Prentiss, JJ , Garcia and Hall sat in the conference room. The mood was low despite the success of the day.
"I can't believe any of this." Garcia said despairingly. "What are we going to do? We can't do this without Hotch, Rossi and Morgan. Oh, god Morgan, what if we don't get him back?"
Prentiss put her hand on Garcia's shoulder.
"It will all be okay, Penelope. We'll get through it." She said reassuringly.
"I don't see how." JJ said flatly. "Fickler has pulled this team apart."
"We have to focus on the investigation. We still have 33 men in custody that we didn't have yesterday. He can't take that away from us." Prentiss said passionately.
"Yeah, but now he's allocating the interrogations as he sees fit. Wilks is interviewing half of them."
"Jennifer is right. We can't control what is being said in those interrogations. If our suspicions are correct, Wilks could just keep any useful information from us. He's already claiming three of the men aren't talking. We have no way of even knowing if that is even true." Hall said worriedly.
"There isn't much we can do about it." Prentiss said. "We still have the statements from the victims coming through. I heard from Stubbs earlier and they are working through those in West Virginia slowly but surely. It will take time though."
"I have Agents Pollard and Bennett taking statements from the victims here. We have more than enough to charge all of the men already. I want to talk to two of them myself though. They have been identified as being part of the live streams."
Prentiss grimaced. "Poor guys... Okay, well you do that and I will go back in to Richards. Then JJ and I will go in to see McDonald."
"Has anyone had any luck with identifying Seth?" JJ asked hopefully.
Prentiss shook her head. "Same story all round. No one has seen him, only digital communications. Talking of which, Penelope, have you had any luck on tracing those text messages?"
Garcia looked positively hounded. She had done nothing but stare at the screen for the last few days making frantic searches and watching sickening videos. The one of Reid and Rossi played through her mind almost on repeat. The cruel voices and Reid's cries completely stopped her from getting any sleep. She was exhausted.
She sighed hopelessly.
"No." She said simply. "I'm trying." Her voice cracked.
"Hey, Penelope?" Prentiss said firmly, the mithered woman looked at her. "It's not all on you. Hall has her team working on it too. There's a lot to go through. Don't take all this on your shoulders, okay? You're doing great."
"It doesn't feel like it." She muttered moodily.
Prentiss put her hand on her shoulder again. "You are. Trust me. We'd be lost without you." She smiled.
"Be still my beating heart." Garcia said mockingly and Prentiss grinned in return.
"There we go. That sounds more like you."
"It's hard to be my sparkly-self when my days are spent watching men being tortured over and over again."
Prentiss frowned. "I know." She said sadly. As much as Garcia's job usually allowed her some distance from the cruelty of the world, in cases like this she was more exposed than anyone. And Prentiss could literally see the life draining out of her day after day.
"I don't know how you do it." Garcia said to Hall.
"It's not easy, but I try to focus on the good we are doing. Every time I see someone in a video, it makes me even more determined to get them out of that situation." Hall answered. "That's why I want to talk to Grant and Liam personally. I feel a sort of... responsibility or attachment, I guess."
Garcia nodded, completely understanding. It was a comfort to know that the men she was watching had now been rescued. But part of her job was to identify any others that may still be out there. Which meant cycling through more and more of the footage. Every time she opened a video with Reid in it, she felt that little bit sicker. Every hard drive had his videos archived specially and it wasn't surprising when she compared them to the others. Even by the ring's standards, what Jason had done was extreme. And it was clear there was an appreciation for his handiwork.
"I won't let you down, I promise." She said, taking a breath in.
"That possibility hadn't even crossed our minds, Penelope." Prentiss said comfortingly.
There was a knock at the door and the women turned to see Fickler stood there. They were surprised he'd actually knocked.
"I hope I'm not interrupting." Despite his respectful entrance, his voice was still hard.
"No, Sir." Prentiss said, remaining placid. Whereas JJ and Garcia were glaring daggers at the man.
"I wanted to let you know we now have enough to charge Maloney for his involvement in human trafficking. So far, we have 35 counts of human trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, 8 counts of rape and 6 counts of aggravated assault. That should be more than enough to keep the bastard behind bars."
The women looked to each other in relief. Finally allowing themselves to smile.
"Oh, thank god." JJ said, breathing out a sigh.
"That's great news, Sir. Reid will be so relieved." Prentiss said enthusiastically.
"I suspect the charges will keep coming. The floodgates have opened." Fickler said confidently with a smile. "The man will be drowning in charges by the end of this."
Hall looked around the room at the other women. "Congratulations. That really is a win."
"Thank you, Sir." Prentiss said genuinely, her smile dropping as Fickler's expression darkened and he furrowed his brows seemingly in confusion.
"Shouldn't you be speaking with Richards?" Fickler asked suddenly. The hardness was back.
"We uh, needed a break." Prentiss said awkwardly, looking to JJ whose cheeks flushed.
Fickler quirked his eyebrow seeing their discomfort.
"If you are not capable of doing this Agent Prentiss then I can send in someone who is. Someone who isn't emotionally invested."
"No, Sir-"
"It was me." JJ said quickly. "I struggled with some of the things he was saying, he was... taunting."
Fickler fixed his judgemental gaze on her.
"That is what these men will do, Agent Jareau. They will play games and get under your skin. If you cannot see past that as a profiler, perhaps the BAU may not be the best place for you."
They all looked at him in shock, mouths dropping open.
"No, Sir." JJ said shakily. "I understand that. It won't happen again."
He stood, looking at them expectantly. After a moment he spoke. "Well, what are you waiting for?"
JJ looked at Prentiss. "Come on, Emily."
Prentiss looked at her with concern then they both left the room, manoeuvring awkwardly around the man who refused to move from his spot near the door.
Prentiss whispered to her. "You don't have to do this, you know."
JJ's gaze hardened. "Yes, I do."
Hotch stood in the doorway of Reid's room, watching the younger man sitting in his chair, staring out the window. The bruises on his face were finally starting to fade and the bandage had now been removed from his hand revealing the harsh looking stitches underneath. Reid looked completely lost in his thoughts. His chin rested in the palm of his hand and damp, curling hair hung down in front of his face. The nurses had obviously managed to convince him to take a shower. That was a good sign at least.
Pippa had told him that Reid had been stable since he came out of his psychotic episode, but he'd been exceptionally quiet. He had only spoken with Morgan, who hadn't been gone for long. Since he left, Reid hadn't spoken a single word. They didn't know if it was a protest about Morgan leaving, embarrassment or just a coping mechanism. And he certainly wasn't willing to tell them. She asked Hotch to see if he could get any communication out of him. With the news he was delivering, he suspected he might.
"Reid." Hotch said gently, moving into the room slightly. Reid didn't respond. He moved further into the room, watching his young colleague carefully. "Reid?" He said, slightly louder.
This time Reid blinked a couple of times, clearing his thoughts and turned to Hotch. He smiled a little upon seeing his boss.
"How are you?" Hotch asked gently, pulling a chair opposite and sitting down.
Reid looked back out of the window and furrowed his brows then nodded.
"Morgan says you want to go to the arraignment." He said, his voice sounded concerned. "Are you sure that's what you want?"
Reid turned and looked at him, his eyes flashing with frustration.
"I've just had this conversation with Morgan." He said flatly.
Hotch was relieved to hear his voice. But the downside meant he was intentionally not interacting with the very people who were supposed to be helping him.
"I know. He called me."
"Then you should know better than to try and change my mind." Reid said coldly.
"I'm not going to try and change your mind, Reid... I'm just worried about you, that's all." He said softly.
Reid rolled his eyes slightly.
"I just don't want it to make you unwell again." They both knew what he meant by 'unwell'.
"Hotch, this is something I need to do, okay? I don't expect anyone to understand it or support it. I just need you to accept it." He said firmly.
Hotch gave a tight-lipped smile. "Okay." He replied. "It's your decision."
They sat in silence for a good minute as Reid stared out of the window again. Hotch's mind drifted to the things Richards had said and a shiver ran down his spine. Looking at Reid sat in front of him, as unwell as he was, the thought of that plan coming to fruition made him feel nauseous. He knew that if it came down to choosing between keeping Jack safe and hurting Reid, then hurting Reid would be the only option. And the thought of what he would have had to have done to him made him want to cry. Things would never have been the same again. As much as he tried to stop, he couldn't help his thoughts examining the what ifs. A bit like people staring at a car accident. He didn't want to think about it, but he was too horrified to stop.
