Chapter Twenty-Five

11/09/2019. 22:05 hours. Emily Prentiss' Apartment, Quantico, Virginia.

Emily swirled the crimson contents of her wine glass as she chewed her bottom lip in thought. She had tried to watch some cheesy rom-com to try and appease the vortex of thoughts running through her mind, but no amount of cheesy comedy was swaying the pit of unease in her stomach. For all Mel's reactions seemed genuine when they first entered the prison, there was something that did not sit right with the unit chief about her. For a woman who had only briefly met their resident genius, she had become exceptionally invested in him. Emily could understand Spencer's declaration of love; he had not experienced romantic love since Maeve and he was trying to give the team a clue as to his whereabouts. Mel had been quick to kick them out of the room when Spencer was seizing, but they had been through this before with the doctor. Mel should have known the importance of someone being handcuffed when in federal custody.

With her wine glass in her left hand, Emily felt around the cushions beside her for her cell phone. She found it wedged down the side of one of the cushions. She scrolled through the numbers and dialed one.

"My sweet buttercup! What can I do for you, my liege?" came Penelope's chipper voice.

"Hey, PG. I need you to do some of your magic for me."

"Your wish is my command! What do you need?"

"I need you to do a deep dive on Melanie Carter."

"Boy Wonder's girlfriend?"

"Yeah. There's something unsettling me about her." Emily could hear Penelope typing away on her laptop.

"Odd. Melanie Carter has only existed since 2010. She's listed as living at 3320 McCorkle Court. There's a sealed file here. Let me just unpack it. Wait a minute. She wasn't born Melanie Carter. She was born Alyssa Cartwright. She went into foster care at age five. She bounced around foster homes for years and got herself into a whole bunch of trouble. She's got multiple arrests for assault, false imprisonment, drug offences, and stalking. Her last foster parents were judges and got her a new identity under WitSec and her records were sealed." Emily sipped her wine, wincing at the burn as it slid down her throat.

"Shit."

"What are we going to do about Reid?"

"I don't know yet. We need access to her laptop. For someone who only briefly met him, she has a real investment in him. We need to keep this between us for now. I want to try and get eyes on her house."

"Got it, boss lady!"

"Alright. Thanks, PG." Emily sighed and ended the call. This was going to be difficult. Very difficult. Spencer was in trouble again, only this time he was unable to see it and it was right in front of him.

12/09/2019. 10:09 hours. An undisclosed address, Virginia.

Mel smirked as she stepped into the room and gazed around. Things were coming together nicely, albeit slower than planned. She had known for so long that she had to have him, especially after watching one of Dr Spencer Reid's lectures from the very back of the auditorium. He was extraordinarily handsome with his chiselled cheekbones, his angular unshaven jaw, the deep brown curls that brushed over his shirt collar. And those hazel eyes. They were to die for. He was so animated as he spoke, hands gesturing throughout. He always had time for his students, answering their questions with grace. When she got wind that he was visiting a Death Row inmate, she had to meet him. She knew that Warden Michaels had planned to abduct Spencer, she just had no idea that he would try to kill him. She could not let Michaels kill him and take him away from her. She needed him in the same way that she needed air and water.

The walls of the room had been adorned with photographs of Spencer, articles that he wrote and newspaper clippings from the cases that he had been integral in solving. He was required to stay with one of his team members long-term which would make things tricky, but Mel had a way. After all, his team would not be able to stay with him twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. She eyed the leather restraints hanging from the ceiling. In the corner was an aluminium chair which had a black leather collar and leash on the seat. And finally, multiple rolls of black PVC bondage tape. She was surely going to enjoy this.

13/09/2019. 11:01 hours. Virginia Hospital, Arlington, Virginia.

Spencer was immensely grateful to finally shed the itchy hospital gown and dress in a black button up and dress trousers. He winced as he shrugged the shirt on and buttoned it. David had some things to do at home to make it more comfortable for the genius. He had moved some of Spencer's books and clothing into the spare room and had gone out for some groceries, so Mel offered to collect Spencer from the hospital and take him to David's. Spencer glanced up at the sound of knocking to see Mel stood in the doorway with a wide smile on her face.

"Are you ready to go, Spence?" Spencer gave a huff of relief.

"Am I ever? I've always hated hospitals. Something about the lights." Mel reached down for the bag containing Spencer's blood-stained clothing that was at the door.

"Let's go." Spencer pursed his lips and smiled softly at her, following her out of the room.

Mel had parked her navy blue sedan in a secluded area of the parking lot away from the view of any security cameras. It was well shaded by an overhanging tree. Spencer furrowed his brow as the pair approached the car, somewhat confused by the choice of parking space. Mel opened the trunk and threw Spencer's bag inside. Spencer felt the heat radiating from the autumn sun and rolled his sleeves to his elbows. He brushed away the beads of sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. He took a moment to look around. He had spent far too much time inside of late, so he appreciated the opportunity to drink in the foliage changing to shades of orange and yellow. Mel took the opportunity of the genius being distracted to silently remove the roll of bondage tape and slide it underneath the driver's seat.

