𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐄 ━━ 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴

⠀⠀𝟬𝟵. ❛ HE HAUNTS ME ❜

     After changing, I used the bathroom for the first time in hours and shoved my other clothes in the plastic bag. Unlocking the stall, I could feel Agent Jareau's eyes locked on my figure as I began washing my hands. "Have you been completely honest with us?" she asked as I dried my hands off with a towel.

     Tossing the paper towel into the trash can right below the dispenser, I nodded. "Yes. I have nothing to lose; therefore, lying would be useless. There would be no purpose behind the lie." I said, adjusting the beanie as I held eye contact with her through the mirror. "I am aware that none of you trust me, aside from Spencer; I haven't given any of you a real reason to place any sort of trust in me. And there is no part of me that expects any of you to. Trust is a fickle thing, and I know all too well how it works. It's earned, not given."

     At the sound of the brown-haired man's name, Jareau raised her brows. "Spencer?" she asked suspiciously.

     "He told me to call him that." I shrugged, turning to face her as she frowned, the gears turning in her brain.

     "How did you earn his trust?"

     "I don't know." I immediately responded back, and I barely winced as a piercing pain struck my side.

     The door to the women's restroom opened, and Blake walked in with her brows raised. "Ready to go?" she asked, and Jareau reluctantly nodded as she pried her eyes away from me. The moment both agents' gazes were moved, I clenched my teeth together and rubbed my temple in an attempt to ease the pain that'd spread up to my head.

     Noticing that the two women had begun walking out of the bathroom, I dropped my arm and ignored the spreading pain as I hurried to catch up to them. It was time to suck it up, ignore the pain, and be the ruthless, emotionless, and merciless Cara Valentine that everyone knew me to be. Playing this version of myself was more than second nature, and I was more than good at being her. I was fantastic at it. Cara Valentine was the woman that no one reckoned with and didn't dare piss off. I was trained and groomed for over a decade; I was taught by the best, and therefore, I was the best.

     I followed behind the two agents into a large room and my eyes swept around before landing on two glass boards towards the back. There was an array of photographs, receipts, and documents plastered to them, as well as a series of lines connecting particular pieces. Coming to a stop right in front of the cherrywood conference table, my gaze landed on a security footage screenshot that had me in it. It was taken a couple of nights ago, across the street from the abandoned apartment complex I'd been arrested at.

     "Valentine," the Unit Chief spoke sternly, and my eyes snapped to his stone-cold face. "When we leave this building, you are to obey every command I give you. You are not to escape or try to harm anyone. If you do, we will have to use lethal force to apprehend you. Am I clear?"

     "Crystal," I responded blandly.

     "Reid and Morgan, I want the two of you to escort Valentine out of the building; make sure you're right behind me. Blake, JJ, Rossi, stay behind them and keep an eye out. We can't have anything go wrong." Hotch instructed, and everyone nodded in agreement. Sighing silently, I couldn't help but feel a sinking, gut-wrenching tightening in my chest. Something wasn't right. My eyes shot back to the boards in mindless thought, not noticing the fact that the BAU team had started to walk away. Something about all of this isn't right. I didn't know what it was, but I could feel it.

     "Cara," Blake called out, and I hesitantly held my gaze on the boards for a moment before I tore my eyes away. Turning on my heel, I walked to catch up with the team. All of whom were watching me.