Garcia entered the side room where the team were waiting. Hotch had just been in to see Rossi to inform him that Reid didn't remember a thing of the assault. It hadn't seemed to help. Garcia was met with four depressed and concerned faces on her arrival.
"Penelope." JJ stood to greet her and took her into a hug. She could feel Garcia shaking as she did.
"How are they?" She asked in a quiet voice looking around the room.
"Not good." Prentiss said with a sigh. "Rossi is understandably devastated."
"And Reid?" Garcia asked anxiously.
She paused for a moment, glancing at the others. "He just destroyed his hospital room." Prentiss said bluntly.
Garcia furrowed her brows in confusion. "What?"
"He got angry." Morgan said, head in his hands. "Very angry."
"That's not him." Garcia said sadly. "Can I see him?"
"Not right now. He punched through a mirror and smashed a shard of it in his hand, so he's being stitched up right now." Hotch said with a frown.
"Oh, Reid." Her eyes welled up with tears.
"We're not sure what will happen now. We're lucky they're not pressing charges." Morgan ran a hand down his face.
"They're going to lock him up again, aren't they?" Garcia moved to sit next to Morgan.
"It's possible. He's hurt himself." Hotch said simply. "It's probably the only place he will be safe right now."
"He's going to hate that. He's only just got out." Garcia said in a gentle voice, her eyes tearing up. "I have never wanted to hurt someone like I want to hurt this guy. I could kill him. Like actually kill him. He's hurting my family and when someone hurts my family I just-" Her fists clenched up as she shook with emotion.
"I know, baby girl. I know." Morgan wrapped an arm around her.
"Can I see Rossi? I need to see one of them. I've been sat in my little room just waiting for news that they're okay and I just need to see them." Morgan rubbed her back. He knew that feeling well after what Fickler had done to him.
"Rossi said he wanted to be left alone." JJ said sombrely.
"Please?" Garcia used her best puppy dog eyes. "If he wants me out, I will leave straight away. I promise. I just- I just need to see him alive."
They all looked to Hotch. He reluctantly nodded. "If he asks you to leave, then you leave. Understood?"
"Yes, Sir. Of course."
"As soon as you are done, we will meet you back at the BAU and regroup. We will head to Dave's now to look at the scene in the bedroom. The police said they would preserve the scene for us until we could take a look." Hotch looked around the women who promptly nodded.
"Whatever you need, just please-"
"Come on, I'll show you to him." Morgan stood and guided Garcia out of the room.
Morgan led her up the corridor and to a side room. The door and blinds were closed. She knocked gently and pushed open the door, popping her head around. She saw Rossi sat up in bed, he had obviously been crying. When he made eye contact, he quickly wiped the tears away and shifted uncomfortably, hardening his gaze.
"I said I need some alone time." He said quickly and harshly.
Undeterred, Garcia stepped into the room and closed the door behind her.
"I'm sorry. I just... really needed to see you. To see that you're okay. I've been so worried." She shuffled towards the bed in a submissive manner. "It's so good to see you."
Rossi averted his embarrassed gaze towards the bed. "Well, you've seen me now."
She moved in a little closer. "Can I?" She gestured to a chair.
"You're going to anyway." He said dryly, wiping at his eyes self-consciously. She quickly sat herself down in the chair next to the bed. She dropped her gaze to her hands for a few moments.
"I really wish I had something to say that would help." She said honestly. Rossi looked at her with slight irritation. "But I don't." She looked at him seriously. "I can't begin to imagine what you are feeling right now."
"No, you can't." Rossi said coldly.
"But what I can say, is that I am here for you. Whenever you need me."
Rossi's eye twitched anxiously. "After what's happened don't you think your focus should be on Reid?"
"Why? You were assaulted too." Garcia said innocently.
"No Penelope. I was used as a tool to abuse the kid more than he already has been."
Garcia paused for a few moments, as if reading him. "But you still feel violated." She said simply. Rossi's mouth dropped open a little as he found himself lost for words. He swallowed uncomfortably.
"It's not about me." Rossi said firmly, once he pushed through his awkwardness. Garcia titled her head at him.
"No. It's about both of you." She said gently. She stared hard at him for a few moments. "You are both hurting." Rossi's eyes watered up slightly and he looked away. "And that's okay." She reached out and took his hand into hers and his eyes filled with tears. He took a deep, shuddering breath.
"This never should have happened. I should have been more careful. I let them into the house. I should have protected him."
"You weren't to know." She said passionately. "As far as you knew they were officers."
"I should have known better." Rossi said in self-flagellation.
"Don't do that to yourself. You trusted them. Anyone would have."
"I didn't even check their IDs properly, Penelope. I'm sat there with someone who I know is in grave danger and I don't even check the credentials of the people I'm letting into the same room as him... There's no excuse for that. I'm lucky that this is all they did. If they'd taken him..." He shook his head, the disgust clear on his face.
"This is not your fault. The only people to blame are that bastard Maloney and the two men who did this!" She squeezed his hand, trying to comfort him.
"I don't know how he's ever going to look at me again." His voice broke. "After everything he's been through, knowing what I've done to him. It makes me sick." His face paled.
Tears welled up in Garcia's eyes. "You didn't do anything to him. They did. They did this. Reid knows you would never do anything to hurt him."
"Does he?... You know that for sure, do you? Because last time I looked his trust in everyone is breaking. And this is just another nail in the coffin."
Garcia dropped her gaze again. "Don't say that."
"What? It's the truth! If Maloney is wanting to give him nothing to live for then he is doing a great job." He spat.
She shook her head in denial. "Reid is strong. He'll get through it."
"Strong." Rossi laughed sardonically. "He needs to be made of damn stone with the things they've done to him. It's a miracle he's not in a padded cell by now."
"That's because he's strong." Garcia said confidently. "He's so much stronger than he looks."
Rossi looked down to the bed sheets, his voice weakened. "I don't know if I have the same strength."
She squeezed his hand. "Of course you do." She said gently but he pulled his hand away.
"No, Penelope. I don't. Do you know all I've thought about since I learned this? What if I left the Bureau? I could hand in my badge and never look back."
Her mouth dropped open. "Please don't do that."
"I am a coward. I'd rather run than face it. Everything he has been through and I'm the one thinking of running." Rossi scoffed.
"But you haven't. And you won't." She said firmly.
"And how do you know that? It would be the easiest thing in the world."
She looked at him like it was obvious. "Because I know you."
A gentle knock came at the door and Rossi rolled his eyes. He expected the door to open but it didn't.
"Come in." He said with slight irritation. The door slipped open and his breath caught when he saw who it was. Garcia was straight out of her chair and towards the door.
"Oh, Reid!" She said extending her arms out to give him a hug. He accepted it. "I've been so worried about you." She squeezed him tightly; he winced a little and she quickly pulled away looking mortified. "Sorry!"
Reid gave a small smile. "It's okay." She put a hand to his battered face, her expression filled with concern and anger. "It's not as bad as it looks." He reassured her. His gaze lifted to Rossi who was looking at him in devastation from the bed. The guilt was eating at him. He'd have taken every injury away from Reid and put them onto himself if he could.
"I'm just so glad to see you." Garcia said, a tear escaped down her cheek.
"You too." Reid stroked her arm. "Erm, Garcia? Do you think you could give me and Rossi some time alone?"
She looked between the pair and nodded. She moved to Rossi's bedside and mouthed 'Told you so'. He gave a small tight smile. She kissed two of her fingers and pushed them to his forehead, as though transferring the kiss. He huffed out an amused breath with a small smile. Then she did the same to Reid. "A super gentle one for you." She said, very lightly pressing his forehead. He closed his eyes and smiled a little.
She turned to Rossi before leaving. "I'll be back." She said firmly, then turned and left the room.
The smile still rested on Reid's lips. "Not sure if that was a threat or a promise." He said, trying to break the obvious tension.
