XLVIII

"Ah, Vinny, my boy," I moved into the room calmly, clutching a file folder to my chest as I smiled. By now it'd been hours since our last encounter and while I was still fuming from his words I'd also had a lot of time to think things through. By now the rest of the team had arrived, informing me I was indeed right; the address we were given was a dud. Despite my lack of surprise the carelessness of his tactic only fuelled my anger, making the conversation that was about to happen a satisfying one.


I sat down slowly and slid the file his way, widening my smile once I saw confusion overtake his face. "Open it up," I said, nodding confidently.


Reluctantly, he did as I said, moving his hand to the edge of the tan coloured paper. He gripped the edge and threw it open, narrowing his eyes at the page in front of him.


"Who knew a God like Mooney would ever conceive a kid like Liam?" I leaned back in my seat and crossed my arms over my chest, watching him look up and meet my gaze. As he did he furrowed his brow, moving his teeth over the edge of his lower lip in frustration. "Didn't think I'd figure it out, did you?"


He remained silent, his intense eyes shooting daggers violently in my direction.


I chuckled at his attempt to look intimidating and reached for the folder. Immediately he pulled it away, tucking it awkwardly under the table at an attempt to throw me off. "Fine, keep it. It's not like I haven't already memorized the damn thing," I muttered grumpily.


"How did you find out?" He asked through gritted teeth.


"Google," I responded jokingly.


He rolled his eyes and tossed the folder back. Instead of reaching for it again I merely eyed it, placing my elbows on the table in front of me. I leaned in slowly and cradled my chin in my hands. "Let's play a game," I stated simply.


He scoffed. "A game? What are we twelve?"


"I mean, I'm twenty-six," I retorted with a shrug, "how old are you, Vince?"


"Twenty-five."


"Awe, you're just a baby," I cooed mockingly. In response he offered me another eye roll, causing me to chuckle. "Anyway, game time. In or out?"


"Aren't you gonna explain the rules?" He raised his brow.


"Have you ever heard of a game called Bodies?" I questioned, flashing him a smirk.


His eyes flickered, a smile creeping across his lips. He leaned forward and nodded his head, pushing his hands up onto the table as best as he could. I glanced down at the cuffs on his wrists, noting the redness of the skin underneath. "Your friend Liam used to play it, right?"


He nodded again.


"Did you guys ever play it together?" I questioned, raising my brow.


"All the time," he responded back.


"Liam was really good at it, huh? I mean, until he," I made a gun with my hand and shot myself in the head, miming a poor attempt at Liam's death. As I suspected, Vince didn't like that, because the second I dropped my hand he shuffled in his seat, his smile fading. "Sorry, that was insensitive. Maybe we should play another game."


"I don't want to," Vince growled.


I snorted and rolled my eyes. "Gosh, you're so grumpy. What's wrong? Mad your best friend replaced you or something?"


"He didn't replace me," he snapped, "he left me."


"I mean, technically yes, he did leave you, but he also replaced you."


"What are you talking about?"


"Well, uh, after Liam left your little cult he started using the dark web. You know the dark web, right?" I paused and pointed towards him, watching him roll his eyes again. "Course you do. Anyway, not long after he left he found a new best friend. Honestly, I think he was in love with with the guy, but like, that's just an outsider's opinion."


Vince narrowed his eyes, giving me a cautious look.


"There's manuscripts of their messages in the file if you want to look," I pointed over to it, watching him slowly move his gaze towards it and open it up. "Page four, I think," I responded slyly, smirking once I knew he wasn't looking. "If I remember correctly there was one message that read: you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I finally feel like I can be myself around you."


As Vince read through the words I pulled out my phone, glancing at the time. By now it was nearly seven in the morning, which instantly made me anxious. Like Vince said, time was ticking.


"These aren't real." He let out an annoyed laugh, shaking his head as he tossed the file my way.


"They are, actually," I responded flatly, "and even though you want to believe they're not, deep down you know they are." I gave him a tired look, hoping to convey to him how done I was. He and I both knew I wasn't here to play games. I was here for answers and if it meant destroying his view of the one person he cared about most in this world, I was willing to do that. "I can show you more if you want, but you have to give me something."