Reid was now looking at him curiously.
"What's wrong?" He asked, his face flushing slightly.
Hotch snapped himself out of his thoughts and shook his head. "Nothing." He said quickly. "Sorry."
"Hotch." Reid said knowingly. He automatically knew these days when people were holding things back from him. The look on their faces was sadly familiar.
Hotch cleared his throat. He had no intention of ever telling Reid about the plans to abuse him once again.
"I have some news." Hotch said carefully.
Reid swallowed and nodded. "Go on."
"Bill, Alan and Ellis have received their arraignment dates. They are in two weeks."
Reid looked as though all the blood drained out of his face.
"Together?" He asked quietly and hopefully.
"No, separately." Hotch said disappointedly.
Reid's jaw tensed and he looked back out of the window. "Okay." He said simply.
Hotch frowned and sat forward slightly. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah." Reid answered quickly.
"You don't have to-"
"Don't." Reid said forcefully, shaking his head. He stood up. "I'm going to the bathroom." He turned away from Hotch and left the room.
Hotch rubbed his eyes with his hand. Reid clearly wasn't okay. No one would be. But once again, Reid's pride was running the show. Hotch didn't want to see him break down, but he also didn't want him to push himself too far. And Maloney's arraignment was going to be difficult enough. Facing the three men who had actually raped him was going to be horrendous. He could only hope Reid's strength would hold out.
Prentiss and JJ once again sat opposite Richards. They were ten minutes in to another unpleasant interrogation. JJ had her hands tightly clasped under the table, trying to remain calm. As usual, Prentiss was faring much better, casually keeping the conversation flowing.
"Your tattoo." Prentiss said, pointing to the man's neck. "What does it mean?"
Richards shrugged. "No idea."
"What do you mean, 'no idea'? It's on your neck, how can you have no idea?" She said skeptically.
"It was something I was told to get." He said simply.
"Who told you to get it?"
"Maloney. He brought the design and I got it done."
Prentiss smiled disbelievingly. "Marshall, you're an intelligent man. I can see that. Do you really expect me to believe that Maloney came to you with a tattoo design and you didn't ask what it meant?"
Richards smirked back. "Compliment me all you want. It doesn't change the fact that I don't know."
Prentiss exchanged a look with JJ.
"What do you think it means?" JJ asked curiously.
"Collateral."
"Collateral?" She asked, her brows furrowing.
"Makes us easily identifiable if they needed to throw us under the bus. Tests our loyalty. Anyone who refuses disappears. That kind of thing." He said casually.
"And that didn't bother you?" JJ asked with a frown.
"Why would it? I wasn't going anywhere. I had a good deal."
"You do realise that you were being controlled just like the victims, don't you?" JJ said.
Richards stared hard at her for a few moments. "What part of this are you not understanding? It's a quid pro quo deal that ultimately benefitted me. I got paid, I got to do everything I ever wanted to do with the whores they sent my way. I had free reign. Even the camera shows were designed by McDonald and I."
"So Seth didn't give you instructions for those?"
Richards laughed. "No. Only for your friend and that was just a case of 'find a way in and make the kid suck off the older one'. Oh, and tattoo them. That was Maloney's special little touch, I think. Everything else was our design. That's why they paid us the big bucks."
JJ found her jaw tensing again and her chest fluttered. Thankfully Prentiss spoke up instead.
"And exactly how much did you get paid?"
"Between us, we got a 20% cut on the streaming. And trust me, with audience numbers like your boy drew in, that was a lot of money."
"On average, how many people would watch the live streams?" Prentiss asked, ignoring his constant references to Reid.
"Across the world? There could be as many as 2000."
Their mouths dropped open. "Are you serious?"
He nodded, his eyes amused by their reactions. "A lot weren't American. We had a lot of viewers from Russia, China, some across Europe. The majority would be silent participants. They might partake in votes in the chat but that's it. Only a handful would ever actually speak. I suppose a lot of them couldn't even speak English." He chuckled. "I suppose what we do though can be translated into any language."
"How much would you make out of a show with 2000 viewers?"
"Masochistic Mike brought in the most viewers on a regular basis. I never got the appeal myself, but he was popular because he would do anything they told him to. We got the drugs just right. I would regularly get $15,000 from one of his shows. We wouldn't make him perform daily though. We kept him as a 'special'. The others would do less stuff but we'd have them do it daily. They didn't bring as much in. They would have a live hour every day but it was tame. We monitored it carefully."
Prentiss scoffed slightly at that.
"Despite what you may think, I'm not in the business of wearing out the product. Your boy was an exception because he was a one-off. A 'once in a lifetime' kind of deal, so we made the most of him. Cain would have really worn him in if we'd had more time." He winked. "He brought in around 1800 people that day. It would have been higher if we'd had more chance to advertise. But it happened quickly, so a missed opportunity there, I guess."
"1800 people watched them?" JJ gasped.
"1804 to be precise." Looking at the shock on JJ's face, he chuckled again. "What? Most of them aren't even from the area. It's not like he's going to fall over them in the street." He teased.
JJ's face flashed angrily again.
"Most of them? So some of them are local?" Prentiss asked with intrigue.
"I assume so. I know some of them have made use of the 'in person' services."
Prentiss lifted her eyebrows. "And can you tell us who they are?"
"I deal with the streaming and videos. That side of it isn't my business. Online everyone is anonymous. I could see their bookings if I wanted to, but it wasn't something I paid attention to. I don't give a shit who they are." He shrugged carelessly.
"As long as they're paying, right?" Prentiss said dryly.
"Right." Richards agreed firmly.
Prentiss picked up a piece of paper from the table and read it. "Your background before this was in technology?"
"Yeah." He said, not expanding further.
"Did you set up the website?"
"No, it was already established when I joined."
"And when was that?"
Richards didn't answer.
Prentiss looked at the sheet again. "You ran a tech company until mid 2010 right?.. So when did you join the ring?"
"December."
"And the website was already set up, you say. Do you know who runs it?" Prentiss asked.
"Nope." He said simply.
"So let me get this straight. You're a Tech Specialist, but you have no idea about how the website is run?" She asked skeptically.
"I didn't say that, did I? You asked me if I know who runs it. I don't."
JJ rolled her eyes. "So, what do you actually know?"
"The host is overseas. It's not run from this country. I'm guessing Russia. My permissions allowed for posting of media to the site, that's all. I used it for what I need to use it for and that was that."
"You didn't shut the site down?" Prentiss asked.
"Nope."
"Were they making a new site?"
"I dunno. With you guys squeezing us like you have been it wouldn't surprise me. I was waiting to hear, just like you. Seth will be glad he did when he finds out about all these raids. Nothing more off putting than seeing the FBI come crashing through the door on a 24/7 live stream. He'd have no customers left."
Prentiss and JJ looked at each other suddenly. Prentiss nodded and stood up.
"Okay, that's all for now."
"You gonna charge me or what?" Richards asked impatiently.
Prentiss smiled. "Oh yeah, we're gonna charge you, Marshall. The list is being compiled as we speak. Wouldn't want to miss anything." She turned and moved towards the door.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" He smiled, opening up the file on the table and pulling out a picture of his bedroom wall.
JJ's eyes widened and she went to snatch it back but he pulled it away, turning it to show her.
"Can I keep this?" He said with a salacious smile. Unsurprisingly it was the section of photos containing Reid.
JJ grabbed the photo away from him and quickly tucked it back into the file and put it to her chest.
Richards laughed. "You really need to lighten up." He said, smiling at JJ.
"Oh, I will. When I see you get locked away for the rest of your life, I'll be the first one laughing." She snapped back.
Richards smiled back.
"Gotta get your boy to trial first... tick tock."
JJ and Prentiss' eyes opened wide. "Were you told to say that?" Prentiss asked.
A dark expression had overtaken the man's face and he dropped his gaze away from the two women, clasping his hands in front of him on the table.
"Marshall?" Prentiss tried again.
He simply mimed locking his lips with a key and throwing it over his shoulder. He was now completely silent.