Rossi looked at him slightly taken aback. The kid never failed to impress him. He huffed out an awkward laugh but then his eyes turned dark as he took in Reid's appearance. His face was battered and swollen once again and his hand was completely bandaged up. The guilt pooled in his stomach like a rancid pond.
Reid cleared his throat awkwardly and he looked to the chair next to the bed. "Can I sit?"
"Of course." Rossi said kindly.
Suddenly the door opened and a nurse peered her head around checking the room. She looked at Reid and then closed the door again. Rossi furrowed his brows in confusion.
Reid gave a tight-lipped smile. "She's for me. To make sure I don't suddenly kill myself or something." He said dryly, holding his bandaged hand up.
Rossi frowned at him. "Why would they have reason to think that?"
Reid looked at him in surprise. He had assumed He would have already been told. "I uh... did something stupid." He dropped his gaze in embarrassment.
Apprehension flooded Rossi's features. "You didn't try to-"
"No." Reid said quickly. "I got angry. I may have taken it out on a mirror." He gestured with his bandaged hand. Rossi grimaced. "They're probably going to send me back to the psychiatric unit again. They haven't decided yet." He sighed. "But they wouldn't let me see you without an escort." He huffed an unhealthy laugh. He seemed worryingly casual about it all.
"God, I am so sorry." Rossi closed his eyes. His guilt was clear.
Reid tilted his head. "Why are you sorry?" He sounded genuinely surprised. Rossi fidgeted uncomfortably.
"Because of what happened. I can't... I..."
"It's not your fault." Reid shook his head. "We were both unconscious."
Rossi cringed. "But Reid, I assaulted you."
"And I, you."
"No, you didn't assault me." Rossi shook his head as if Reid was being ridiculous.
"Then neither did you." Reid said seriously. "You can't have it one way but not the other. Either we both did it or we both didn't. There is no other way." Reid said firmly. Rossi looked at him lost for words; Reid's logic was hard to argue with. He was so matter-of-fact about it, it caught him off guard. Reid's gaze dropped to the bed; his eyes were sad now. "Neither of us wanted it... I'm so sorry you got dragged into all of this." His shoulders heaved up and down as he took a deep breath. Rossi went to take his hand then seemed to think better of it. He squinted his eyes as he had an internal battle with himself.
This is Reid, dammit. He's like your son.
Pushing himself forward he placed his hand on top of Reid's. A nervous shiver ran up his spine as he did. When Reid looked at Rossi's hand his breath caught and his jaw tightened. The tattoo was staring right back at him. He looked up at Rossi, his eyes filled with anger. "This never should have happened. They never should have involved you. And now you're stuck with this fucking disgusting thing on you." Rossi raised his eyebrows. It was strange to hear Reid swear like that.
"It can be removed." Rossi said reassuringly, squeezing his hand.
"But you'll always know it's there. Like some incurable virus. It'll look like it's gone, but you'll always know." His face was filled with disgust.
Rossi looked at him with deep concern. He wondered if the tattoo was really what he was talking about. His eyes drifted to Reid's neck and he took in his tattoo for the first time. He closed his eyes in a moment of deep sorrow. Nothing could prepare him for seeing those words tattooed on his young friend's neck. They were designed to bring shame and embarrassment wherever he went.
He thought back to how upset Reid had already been that day. He never could have thought things would get even worse by the end of that very same day. It was amazing that Reid was sat in front of him at all. He didn't doubt that if he was in Reid's shoes he wouldn't be able to pull himself out of bed, never mind come and provide comfort to someone else. The strength of the young man in front of him truly astounded him. He looked at his beaten face and his sad eyes and it made his heart hurt.
"Have I ever told you how proud of you I am?" Rossi said, his eyes tearing up. Reid's mouth snapped shut and his wide eyes landed on Rossi's face, his surprise was obvious. "Because I am." He squeezed his hand again. Reid's chest expanded as he took in a deep breath through his nose, when he breathed out his eyes filled with tears.
"Thank you." His voice shook.
"No, kiddo. Thank you. You just walked in here and dealt with this head on. You have no idea how much I was ready to completely avoid this."
"I knew you would be blaming yourself. I'm not going to let them do that to you. You don't deserve to be targeted just because you work with me. It's not fair."
"None of this is fair, Reid. Especially for you." Rossi said simply.
"Doing it to me is one thing, but assaulting you, it's just... it's not right. I'm so sorry." Reid dropped his gaze down in shame. Rossi couldn't believe the battered young man in front of him was apologising as if he was the one responsible.
"Do me a favour, kid?"
Reid looked at him instantly. "Anything." He said quickly.
"Don't apologise on that son of a bitch's behalf ever again. You hear me?" Reid just bit his lip. "...You hear me?" Rossi repeated. Reid nodded reluctantly lowering his gaze again.
"I hear you." He whispered.
The door opened and the nurse glanced in and checked the room, then it closed again. Reid huffed an amused breath.
"She's discreet." Rossi said dryly.
"As a bulldozer." Reid said with a wry smile. Rossi chuckled in response. Then he felt Reid's hand tighten on the bed sheets and his brows furrowed in thought. "I don't think I can attend the arraignment."
Rossi rubbed his hand gently. "No one expects you to, Reid. Not if you don't want to."
"I would kill him." He said coldly.
Rossi frowned at him. "I can understand you feeling like that."
"No. I really don't think that I could control myself. Since I woke up, since I learned what he did to you, I've imagined stabbing him in the throat more times than I can count. And not quickly... slowly and painfully. I've imagined the shock in his face and the life leaving his eyes." Rossi raised his eyebrows as Reid laughed unhealthily.
"It's perfectly normal to be angry, Reid."
"I'm more than angry. I've even thought about how I would get the knife into court." Rossi's jaw clenched. This was concerning. "I've had enough. This needs to end one way or another." Reid said darkly.
Rossi regarded him carefully. "You're not thinking of doing something like the bridge again, are you?"
Reid shrugged nonchalantly. "What's the point? It would only make him fucking happy. I bet he had a good laugh when he heard about that one, because no doubt he knew with all his eyes and ears everywhere... They'll be listening in now. That fucking nurse is probably one of them." He laughed sardonically. He looked around the room. "If you can hear me, fuck you, you sick son of a bitch."
Rossi was deeply concerned. "Reid. It's okay." He said soothingly. "No one is here. Just you and me."
Reid just laughed again, his eyes were hard and slightly manic. "Yeah, until we get another stack of photographs. We should bring Hotch in here; they haven't involved him yet. I wonder what they have planned for him." He looked around the room again. "I'm not going to give you ideas." He scoffed.
"Reid." Rossi squeezed his hand tightly. "There is no one else here." He said firmly.
"He's always watching and listening. Don't you feel it?" His stomach twisted as he looked into Reid's eyes. They were unrecognisable.
"Spencer." He said gently, picking up his hand and holding it between his two palms. "Do you think you might be best going back to the hospital for a while? Where you can talk to them about how you're feeling?"
"So they can call me crazy?"
"I guarantee you; no one thinks you are crazy. I just think it's somewhere you can feel safe and protected. And there's people there that you can talk to."
"Talking has done so much good so far." He said sarcastically.
"Spencer. You need to speak to a professional. Someone who understands and can help you. Do you not think that would be helpful? To speak to someone who's safe and there just for you?"
Reid dropped his gaze and his voice broke. "I don't want to go back. I hate it there."
"I know, kiddo. I know... But you can't keep doing this alone... You don't sound like yourself." He stroked his hand and looked at him seriously and cautiously. "I really think you need some help."
Reid stared at him for a few long moments and then nodded, closing his eyes. Deep down, he knew he couldn't continue like this; he was scaring himself. Rossi patted next to him on the bed then extended his arms out to him. "Come here." He said gently.
Reid's gaze slid up and he followed Rossi's instruction, sitting on the bed next to him and accepting the offered hug. Rossi held him tightly and stroked his head. "I will come and see you every day. You won't be alone in there, I promise you. But you go in there and you talk. You hear me? Talk to them, tell them how you are feeling and the thoughts that are running through your head, okay?"