"What do you want?"


I leaned forward, motioning him closer. With a sigh, he stood from his chair and moved towards me, raising his brow as I placed a hand on his shoulder. "What does Mooney have to do with all of this?"


He shrugged me off and sat back down, sliding lower in his seat. He looked towards the door, a torn expression coating his face as he debated his next move. At this point I knew I had him. At least for a little bit. Thanks to Garcia's top grade internet sleuthing skills we'd managed find a series of messages between both Liam and Vince, showcasing their rather unique and unconventional relationship.


"C'mon Vincent, tick, tock," I clicked my tongue against the roof of my mouth, flashing him a smirk.


"Fine, what do you want to know?"


"Were the bodies we found part of the plan?" I asked.


Vince shook his head and let out a sigh, but remained silent.


"So, Spencer was an afterthought?"


"Sort of," Vince responded.


"Did Mooney take him because of me too, or is that just a you issue?"


"Just me. Arthur was using the Threefold Death as an offering to the Gods. He said that they were angry with us and wanted an offering. Most of us suggested things like money and food; standard things you'd offer up, but he didn't want that. He said they wanted bodies."


"Bodies?" I questioned.


"Yeah," he swallowed hard and looked down at his hands, "after Liam left he became fascinated with killing."


"Why did Liam leave?"


His stare hardened, warning me to change the subject. Cautiously I obliged and raised my hands in defence, offering him an apologetic look.


"So, after Liam left, Mooney began to kill," I stated simply. After that I let my mind wander, watching out of the corner of my eye as Vince shuffled through the file again. Despite still barley scraping the surface of the situation my mind began to fill in the blanks. Liam left so he could kill, which triggered something inside of Mooney that wanted the same. He missed his son and assuming he knew about his urges Mooney probably felt like killing would bring a piece of him back.


"Hey," Vince snapped his fingers, pulling me from my thoughts. I looked over in his direction, watching his hand move to the file in front of him. He tapped it with his index finger and furrowed his brow. "Your turn."


I gave him a nod and stood from my seat, offering him a smile before I left the room and sighed. Outside, the team was waiting, staring me down intently as I reached out my hand for another file.


"You're doing good," Rossi commented, "you're building trust."


"I highly doubt that asshole trusts me, but thanks."


"Keep it up," Hotch responded.


"I'll try. He's sensitive, like we profiled. Any mention of Liam at this point is gonna be a trigger, but I'm hoping if I can get his guard down he'll tell us what we need to know." I opened the file in front of me, making sure it was the right one before closing it up and tucking it under my arm.


"Good luck," Prentiss added, offering me a nod.


I nodded back and reentered the room, watching Vince toss the old file aside in favour of the new one. I dropped it down in front of him and pressed my palm against the table, feeling the need to stretch. "Our technical analyst was only able to reclaim a couple of messages. At least for now. I can get her to look for more if you want, but it'll take some time," I lied.


He looked up and nodded his head before moving his eyes to read. As he did I stood up straight, raising my arms to the roof as I let out a yawn.


For a while we remained in silence. As we did, I thought about Reid and how much I missed him. It'd been a week since I last saw him and while the goodbye we shared was nice, I couldn't help, but wish it was better, especially since it might be the last one we'd ever get.


Angrily, Vince pushed the file aside, letting out a throaty groan as he closed his eyes and moved his hands to his face. I frowned in response and moved to my seat, letting out a deep breath. "I'm sorry Vince."


"Shut up," he muttered angrily, "you don't care about me."


I shrugged my shoulders and flashed him a smile. "You're right, I don't, but unlike you I'm empathetic."


"Empathy is useless," he retorted with a laugh.


"For you, maybe, but that's because you only have to interact with people you want to."


"What do you mean?"


"You're in a cult, right? Doesn't that mean you're like," I waved my hand in the air, trying to come up with the right words to say, "stuck?"


"Stuck?"


"Yeah, like, you guys have a place where you stay, right? Like a commune of sorts?"


Vince snorted. "We're not Amish."


"So, you don't live on a big farm with a bunch of other naturalists?" I smirked, raising my brow.


"No."


