Soaring Through the Sky - Spencer Reid

we'll meet again

   "It's nice to meet you."

   "Tell me a little bit about yourself. Do you really have 3 Ph.D.s?"

   "Yes, yeah--I do."

   "What was your favorite book that you read last year?"

   "Honestly, I've never read a book I didn't love." 

   "Tell me about your wife."

   Spencer fell silent, gulping nervously as Cat rested her chin on her hand and stared at him. Her eyes were dark and intense, Spencer feeling as though they were staring straight into his soul. He furrowed his eyebrows and glanced around the room.

   "If you don't mind, I'd rather not talk about her," he said, his voice low. 

   "Might as well get it out in the open, right?" Cat grinned. "How long have you been married?"

   "4 years. 5 this June."

   Cat nodded, "When is she due to give birth?"

   "Uh--a couple of--a couple of months. Should we talk about a price now?"

   "Slow down, tiger. What exactly are we negotiating here? I want to hear you say it."

   Spencer cleared his throat and leaned in closer, "To have her killed." 

   He hesitated to make eye contact with the woman in front of him, eventually pulling himself together and doing it. She bit down on her bottom lip and smiled. Spencer could see the evil hidden in her eyes. It was obvious. 

   "Let me see your ring," she said.

   Spencer held out his hand, flashing his gold ring as Cat stared at it intensely. She narrowed her eyes before looking back up at Spencer. Her eyes trailed down Spencer's body, allowing herself to lean in closer to catch a quick glimpse of his gun holster. She backed up in her seat, opening her bag and pulling out her own gun underneath the table. 

   "I'm not stupid," she hissed as Spencer frowned, realizing that he had fallen into her trap. "Why are we here, Spencer?"

   "We're here because you belong to a network of 4 hitmen who've been operating in the shadows of the internet," Spencer said, letting himself give up his act. "You're known as Miss .45. My team and I have been hunting you for months and I knew that if I boxed you in, I could arrest you with as little resistance as possible." 

   "Your team being the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI? You guys are good. You're the only ones that got close to us. Do you know why I'm so good at my job?"

   "Because you kill without compunction or remorse."

   "That only gets a girl so far in life. It's because I think through every potential outcome and then I plan accordingly. You see, I didn't walk into your trap. You walked into mine."

*          *           *

WEEKS EARLIER

   "A hitman network?" Bella asked, furrowing her eyebrows. "Penelope is being targeted by a hitman network?" 

   Spencer fixed his tie, "Apparently."

   "Well, I've got to get down there."

   "Hey, hey, hey, you're supposed to be resting."

   Spencer stopped Bella from getting out of bed, forcing her to sit back down. She huffed, sitting back in bed with an annoyed expression on her face. Spencer couldn't help but chuckle, patting her cheek before continuing to get dressed.