"Okay." Reid said weakly.
"You will be safe and you'll be cared for and when you come out, we will all be waiting for you."
Reid pushed away from him. "I really don't want to go." His voice sounded pathetic.
Rossi put a hand to his shoulder. "I know, Spencer..." He tipped his head up with his finger. "You trust me?"
"You know I do." He whispered.
"You need this, kid. You're not yourself. You talking about killing someone like that, even him. It's not you... You see that, don't you?" Reid's face crumpled and he nodded. Rossi put his arms around him once again. "I'm so proud of you, kiddo. So, so proud."
"I'm sick of looking at scenes like this." Prentiss said depressively as she took in the state of Rossi's bedroom.
Photos and sex toys were scattered everywhere and four leather cuffs were attached to the bed.
"We don't have long. They need to get all of this to the lab to be analysed." Hotch said.
"Well, some of these photos are of Reid. But these others, I don't know who they are." JJ said with a frown.
"What are they?" Hotch asked moving over.
Prentiss was now looking through another selection. "They appear to be extreme close ups of people, nothing identifiable. This is a hand, a foot, part of a leg, someone's shoulder. It's hard to tell if they are the same person." She said, displaying the photos out on the bed.
"I have another shoulder here. Looks to be a different person. Definitely has a different build."
"So, we have at least two people here." Hotch summarised.
"Four." JJ said despondently, placing some more photos onto the bed.
"Victims?" Prentiss questioned.
"Possibly." Hotch said stoically. "Maloney wants WITSEC, so showing us the victims could be a way of forcing our hand."
"'Look at what I can give you'." Prentiss said, nodding.
"He's smart. He knows they won't give him WITSEC for the sake of one FBI agent. But if he shows there are more victims to be saved, he's more likely to get his deal."
"So hes using them as a bargaining chip." JJ shook her head.
"More than likely."
"These are human beings." JJ sighed, unable to keep the despair out of her voice.
"To him they are nothing more than commodities. A means to an end." Hotch said solemnly.
"A bit like Rossi and Reid were here." Prentiss observed.
Hotch frowned. "So, we know by the time they reached the bedroom, Dave was already unconscious. We have a small amount of blood downstairs which presumably is Reid's."
"Yeah, he said they hit him in the living room." Prentiss confirmed.
"And again, in the doorway." Hotch gestured to the larger amount of blood on the floor.
She nodded. "Yeah, this is where he said they beat him."
"So, at this point, Dave was still downstairs?"
"As far as I am aware, yes. They handcuffed Reid and led him up the stairs. Then they beat him, ripped open his shirt and then showed him the bedroom. That's all he remembers."
"Then what? They drug him and tie him to the bed?" Hotch asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"I guess we might never know exactly what happened past that point."
"It doesn't make sense." Hotch said, a severe scowl marring his face.
"What doesn't?" JJ looked at him curiously.
"If he's unconscious, why tie him to the bed? He's not going anywhere."
"Part of the fantasy maybe?" Prentiss was unable to help the shiver that ran down her spine.
"Or maybe that was for us?" JJ suggested. "For shock value?"
"Perhaps. Just seems like a lot of effort to go to if they aren't getting anything out of it themselves." Hotch said thoughtfully.
"Some people get their kicks from Somnophilia." Prentiss shrugged. "They might not have even needed the sexual contact in order to gain pleasure from it. Having two unconscious participants may have been enough."
"It's possible."
"You don't seem convinced." JJ queried.
"I don't know, it's just... it's Maloney; he thrives on fear and shame. Having both of them not remember a single thing about it just feels uncharacteristically kind."
"What are you thinking?" Prentiss asked, folding her arms.
"There's either more to come from this or one of them isn't being completely truthful about what they remember - or they've blocked it out."
"Well, that can only be Reid. Up until Rossi's drugging their stories match entirely. They both remember him losing consciousness in the kitchen."
"It might be worth doing another cognitive with him when the drugs are fully out of his system." Hotch nodded.
"Maybe he doesn't want to remember." JJ said sadly. "It's probably for the best that he doesn't."
"As much as I want to agree, the hallmarks of this assault could lead us to the Unsubs. I will have Garcia look into previous attacks involving Ketamine but if we are missing parts of the picture our profile will be off."
"We need to get Garcia to look into this ring imprint as well." Prentiss said, showing a photo from Reid's examination. "It's an unusual design, perhaps it has been mentioned in other reports or someone designed it specially."
Hotch nodded. "She was sent a photo as part of the reports so she may have some information for us when we get back."
"And what's with all the sex toys?" Prentiss furrowed her brows in confusion. "They don't appear to have been used, so what's the point of them?"
"Degradation? Placing Reid on the bed surrounded by sex toys could be a message to say that's how they see him."
"Of course. A 'fuck toy'." Prentiss closed her eyes and shook her head.
"We can't say for sure if they've been used or not until they've been processed in the lab. If they haven't then it's possible that tying Reid up was just another part of painting that image and like JJ said, it's more a message for us. Like the writing on the wall. We should hear back from the graphologist soon also."
"Yeah, it looks to be the same writing again." Prentiss added.
"It's impossible that the same person wrote all of these. Given that we have bodies across two states, all killed within such a short time period. The graphologist should be able to tell us more."
"Let's hope so." JJ said dryly.
"I think we've learned all we can from this scene. Without the forensic evidence we can't finalise a profile of the offenders. Let's head back to the BAU and the PD can clear the room."
JJ and Prentiss both nodded.
Once they had returned to the BAU, they congregated in the conference room. Hotch, Prentiss, JJ, Wilks and Garcia were sat round the file-covered table looking slightly overwhelmed.
"Okay, we need to start focusing." Hotch said firmly. "We need to look at what we have and start following up on leads. We already know everything leads back to Maloney in one way or another. We just need to figure out how it all connects. Once we do that, we can nail him." They all nodded. "Garcia has had no luck in recovering the footage from Dave's cameras so we have a sketch artist on the way to the hospital to speak to Rossi and Reid. Once we have that we can run some facial recognition."
"That's good." Wilks said approvingly.
"Garcia, you have been working closely with Wilks. What do we have?"
"A lot and very little." She sighed. "First, Wilks sent me a list of names to look for leaks related to the list Field provided as part of his WITSEC deal. I looked into the backgrounds of everyone who knew about it and any connections they might have to Maloney or guards within the detention centre. I came up empty."
"The list was extensive. It listed everyone who was involved in the raids down to the EMTs." Wilks added.
"No obvious links to that evil scumbag anywhere that I could find."
"Okay, we'll come back to that." Hotch said in disappointment. "What else?"
"They have been working on identifying the victims, well, if we can call them that. The only true victim has been identified as Ryan Sullivan. He is our Reid doppelganger." She brought his image up on the screen. "He was 23, both parents died when he was 18 in a car accident, leaving Ryan homeless. He became addicted to heroin and was arrested and charged with possession back in 2010. He went to prison for 12 months and got out back in February this year. Since then he was living in a half way house. There was a missing persons report filed, one of the many Jason, Field and Sam Woods were responsible for hiding."
"We need to go to the halfway house and find out who he associated with. Maloney said that Jason picked him up but we need to know if he was seen with anyone else. What about the man we found in the trunk?"
"No ID on him yet, Sir. Still working on it."
"Okay, and what of the 30 executions?"
"Most of the 'victims' have now been ID'd but I will focus on the notable names." Garcia clicked on her laptop and a photo of a dead body and a very much alive man came up on screen. "Daniel Pollard, 48. Has previous for sexual assault on a young man back in Georgia. He served five years. So he's the perfect kind of scumbag to fit into this operation. He owns 3 motels across West Virginia and one in Virginia. All finances look legit, I don't think they were used for money laundering purposes. But knowing what he was wrapped up in I doubt the motel was used for... non-icky purposes."
"What about employees?" Prentiss asked.