I tapped the table top in front of me and looked around, feeling somewhat nervous now. Now that we knew they didn't have an already established property it made things tricky. "Do you guys have like meetings and stuff?"


"Why are you asking me? Don't you wanna know where your boyfriend is?"


"Fiancé," I corrected absentmindedly. After I said it I clenched my fist under the table, realizing that other than Garcia, I hadn't told them team yet. I mentally cursed myself for being so careless before shaking the thought from my head and returning to what was important. "I, uh, just figured it'd be a waste to ask you since you probably wouldn't tell me."


He leaned back in his seat and smiled, running his tongue along his lower lip as he looked me up and down. At that moment I could've sworn he was checking me out, which sent a shiver up my spine. "Doesn't hurt to try."


I raised my brow and wondered if somehow this was some sort of trap. This whole time I thought I was running the show, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe he wanted me to think his guard was down. That way I'd let mine down too.


"Go ahead. Ask me where he is."


"Why?"


"Because you obviously want to know," he replied annoyingly.


"What do you get out of it?" I asked.


"A favour?" He questioned.


"I'm sorry to say if you're looking for some sort of plea deal it ain't gonna happen."


He snorted and shook his head. "I'm not stupid, Isla, I'm fully aware I'm going to prison."


"So, what do you want then?"


Vince smiled and moved his hand to the file he tossed aside, sliding it into the space between us. Slowly, he closed it and tapped the folder, staring into my eyes. I swallowed hard and narrowed mine in response, watching his smile only grow once he discovered how nervous I was. "I want to visit Marcus."


I bit my lip, feeling my mind connect the dots. Now that he knew Liam's old partner was a bigger threat he didn't need me anymore, which meant Reid was of no use to him.


"That can be arranged," I stated, flashing him a fake smile.


"Perfect."


"So, where's Spencer then?" I asked with a sigh. As I spoke I felt a lump form at the back of my throat. This was the moment we were waiting for and although I knew the answer could still be a lie I couldn't help, but somehow feel relieved.


Vince got up from his chair and inched himself towards the table, motioning me to join him. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before following his direction and moving closer. When I did I felt the heat of his breath hit my face, causing me to swallow hard and force myself not pull away.


"Dr. Spencer Reid is in a warehouse. Just like the one you were in with our dear boy Liam," he pouted mockingly in my direction, "and he's strapped to chair wondering where his girlfriend is. Why hasn't she found him yet? What could she possibly be doing that's more important than saving his life?" He snorted once he saw my face drop, giving his head a quick shake before throwing himself back into his chair. "You really think I'm gonna let you find him after what you did?" He erupted into a series of laughs, throwing his head over the back of the seat.


Despite knowing how wrong it was I reached for him anyway. I grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him forward. "You better fucking tell me where he is or I swear to god I'll end your life right now." From behind me I heard the door open, causing Vince to laugh even harder. Angrily, I tossed him aside and turned on my heel, glancing at Hotch who's vision was piercing. I returned his gaze and brushed right past him, crossing my arms over my chest as I continued my stride, ignoring the team's attention.


I walked to the bathroom and let out sob. I clamped one hand over my mouth while I rested the other on my stomach, feeling my body heave unnaturally. I felt sick and tired and hopeless; like everything I did was for nothing. Reid was going to die all because I couldn't profile anymore. I couldn't protect people like I used to. I couldn't take care of the one person that mattered.


"Isla!"


I sniffed and turned to see Prentiss standing at the doorway. She looked at me wide eyed and pushed herself into the room. Without even thinking I wrapped myself around her, pressing my face into her chest. As I did, she shrugged me off, motioning to the phone in her hand. I looked at her confused before glancing towards it and raising my brow.


"Garcia found him, we gotta go." She grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the bathroom. Frantically, I looked around, watching as we made our way outside to the SUV's. Carefully, she pushed me into the backseat and jumped in beside me, motioning Morgan to drive. As we moved, she strapped on her kevlar, gripping the back of the empty passenger seat for support.


"She found him?" I questioned, blinking in confusion. Up until this point my brain hadn't comprehended what was happening so it took a while for my mouth to catch up.


"Somehow he managed to get ahold of a phone," Morgan responded.


