right now. If I had to guess though, I would say he might try to break into his son's home, probably while his son is not there, because while he thinks his son is weak, he also knows the job he has. I really don't think he'll resort to physical violence unless forced, but I could be wrong. Also there is your sister to consider, because if he managed to get Spencer considered incompetent, he still wouldn't have access to his grandchildren without her consent or access any of the money that his son has made, which I think is the real reason that Will is so determined to have access to his grandchildren. I suspect that he thinks he can bribe, Spencer out of at least a few million dollars of his money. I suspect that Spencer has left a will, as to who that moneys to go to, if anything should happen to him and I doubt very much any of it goes to his father."
"I have to agree with that," Aaron said with a respectful tone, beginning to like this Arnold Crenshaw more and more. "So do you think he would commit violence against Safina? I mean if he tried to kidnap the children that will be here in a few days, Spencer would pay any amount of ransom, but he would also involve his team and William Reid would come off the worse. He'd be lucky to live. Even if Spencer wasn't a member of my family I would still want to help him, but thanks to him being mated to my sister, I'll do anything to protect him, especially since he hasn't done anything wrong. I don't think that William Reid realizes what a can of worms he is about to open."
"It won't surprise me if he didn't, he's always been arrogant and always assumes that he smarter than anybody else and that all Alphas agree with him. As for committing violence against your sister, I really couldn't tell you," Crenshaw admitted. "He's not usually a violent man, but he's also not thinking clearly. I'm sure the only reason he wants to spend time with his grandchildren is to get some of his son's money."
"And also because he's being denied something," Aaron suggested dryly. "A lot of Alphas don't like to be denied, though I suspect the money Spencer has or even I have is the main reason. It really wouldn't be that difficult for him to find out how much his son was worth, as you suggested earlier. "
"That's what I thought," Crenshaw agreed. "It would've been better if your sister had never sent that article or those pictures."
"Probably, but I was in agreement with her actions at the time. Spencer did try to say that he didn't want his father to know that he was mated, but gave in knowing that Safina was determined. He understands an Alpha's mindset very well, well enough anyway, that he didn't argue about it too much."
"Probably wanted to little revenge," Crenshaw suggested. "If that's the case, I can't blame him. It's certainly relatively harmless as revenges go."
"If that's what he was thinking I doubt any of us will ever get him to admit it," Aaron said.
"Probably not," Crenshaw said. "I remember him as a little boy an he could be quite stubborn when he wanted to be. I'm quite proud of the man he's turned into, something his father definitely doesn't appreciate."
"I'll keep an eye out for him," Aaron promised. "Thank you for the warning."
"You're quite welcome," Crenshaw said. "When you talk to Spencer let him know I'm very happy for him and I'm sorry what his father is trying to do."
"I will," Aaron promised, before he hung up the phone.
Once he had as he sat back in his chair and simply thought about the problem William Reid could represent. It really depended if the Senior Reid came to his senses and simply left things as they were. Somehow Aaron didn't think that Spencer's father would do that. He was just one of those Alphas that assumed he would always get his way eventually. Finally, he rose and told his second-in-command he was leaving for the rest of the day, saying it was a family emergency.
He had to warn his sister and Spencer about this.
~~~Spencer and Safina~~~
"You don't seem shocked that your father would even think about doing something like that," Safina told her mate, as Aaron had just finished telling them all about the phone call.
"Believe me, I am shocked," Spencer said. "Not as shocked as you probably expected, but you have to remember I study behavior for a living. While I don't think about my childhood often, I realized sometime ago that father had many similar characteristics with other criminals. He is careless, thoughtless, arrogant, rude, demanding, has no patience for others especially his family and while those traits don't necessarily mean that someone will commit a major crime it happens far to often. That it's possible he knows how much I'm worth, is hardly a surprise really, nor is it a surprise that father would want at least part of it for himself, even though he's hardly poor. Attorneys make plenty and I know my father is very good at his profession. I also agree with Arnold's opinion that father is probably more after my money then any hope of getting to see his grandchildren."
"So you know each other well?" Aaron asked.
"Pretty well actually," Spencer said. "He often visited to discuss business with my father and he was always invited to dinner when he did. He actually paid me and my siblings some attention. Talked us like we were intelligent, didn't treat us as if we were an inconvenience. It showed that he had a family of his own and that he treated his children as if they mattered, as all children need to know they're loved. I have no doubt that he still has a close relationship with his now grown children. Last I heard his son had become a lawyer just like his father. If dad had only been that way with me and my siblings we might very well have become attorneys or at least one of us would have. Instead he was rude, demanding, impatient, arrogant, had very little tolerance for being bothered, especially by his children... I always liked him and I know mom did to. He was kind of like an uncle to us. Even though I haven't heard much from him in years, I wouldn't be surprised if he was keeping an eye on my career and was genuinely proud of my accomplishments. He was always genuinely caring. I don't think he liked very much how dad always treated us, but since is it wasn't his place he never said a word about it, though he might've said something to dad in private for all I know."