"You always know the right questions to ask, my dear Emily. He employed 8 of the dead men. So there was obviously a seedy operation running from those motels."
"Any direct connections to Maloney?" Hotch asked.
"None that I could find."
"We will need to pay a visit to the motels as well. See if any of the staff there recognise Maloney, McCabe, Langley or Peters."
"Noted." JJ was writing notes and keeping track of relevant information.
"Next scumbag: Liam Reynolds. 44 years old. He worked for Paul Maloney, otherwise known as Steve, otherwise known as Ron Lane. Another alias that without Liam's body I never would have found. Firstly, Ron Lane also owned 3 gyms across West Virginia and Virginia. Liam Reynolds was a manager at the Charleston branch. Another convicted male rapist. Sentenced to 3 years back in Philadelphia."
"God, how many of these guys are there?" Prentiss said shaking her head.
"We found that Field hadn't been entirely open with his information when it came to the FBI shutting down Steve's businesses after his death." Wilks rolled his eyes. "Field ran a raid on one of his premises and it led to the discovery of multiple victims in what they called a 'training facility'. But it appears he let the businesses running under the name Ron Lane slip through the net. I very much doubt it was accidental. Steve may have had more aliases we are not yet aware of."
"So Field was manipulating the whole investigation." Prentiss observed.
"He allowed us to find only what Maloney wanted us to find." Wilks frowned.
"10 members of our dead scumbags club were employed across the three gyms. Liam was the only manager. Social media shows that the gyms have been shut down since the murders. List of scumbag names is here." She pushed a file across the desk. "They have a variety of backgrounds from stealing and fraud up to and including rape. Most seem to have been employed as trainers."
"Gives them contact with men." Hotch said thoughtfully. "Some probably served a similar function to Jason keeping their ears to the ground for vulnerable targets."
"There is also a list of other people employed by the gyms. A couple have 'sketchy' backgrounds but nothing that flags up as creepy pervert."
"It will be worth contacting them to see if they can shed any light on the day-to-day movements of Liam and Steve. We need to gain access to those locations. They will have member lists." Hotch nodded to JJ and she made more notes.
"Right, some of the people involved in the raids may have been members." Prentiss said in understanding.
"Dead scumbag number 3 was Dean Fellows, 50. Owner of a haulage firm in Charlottesville, Virginia. No hinky background with this guy."
"Makes a change." Prentiss quipped.
"He employed 4 of the dead men and call this a 'coincidence', 4 of the trucks logged an unusual amount of journeys back and forth between Virginia and West Virginia on their electronic logging devices." She pushed another file across the table. "I need to do more analysis to detect any patterns with the locations but something tells me that the product they were moving was not of the legal variety."
"Good work, Garcia." Hotch nodded.
"This guy also has a business partner. A Wayne Wright, so you're probably going to want to talk to him." Garcia added. "What's odd is that Mr Wright has not filed a missing persons report for any of them." JJ kept scrawling into the notepad in front of her as Garcia moved on. "Scumbag number 4 is a Mr. Leonard Brown. I'll let Wilks tell you about this one."
"Mr Brown had been on the run for some time. As part of Field's operation his storage facilities were raided and his business was shut down. They recovered 7 victims from a 'training facility' set up in the storage units. They never managed to locate Brown until Field gave up his location as part of his WITSEC deal."
"Is it worth talking to the victims again? See if there's anything else they can remember?" JJ asked.
"The victims have been extensively interviewed. Those they knew were killed in the cross fire of the raid aside from Brown. There were others but they wore ski masks and couldn't provide any identifiable descriptions." Wilks shook his head.
Hotch sighed. "Okay, so nothing to be achieved at the storage yard."
"So these are all businesses that must have been utilised in one way or another as part of the operation." Prentiss said thoughtfully. "That's a lot of business to lose in one hit yet the organisation is still running."
"It's likely Maloney already had replacement operations in place, probably serving a similar purpose." Wilks added.
"Garcia, we need you to look into similar businesses in West Virginia and Virginia that are run by men with a criminal history. You know the sorts of crimes we are looking for. Any one of them could be a prime target for Maloney and his operation."
"Got it, Sir. What about DC? Steve and Jason's gym was in DC." Garcia asked quickly, realising that the picture just kept getting bigger and bigger.
Hotch sighed. "Of course. Search DC as well."
"God, they could just have up and moved to a completely different state and we wouldn't know." JJ said worriedly.
"That is always the concern. If they set up in another state, they have another 48 to choose from." Wilks looked despondent.
"So, how does McCabe fit into all of this?" Prentiss asked curiously.
"Honestly, I don't know. His name first pops up on my records back in 2006 in West Virginia. I can't find any background on him before that point. He was arrested in 2009 for a sexual assault with two other men, a David Caffrey and a Simon Smith but the charges were dropped due to a lack of evidence. The victim didn't report for over a month and by then any evidence was circumstantial."
"McCabe is probably an alias. We need to get a rush on his fingerprints. Did he say anything else after giving us Dave's address?" Hotch asked.
"No, he went completely silent. Fickler tried to get him talking but he wasn't having any if it. He shut down."
"And he's not likely to talk again if his sole purpose was to deliver that message." Hotch added.
"We will keep trying but I'm not hopeful." Wilks said with a sigh.
"Thanks. Garcia?" Hotch indicated for her to carry on.
"Scumbag number 5 is a confusing one. All the others I can find connections between them, but this guy doesn't seem to have any association with the others. He's Michael Richards, 38. Worked at a casino in West Virginia called The Citadel as a host. He has been reported missing by a friend he works with, a Jay Patel."
"I might be able to help with that." Wilks said. "Surveillance showed Maloney visiting The Citadel casino on a regular basis. That's no doubt how he came into contact with him."
"What about the undercover agents? They must be able to shed some light on Maloney's operation." Hotch asked.
"The undercovers?" Wilks shifted uncomfortably.
"Yes. Field told me there were undercover agents working to infiltrate the operation. We need to speak with them." Hotch said firmly.
"I didn't realise you had been made aware of them... You can't." Wilks said ominously.
"Don't give me that. The director has kept us away from this for long enough. It's taken 32 deaths for us to be allowed in and thanks to us being kept at arm's length we are starting 5 steps behind. We need to speak with them." Hotch was clearly irritated.
"I'm sorry, you can't... they are missing." Wilks said, swallowing uncomfortably.
"What?" Hotch looked shocked.
"They went missing after Maloney's arrest. They were due to be brought back in and taken off assignment once it was found that Field was involved. But it looks like the ring may have gotten to them first."
"How could we not be told this?" Hotch said furiously.
"Fickler thought it best to keep it under wraps until we knew what happened to them. Between the video leak and dealing with the media - which has still not fully gone away, by the way – and the situation with Field he didn't want to risk any negative press. And two missing agents would certainly attract media attention. So he kept it strictly on a 'need to know' basis."
"And we didn't need to know." Prentiss said cynically, shaking her head.
Hotch was resting his forehead in his hand now. This situation was just getting more and more extreme. FBI agents were being taken down left, right and centre. It was like nothing he'd ever seen before.
"We need to see their reports from their time undercover." Hotch said quietly.
"We have them, but they need to be taken with a pinch of salt."
"Why?" JJ asked, her brows furrowing in confusion.
"All reports went through Nick Field." Wilks rolled his eyes.
"Great. So they can't be trusted." Prentiss said dryly.
Wilks nodded, his lips tight. "Let's just say, they tell us less than we currently know."
Hotch just shook his head.
Garcia sat forward. "You said the video leak hasn't fully gone away?"
Wilks' jaw tightened. "No, not fully. Our analysts have an alert on Dr. Reid's name, so if it pops up anywhere on the Internet they will be informed. They get an alert every day in association with the video. They shut it down every time, but his name is out there. The media are still in blackout with it but obviously we can't control what gets reported in other countries."
Garcia looked despondent. "Once it's out there, there's no taking it back. People will have seen it and will just keep sharing it."