"Marshall? Were you told to say that?!" Prentiss asked in frustration.
The man completely ignored her. She looked to JJ and rolled her eyes. This guy clearly enjoyed the torment as much as Maloney had when she went to see him.
"Come on, JJ. Looks like we're done here." She said coldly.
They turned and left the room.
The second they were outside Prentiss closed the door and spoke quietly. "You know, he's right. The last thing that Seth would want is for the FBI to be seen raiding a property on live video footage. So don't you think it's weird that just a few hours before the raids take place, the website goes offline?"
JJ frowned. "He probably learned about us raiding the motel and the casino. We knew he would."
"Maybe." Prentiss said. "But it's one hell of a leap from that to shutting down the whole site... unless he knew."
JJ's mouth dropped open. "He knew about the raids on the houses."
Prentiss' lips tightened.
"Where would that have even come from?" JJ asked worriedly.
Prentiss dropped her voice even further. "Fickler was aware we were looking into the houses. If that got back to Wilks..."
"Wilks seems more and more guilty by the day." JJ said grimly.
Prentiss simply hummed and headed back to the conference room with JJ in tow.
Reid stood in the bathroom, hands resting on the sink. He stared at himself in the mirror through his damp hair. He barely recognised himself anymore.
His skin was grey, his eyes looked sunken in and haunted and his usually slim face appeared almost skeletal. His cheekbones protruded, not helped by the bruises still marring his face.
Even when he'd been at the height of his addiction, he hadn't looked this bad. The face staring back at him was the face of someone who was severely unwell.
He pushed a hand through his hair, they were once again shaking.
"Come on, not again." He whispered to himself as he felt a fluttering in his chest and throat. His anxiety was rising. He felt sweat breaking out in his hairline and a heat running up his spine. He closed his eyes, taking some deep breaths and bowed his head over the sink, resting his head onto his fists.
"Please, no. Just stop." He whispered again. He couldn't keep doing this. It was exhausting him. He already felt like his legs could barely support him. For the first time he realised just how underweight he was. It was amazing that he hadn't already collapsed from malnourishment.
The news of three more arraignments was not welcome. Dealing with Maloney's impending arraignment was causing enough stress as it was. To have three more dates thrown on top of him felt suffocating. He knew they were coming, but his mind had been so focused on Maloney he'd practically ignored the other three men, finding it too hard to consider them. If he even imagined their faces, he'd be right back in his bedroom with them.
Then Peters and Langley, no, McDonald and Richards were in custody, which would bring yet another set of arraignments and potential trials. It was too much. Everything was just too much. It was going to go on forever, like some never-ending nightmare.
His breathing was coming fast and heavy and his vision swayed. He ran the cold tap and splashed some water onto his face trying to ground himself as his anxiety began to overwhelm him.
How was he supposed to get through all of this? How was he supposed to face them after everything? To sit there with his colleagues, his family and be strong when he had shown himself to be so weak? Everyone was going to see just how weak he is. What if he can't control his panic? What if he has a flashback?... What if Maloney gets bail?
Suddenly a hot burning sensation flooded his throat and he was collapsing onto the floor and crawling to the toilet as his stomach churned. The cramps instantly had sweat pouring down his face. His empty stomach clenched harshly and he groaned in pain as pure bile erupted from him with a force that left him gasping. The taste alone made him retch even more. Tears streamed down his cheeks as his muscles clenched over and over, allowing his stomach to expel any remaining liquids. He moaned and coughed harshly as the final remnants left his body. Despite there being nothing left to expel, his throat still gagged, convinced there was more to come.
There was a gentle knock at the door.
"Reid?" Hotch's soft voice spoke from the other side.
Reid reached up and flushed the toilet. His body was violently shivering and he was freezing cold. He fell back against the wall of the bathroom and moaned as his stomach finally started to settle.
"Reid?"
"I'm okay." He croaked, wincing as he did. He certainly didn't sound it.
"Can I come in?"
"Hmm." Reid hummed, hoping Hotch would hear him. He didn't want Hotch to see him like this, but he didn't have the energy to protest right now. He rested his head back against the cool tiles and closed his eyes. He heard Hotch unlocking the door from the outside. All the doors in the facility were unlockable at any point for safety reasons, so even if Reid had protested, he was sure Hotch would have made use of that functionality regardless.
The door pulled open and Hotch looked down at the young man slumped against the wall. His arms were flopped down into his lap and his legs were extended out straight across the floor. He was barely sitting up straight.
Hotch was straight onto his knees next to him.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah." Reid answered hoarsely.
"Were you sick?" Hotch asked, concern lacing his voice.
"Mm-hmm." Reid nodded lazily.
Hotch observed Reid for a few moments. He was shaking like a leaf and his teeth chattered but sweat was pouring down his face.
"I'll be right back." Hotch said gently. Reid barely registered him leaving. The next minute he was back and wetting a face cloth in cold water. He knelt down next to Reid and dabbed his face with it.
Reid breathed out in relief as the wet towel was patted onto his skin. Hotch frowned.
"Better?"
Reid nodded. Hotch grabbed him as he started to slide sideways down the wall.
"Reid, you're falling asleep. Come on, let's get you back to your room." Hotch was regretting telling him about the arraignments. He should have known better when he was yet to get through Maloney's.
Reid moaned slightly, clearly not keen on the idea of getting to his feet.
"Come on." Hotch said again, grabbing Reid by the arm and wrapping it around his shoulders. He put his own arm around Reid's back and under his other arm. "Reid, can you bring your knees up for me and we'll get you to your feet?"
Reid obeyed and planted his feet on the ground. He made little effort to do much else. He felt like a wrung-out rag. Hotch expected it to be a lot more difficult to get the young man up to standing, but he was troublingly light. In one swift motion, he lifted him and the next second Reid was swaying on unsteady and shaking legs.
Hotch moved his arm down to around Reid's waist and kept his arm around his shoulders to keep him upright, holding onto his hand.
"Okay, Reid. Can you walk with me?"
"Mm-hmm." Reid said, his head dropping to rest on Hotch's chest. He slumped into the man.
"Reid, I need you to actually stand up." He said firmly, trying to straighten the younger man up.
Despite Reid's light weight, he was not proving easy to manoeuvre. He shuffled out of the bathroom with him. As they moved, Reid seemed to pull himself together somewhat. Hotch could feel the weight lifting slightly and Reid's arm around his shoulders didn't feel quite so lifeless. He could still feel him shivering and his t-shirt felt wet where his hand grabbed him on his waist. Through the shirt, Reid's ribs protruded and Hotch was careful not to grab him too tightly, nervous of hurting his frail frame.
He manoeuvred him across the hall and back to his bedroom.
"Okay, we're nearly there." Hotch said reassuringly. One final shuffle got Reid to the bed where Hotch sat him down carefully. Reid's head leaned against Hotch's side as he took some deep breaths in and out.
A strong shiver ran up Reid's body and his teeth were chattering again. He rubbed his arms to try and get some warmth back into himself. They both knew it was from the sickness and the anxiety. Reid could still feel the nervous fluttering in his chest and throat, but as much as he hated to admit it, the violent sickness had relieved it somewhat. Almost like a purge.
"Let's get you a fresh t-shirt. You'll catch your death in that one. Its soaking." Hotch said, gently prying Reid's head away from him, making him sit up. Reid's eyes closed as he took some more deep breaths, the nausea sweeping up his body again in waves.
Looking to the bedside table, Hotch spotted the ball and picked it up, placing it in Reid's palm and wrapping his fingers around it. As expected, Reid started fidgeting with it instantly, rolling it around and tracing his thumb over the shapes.
Hotch grabbed a sweater from one of the drawers and moved back towards him.
"Reid, can I change your t-shirt? This is dry and warm."
"I'll do it." He said, his words almost slurring. He was slumping forwards again as if dropping off to sleep.
Hotch furrowed his brows. This didn't seem normal.
Reid started pulling at his t-shirt, not making much progress with removing it. He got it as far as his chest before his hands dropped back down into his lap, seemingly giving up.
"Here, let me." Hotch gently grabbed the top and pulled it upwards and over Reid's head. Before removing it completely, he slipped the sweater over his head so he didn't feel completely exposed. Hotch was sure he'd had more than enough of being in that position.
