Truth and Lies

Chapter 33

** Hotch's POV **

"We've got an address." I told the team after calling Garcia.

She found the warehouse that Anna described, and we were about to head off. Dave was staying with Anna, and Morgan, Reid, Alex and I piled into the SUV. 

"I hope they're okay." Reid said.

"Honestly, Reid, I'm just hoping they're alive." Morgan sighed from the back.

"We need to keep it quiet, they could have more victims in there." I said.

"From the addresses in Anna's journals, I'm guessing at least 300 or so girls, and that's just from one book." Alex added.

"What about JJ's baby?" Reid suddenly remembered.

After that, nobody dared to say anything. We all prayed silently as I drove to the warehouse in the suburbs.

** JJ's POV **

Angus was slowly massaging my ankles, which had swelled up so much. Elle was sitting beside me, her hand instinctively protecting my belly.

"How long is it now?"

"Just another month or so, I'd guess." I said, not really sure.

"Do you want a boy or a girl?" Elle asked.

"Well, I've always wanted boys, but I wouldn't mind. I just want my baby to be happy and healthy." I answered.

A loud clang from a distant room made us all stop. Then came the rapid gunfire. Angus sprung into action.

"No, don't. It's not safe, Angus." I pleaded, but he drew a gun from his waist and left anyways.

Elle was trying to calm me down but I started crying hysterically.

"He'll be okay, JJ." She repeated.

More gunshots. Screams. My screams. Elle's shouts. Crying. Yelling.

Wait.

Someone yelled my name. Then Elle's. Then Emily's.

"JJ?" I heard it again.

A man with curly hair wearing a tie and sweater vest came into view. 

"JJ, oh my god, what happened?"

I backed away and hunched my knees up, protecting my stomach, and Elle stood in front of me. 

"JJ, it's me. It's Reid."

"Go away. I want Angus." I said stubbornly, refusing to look at him.

He said something and a moment later, two other men walked in, guns drawn. The guns scared me, I didn't want them to hurt my baby.

"JJ? Elle? Reid, what's going on?"

"Hotch, they're not coming. They don't recognize us."

"What do you mean?" 

"Look, the body language says everything." 

The tall man in a black suit stared, and I felt rather uncomfortable.

"Where's Angus?" I asked again.

Nobody said anything. A darker man in a blue shirt and cargo pants approached me, and Elle shifted herself so she was still in front of me.

"Leave us alone." She hissed.

"Girls, where's Emily?"

When he said Emily's name, I remembered what Angus said.

"I'll be seeing her in a month. Just leave. We don't need you."

They talked among themselves, and Elle wrapped her arms around me.

"Elle." I said quietly. "Who are they?"

"I don't know, JJ."

"I want Angus."

When I said that, I started to feel a strange sensation in my stomach. It was painful, and I wanted it to stop. I started to scream, calling for Angus as I gripped the sheets.

Elle looked worried and she stood up, inspecting my stomach.

"JJ, I think you're going into labour." She said.

"What? I can't be. It's too soon."

"I don't know what's happening." Elle started to panic.

"Elle..." I said faintly, the world started to spin.

** Hotch's POV **

"I don't understand what's going on. They don't know what's happening?"

A sudden scream distracted us, and we saw JJ and Elle shouting and crying.

"JJ? What is it?" I rushed inside, and saw her eyelids fluttering and she was starting to sweat. 

"Elle? Elle, do you know what's going on?" I asked her.

She just broke down crying, asking for help.

"Call an ambulance." I yelled to Morgan and Reid, and attempted to look into JJ's eyes.

Her hand was covering her stomach, and I knew that something was wrong with the baby. She was in pain, and there was blood running down her leg.

"Where's the ambulance!" I shouted again.

It finally arrived, and JJ and Elle were both taken to the hospital. We weren't allowed to ride with either, as they had denied our access.

"We'll meet them there." I said as the ambulance drove away.

"Hotch, Angus is in custody, along with another man. They ain't talking." Morgan said.

"Right, well we'll take them back to Quantico."

"Emily wasn't there, but there were hundreds of other girls. Hotch, we can't take them all to hospital."

"So what are you suggesting?" I asked him.

"I don't know, Hotch. But none of them want to talk to us. They're all huddled together in one big room, after we got them out of their cages."

"I can't believe that we didn't see this before." I sighed. "We're supposed to keep these women safe."

"Hotch, what are we going to do?"

"Morgan, I honestly don't know. One of the officers can keep an eye on them, whilst we go to the hospital. Maybe Elle and JJ can talk to them, if they're feeling up to it."

"You want to bring them back here? Hotch, we just got them out."

"Well, if you have any ideas, let me know." I finally lost it and walked away from Morgan.

I felt bad, but I had anger building up after what these men did to the women. I couldn't help it.

"I'll stay with them. They'd feel safer with a woman." Alex offered.

"Right. Okay. Morgan, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me." 

He nodded in recognition as we climbed into the SUV, Reid sitting in the back.

"Let's go and find out how they're doing."