"That fast?" I still wasn't entirely sure what was going on. It felt like seconds ago all hope was lost and now we were on our way to grabbing him? None of it felt real.


The drive there didn't feel real either. As we sped across the clogged up highway, I stared out the window, watching the blurred lights pass through my vision like a speeding train. Beside me, Prentiss spoke to Morgan about the plan. I tried to listen, but the second the words went through my ear they flew out the other, still leaving me confused. When we got to our destination I looked at the two of them, opening my mouth.


"Stay here," Prentiss commanded, placing her hand on my shoulder. With her other, she grabbed the gun from her holster and reached for the door, giving me a stern look before exiting the vehicle with Morgan.


The next few minutes were the longest ones I think I'd ever experienced. Nervously, I crouched behind the seat and stared out the windshield, watching as the team funnelled into a warehouse. I narrowed my eyes as I watched them move, their guns drawn out in front of them as they carefully stepped across the dirt covered ground. I bit my lip and noticed a pair of strangers run out from the side, causing a set of police officers I didn't recognize to fire their guns, instantly stopping them in their tracks. Somehow I flinched at the sound and shut my eyes. At that point I laid down across the backseat, feeling my heart pound inside my chest.


A couple more gunshots went off, causing me to cover my eyes and deeply breathe. That familiar feeling of a weight on my chest started returning and before I knew it, I was in full blown panic mode. I swallowed hard and took a couple deep breaths, feeling the lump in my throat from earlier begin to grow as I pulled at the fabric near my neck. It felt like it was suffocating me and as much as I wanted to take it off I knew I couldn't. I groaned at the discomfort and sat up abruptly, opening my eyes to see some of the team walking towards the vehicle.


Frantically, I reached for the door handle and pushed it open, cupping my hand over my eyes to block out of the sun. When I realized Reid wasn't with them I let out a sigh, still trying to steady my breathing as I slammed the door shut and started running. "Where is he?" I called out, regardless of how breathless I felt.


Rossi placed his hands on my arms, giving me a smile. "He's okay," he assured me.


"Where is he?" I repeated in between breaths.


Like before, Rossi moved his hands up and down, instructing me to breathe with him. Even though all I wanted was to find Reid I stopped and did it with him, closing my eyes as we moved our lungs in unison. "Better?" He eventually asked.


I nodded my head and looking behind him, scanning the bodies who wandered around the property.


"He's with the medic. He's got a couple of minor injuries, but he's okay."


That was all I needed to know in order to take off running again. I gripped my stomach and ran for the ambulance, feeling the threat of tears sting my eyes. This was the moment I'd been waiting for. The one where everything was going to be okay again.


As I rounded the back of the ambulance I cursed under my breath, realizing it was closed. Anxiously, I banged on the back, yelling whatever words that came to my mouth until finally the medic inside opened the door and gave me a look. "Is Spencer Reid in there?" I asked.


"Are you h-" both of us heard the sound of crashing, causing the medic to sigh in annoyance and look behind him, "Dr. Reid, please lie down. I won't ask you again."


"I'm his wife," I replied. Once I realized what I said I shook my head and laughed, "I mean, not yet, I mean, I'm going to be his wife, but-"


"Just get in," the medic responded with a sigh.


I nodded in response and awkwardly crawled up the back, grabbing the medic's arm lightly for a support. With a sheepish smile I slipped in beside him turning my attention to Reid who despite being told not to, sat up and smiled.


"Dr. Reid!" The medic yelled.


I held back a smiled and moved to the bench beside the bed, watching him glare and lie down. As he did, I reached for his hands, gripping them tightly in mine. Without a word he pulled them to his face, peppering my knuckles with the loviest kisses I'd ever experienced in my life.


"I'm so glad you're okay," I whispered, holding back the urge to cry, yet again.


"Me too," he sighed.


"I thought I lost you."


"You couldn't get rid of me if you tried, Rafferty," he smirked.


I rolled my eyes and tightened my grip. "I'm trying to have a beautiful moment with you and you're out here ruining it."


"I'm just doing what you do best," he chuckled. As he did, he gripped his side, letting out a quiet groan, despite still smiling. 

Comment