Wilks nodded. "Exactly. It will likely never fully go away. But at least if we keep it out of the mainstream media the hype will die down. It's no longer viral at least."
Garcia shook her head sadly. "He really doesn't deserve this. He's one of the sweetest guys I've ever known. I just don't understand how anyone could do this to him."
Prentiss put a hand to Garcia's shoulder.
"Psychopaths don't care about that. If anything, that fact makes Maloney enjoy it all the more." Hotch said coldly.
Wilks nodded. "Well, I guess that brings us to Maloney's information that I've previously been unable to share. He owns 7 packing factories across Virginia and West Virginia. He employs over 1000 workers. Despite Field's supposedly extensive investigations there is no concrete evidence actually linking Maloney to sex trafficking. Any evidence is purely circumstantial. The investigation has been bungled beyond belief; which is infuriating to say the least. Field made out that they were close to making an arrest, but that couldn't be further from the truth. With Maloney we are essentially starting the investigation from the ground up, so I'm going to need Garcia's help in digging up any information that can be found on him. On the surface his record is clean and he is a well-respected businessman. He even won a Virginia Business Award in 2010 presented by the Mayor of Richmond." He pushed a photo across the table to the group. Hotch shook his head in disgust.
"Something doesn't make sense about this." Prentiss said curiously. "If Field was nowhere near to nailing him and Maloney knew it, why would he expose himself by going after Reid? He could have just continued on but instead he puts himself directly under the scrutiny of the BAU. Why?"
Wilks shrugged his shoulders. "Honestly? I don't know. I was hoping you could help me figure that out."
"He's clearly bright enough to keep his operation hidden and influential enough to have FBI agents on his payroll. But going after Reid seems almost irrational, too uncontrolled for a man like that." Prentiss mused.
Hotch nodded thoughtfully. "What does he get out of it?"
"Well, I guess it's a power play. A 'look what I can do'."
"But it's impulsive. And like you said, everything about his background doesn't suggest he's an impulsive character."
"Aside from putting us completely on the back foot, all he's really achieved is getting himself locked up." Wilks shrugged.
"He's lost his whole operation and had to implement a new one. He's lost his freedom; he's given us evidence that he is capable of being involved in trafficking and made himself a direct target of the FBI. What does he get out of it?" Prentiss shook her head.
"A direct target of the FBI." Hotch said thoughtfully. They all looked at him curiously. "Perhaps it's not about what he gets out of this."
Wilks furrowed his brows in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"I'm not sure yet." Hotch shook his head. "But we need to start visiting some of these businesses so we can begin piecing together this operation. Wilks, if you pick up the Virginia and D.C. locations, we will take the jet to West Virginia."
Wilks nodded. "No problem. I'll head to the haulage yard first, then the motel while I'm waiting for a warrant for the gym. But first, I need some sleep." Wilks stood. It was getting late now.
"Thanks. We'll figure out our plans in the sky." Hotch looked to the team and they nodded. They all stood.
"I'll keep in touch." Wilks gathered up some of the files and left the room. Hotch paused at the table for a few moments. Once he heard the door close, he sat down again. JJ and Prentiss looked at him in confusion.
"We've been so focused on Maloney as being the head of this ring because that's what we've been told to believe. But what if Maloney is simply another pawn in a much larger game?"
"And someone else is pulling the strings..." Prentiss added thoughtfully.
"All of our attention is on him." JJ put a hand to her mouth.
"Exactly."
"So, are you suggesting that sick scumbag is just a scapegoat?" Garcia asked with a hint of dread.
"I wouldn't call him a scapegoat, but possibly a distraction, a misdirection."
"Why would someone allow themselves to be used like that?" Garcia asked.
"Because he's a psychopathic sexual sadist at his core. If someone has been controlling the operation above him then they've probably been perfectly aware of who and what he is. They've given him the opportunity to be himself. For someone like Maloney, that would be too hard to resist."
"But why do any of this in the first place? They could have just kept going with Field on the payroll." Prentiss asked.
"Because of Jason. He went completely off script taking Reid and left them with a lot of clean up afterwards. Steve's involvement put a spotlight on Maloney. So, it was easiest to place him at the centre of it. Maloney is playing the game and he's thoroughly enjoying it. But I suspect he is very much aware of what his purpose is. That's why he's requested WITSEC. And that would not be good for whoever is running this operation. As much as we want to nail Maloney, we need to look at the bigger picture."
"And you didn't want Wilks to know this." Prentiss nodded.
Garcia looked around the room with concern. "What? Why?"
"Trust no one, Penelope." JJ said ominously.
"We know there have been leaks from within the FBI. Until we know who is responsible, we play our cards close to our chest. Especially with this. We need the organisation to think all of our focus is on Maloney."
"And you think Wilks could be involved?" Garcia asked, her mouth dropping open.
"Until we can rule him out, we treat everyone outside of the team with suspicion. Understood?"
"Yes, Sir." She nodded nervously. "This is scary."
"Yep." JJ said coolly. "Imagine how Reid must feel."
"I can't even begin to imagine." Prentiss said, shaking her head.
"JJ tell me the locations in West Virginia." Hotch ordered.
"Erm, let's see..." She flicked through her notes. "We have 3 motels, 2 gyms and the casino. You also mentioned the halfway house that Ryan Sullivan lived in."
"We are going to be spread thin. We need to prioritise locations. I don't want to be out of state too long. There is safety in numbers at the moment and leaving Reid, Dave and Morgan here is not ideal."
"Sir, do you really think you should be going?" Garcia said worriedly.
"You know, Penelope could be right. This could all be part of the plan... send us on a chase, leave Reid exposed." Prentiss suggested.
"With any luck, Reid will be back in the psychiatric hospital by tomorrow." Hotch said sombrely.
The women looked at him in shock.
"You can't mean that." JJ said in denial.
"It's the safest place for him right now. We have already proven that he's not safe with us. Given the delicacy of the situation with the leaks and not knowing who we can trust, I'm not comfortable putting him into protective custody. So, the psychiatric unit is probably the safest place he can be. That's not even taking into account his mental instability right now." Hotch dropped his gaze in sadness. "He's just as much a danger to himself."
"None of this seems real." Garcia said in disbelief.
"I know. It feels like a nightmare, doesn't it?" Prentiss sighed.
"Let's hope we all wake up soon." JJ said dryly.
Hotch frowned. He couldn't agree more. "The best way we can help Reid is by catching these guys and we do that by figuring out who is at the top of the chain of command. And we're not going to achieve that sitting here. We need to be visiting these places and speaking to anyone who might be able to shed any light on the organisation."
"I have a suggestion." Prentiss looked at Hotch apprehensively. "What if JJ and I go to West Virginia and you stay here?"
"And why would I do that?" Hotch scowled. He clearly didn't like the idea.
"Think about it. They expect us to chase these leads. But then they see the Unit Chief is still here. It starts to look like they aren't being taken too seriously. Perhaps they slip up? Or maybe it throws them off. I don't know. But we need to start getting ahead of these guys and stop letting them call all the shots. And sending the whole of our active team out of state seems a lot like they're calling the shots to me."
Hotch's jaw tensed as it often did when he was presented with a dilemma. His features were frozen in contemplation.
"I'd be a lot more comfortable if I knew someone was staying behind to support Reid, Morgan and Rossi." JJ shrugged, clearly agreeing with Prentiss. "Emily and I can more than handle it, Hotch."
"And while you're still here you can continue working with Garcia to try and identify the leaks." Prentiss added.
Hotch's expression was still a frozen mask. Then he took a deep inhale and nodded. "You're right. It is best if I remain here."
"We won't let you down, Sir. I promise." Prentiss said reassuringly.
"Emily, that was never in question." Hotch said firmly. "This whole situation is difficult. I will be perfectly honest and say it's causing me to doubt my decisions. It's hard to know what to do for the best as every time we do anything, it seems to be the wrong choice and someone gets hurt."
"At least with you here you can keep an eye on things." Prentiss said confidently.