"So he's a good man then," Safina asked before Aaron could.
"Unless he has changed from the man I know, then yes, he's a very good man," Spencer said. "He was a very positive influence on all our lives. He even came by after dad left and asked if we needed anything. He was very kind and caring. Mom had no trouble supporting her three children on the salary she got from the University. We might not have been quite as well-off, since dad made the bigger paycheck about we didn't have any trouble buying the things we needed, clothes and food mainly. I was actually glad when dad left as he was a negative influence on all of us."
"I got the impression that he did genuinely did care for you," Aaron said. "Thought of you like another son."
"That sounds like Arnold actually. I think I was seven when he told me to call him that, though not when father was around. He was fond of my siblings to and that put him in my good books. Mom definitely approved I remember. We needed a positive male role model in our lives and Arnold was definitely that. He's one of the main reasons that I didn't turn bitter I think."
"I would love to meet him," Safina said.
"Maybe you will one day. If I had thought about it I would've invited him to our wedding, but I haven't thought about him much in years. That my family was there was more than enough for me."
"So what do you think we should do about your father?" Aaron asked.
"Well," Spencer considered. "First off, I don't think dad realizes that Arnold would've warned us, without breaking confidentially, but Arnold would've seen it as his duty to at least warn us about father's scheme, since my family has always considered him a friend. In fact, I would think that dad would believe, that as another Alpha, Arnold would actually agree with him about getting revenge against someone whose only an Omega no matter how intelligent he happens to be. I don't think it would've occurred to dad that Arnold has at least one child of his own that is an Omega, even if they are all grown up now, since there is usually at least one Omega in every multiple birth for our kind.
"I don't think father has ever seriously considered betrayal by anybody he tells his schemes to, which is just dumb really, but that's my father all over. He seems to believe that every Alpha has the same type of attitude towards somebody they consider beneath them. He would've considered Arnold the safe option to talk to, because of lawyer/client confidentiality. The house I bought is secure and has a very sophisticated alarm system, that will make it very hard for anybody to get into our home. I don't believe my dad has any talent at disarming burglar alarms, so he's just as likely to set it off as any burglar, if he goes that route. Also my address isn't public information, since I'm an FBI agent. Cops phone numbers and addresses are more securely protected to prevent an enemy from finding where they live."
"Which still happens sometimes," Aaron mentioned so far very impressed with his brother-in-laws reasoning, but that wasn't really a surprise as he had respected the young man for quite sometime.
"Yes, it does, but that's mostly because they don't watch out for tails. Also, always check for tracking devices on the car and yourself. I doubt my dad has access to tracking devices, at least once powerful enough to follow someone all over the city, but it doesn't hurt to check. Even if a cop isn't careless, the enemy could find out where the spouse goes on a regular basis, their favorite shops, restaurants, the address of their job if they have one. Also, if they know there is danger the kids are taken to a secure location, but in our case Safina is going to give birth any day now and they'll need their mother."
"I will not be put in a safe house," Safina said in a growl, just in case Spencer was considering it. "If your father comes anyway near my family he'll be dead I promise you. There won't be enough left for the cops to identify."
"I think I figured that out," Spencer said dryly. "We can probably take the children to my sisters for a few days. I doubt dad will even think about my two siblings, that I might have left my children with one of them, though he might consider that mom might be looking after them for awhile."
"Or you can leave them with me for awhile once they're born," Aaron suggested. "I have a nanny for my two and while it will be a strain, she'll be glad to look after yours once they are born."
Aaron didn't say so, but he would offer her a large payment to take on three infants. He was sure Spencer had guessed as much already, and perhaps even his sister but they said nothing.
"I hadn't considered that," Spencer said thoughtfully. "You will be their uncle so it would be good to leaving with you for awhile. Since your home is on the top floor of your business I doubt it will occur to father that's where they could be."
"The building is also very secure," Safina added. "You know that Aaron has a security team that's on call 24 hours a day. They are well trained and there's no way someone like your father will get past the first floor. I doubt he'll even be able to get into the building."
There are also cameras that are on 24 hours a day," Aaron added. "And if he even tries to get into the building he'll be caught on camera because their are ones on the outside as well as the inside. There's no way he'll make it up to my penthouse."
"I think he's more likely to try the route that Arnold suggested. He might come you, Aaron, and try to make you think that he just wants to see his grandchildren. When you refuse he's likely going to try to blackmail you," Spencer said. "The options we were talking about a minute ago while possible, I don't think them too likely, because as far as I know dad does not know how to pick locks or get past sophisticated burglar alarms. I can pick most locks if I have to and I've had to use it a few times."
"You can?" Safina asked her mate in surprise.
