Nicotine // Aaron Hotchner

Trente-trois

With that Aaron walked out of her office and back into the elevator. His mission now was to confront Clyde Easter. Prentiss had communicated with the man directly after the incident. The man said that they had nothing else on the man. Aaron knew he was lying. Why else would he he here if he wasn't?

Aaron confidently walked into his office. The blinds were closed just as he had left them earlier. Clyde Easter was looking around at the photos he had of Jack. One frame in particular was in his hand. It was a photo of him, Jack, and Victoria. Takuma had taken it on one of their many trips to the zoo.

Aaron closed the door and Clyde said, "Why am I not surprised she got close to you?" Aaron took a seat at his desk as he observed the man. "You know, she's always liked men in suits."

"Why are you here Mr. Easter?" Aaron kept his tone serious and calm. The man was trying to get under his skin.

"Because you've missed the obvious Agent Hotchner." Clyde took a seat. "It's been staring in your face. The phone number she left you was mine. The text I sent was for your team. Not her."

"You knew this was going to happen."

"We knew James Moriarty was going to go after her. That is true, but we also know his number."

Aaron glared at him. "Does this mean we have open channels for sharing information Mr. Easter?"

"Tsk tsk tsk, it does not. We all have our secrets. I'm just here to ensure you don't dive too deep into what you shouldn't." It was obvious that the man before him was a narcissist. It was obvious Clyde loved a good old fashioned power play. "And before you say you don't need any help I have a peace offering." Clyde slipped an envelope onto the table. Aaron took it. "It contains all known aliases that James and Victoria have used. You are familiar with protocol if an agent is in danger."

Aaron nodded. "I always wondered if she had an escape plan."

"Well she does along with enough cash to disappear. But let's not contemplate that. What's important is that I've tracked James all the way to New Orleans using one of these aliases."

"How do we know this isn't a trap?"

Clyde laughed, "Honey the only reason Victoria and I are still alive is because we assume everything is a trap."

He didn't like the way the man said her name. Like there had been something between them. The way the letters left his mouth it was as if he was fantasizing about something from long ago. One thing was for certain, Clyde Easter was not to be trusted.

"Don't call me honey."

Clyde shook his head playfully. "You have no idea who you are dealing with."

"Then stop being a condescending jackass and tell me," Aaron snapped. "We are wasting time."

Clyde sighed. "Fine but I'll give you a piece of advice. Be careful with her, love, she will do what it takes to survive." Aaron shook off his warning. It was ridiculous. "Oh come on, don't you see it? She went back with him at the first opportunity."

"She did it because she realized that if she didn't then Morgan wouldn't have made it out alive," Aaron reasoned. He knew it was because she didn't want Morgan to get hurt. Well they beat him up anyway, but it was nothing compared to what could have happened. She was held at gunpoint and didn't flinch. 

Clyde just sat there smugly. "Whatever helps you sleep at night. I take it she and your son get along well. She loves kids but you probably already know that."

"How is this relevant to the case?" The fact that the man tried to pry into his private life infuriated him. How dare he walk into his office and command orders.