Holding on (a Criminal Minds Fanfiction)

Chapter 5: Hotch's Pov

Michael Lawson was the man we had to try and find, and find out if he was working with anyone or if there were anyone else who was holding a grudge against Detective Edwards, Garcia was trying to find whatever she could dig up on him, but there wasn't much to go off of, I watched at all the detectives and officers in the building was doing everything they could to try and find them it took less than a week to find out where he was working. He worked at a liquor store, JJ, Derek, and I, ran out to get in the cars, it was a quick trip he happened to be working that day, he tried to run, but we were able to catch up to him before he got too far. We handcuffed him and walked him into the precinct, Emily and Aiden were sitting in the one room with Garcia, Aiden must have seen us walking him in and he ran out of the room, "Where are they? Huh, you think you're so tough, preying on children!" Emily was holding him back from attacking Michael.

JJ and I went in to question the suspect, "Where are the girls, Michael? What did you do with them?"

"I don't have to answer any of your questions. I want a lawyer." As soon as he said that we stopped questioning him, we couldn't afford to let anything go wrong with this case. It was a long drawn out process, but eventually there was a deal on the table, so he was willing to tell us some stuff. "I worked with 2 other guys, but after they were taken, they left, I haven't heard anything from them, the girls are in a cabin about 45 minutes from here, Detective Edwards deserves this after what happened to my brother."

We walked out back out of the room and Edwards and Prentiss were standing there. "I'm going." Was all he said, "He said nobody else was there please, I need to go get them."

"If he's going, I'm going." Emily chimed in.

"Prentiss no, you are too attached to this case."

"Hotch, I have to go, I need to be there to make sure they get out safe, please." It took her a while to convince me that this was a good idea, but I finally agreed that it would be best if they went in to rescue the 3 young girls. We all hopped into the cars and sped to where he had said they were being kept.

Rossi, Morgan, JJ, Reid, and I made the decision to stay outside and not to rush in, 2 other officers went in with Prentiss and Edwards, we all waited for what seemed like hours, but about a half hour after they went in we saw the 2 officers come out with the 3 girls, the youngest was clinging to her older sister. JJ ran up to them to make sure they were alright. "Hi, I'm JJ work with Emily, we're going to get you 3 to a hospital to make sure everything is alright." I overheard her say, she wrapped her arm around the Chloe, Ava still clinging to Nicole.

"Where is Agent Prentiss and Detective Edwards?" I asked the 2 officers who came out.

"They told us to get the girls out of the cabin, and that they would be right behind us." The one officer said.

"They said they were going to be checking to make sure that nobody else was in the cabin." There was an ambulance waiting to take the girls to the hospital, their mother was waiting for the girls at the hospital and awaiting the call that they were alright. As we were loading the girls up into the hospital, we heard 5-gun shots.