"You ready? There's a coffee waiting for you in the cup holder," said Mel sweetly.

"You're an angel. Let's go." Spencer clambered into the passenger side and buckled his seat belt. He noticed the two cups of takeout coffee in the cupholders. His stomach did a backflip. He had gone for days without coffee and he was almost certainly on his last nerve. He picked up his cup which had Spence written in marker pen on the side. He took a swig of the hot caffeinated beverage and sighed with relief. He rested his head back against the headrest of the seat and felt himself begin to relax.

The pair had been on the road for around twenty minutes when Spencer began to feel a drowsiness settle over his limbs. He blinked sluggishly, his vision blurring. He rubbed his eyes with his knuckles in a hope to relieve the blurriness but it remained. He turned his head to look at Mel.

"Uhm… Mel… S'm'thing's wrong….." slurred Spencer. "Dn't feel…. Sooooo…. Good." Spencer's chin dropped to his chest, unable to prevent the darkness from pulling him under. Mel glanced over at her unconscious passenger and grinned. She pulled the car over onto a small dirt track and stopped in a clearing of trees. She giddily climbed out of the car and went around to the passenger side. She unbuckled Spencer's seat belt and dragged him out the car. He landed heavily face down on the ground. Mel grabbed the bondage tape from under the seat. She pulled his arms behind his back and wrapped the tape tightly around his wrists. She then moved up to his elbows and bound them together. With the roll around her wrist, Mel dragged Spencer up into a seated position against the tyre, his head hanging limply on his neck. She proceeded to bind his arms to his torso. She could already feel the heat stirring in her loins. She tightly bound his ankles and knees together. She had not seen Spencer fully when he was kidnapped and it made her dizzy to think about. She had imagined that he would look incredible tape-gagged and blindfolded. She curled a finger under his chin and tipped his head up. She was excited to see the leather collar around his slender neck. Mel fastened the top button of Spencer's shirt, moaning with lust at the way it was tight around his neck. The black fabric of his shirt accentuated the curves of his shoulders. She pressed the tape over his mouth and wound it tightly around his head. Mel relished the way the tape was pulled taut over his mouth and the way the edge sat just below his cheekbones. She gently caressed his gagged mouth. She held the tape over his closed eyes with her palm and proceeded to wrap it around his head several times. She stepped back and admired her work. She had been right. A bound, gagged and blindfolded Spencer was perfect. Mel opened the rear door and clambered onto the back seat. She grasped the unconscious genius under his arms and dragged him onto the floor of the car. Once Spencer was situated, Mel climbed back into the driver's seat, stashing the tape in the glove compartment. She stole a glance at her prize before turning the car around and continuing onto the highway.

12/09/2019. 12:58 hours. An undisclosed address, Virginia.

Gravel crunched beneath the tyres as Mel pulled up to a storage unit and put the car in park. A man with long blonde hair pulled up into a messy bun was leaning with his back against the unit door, tapping his booted foot against the asphalt. He watched the sedan approach and straightened up. Mel climbed out of the car, excitement buzzing through her veins.

"You got him?" asked the man, his voice gravelly. Mel nodded.

"Back seat. Be careful. He was stabbed a couple of days ago." The man gave a noncommittal grunt and wrenched the rear door open. He slung the unconscious genius over his shoulder and carried him into the unit.

"Where do you want him first?"

"The chair. Make sure he's tied up nice and tight." The man snorted and shoved the collar at Mel. He dropped Spencer onto the chair and cut through the tape that bound his limbs. He pulled Spencer's arms around the back of the chair and used more PVC tape to bind his wrists tightly behind the chair. He pulled more of the tape away from the roll and wrapped it around Spencer's waist, forearms, and the back of the chair. He knelt down and bound each ankle to the legs of the chair. Mel sauntered up to the pair and buckled the collar painfully tight around Spencer's neck. The black leather looked perfect against his milky skin. She padlocked a heavy duty chain to the ring on the back of the collar and then wrapped it several times around a pipe on the wall and padlocking it in place. He looked perfect and Mel was unsure how long she could contain herself.

12/09/2019. 13:04 hours. David Rossi's House, Virginia.

David unlocked the front door with a sigh and dropped the grocery bags at his feet. He glanced around, expecting to find Spencer and Mel sat on the couch with coffee, but the room was devoid of any human presence. He gathered up the bags and made his way to the kitchen and set them down on the marble counter. The coffee pot was still as he had left it. Warily, David crept towards the spare room. He knocked gently on the door.