Hotch pulled the t-shirt free from Reid's arms and then helped him to flop his arms into the sweater. Much like he would with Jack when he was a baby, guiding his hands through the sleeves. When a thread caught on one of Reid's stitches, he hissed slightly and Hotch sucked in a breath through his teeth.
"Sorry." He said guiltily.
Once Reid was re-dressed in something dry, Hotch reached across the bed and grabbed the fleecy blanket, wrapping it around his shoulders.
"Feel better?" He asked, taking in how pale and worn-out Reid looked. Seeing him right now, it would be a miracle if he even made it to the arraignment on Friday. He'd seen healthier looking cadavers in his time.
Reid nodded, his eyes slipping open for a few moments to give Hotch a small smile.
"Thank you." He said weakly.
"Okay, lie down, Reid. Get some rest." He gently guided him down onto his side on the bed and lifted his legs up, tucking him under the sheet.
"Are you leaving?" Reid asked in a meek voice.
"Not if you don't want me to." Hotch said as he pulled the sheet over his shoulders and tucked it in around him like a safe cocoon. "Do you want me to stay?"
Reid hummed again and nodded, already seeming like he was well on his way to sleep.
"Okay." Hotch pulled a chair up to the side of the bed and sat down. Just as he thought Reid was drifting off, the young man spoke.
"Hotch?"
"Yes?" He answered questioningly.
"Why aren't you at work?" Reid's croaky voice asked.
Hotch's felt his heart jump into his throat. He should have known that nothing gets past Reid. Even in this state.
Before he had the opportunity to come up with a convincing explanation, he heard soft mewling sounds coming from Reid's lips. He'd dropped off to sleep. Breathing a sigh of relief, Hotch sat back in his chair and rested his head back, watching as a peaceful expression finally overtook the soft features in front of him. He smiled a little and stroked a hair out of Reid's face, much like he would with Jack when he was sleeping.
Looking at Reid like that made him even more determined to fight against the suspension and be reinstated. He couldn't sit back and do nothing. The men that had done this to his young friend deserved to pay for what they'd done, and he wanted to be there when they did. If it was the last thing he ever did, he would see them all charged and put away for the rest of their lives. And whoever was leaking the information would regret the day they ever decided to get involved.
Laura entered the ward and approached the nurse's desk.
"Good evening." She flashed her FBI badge. "I'm here to speak with Grant Foster. Could you please tell me where he is?"
The nurse weighed up her and down for a few moments then stood from the desk.
"I will take you to him, but I must warn you, he's going through withdrawal and has experienced a lot of trauma, so please don't push him."
"I understand. My specialty is sex crimes, so I understand what I'm dealing with."
The nurse looked at her skeptically and nodded. She led Laura to the man's room and knocked on the door.
"Grant? There's someone from the FBI here to see you."
Laura smiled gently as she took in the sight of the man in front of her. Grant Foster was a 29 year-old man who prior to being taken by the sex ring had been working as a prostitute to cover the costs of his drug addiction. He had a previous arrest for solicitation and possession of heroin back in 2009. He had escaped with a suspended sentence and a fine. It seemed his life prior to his involvement with the sex ring had not exactly been easy.
He had lost his partner, Ben at the age of 19 and seemingly descended into drug addiction from there. From then on, he had been jumping from one job to another, from couch to couch, eventually sleeping rough.
"Hi, Grant" Laura approached the bed slowly. The man was sweating profusely. The drugs he had been kept under control with were obviously leaving his system, all they left behind was a shaking and sweating mess.
Grant didn't answer, instead looking frustrated at her presence.
"I'm Laura Hall, with the FBI. I'm not here to take a statement. I just would like to ask you some questions, if that's okay?"
Grant closed his eyes. His jaw tensed as he ground his teeth.
"If you must."
"Thank you." She said kindly. "I would like to ask you about how you ended up at the house you were found in today."
"Drugs." He said, his voice shaking. He behaved like he was in pain with every word he spoke. His withdrawal was severe. Laura knew she would need to be very careful not to work him up too much or it could prove dangerous.
"Drugs?" She asked curiously.
"I met a guy... I thought he was a friend... he gave me drugs." He took a few deep, shaking breaths as he ground his teeth again.
"Where did you meet him?"
"A bar." The man closed his eyes again. "Donovan's."
"Okay. And what was his name?" She asked softly.
"Daniel."
"Daniel Harris?" She raised her eyebrows.
"Yes." He answered, his tone sharp due to discomfort.
"And he was the one who introduced you to the trafficking ring?"
Grant nodded.
"Okay." Laura paused for a moment. "Did he ever assault you?"
"No..." Grant laughed despite his discomfort. "I offered him sex... for the drugs... he didn't... want it... he had... a boyfriend."
"He did?"
Grant nodded again.
"Okay..." Laura said thoughtfully. "So, the day you were taken, what happened?"
"He took me to meet a friend." He put his hand to his eyes for a moment and squeezed the bridge of his nose as he clearly tried to organise his thoughts. "Michael." He said suddenly.
"Michael Phillips?" She asked.
"Don't know." He said shaking his head. "I was knocked out..." His breathing started to become laboured then he pointed to the side table. "Bowl." He said urgently.
Laura's brows furrowed and she looked at him in confusion.
"Bowl!" He repeated urgently, his face going completely pale.
Looking around quickly, she spotted a sick bowl on the table and realised that was what he was referring to. She grabbed it and pushed it in his direction.
He was suddenly retching over the bowl. His body was shaking violently.
"It's okay." Laura said comfortingly, pressing the buzzer.
The next moment the nurse entered the room.
"Could you step outside please?" She said firmly to Laura. She nodded and left the room.
She stood outside and rested her back against the wall and sighed.
JJ and Prentiss stood looking at Cain McDonald through the one way mirror. JJ was taking some deep calming breaths and Prentiss was watching the man's body language. He was sat fiddling with his hands on the table in front of him. He had been waiting in the interrogation room for hours now. An intentional tactic by the team to set him on edge and also punish him. They had no intentions of going gently on these men.
He looked irritated. Which only served to tell Prentiss that he deemed himself important enough to not warrant a long wait to be spoken to. That suggested ego and narcissism. They had also been told that he'd been particularly sharp with the agents coming in to provide him with refreshments. The worse he got, the longer Prentiss wanted to leave him. They could have opted to speak with him before returning to Richards, but often a pissed off suspect has looser lips than a calm one.
She turned to JJ.
"You okay?" She asked supportively.
JJ sighed dramatically. "Yeah. This is not what I signed up for though, you know." She said with a hint of dry humour.
"You're doing great. Reid will be proud of you."
JJ's eyes stung with tears and she blinked them away. That was what she had to remember. They were doing this for Reid. No matter what she heard, she had to keep her cool.
"Are you ready?" Prentiss asked with a squeeze to her younger colleague's shoulder.
"No." But JJ turned to move anyway.
Prentiss understood her meaning.
They entered the room and McDonald glared at them, the frustration clear in his demeanour.
"About time." He muttered as he saw them enter. "Or are you here to offer me another coffee?"
Prentiss just smirked at the man and sat down in the chair opposite him.
"Your coffee tastes like shit." He snapped.
"I'll make sure to pass that on to facilities. The quality of the coffee for suspects is one of their top priorities." Prentiss answered dryly.
McDonald's lip twitched in irritation.
"To confirm, you have been read and understand your rights and do not wish to have an attorney present before speaking with us?" JJ spoke, her voice cool and emotionless.
"I confirm." He nodded. The man was clearly unhappy. Being sat there for that long had done a number on his mood.
"Okay. Cain, you're in a lot of trouble here. You're looking at charges for human trafficking, sexual assault, aggravated assault, false imprisonment and the production and distribution of videos containing non-consensual activity." Prentiss said strongly.
McDonald scoffed. "Is that it?"
"Is that not enough?" JJ answered.
"If you're expecting me to break down and cry, Agents, you've got the wrong man."
"And why is that?" Prentiss asked curiously.
"Because I just don't care."
"Cain, you are looking at whole life sentences here." She said skeptically.
He shrugged. "It was only ever going to end one of two ways. Like this, or dead."
"For most people that would be enough of a deterrent for them not to get involved in something like this."
He frowned. "I'm not most people." He said darkly.