Hotch just nodded. "Garcia, did you find anything helpful on that ring?"
"I am still researching, Sir. It looks like it's an eagle carrying a snake in its claws. It's definitely unusual. Normally you would see it imprinted into a medallion style ring or something but the ring actually appears to have been sculpted. I've looked for designers in the area and I have found two who look to do a similar style of design so I will speak with them in the morning. But obviously, it's a long shot. He could have had it for years, it could be second hand, a family heirloom, anything."
"Of course. Thanks, Garcia. Keep me updated."
"Will do Sir."
"Okay, it's been a long night. We need to get some rest. Go home and I'll see you back here at 10am."
JJ and Prentiss were sat in the SUV outside their third motel in West Virginia. Hotch was on loudspeaker.
"How's it going?"
"Nothing useful so far. The first two were a bust. The managers didn't really know anything about Daniel Pollard. Just that he owned the places. They met him maybe a handful of times. They both have clean backgrounds and genuinely seem to be decent guys just running an honest business." Prentiss summarised.
"Do you think they could be hiding anything?"
"Honestly, Hotch, they just don't seem like those kinds of guys. All their books were in order, they were very open and receptive to our presence and seemed genuinely shocked that the FBI would be looking into Daniel at all."
"Well, if they are involved, word will be fast getting around that the FBI is in town."
"I have a feeling this next one, 'The Red Roof Motel' is going to be an interesting visit. Something already feels 'off' about it and we've not even entered it yet." Prentiss said grimacing slightly. JJ hummed in agreement.
"Okay, thanks for the update."
"How are Reid and Rossi?"
"Reid went back to St Elizabeth's early this afternoon. I wouldn't say he was happy about it, but he didn't fight it either. Dave is fine. He's going home this afternoon. Well, coming to stay with us for a few days while he gets his head round it."
"That's good. I'm glad he won't be alone and you're all staying together. I think that's wise at the moment. Send our love to them both." Prentiss smiled.
"Will do. Speak later." The call ended.
"I can't believe Reid is back in there again. He's going to be so down." JJ said sadly.
"I know. But I think it's for the best if he's struggling. He needs to be with professionals. He'll be fine, JJ."
"Just after last time and the restraints, I don't want him anywhere near that place." She shook her head trying to focus. "But there's nothing I can do about it, I'm here and we need to talk to this guy."
"JJ." Prentiss nudged her shoulder and directed her attention over to a room at the far end of the motel. Two men appeared to be guiding a younger man out of a vehicle and towards a room. One had a hand on his back, the other a hand around his arm. "Does that look normal to you?"
She furrowed her brows. "I don't know. It does seem a bit odd."
"The way they are escorting him in like that." Prentiss said thoughtfully. The door to the motel room closed.
"Shall we wait and see what happens?" JJ asked.
"I think so." Prentiss nodded.
They waited around 10 minutes, then suddenly the two men emerged from the room again, closing the door behind them. They then moved towards their vehicle.
"They're leaving." JJ said in confusion.
"No... no, they're not." Prentiss said curiously as they didn't appear to start the engine. "They're... waiting."
"Have they put masks on?" JJ asked, squinting her eyes to get a better look.
"I think so... this is definitely suspicious."
"What do we do? If that's a victim in there we can't just let them go." JJ said worriedly.
"We wait. That's all we can do right now. In the meantime, get Garcia to run that plate."
Suddenly there was a knock at the window of the SUV. The two women jumped in surprise. A man around the age of 50 was stood peering in through the window.
"Are you ladies okay?" He asked. "You've been sitting out here for a while now."
Prentiss smiled and wound her window down. JJ quickly typed a message to Garcia.
"Sorry! We were just trying to decide whether to stay here or keep travelling a bit further." She lied.
"Well, you won't find a better motel within 100 miles." The man said enthusiastically. "I'm sure I can manage a discount for two such beautiful ladies."
They both laughed flirtatiously and looked at each other.
"Well, I guess that's an offer we can't refuse." JJ said still smiling.
"Glad to hear it. Come on in. I'll put the coffee on."
"We'll just get our stuff." Prentiss said with a smile, shooting a look to JJ.
The man went back towards the motel and headed into the office. Prentiss and JJ quickly stripped themselves of their weapons and placed them into their go-bags along with their badges. They didn't need this guy knowing they were FBI. Not just yet.
"We get a room and we surveil." Prentiss said quietly. "If that turns out to be nothing then we can speak to him. But I don't want him knowing he has FBI agents here if that is what I think it is."
JJ nodded in agreement. "I'm with you."
They took out their bags and entered the office. The man took them through the usual check in process and introduced himself as Jack, the manager of the motel.
"How many nights will you ladies be staying?" He asked with a smile.
"Just the one." JJ answered.
"So, what brings two beautiful women out on a road trip like this?"
JJ looked to Prentiss a little taken aback.
"We're attorneys. We've just been to a conference in Charleston, thought we'd make the most of Route 64 on our way back to D.C."
"Attorneys? Huh... Fancy. I'd have thought they'd have flown you out here. You know, big money and all that."
"Not all attorneys make the big bucks. I'm sure our bosses enjoyed their first-class flight and their round of golf though." JJ laughed. This was one of JJ's specialities: using her gender to tap into a man's inner misogyny. She always knew exactly what to say to make a man do her a favour.
"Ah, of course. Well, you little ladies will be perfectly comfortable here."
"Can I ask a favour? Seeing as though we're not enjoying the in-flight meal right now?"
"Sure thing, sweetheart."
"Can we please have one of the rooms on that side of the motel?" She asked, pointing to the rooms facing directly towards the one they were interested in. "Only I like to watch the sun rise in the morning." She said with a small flirtatious smile.
He leaned over the desk and smiled. "Anything for you, beautiful."
"Thank you so much. You've just made my stay." JJ laughed again. Prentiss smiled also.
Once they had filled out their details, they were presented with their key to room 4.
"Have a lovely stay, ladies!" Jack said with a sickening smile.
"Thanks." Prentiss said as they left the office. JJ and Prentiss exchanged looks as soon as the door closed.
"Urgh, that guy gives me the creeps." Prentiss said, a shiver running down her spine.
"Is it just me or did all of that feel like a performance?"
"Exactly." Prentiss agreed. "That guy is definitely hiding something."
"We should get Garcia to run a background check on him. His surname is Oswald. I saw it on a letter on the desk."
"Nice work, Jayje." Prentiss smiled, glancing over her shoulder to the vehicle containing the two men. "They are still there." Prentiss said, pushing the key into the door. Once they were in the room, they pulled the curtains and peered through small gaps across the parking lot to room number 26. "I will call the field office and get them to ready a SWAT team. If this is what we think, then we need to act quickly."
JJ's phone buzzed and she flipped it open. "Garcia ran that plate. It's registered to a... Louise Blackwell... an unmarried teacher from California. That doesn't sound right."
"Cloned plates?"
Her phone buzzed again. "Garcia seems to think so."
"These guys are starting to look more and more suspicious." Prentiss said shaking her head.
"Yep." JJ agreed pulling out her phone to dial Garcia. "Penelope, I need you to run a background check on a Jack Oswald."
Reid was sat in a chair in his room at St Elizabeth's. His admission had once again been longwinded, demeaning and stressful. He was already tired of the place and he'd only been there an hour. The walls felt like they were closing in around him. He wondered if he would ever escape this existence or whether he was doomed to follow in his mother's footsteps, with patterns of insane behaviour that would keep landing him in hospital until eventually there was no 'normal' behaviour left. He dropped his forehead into his hand as he sighed. The worst part was walking back into the same ward, where the same faces were still residing. The look of shock on their expressions would be burned into his memory for a long time. He supposed it was to be expected when he looked as beaten as he did, but at that moment he had wanted the ground to swallow him up. He was embarrassed to even be back there. Never mind with more injuries from yet another assault.
'Jeez, it's not a competition.'