"Spencer? It's David." He was met with silence which was unnerving. David opened the door to find the room exactly as it was left. There was no sign of Spencer, Mel or his belongings. David quickly fished his cell phone out of his jeans pocket and dialled Emily's number.

"Hey Emily, it's Dave."

"Oh, hi, Dave. Is Reid all settled in?"

"Has he been discharged? He's not here." There came the sound of a throat clearing.

"What do you mean he's not there? He was discharged two hours ago."

"Emily, there's no one here and his bag isn't here. Mel was supposed to bring him here from the hospital."

"Let me speak to Garcia and see if I can get a trace on Mel's car or phone." David slumped onto the end of the bed with a sigh.

"Emily, what's going on here?"

"Dave, there's something you need to know. Mel isn't who you think she is. I had Garcia do some digging last night when I got a hunch. Mel was born Alyssa Cartwright and she has a long history of assault, false imprisonment, drug offences and stalking. Her record was expunged and she was given a new identity by WitSec."

"I'm coming to the office, We need to find Mel and Spencer."

12/09/2019. 16:22 hours. An undisclosed address, Virginia.

Spencer let out a small groan as he came to. His brain felt sluggish and he struggled to piece together his fragmented memories. His awareness crept back slowly. He could feel something pressing his eyes shut. It felt like PVC and rested over the bridge of his nose. The same material was wrapped around his mouth, sealing his lips shut. Something was tightly fastened around his neck. It felt like leather. His shoulders throbbed from the position they were in. Spencer flexed his fingers and attempted to move his arms. His wrists would not budge. He twisted his wrist slightly, his fingertips feeling around. His wrists were bound with PVC tape. It did not feel sticky like duct tape, but he discovered that it was strong and held firmly in place. He had read enough about the world of BDSM to realise that he had been tied up, blindfolded and gagged with bondage tape. Spencer released a defeated sigh from his nose. He knew any efforts to speak to his captor would be fruitless. He slowly lifted his head, his hair brushing against a chain. He felt fingers fumbling around his face. The tape over his eyes was unravelled. Once the pressure had gone, Spencer peeled his eyes open and blinked to clear his blurred vision. He immediately noticed the walls which were covered in glossy photographs of him, newspaper clippings and journal articles. He furrowed his brow and tilted his head slightly, immediately building a profile in his hazy mind. Someone with an obsession…. They used bondage tape so most likely someone with erotomania. His eyes trailed up to the leather restraints hanging from the ceiling and he swallowed hard.

"Hi, Spence." Spencer's head snapped sideways to see Mel lounging against the far left wall. The betrayal stung like a knife straight through his heart. He turned his face away and tilted his chin up to the ceiling, desperately trying to blink away the tears. Mel sauntered over to him and lowered herself onto his lap, her knees straddling his hips. She palmed his cheek over the tape and guided his head down.

"God, you look so beautiful like this. My perfect little pet. Seeing you all trussed up and gagged is such a turn on." Mel slid from Spencer's lap and dropped to her knees. Her hands came up to his belt and unfastened it. Spencer's eyes widened and he shook his head wildly. Mel smirked and unzipped his trousers. Cold fingers slipped into the trousers and underwear and pulled out his flaccid member. Spencer's pleas were left muffled and unheard. He did not want this. Mel licked the tip of his penis then guided it into her mouth with her tongue. Spencer thrashed as much as he could in the chair. His collar cut into his throat, eliciting a choked gasp and a cough from the genius. Tears streamed down his face and over the tape.

"Enjoy this, Spence."

"Mmrrmm!"

"You need to get out of your head, baby. I'm going to blindfold you again and then you just sit back and relax. The real fun will come later." Mel came to her feet and gently wiped the tears away with her thumb. Spencer was trembling beneath her touch, his breaths short and sharp with terror. Mel pressed the tape over Spencer's eyes and wrapped it tightly around his head once more, plunging him into darkness. Her hands slid down his chest and legs as she took his penis back into her mouth. The young man was sobbing at the unwanted touch. Mel's black-painted nails dug harshly into his thighs, her sucking growing more intense by the minute. Spencer would admit that he had developed an interest in BDSM, but only when it was consensual. Normal BDSM rules involved the use of safe words and gestures for when the play was becoming too much. This was not consensual in any way, nor were there any safe words. He was gagged so there was no way of verbally communicating his distress. He was blindfolded, so could not make any gestures with his eyes. His hands were tightly tied behind his back so he could not sign in any way. Any other gestures would choke him. Spencer whimpered into the tape as he realised that he would have to accept what Mel was doing to him. With everything that had happened over the past few months, it was hardly a surprise that he had not considered the implausibility of a woman suddenly coming into his life that loved him for him and enjoyed all of the same things.