Prentiss cleared her throat as a shiver ran down her spine.
"And Marshall. Is he like you? Doesn't care?" She asked.
"You would have to ask him." His tone was cold and emotionless. Unfortunately the long wait hadn't quite riled him up the way they had hoped.
"You've known him a long time, haven't you? You used to work together?" JJ asked.
He didn't answer.
Prentiss looked to JJ. "You know what always confuses me? How exactly do you start a conversation with someone about sexually assaulting people? How do they even find out that it's something they both want to do. Like, if it was something I wanted to do, I'd never turn to you and say, 'hey, would you fancy going out on Friday and raping someone'. I mean, how does that even happen?"
JJ nodded. "Yeah, you'd be too scared I would look at you like you were crazy."
Cain smirked. "That's because you don't truly know each other. You don't know how to read between the lines."
"That's what you and Marshall did, 'read between the lines'?" Prentiss said, sounding intrigued.
He leaned forward, his hands still clasped in front of him. JJ hated to think about what those hands had done to people.
"Yes." He said simply.
"I would love to hear how it came about. I'm fascinated by stuff like this." Prentiss was always skilled at playing the fangirl and appealing to the ego of these men.
If she had pegged him right, McDonald was even more of a narcissist than Richards.
He smiled a little. "We were listening to the radio one day and there was a story about a Milwaukee trafficking ring being sentenced to a combined 1000 years. I expected him to say it was disgusting. But all he said was 'that's one way of making a lot of money'. Anyone else would have seen it as a joke. But I knew better. That's when I knew he had the same disease as me."
"That's an interesting choice of word: 'disease'."
"What else would you call it? I'm clearly not like other people. I'm not stupid enough to think that everyone else has thoughts like I do."
"The word disease though, typically conjures up negative connotations. Is that how you feel about it? Like it's something you wish you could be rid of?" Prentiss asked.
He smiled knowingly. It was clear he knew what she was trying to do. "It's just a way of describing it to people who don't understand it. Nothing more."
"Have you ever tried to stop?" JJ asked.
"Why would I?" He looked almost confused by the question.
"Because you are hurting people. And typically that's not what people want to do."
He furrowed his brows.
"You are making the assumption that I feel anything for the men I play with. I don't. They are nothing to me. Just tools. They can cry, beg, plead, it makes no difference. I enjoy it more in fact. In those moments, they are mine to do what I want with. What they want doesn't matter. They can fight, but I'll always come out on top."
"And you think that's okay?" JJ said with disgust.
"I'm not going to insult your intelligence, or mine, by pretending that I think it's normal."
"So, what? You don't even try to resist it?" JJ snapped.
"Why would I? I enjoy it." He said simply.
"You completely destroyed our friend. And that's all you have to say?" JJ was losing her cool again.
"That's all I have to say... oh, and he was fun." He didn't smile or make any kind of big gesture. Which made it all the more disturbing to hear.
"Fun?" JJ looked at him completely disgusted. No matter how many times she met with men like this, she would always be shocked and horrified. There was no softening the blow.
"Yes, fun. Would you like me to be more specific?" He asked dryly. When JJ turned her face away, he continued. "He got this little defiant look in his eye that I really enjoyed knocking out of him. It was fun watching him fight against our hands to try and stop himself from becoming turned on, but in the end, he was the same as them all. Nothing more than a whore. His moans were... something else... Oh, and the whimpers. Only he does those. They have become very popular on the website-"
"Okay, that's enough." Prentiss said firmly.
He continued forcefully, still emotionless.
"You want to know if I feel bad about it? I don't. I enjoyed it, I would do it again. Bring him in here right now and I would do it in front of you. And neither one of you could stop me." He said almost robotically. The lack of emotion was chilling.
JJ paled. She was clearly struggling again.
"So, now you've satisfied your morbid curiosity, we've established I don't give a shit about either of you, your feelings or the Fucktoy's, what do you actually want? What is it that you haven't got from the others that you want to learn from me?" He asked coolly, his eyes squinting as though he was weighing them up.
Prentiss stared back at him hard for a few moments. This man was very different to Richards. He wasn't a performer. It made sense that Richards would take the lead role in the videos. He was much more of a showman than McDonald. But she suspected McDonald was absolutely the more sadistic of the two when it came down to it.
"Seth." Prentiss said firmly.
"Of course." He said dryly with a tight unamused smile. "Can't help you there. Next question."
Prentiss gave him a skeptical look. "Come on, a man like you doesn't know who he's working for? I find that hard to believe. You seem the type who would want to weigh up all the variables before getting involved in something."
McDonald smiled a little. "Flattery... Agent Prentiss, you're going to have people talking."
She grimaced at him, the thought made her skin crawl. That was the first smile she had seen out of him. It looked almost wrong on his face.
"The only person I had to worry about was John Maloney. And I knew I could trust him with my life."
"Maloney is a friend of yours?" JJ asked curiously.
"He is indeed. He brought me in to this whole thing. Made sure I got the money I asked for. Of course, he's not made some of the best decisions, but he acts on impulse. He doesn't quite have the same control of his... urges. Makes him a bit unpredictable at times. He's the most dangerous guy I know, because he simply doesn't give a shit."
Prentiss and JJ exchanged a glance.
"Yes, that is a warning. If you want to keep Fucktoy safe, never let that man out. Johnny is ruthless. And that's coming from me. He'll have that kid chained and trained within a week. And you'll never see him again. He won't know anything but sex and pain for the rest of his life. Death would be a mercy to him." He said apathetically.
JJ sat back in her chair as the warning hit home, she felt sick.
"How did you meet Maloney?" Prentiss asked, ignoring his veiled threat.
"We used to go to the same BDSM club in Charlottesville. It was all above board. We got to talking and it seemed we both had a need for... 'darker' experiences. Johnny told me that he had access to men I could try these things out with. So I took him up on the offer. I paid him $500 for an hour with one of his whores. Some guy called James. He was alright, but I've had better since. I saw James a few times before Maloney asked me to get involved. He learned about my interest in videography and I had the idea for the live streams. It was an obvious way of making money without even having to move them around. I brought in Marshall, and as they say, the rest is history."
Prentiss nodded. "Right. So you would consider Maloney a good friend?"
"Yes." He said strongly.
"And he never told you who is running the organisation? That seems a little strange if you were as close as you claim." Prentiss said skeptically.
"That's the way it is. It's Johnny's insurance. He ain't giving that up for anything."
"What do you mean, his insurance?" JJ asked.
McDonald tilted his head at JJ as if the answer was obvious.
"He's not stupid. He knows that if he's the only one who knows then it puts him in a pretty important position and makes him the go-between for the ring. It makes him pretty indispensable."
"You sound like you admire him." JJ said coldly, noting his tone.
McDonald shrugged. "What can I say? He's been quite the influence on me. I was his right-hand man for a while before I focused more on the filming. I was supposed to be joining Bill, Alan and Ellis that day, you know." He gave a dark smirk. "Join... and film, of course. But I was out of state when they finally did it. Such a shame."
JJ glared at him. "You're sick."
He shrugged. "Takes all sorts to make a world. If we were all the same it would be very dull." He said with a hint of amusement. He looked to Prentiss. "Johnny was disappointed I couldn't make it. He really wanted it filming. But from what I hear he got his revenge."
"Revenge?" Prentiss quirked an eyebrow.
"For Paul's death. Didn't really make sense to me, as Johnny couldn't stand Paul. But I guess family is family."
"Paul as in John Maloney's brother."
"Yeah. Paul was a screw up. Between him and Jason, they fucked up the whole operation by doing what they did. So Johnny got in front of it."
Prentiss scoffed. "It certainly doesn't look that way to me. He's been locked up ever since."
McDonald smiled slightly. "You're assuming that wasn't his plan all along."
JJ shook her head. "You really do have a bad case of hero worship."
He shrugged nonchalantly. "Believe what you like. I know the guy. If you underestimate him, then it will be your mistake."
"I can imagine Maloney taunting the FBI didn't go down well with Seth. Is that why he wanted to be arrested?" Prentiss kept moving the conversation along.
"I'm not saying he wanted to be arrested. What he wanted was to take that kid and keep him for himself. But Johnny knows what he's doing. Seth trust him to manage this. Do you really think they would keep sending guys like us your way if they didn't?"