Reid shook his head, his hands tingling with nerves. How could he admit to anyone that once again he'd been attacked? It was ridiculous. He felt like the boy who cried wolf. There was only so much that people here were going to believe before they started questioning if a lot of it was in his head and the injuries were self-inflicted.
Suddenly there was a loud knock at the door. It made Reid start a little. He looked up to find Tiffany staring at him from the doorway, his heart sank. Never one to wait for an invite, she entered his room and sat down on the bed.
"You're back." She said plainly.
"Yeah." Reid sighed.
"What the hell happened to you? You look a mess." She said taking in the bandage on his hand, the cuts on his arm and the state of his face.
"Thanks." Reid said dryly.
"Did you do this to yourself?" She asked, the concern lacing her voice.
Reid dropped his gaze. "Some of it." He said, his voice breaking a little.
"They got to you, didn't they?" She asked directly. Reid nodded. "Oh, Spencer." She stood and moved towards him grabbing a chair and pulling it next to him. She gently took his hand but he pulled it away.
"I don't need your sympathy." His cheeks flushed red.
"Sorry. You just look so... vulnerable." She said with a slight smile, placing her hand in her lap. She stared at him for a few moments as he shifted uncomfortably. "What did they do to you?"
"That's... Why are you here?" Reid asked in irritation.
She smiled again. "Because I think you're a nice guy." She shrugged. She seemed to be taking great pleasure in making him feel uncomfortable. She seemed like a different person to the one he met last time. She leaned in towards him. "And you're handsome." She whispered.
Reid swallowed and stood up. "You don't know me."
"No, but I know a victim when I see one." She smiled. "We have to stick together."
Reid moved over to the bed and sat down. "I'm not a victim." He said coolly turning his face towards the door in disregard.
She laughed a little. "Very convincing." She said sarcastically. Her brows furrowed as her eyes dropped down to his neck, finally picking up the tattoo. She stood and moved towards him. "That's new." She said tactlessly, pointing at it. His gaze snapped back to her and upon seeing where her eyes had landed, his hand came up to cover it.
"Get out." Reid quickly moved himself into the corner of the room dodging her gaze.
"Did they do that to you?" She asked brusquely. When he didn't answer, she laughed again. "Well, I can't imagine you did it to yourself."
"Please, just leave me alone, okay?" Reid said getting increasingly frustrated. He could feel his anger building and really needed her out of the room, but as usual, Tiffany was not deterred.
"Is that what they call you?" Reid's breath was picking up now. "Spencer, you can talk to me you know." She said with a smile.
"You really need to leave." Reid said through gritted teeth, his fist clenching dangerously.
"Spencer-"
"Get the fuck out!" He shouted at the top of his voice.
She looked at him in shock but a slight smile rested on the corner of her lips. The next moment Susan was entering the room. She took in the situation in front of her with Reid stuffed into the corner of the room and Tiffany stood staring at him and she automatically got in front of young woman.
"Tiffany, what have I told you about coming into other people's rooms and winding them up? Get out. Now! We will talk about this later."
Tiffany gave her a defiant look, huffed and then turned on her heel storming out of the room. Her gaze then landed on Reid who was rigid. His hands were balled up into fists, his jaw was tense and he was clearly shaking with unreleased anger.
"I'm sorry. She's going through an episode at the moment. It can make her say things she normally wouldn't. She never should have been allowed in here." She moved towards him cautiously. "Spencer, are you alright?" She asked gently. He didn't answer, he almost appeared frozen. "Can you take some deep breaths for me?" Reid was suddenly out of the corner of the room and heading through the door. "Spencer!"
She tried grabbing his wrist as he went by but he just shoved her off him. "Fuck off!" He yelled. She stood back in shock for a few moments.
Susan soon followed him up the corridor as he barged into another patient, shoving them also. It was completely uncharacteristic.
"Hey!" The patient spun round and grabbed him by the t-shirt pulling him back. "What the fuck?!" He shoved Reid up against the wall. Susan rushed to get between them.
Reid was pushing back against the larger man, aggressively shoving him. "Get the fuck off me!" His eyes were wild and furious. Susan had never seen him like this.
Suddenly the sound of an alarm rang out and other members of staff were rushing towards the scene and pulling the two men off each other.
"Spencer!" Susan called out trying to draw his attention but he appeared lost in his rage. He looked as though he would kill the man in front of him if he got the chance.
"David!" A nurse called out to the other man; it was Olivia. He was calming down a lot faster than Reid, who was fighting against the arms holding him back.
David gave Reid a dirty look and turned himself away. "You're not worth it."
"He's really not well, David." Olivia said sadly and rubbed his arm comfortingly. The man frowned as he watched Reid fruitlessly fighting against the large nurses. "Come on." She said softly, guiding him back to his room.
Reid was still shouting for the nurses to get off him, his anger turning to fear as the hands on him wouldn't release their grip.
"Please, let go of me!" He cried out desperately.
"Spencer. You need to calm down." Susan said firmly, getting in front of him.
"Get them off me!" He shouted. His eyes were looking straight through her. She knew this had been caused by Tiffany. She was renowned for causing issues like this. As nice as she could be, when she was having an episode as part of her BPD, her attitude towards others could completely change. She would become resentful, hurtful and seem to enjoy causing them distress. Especially with those who had been through a similar thing to her. Kev had experienced her personality change on many occasions, but he was used to it now and knew when to avoid her. It was like watching a puppeteer put someone else through the pain she was experiencing.
"We need to get him to his room." She looked up the hall at the numerous patients who were watching the disturbance. Kev was one of them. His eyes were filled with sympathy and sadness.
As they started pulling him towards the bedroom, he picked up his fight again. "No. No! Get the fuck off me!" He spat, kicked, pulled, dug his heels in, but nothing was working. They were forcefully moving him, his arms now restrained tightly by a man either side of him.
"Get a mat." Susan said to another member of staff. The next moment a large blue mat was produced and placed on the floor. Two more members of staff automatically moved in towards Reid to assist with getting him down onto the mat. They pushed him forwards using the leverage they had on his arms to lower him down chest first.
"God, no please. Just get off me! Get off me!" He screamed desperately. His head was gone; he was lost to a flashback once again. It was to be expected. Susan knew that any form of physical restraint was going to trigger him and his care plan took that into account. But when he was fighting another patient in the corridor, it didn't leave them with many options.
Reid tried pulling his arms free from the two men holding him down, but it was impossible. Then the other two members of staff rested on his legs, restricting their movement. He began to hyperventilate. He was still in the corridor at this point with half the ward watching. Most of the staff now had their attention focused on Reid.
Susan moved round to his head which was now pressed into the mat. "Spencer, I really don't want to sedate you. I need you to calm down. No one wants to hurt you. We are trying to help."
"Please, don't. Morgan! Help me!" He cried out, tears now running down his face. "Please help me!"
"Spencer, you are safe. You are in the hospital and no one is going to hurt you." Susan tried.
"Just sedate him for god's sake. He's still fighting us." One of the large male nurses said, holding tightly onto Reid's arm. "He's going to hurt himself."
Susan sighed and stood. "I'll be right back."
Reid kept begging for the nurses to let him go until eventually his hyperventilating became too frantic. His chest heaved painfully and he was pouring with sweat. The breaths were harsh in his throat and his chest wheezed, desperately trying to get enough oxygen into his body. His body shook violently.
"He can't breathe." One of the on looking nurses said worriedly.
"He's fine!" One of the nurses holding him down answered callously.
Reid tried lifting his head but the nurse pushed it back down onto the mat and he whimpered. He was completely unable to speak now. His mouth hung open trying to take in as much air as he could, but the oxygen in his body was fast decreasing. His face turned pale as his consciousness waned.
Susan returned back to his side with an injection in hand.
"IM injection." She said to one of the nurses who grabbed hold of Reid's pants and pulled them down to expose the upper part of his buttocks. The action instantly created further panic in him. The nurses felt his body tense and begin fighting underneath them again. "Okay, Spencer. I'm just going to give you a sedative."
