Lucky Strike

Chapter 9

tw// gun violence

Hotch calls everyone into the conference room so the team can give the profile.

"We believe we are dealing with two unsubs. Our prime suspects are two wives who live downtown. They will seem like normal, everyday people. They are upper-to-middle class with one spouse providing for the household while the other stays at home with the children. They are heavily involved in the community, most likely because it gives them access to children", Hotch says.

"Since no bodies have ever been found or traces of dump sites, we have reason to believe that they are being sold into sex trafficking", Morgan adds.

"We may not be able to save the previous victims, but we can prevent any more children from being taken. Cases like these are rarely casualty free, but we make every effort to save as many as we can", Emily speaks up from her place near the evidence board.

"Everyone suit up, we will be going to the residence shortly." Hotch collects his loose files and walks out of the room, Dave in tow.

JJ calls me over and gives me a quick rundown of the procedure for being in the field. She hands me an FBI vest that fits me properly. She asks me to spin for her so she can check the straps along the sides and back.

"Is it weird that this is doing it for me?", she laughs.

"Maybe Hotch will let me keep it", I say with a playful wink.

Everyone files out of the station and divides into three groups. I am in the car with Morgan and Emily, and I convince Morgan to sit in the back so I can talk to Emily in the front.

"I don't like to be excluded from girl talk, ladies", Derek says.

"It's not girl talk. We're just having a conversation that doesn't revolve around you", I say.

The three of us go back and forth until we reach the location. Hotch ordered us not to park in front of the house, so Emily parks the car down the street. We start walking down the shoulder of the road and Morgan has to remind me to have my gun at the ready.

Maybe Spencer was right...

We meet the others in the driveway of the house. Reid and I are told to go around the back of the house, something he was excited about, while Emily and Dave take the right. I can hear Hotch bang on the door before a loud crash.

Spencer and I go running for the back door and enter with ease since it was unlocked. We make our way to the basement, which is more of a dark hallway. Spencer and I split up, him going into the corner with a pile of boxes while I went into an appliance closet.

While I shuffle through the boxes in the closet, I read a yell which is quickly followed by a deafening gunshot. I rush out and see a blonde woman that I recognize as one of the unsubs standing over Spencer with her gun drawn.

I point my gun at her and pull the trigger with my eyes closed, hitting her in the thigh, before rushing over to Spencer. He is laying on his back against the cinderblock wall.

"Reid, are you okay?", I ask.

"Yeah, it got the vest", he says, coughing.

"Can you get up?" He nods and I help him to his feet. I call for Hotch and he comes running down the stairs. He holds onto Spencer and helps him get up the stairs, leaving me alone with the woman.

The medics come down the stairs and put the woman on a stretcher and I follow them back up the stairs. I find Spencer sitting in the grass outside, his hand over his chest and his vest now on the ground next to him.

"You're welcome for saving your ass", I say, sitting next to him.

"You got lucky. You didn't even aim the fucking gun", he says.

"I should've let you die", I say, rolling my eyes.

"Yeah, maybe you should've", he agrees.

I stand up and brush the grass clippings from my knees. I turn to walk away, but Spencer reaches out his hand and wraps it around my ankle, stopping me.

"Come to my hotel room tonight", he says.

"Uh... why?"

"There's something I want to show you."