Prentiss furrowed her brows. "They?"
McDonalds lips tightened for a moment and then he sighed. "Yes, they."
"So Seth isn't one man..." Prentiss said in realisation, looking at JJ.
"It's not a guarantee. I just know Johnny would slip and say them/they from time to time. So I've always seen Seth as a group, rather than an individual."
Prentiss closed her eyes. This complicated matters no end.
"That isn't what you wanted to hear." He said plainly.
"Since Maloney was arrested, Seth has been giving the orders?" Prentiss asked quickly., not wanting the man to see the worry his words had created.
"Who else?" McDonald said simply.
"So, Seth ordered you to stalk Agent Hotchner's son?" Prentiss asked.
McDonald chuckled at that. "I didn't stalk him, Agent Prentiss. I have a life, and following some snot nosed kid to the park is not on my list of priorities."
"We all know what your priorities are." JJ sniped.
McDonald just quirked an eyebrow at her.
"So, if you didn't do it, who did?" Prentiss interjected.
"They have some private investigator. He works on their behalf. A guy called Tom. That's all I know about him."
"Have you met him?"
"Nope. Like a lot of people in this organisation, he's protected. He does his job, leaves the photos wherever they need to be left and goes back to work. Very efficient guy... If it is a guy. Could be a woman for all I know." He shrugged again.
"But you were going to kidnap his son?" Prentiss asked.
"Not me, no. Myself and Richards were going to deal with the boss and the Fucktoy."
JJ rolled her eyes at the name. She was getting seriously angry with their lack of respect for Reid. As if he hadn't suffered enough, to hear them just blatantly talking about him like he was some object for their satisfaction, it made her blood boil.
"Agent Reid is his name." JJ said sternly. "He has one, so use it."
McDonald just glared at her, a darkness overtaking his features. A shiver ran down JJ's spine.
"Fucktoy... and his boss were to be brought to us at the house."
JJ stood from the table pushing her chair out loudly. She'd taken all she could. She headed towards the exit and left the room, slamming the door behind her.
McDonald frowned at Prentiss.
"Something I said?"
Prentiss met his gaze unflinchingly, determined not to be knocked off kilter by the man.
"Continue."
"We had the attic set up. There was going to be a live feed of his son and the Aunt being fed into the room. If Agent Hotchner didn't do as we told him, then his precious son would suffer the consequences."
"You would really have done that to a child?" Prentiss raised her eyebrows.
"Everyone knew it wouldn't get that far. Agent Hotchner would have been torturing and fucking him before the 5-minute countdown was up."
Prentiss winced at the thought. "Why?"
McDonald shook his head as if he didn't understand the question.
"Why would Seth order that? What possible purpose does it serve?"
"Beats me." He shrugged. "I just follow orders."
Prentiss smirked at him. "No you don't. You're too calculated to 'just follow orders'. You practically said it yourself. I know the videos, the live feeds, the assault on Agent Reid and Agent Rossi... they were all yours and Richards' design. You wouldn't do anything unless you thought it served a purpose. You know what the purpose is and you know exactly how to make it the most horrific and degrading scenario you can think of."
He smiled at her. "You're a clever woman, Emily Prentiss."
"Then treat me like one." She said firmly.
"They know this ship is going down. They're going to take you all with it. You're the only ones who have ever gotten this close."
"That's only because Maloney decided to attack Reid. Otherwise we wouldn't have even been involved. Nick Field was leading the investigation and he was on the inside anyway."
"Hmm, when you put it like that, it's a mystery." He said casually.
Prentiss rolled her eyes slightly.
"If I told you it was all about money, would you believe me?"
Prentiss squinted her eyes at the man.
"They've made a fortune with Fucktoy's footage. Turns out torture porn is a real turn on and he suffers beautifully. You guys are just... collateral. And he suffers more when you are involved. Johnny figured that one out when Agent Morgan unexpectedly showed up. It makes them money and takes you out one by one. So when they set up elsewhere, your team won't even be allowed to investigate. If any of you were still capable of even working by the end of it... Of course, this is just my theory. What do I know?"
He sat back in his chair and stared hard at Prentiss. She shifted uncomfortably under his intense gaze.
"You know a lot more than you are making out. I'm starting to see that."
"I know what I have told you. I have no reason to protect Seth. My loyalties are with Johnny. He didn't execute 30 men just to save his own skin."
"No, but he is pushing for WITSEC on the assurance that he will give up Seth."
McDonald raised his eyebrows.
"You seem surprised by that." Prentiss said with intrigue.
"Johnny never fails to surprise me. WITSEC just doesn't seem very... Johnny."
"And what does that mean?"
"He's a free spirit. He likes to live life by his rules. Starting a new life as John Smith working in the local factory doesn't seem very... him."
"He obviously feels boxed in." Prentiss said, trying to understand what the man was getting at.
"Maybe so." He shrugged. "I think I'll take that attorney now." He looked away from her in a disregarding fashion.
Prentiss' jaw tightened. This interrogation really hadn't gotten them much further. Seth was proving impossible to figure out and it was beginning to frustrate her.
"If you bring in an attorney now, they will simply stop you from talking to us." She said warningly.
"I've nothing more to say to you." He clasped his hands together again on the table in front of him.
"Cain, you can help us with this investigation. Imagine how that would look in court. It would almost certainly reduce your sentence if you provide us with information that will bring this whole operation down.
He just looked at her, tight-lipped and defiant. He said nothing.
Prentiss sighed. "Fine. Have it your way."
She stood and moved herself towards the door, she stopped just shy of opening it. "You know, you like to think you're important in all of this, but really all you are is a pawn in a much larger game."
"I'm important to you though, aren't I? You guys want to nail me so bad that you're sat here focusing on me when you really should be getting Fucktoy prepared for his little date on Friday. If I'm right, it's going to be one hell of a day. Tick tock."
Prentiss stared at the man. Those two words were haunting them. Teasing them. Making them feel nothing but powerless. Her jaw clenched and she left the room. She found JJ stood on the opposite side of the mirrored window, face in her hands and tears streaming down her cheeks.
"I'm sorry." She said shamefully. "I'm really struggling with this."
Prentiss put her arm around her. "Hey, it's okay. You don't have to apologise to me."
"You're so much stronger than I am, Em. Just hearing him talk about Spence like that, it breaks me. I can't get the vision of those men all over him out of my head. I could go in there and shoot him in the head." She said darkly.
Prentiss squeezed her shoulder.
"I know. They really are some sick individuals."
"The things they have done to him, and then they sit there and talk about him like he's a piece of meat or some sort of... well, fuck toy for them to have fun with. I just... I can't do it. It's Spence, you know. Our sweet, caring and gentle Spence. I see him playing with Henry, or dressed up for Halloween like an excited kid or with that embarrassed smile on his face when one of us gives him a hug. I just, I can't- I can't see him like... that." She broke down and Prentiss pulled her into a hug.
"I know, Jayje. I know." Prentiss' eyes welled up at her friend's words. She had been doing her absolute best to remain focused and to detach her emotions from the situation. But hearing JJ's words just reminded her of all the things she loves about Reid. And why this was so horrifyingly difficult to come to terms with.
"Is everything alright?"
Once again, Fickler was stood at the door and invading their personal moments of grief.
JJ jumped slightly, quickly wiping the tears away from her eyes and self-consciously turning away from the man.
"Yeah. Just a tough day." Prentiss said, her gaze shifting away from the man, expecting some reprimand to come their way.
He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.
"Look, I do understand how difficult all of this is for you. I apologise for making you feel like you can't show your emotions. The pressure of this investigation is weighing down on us and we are all feeling it. Myself included." He said with a sigh. "All I want is to get these men on as many charges as we can and see them locked away for the rest of their lives. And I can tend to be a hard ass about it." He said with a small smile.
Prentiss looked at him in surprise and JJ turned eyeing the man carefully.
"I apologise for any insensitivity. It has been a long day for us all and I think we are all due a break. Agent Wilks has had no success with the other men. They have all called in their Attorneys. Interrogations are continuing in West Virginia and they are finding much of the same. Agent Hall has spoken with two of the victims and they are keen to press charges against Maloney, McDonald and Richards. The charges are piling up but they can wait until tomorrow. Go home and get some rest."