"I thought it was a useful skill to acquire just in case. Agents have been kidnapped before and they're usually bound with rope or something, but occasionally they've been bound by their own handcuffs hooked to like a pipe or something. Killers are getting smarter every year and it gives me an advantage, especially if they don't know it's a skill I have. So long as I have the appropriate tool and my arms aren't in to awkward a position I can have myself loose in just a few seconds. I was actually kidnapped once and was a prisoner for several days. This guy had a split personality, three of them in one body. One was Tobias Hankel, a son who the father severely abused, the second was the father himself and the third was an archangel, the avenger known as Raphael. He kidnapped couples who he saw as the same as himself and killed them. I was held for three days and drugged up to my gills, though I still managed to give the team clues as to my location."
"I am so sorry that happened to you," Aaron said truly sympathetic. To survive something like that just showed Spencer's true strength, something that his father didn't truly appreciate.
"Yes, I have to agree," Safina said. "I think he more than prove he can handle the job you chose."
"The drug he used was addictive and if Morgan and Rossi hadn't smelled the difference in my scent I might very well have become addicted to it. They noticed the change and made sure I got help, so I wouldn't be thrown out of the FBI when it was discovered that I was addicted to Dilaudid, which was a likely possibility. Its mostly used on patients who have terminal illnesses like cancer, though it is sometimes recommended for short-term pain."
"Why would this Tobias drug you," Safina asked puzzled.
"Because he was trying to save me from the pain I was suffering. From what I could understand about his personality, he was the really nice one, whose father abused him so badly that he ended up with a threeway split personality. Split personalities are really extremely rare, outside of fiction. I think he was also mentally retarded, though that might be because of his father's abuse as well. Raphael was the protector. It was the father personality that was totally insane."
"Back to the subject at hand," Aaron suggested and the other two nodded, as they had gotten off track.
"So what are you going to do if Spencer's father does come to see you? Your business is public, so it wouldn't be that hard to find the address. William knows that you're my brother, he'll probably assume that you'll give him access to me and Spencer."
"What do you think I'm going to do, Safina?" Aaron asked with a smirk. "He'll wish he had never tried to blackmail me. I have contacts on the Council, as you know and I could have one of them here within 24 hours. At the least William Reid would get a warning, and that's only at a minimum. I mean I read the letter that Safina sent along with the pictures and Spencer's father was warned about approaching me, so if he does then he totally ignored her warning. If he ignores good advice just because he's so arrogant to assume that that person's not serious then that's not my problem. I mean her scent would have been all over the paper and if he had paid attention he would've been able to tell that it was from another Alpha, one stronger than he is, though I admit that there would have been other scents from the humans that handled it, but only on the envelope not the letter itself. If it had been me I would have immediately checked for that kind of thing before planning to confront that person and it would have warned me to back off."
"That's a very good point," Spencer murmured in respect to Aaron. "I always check my mail, look for anything nasty before I open it. People have been known to send stuff like deadly airborne viruses in envelopes before, one that has a very short life and would stop being able to infect shortly after the package or envelope is opened. A lot of people have been killed that way, but also innocents not just the target."
"I probably shouldn't have sent that letter of those photographs," Safina sighed
"This is not your fault," Spencer told Safina firmly, placing a gentle hand on her arm. "I understood your reasons for wanting to get revenge on dad and as Arnold said, it was relatively harmless as revenges go. I really don't think this has anything to do with him wanting to see his grandchildren. He might not have known about my wealth beforehand, but he very well could have and was already deciding how to get some of it, even before that letter arrived. At most you made him angry so that his planning went faster, less carefully planned. People who are angry often make mistakes and my father's not the best at planning. To impatient to plan something properly, at least from what I remember. Being a planner takes a certain type of personality and dad just didn't have that type of mindset. Just think of how he was often impatient with his children when they asked him to many questions. It doesn't help that he thinks that most people are stupider than he is or at least on the same level. He totally discounts people like me who are more intelligent than any five people put together, as I told you and Aaron awhile back. We have some warning thanks to Arnold, but really we were expecting some reaction from dad once he got the letter anyway."
"So what about him hiring someone?" Aaron asked in order to distract his sister. Normally, his sister wasn't one to blame herself for things, but he also realized that she was pregnant and within days of giving birth, so this situation couldn't have popped up at a worse time.
"It's possible," Spencer admitted. "People will do things for money that they won't do for any other reason a lot of times. I'm not sure my dad knows where to go to hire somebody like that, but it's possible, since he is a criminal lawyer. I really don't think that thought will occur to him, but since I haven't seen him since I was eight he could've changed in that amount of time, so we probably need to prepare for it just in case."
The three continued to discuss the situation and Spencer agreed to inform the team, which he had been planning to do anyway, knowing they would gladly help.
~~~Spencer and Safina~~~