"No." He gasped.
She injected the sedative quickly and then returned to his head. "Let go." She said to the man holding the side of his face into the mat. She carded her hand gently through his hair, trying to comfort him. "Spencer, try to take some deep breaths. I've just given you a sedative. You should start to feel tired in the next couple of minutes." He whimpered as he felt the warmth from the sedative sweeping down his limbs. A shudder ran down his back. His breathing was beginning to slow and he blinked frantically trying to fight the feeling of tiredness. "Just relax, Spencer. Just close your eyes and relax."
"No... please." He whispered.
A couple of nurses approached carrying a stretcher.
"Just give it another minute." Susan said, watching as Reid's eyes began to droop and his breathing almost returned to normal. She still stroked his head, remembering how much it seemed to provide comfort to him when his friends did it.
Once Reid's eyes had closed, the nurses removed their grip on him. He shifted when he was released and groaned unhappily. He tried to roll on to his back but his limbs had no strength.
The nurses then moved in to roll him onto the stretcher and transfer him back to his room.
"Restraints?" The large male nurse asked.
Susan frowned and looked at Reid for a few moments. He was completely out of it now, but that didn't guarantee what sort of mood he would wake up in. She reluctantly nodded, closing her eyes. She didn't like this at all, but if he was any other patient, this is exactly what she would be doing.
The nurses set up the restraint system on the bed and then slid him onto it. His addled brain recognised the restraints and weakly pulled against them as they were fastened. He moaned as they were tightened and a tear slipped down his cheek.
"Okay, Spencer." Susan stroked his head. "Just rest now. Just rest."
"JJ!" Prentiss called out quickly. "Check this out!"
JJ rushed over to the window, discreetly peering out of a gap in the curtains.
"I'll take photos." She said, pulling out her phone. She zoomed in on a man in a suit who had pulled up next to the van outside room 26. Unusually, the man was also wearing a baseball cap. He appeared to be approaching the two masked men. He knocked on the window gingerly and the window was dropped open. A gloved hand extended out and the suited man placed what appeared to be cash into the palm. He stood, fidgeting anxiously for a few moments while the two men appeared to talk. The next moment, the gloved hand returned, producing the key to the room.
"Does this look like what I think it looks like?" Prentiss said hopefully.
"It certainly does. He's paying for access to that room and presumably the man inside."
"At best it's solicitation. At worst, it's trafficking. Either way we have the right to move in." Prentiss said, a hint of excitement in her voice. "I'll let SWAT know." SWAT were already positioned one minute away from the scene, ready to assist in the case of a raid.
Prentiss called for back up, giving specific instructions and as hoped, SWAT were arriving on the scene within one minute. They were already moving to surround the vehicle containing the two men. Prentiss and JJ had emerged from their room to meet with them.
"Jayje, you take some guys and get Jack. I'll stay here." Prentiss instructed. She turned to four SWAT members, displaying her credentials and directed them to JJ.
Prentiss watched as the team ordered the two men out of the vehicle. They appeared to be unarmed and were incredibly shocked by their presence. They followed orders, placing their hands outside of the vehicle and then on their heads, lying down on the ground as the SWAT team arrested them.
Prentiss approached the SWAT team leader. "Good work. I'm Supervisory Special Agent Prentiss." He shook her hand.
"Agent Doug Cox. We spoke on the phone."
"We believe there is a suspect in room 26 with a potential victim. We need the suspect alive. He could be key to helping with our investigation. He didn't appear to be armed."
Doug nodded then then turned to the other SWAT agents. "Guys, we come hard and we take him clean. One potential suspect, one potential victim. Let's do this."
Prentiss drew her weapon and stood alongside Doug as his team kicked down the door.
"FBI!" Prentiss shouted as she entered the room alongside the SWAT. They were met with a completely panicked man dropping a riding crop to the floor.
"Oh my god. This isn't what it looks like!" He cried out in humiliation and dread. The man was shoved down to the floor and cuffed by the SWAT agents. It was only at that moment Prentiss had the opportunity to fully take in the room. There was a bed in the middle with restraints. The walls were lined with various sex toys and accessories. There was a sex swing in one corner and in the other was a wooden cross where the young man was strapped to. He was completely naked. He had some whip marks across his stomach and was crying.
"Oh god." Prentiss said running up to the young man. "Help me get him down!" She shouted to the other agents who assisted in untying the straps. The young man was also gagged. As soon as he was released from the cross, another agent wrapped a sheet around him. Prentiss unfastened the gag from around the back of his head and sat him down on the bed. The young man was breathing heavily, shaking violently and sobbing. "You're okay. You're safe now. You're safe." She rubbed his back soothingly. A shiver ran down her spine as she was reminded of Reid. The young man looked broken. "Did they make you do this?" She asked gently.
The man nodded frantically, continuing to cry.
"Okay. I'm so sorry." Prentiss' eyes stung with tears. "What's your name?"
"Matthew." He said in a shaking voice. "There's more of us. You have to help them." His eyes widened as he gripped onto Prentiss' hand.
"Okay, Matthew. I'm Emily. I'm an Agent with the FBI and we will do everything we can to stop this from happening to anyone else. Do you know where they are being kept?" She asked softly. He shook his head, tears running down his cheeks. "Okay... okay." She said tenderly. The medics began filing into the room now. "Matthew, the medics are going to take a look at you and get you to hospital, okay? I will come and see you in a little bit." He nodded in understanding. He was clearly in shock. Prentiss stood and backed away allowing the EMTs to do their work.
She looked around the room and felt sick to her stomach. How many men had been in this room? She dreaded to think. Everywhere she looked there was evidence of abuse. The sheets were clean but the restraints were clearly well worn. Every sex toy looked like it had been well used and the cross and sex swing appeared the same. A lot of torture had taken place in there.
JJ suddenly entered the room and gasped. "Oh my." She looked to the young man on the bed and managed her emotions. She moved over to Prentiss.
"Jack Oswald has been taken into custody." She said, unable to stop looking around the room with wide, shocked eyes.
"That's good. I'm going to call Hotch. I want to send him to Quantico along with these three. Can you handle the press, Jayje? Make sure nothing about this raid gets reported. We need to try and keep this under wraps for as long as we possibly can. As soon as they know we are onto them, they could start shutting down parts of the operation."
"Sure. I'll see what I can do." JJ nodded. She looked around the room once more and spoke quietly. "God, these guys are completely sick." She shook her head. "To think that these were the guys who had Spence."
Prentiss nodded. "I know. It doesn't bear thinking about." She turned to Agent Cox. "Break down every door of this place. We need to know exactly how many of these things they are running. I'm going to call my Unit Chief."
"Yes ma'am." He nodded.
She emerged from the room looking slightly pale. She was already sick of seeing scenes like this and they seemed to keep getting worse and worse.
She pulled out her phone and dialled.
"Hotchner." He answered.
"Hotch, we've made some arrests at the motel. The motel manager and two men who were clearly selling a young man for sex. They were using a room as some sort of BDSM set up. We waited for another man to arrive and make payment then we went in with SWAT. We got them all, including a victim called Matthew."
"Emily, that's great news. Do you think they will be willing to talk?"
"I don't know, I haven't really interacted with them. The man paying for sex looked pretty scared, so he might be easy to influence-"
"Agent Prentiss." She turned to find Agent Cox looking at her with a frown on his face.
"One second, Hotch." She nodded to the man, indicating for him to continue.
"That man we've arrested for solicitation. A few of my men recognised him. He's Lionel Porter, one of the representatives for the West Virginia Senate."
Her mouth dropped open in shock. "He's a State Senator?" Cox nodded. She took a deep breath and lifted the phone back up to her ear. 'Hotch, did you hear that?"
"We need to get him here as soon as possible. This must be kept out of the press. And Emily?"
"Yes, Sir?"
"Great work."
Prentiss smiled, flipping her phone closed. Now they were finally making progress.