Prentiss nodded her head in agreement. She'd really had enough of today.
"Thank you, Sir. We appreciate that."
JJ wiped her face again and gave a small smile. She appeared grateful too. They were all running on fumes.
Fickler went to leave the room when Prentiss frowned a little.
"Sir? Agent Hall called you?"
"Yes. I asked her to. You might be interested to know that the victims in the McDonald and Richards household were all led into it by Jason Turner. I wish that bastard was here so we could charge him."
JJ scowled. "Don't we all." She said dryly.
Fickler gave a tight-lipped smile and nodded, going to leave the room. "Oh." He stopped in the doorway. "Take your analyst home too. She's 90% coffee right now." He shook his head.
"Yes, Sir." Prentiss answered in the usual tone she used with her superiors. She glanced to JJ who appeared relieved to be given a reprieve.
When they turned back, Fickler was gone.
Garcia sat next to Reid's bed staring at his pale and thin face. She had tears running down her cheeks. She held his hand tightly in hers. It felt like forever since she had seen him properly. The job had been all consuming recently, but Reid had been on her mind constantly. And it wasn't surprising. She had seen more of him on video over the last few days than she had seen of him in person for weeks. And the Reid she saw on video did not make for pleasant viewing.
When Fickler ordered her to take a break, as much as she was angry with the man, she had to admit, she was grateful to him. She would have kept going if she had to, but her ability to focus was suffering. By the time she left, all she wanted to do was come to the hospital and see Reid.
Since she saw the video of him and Rossi, he'd haunted her dreams. His cries, useless pleas, pained moans and gasps had run on a loop in her head for days. The dreams were the worst as she would see the videos replaying, but they would be live in front of her and she couldn't do anything to help him, no matter how much she reached out to him.
She squeezed his hand unconsciously. It was a relief to see him in the flesh. It was the only true reassurance she had that he was safe.
Hotch had told her about his earlier visit and the side effects from the drugs and his psychotic episode. They expected him to be very tired for the rest of the night, but she didn't care. As long as he was in front of her and she could touch him and feel the warmth of his skin, she was satisfied.
He moaned a little in his sleep, shifting his head slightly, his brows furrowing as if he was uncomfortable. She had been warned that if he had any bad dreams or flashbacks whilst she was there to call in a nurse. She watched him carefully for a minute but he didn't seem to shift again.
Looking at him, she just couldn't picture him making it to the arraignment. He looked so unwell. Like someone suffering from a debilitating disease that ravaged the person's body. He was so thin, it made her gasp when she entered the room. Even under the sheets she could feel the bones from his hips and ribs. He clearly wasn't eating enough, which was hardly surprising. He didn't exactly get much chance with everything that had happened recently. He could barely gain a foothold before he was yanked off the wall again. But his appearance was concerning. She could only hope that once Maloney's arraignment was over it would give him the opportunity to truly focus on his recovery.
She felt his hand squeeze hers and she looked up to see two brown eyes staring at her.
She smiled with a small surprised laugh.
"Hey, you." She said, wiping her cheeks dry.
"You've been crying." Reid said, frowning a little. "Are you okay?"
She picked up his hand and kissed it. "Just missed my Junior G-Man, that's all."
Reid gave a small smile. "I've missed you too."
"It is so, so good to see you." She said emotionally. "How are you?"
Reid grimaced a little and answered honestly. "I've been better."
Garcia nodded, a small amused breath leaving her lips.
Reid let go of her hand to push himself up in the bed to a sitting position. Garcia was instantly up and readjusting his pillows. When she was done, she placed a small kiss on his head.
"Comfy?" She asked kindly.
"Yeah. Thank you."
Garcia sat back down and took his hand again. They sat in silence for a while. The silence hung in the air. There were so many things to be said, so much that didn't need to be and even more neither of them wanted to discuss.
"You look exhausted." Reid finally settled on. His face was filled with concern.
"Well, thank you very much, Dr. Reid. That's just what a girl likes to hear." She joked, feigning offence.
Reid's eyes bulged slightly in horror. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."
Garcia smiled to herself. Somethings never changed.
"Reid, I was joking." She said softly, squeezing his hand.
Reid instantly looked relieved and a little embarrassed that he'd missed the intonation.
"I am exhausted." She said with a sigh. "It's been a busy week."
"I'm sorry." He said knowingly.
Garcia quirked an eyebrow at him.
"Why on earth are you sorry?"
"This is all because of me. If all of this had never happened, none of you would be working this case. Things would be normal."
Garcia's mouth dropped open for a second unsure of what to say. None of this was his fault, of course. But telling him how little control he'd had in it all didn't feel like the wisest move either. So she opted for humour.
"When are things at the BAU ever normal?" She smiled.
This earned her an amused huff from her younger colleague.
"True." He conceded. He licked his lips for a moment, a clear indicator that he was going to say something he wasn't sure about. "Something is going on, isn't it? With Hotch and Morgan."
Garcia frowned at him slightly, her chest tightening.
"What do you mean?" She asked innocently. She was under strict instructions not to stress Reid out by mentioning the suspension and resignation.
"They were both here today when they should have been working. The team has made major arrests but they both had the time to come here." He looked at her appraisingly.
She instantly recognised the look in his eyes. He was searching for tells in her body language. She relaxed back into the chair and smiled, shaking her head.
"There is nothing to worry about, Reid. They just wanted to see you." She said reassuringly.
"You're lying. What's happened?"
She tried to remain calm. "Honestly... nothing."
"You never sit back in a chair like that. Your hands are always fidgeting, but you've kept them uncharacteristically still. And your carotid sped up the second I asked the question. All clear signs of deception."
Her mouth dropped open again, then it snapped shut.
"Damn you profilers." She said under her breath.
"Garcia." Reid said pointedly, his eyes expectant. He wasn't messing around .
"Fine." She said sulkily. "Hotch has been suspended by Director Fickler and Morgan was so angry about it that he ended up resigning."
Reid's eyes opened wide. "What?!" He exclaimed in shock. "Morgan resigned? Wha- why?"
"We think there is still a leak and we think it's Director Fickler's favourite agent, Wilks. He suspended Hotch when the houses were raided-"
"And he didn't tell Fickler." Reid said in understanding.
Garcia smiled. "That grey matter still works as fast, I see."
Reid ignored her joke and continued. "But Morgan resigned?"
"He told Fickler he didn't want to work for the Bureau if it meant putting the Director's orders above protecting victims..." She trailed off as she saw Reid's mood drop.
"This is a mess. And it's all my fault."
"No, Reid. No it's not. This ring existed before you even became involved. You can't blame yourself."
"But it's not a case the BAU would ever have touched, Garcia! They're only involved because of me! And now Hotch is suspended and Morgan doesn't have a job."
"The Assistant Director is supporting them. Rossi thinks that they will be reinstated by the end of the week. He's taking it to the board."
"Garcia, the Director is head of the board."
"I know that, smarty pants. But if there is enough backlash from it, which Stubbs is going to stir up, then he's sure he can get them back. And Strauss too."
Reid looked at her in shock. "Strauss is gone?"
She closed her eyes, annoyed with herself.
"You didn't know." She said to herself almost. "Um, yeah, she was suspended too. A few days ago."
"What for?!"
"The raids on the casino and the motel. She didn't follow Director's protocol either."
Reid just shook his head in despair.
"No, no, no. Don't look like that." She said, grabbing his hand quickly. "It will all be okay. I promise you. Everything will work itself out."
Reid closed his eyes and when he opened them his eyes had flooded with tears.
"Oh no, don't get upset." Garcia said gently, standing up and pulling him into a hug. "Come here. The last thing I wanted to do was upset you." She stroked his head.
"I'm okay." He said, his voice breaking slightly.
She released him from the hug and took his face into her hands and spoke softly. "You need to focus on yourself, okay? You've got a big day coming up and worrying about what's going on at the BAU isn't going to help. Let us worry about that and you focus on yourself."
He looked at her and nodded, a tear escaped his eye and she wiped it away with her thumb then kissed him on the cheek.
"Oh, I could just eat you all up." She joked, kissing his cheeks again, then his forehead then growled a little pretending to chomp on his cheek.
Reid pulled away and laughed a little, his cheeks flushing.
"You wouldn't get much of a meal out of me at the moment. I'd be more of a snack." He said dryly.
Garcia sat back down and looked at him knowingly.
"Have you been eating?" One look at him told her the answer to that question, but she would give him the respect of not making an assumption.
"Not much." He sighed. "I can't stomach it."
"You're going to make yourself ill." She said, like a stern teacher telling off a pupil. "Is there nothing you think you could eat that you would enjoy?"
Reid looked thoughtful for a few moments, clearly taking his head through the options available to him, then his face paled and he put his hand to his mouth.
"Not that I can think of."
"What about snacks? Like nuts? Or chips?"
Reid furrowed his brows. "Hmm, maybe."
"Well it just so happens that I did a little bit of shopping before I came here." She smirked and grabbed a bag from the floor. It was full to the brim. She plonked it down on Reid's lap.
"Oh wow, a little shopping? Looks like you bought the whole store!"
"I wanted you to have options." She smiled, looking proud of herself.
Reid looked through the bag, it was chock full with packets of mostly nuts, trail mix and seeds.
"All filled with lots of protein and calories. Just what you need. I thought if you were struggling with meals then something smaller and less daunting might help." She smiled.
Reid reached in and pulled out a bag of cashews. "I love these." He said with a small smile.
Garcia practically beamed at him.
"Thank you, Penelope." He said with a small and genuine smile. "This must have cost you a fortune."
"You're worth it." She smiled.
"I can give you the money-"
"Now you're ruining it." Garcia said, her eyebrows furrowing. "Just let me do something nice for you."
"Okay." Reid said, the smile graced his lips again.
He opened the bag of cashews, not sure how his body was going to react. His mind was struggling with the concept of putting anything in his mouth. Brushing his teeth was difficult and automatically made him gag. Utensils such as spoons and forks took his head back to closing his lips around unwanted intrusions. Even the feeling of food in his mouth was unwelcome and he became instantly desperate to spit it out. It was a severe aversion and if he didn't fight it, he would end up anorexic. If he wasn't already.
He grabbed a cashew and looked at it for a few moments. His anxiety fluttered in his chest. The next second, he took it into his mouth. He paused, trying to figure out how he felt about it.
Garcia watched him carefully. She always knew that Reid had his aversions, particularly with some types of food. Mostly relating to textures and smells. If he couldn't find something he liked on a menu, he would rather go without than force himself to eat something he didn't want to. And it was a well-known fact that Reid was always closer to being underweight than anything else. But to watch him have to weigh up the prospect of eating one of his favourite foods was upsetting. His sensory issues had obviously worsened since his attacks. It made her angry and sad in equal measure.
Suddenly he started chewing, the next second, he swallowed and then reached into the bag again for another. Garcia's face filled with relief and she broke out into a large grin.
"Good?" She asked hopefully.
Reid nodded. "Good." He confirmed.
She sighed with relief. "Well there's more where they came from."
"Garcia, it'll take me a year to get through all that." He scoffed.
"Not if I have anything to do with it." She said almost threateningly.
Reid smiled, taking more nuts from the bag.
"I love you. You know that don't you?" Garcia said gently.
Reid smiled. "I know." He said quietly. "I love you too."
There was a knock on Fickler's door and he looked up. He had a temporary office set up in Quantico for the time being whilst he oversaw the investigation. He was busy filling out charges for the men involved in the ring. Normally such a task would be well beneath his level of responsibility, but with the BAU and sex crimes in the state they were, it was all hands to the grind for now.
Fickler saw an unhappy Stubbs standing in his doorway.
"Chris. I thought you were in Pittsburgh?" Fickler said, a hint of anger in his voice.
Stubbs entered the office and closed the door behind him.
"I was, until there were more pressing matters here." Stubbs said coolly.
"More pressing matters." Fickler repeated, knowing where the man was heading with this.
"Like our depleted BAU team for one. Jack, what on earth are you doing?"
Fickler's jaw tightened. Being called out on his decisions was not something he was used to. Although it wasn't the first time Stubbs had stepped over this line during his career.
"They were under direct orders to send all developments through me. How am I supposed to manage this mess if I'm not being kept in the loop?" He said, the frustration building in his voice.
"The BAU were working directly with me to minimise the risks of a leak. On review we felt that it was the best chance we had at ensuring these raids were successful. And you cannot argue with the results, Jack."
"Perhaps you should have been suspended too." Fickler said, almost childishly.
Stubbs moved towards the man's desk and sat down opposite him. "Jack, this isn't like you. You don't normally let ego get in the way of what is best for the Bureau."
Fickler eyes the man carefully. "This isn't about ego, Chris."
"Of course not." Stubbs said skeptically.
"It is about managing a situation that has been getting more and more dire by the day."
"And your way of managing that is dismantling the only team that is getting results? We have a clear leak and to me it looks like you're protecting the wrong person."
Fickler looked at him for a few moments. "Agent Wilks is not the leak."
"You are so confident in that yet we have a team of BAU profilers and their section chief disagreeing with you."
"Yet you are so confident that the leak isn't coming from within the BAU."
Stubbs' mouth dropped open for a moment. "You think someone from the BAU is responsible for this?"
"I find it hard to believe that the possibility hasn't even been considered." Fickler said simply.
"And I find it hard to believe that you are considering it. The BAU is one of the jewels in the crown of the FBI. The people we have there are the best in the world at what they do-"
"That doesn't mean anything, Chris. Look at Nick Field."
Stubbs shook his head in disbelief. "You truly believe that Aaron Hotchner would do all of this to one of his own agents?"
"I don't know!" Fickler snapped. "Someone is doing it! And I'm trying to get to the bottom of who it is. I've fed Wilks multiple lines of misinformation and it's never come out the other end."
"I had not been made aware of that."
Fickler cleared his throat. "It was for my own assurances. If the leak knew I'd officially eliminated Wilks from my suspect list, then they might get scared and go underground. Then we'd never know who it is."
"So it's not only the BAU that have been withholding information then."
Fickler sighed and Stubbs leaned forward imploringly.
"You're working towards the same goal but you're all working against each other. This cannot continue, and the board agrees. Jack, if you don't bring back Agents Hotchner, Morgan, Rossi and Chief Strauss, there will be a letter of no confidence heading to the Senate and the President by the end of the week."
Fickler stared hard at the man. "You really want a shot at my job, don't you."
"This isn't about career advancement, Jack. This is about bringing this trafficking ring to an end and the best people to do that are the BAU. They have already proven that. And the board believes so too."
Fickler sighed and shuffled some of the papers on his desk. He was clearly feeling uncomfortable now.
Stubbs softened his voice. "Jack, I'm here to support you whenever you need it. These past few months have been tough, but you needn't handle it alone. We both want what is best for the Bureau, and right now, that's the BAU on this case. With both of us overseeing the operation and Strauss overseeing the BAU, I'm certain we can bring this all to an end. But we have to work together. Not against each other."
Fickler closed his eyes for a moment and then nodded.
"Okay... you are right. On reflection, I think there has been too much emotional involvement across the board from all parties. Myself included.".
"So you will reinstate them?"
"Yes." He said simply. "Tell them to come back in tomorrow. Agent Hotchner and Agent Morgan can take the new charges to Maloney. I know they will appreciate that." His lips tightened.
Stubbs nodded. "I'm sure they will... Will you be going to the arraignment on Friday?"
Fickler shook his head. "No, someone needs to be here. I felt it best to give them their space with everything that has happened to Agent Reid."
Stubbs nodded in agreement. "I thought the same. I will be heading back to Pittsburgh in the morning."
"How are the interviews with the victims going?" Fickler asked.
"Slow but steady. We've managed to take a few full statements so far. Some are communicative, others are too traumatised. It will take time, but we've got our best agents from sex crimes working on it."
Fickler shook his head in despair. "Over a hundred victims. A hundred lives just torn to pieces. It doesn't bear thinking about."
"I know. But with any luck, they will get the justice they deserve... All of them."
"I hope you are right." Fickler said. "Because if Maloney has to get WITSEC in order for that to happen, I'm not sure we'll have a BAU team willing to work anymore." Fickler said with a slight grimace.
"Fingers crossed." Stubbs said hopefully.