i'm sorry this keeps publishing and unpublishing it's being really strange! hope this is the last time i have to do this bc it's pissing me off tbh
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TWENTY TWO ; ENOUGH.

"Officers Keith River and and Rudy Hightower, both career prison guard, both married, kids, nothing out of the ordinary," Kate stated as she read from the file she held in her hands.

"The uniform itself could be the target," Morgan said. "Kill a guard, any guard, it doesn't matter which one."

Quinn let out a small sigh as she looked at the file, mind elsewhere. The prospect of a reunion with Nelson was something that she wasn't prepared for. She couldn't help but feel uneasy as they talked about murders that screamed Nelson's name.

"And what about the sock in the mouth?" Kate asked.

Rossi shrugged. "It might be some kind of warning to keep it quiet, you know, like, put a sock in it." Quinn didn't ignore the subtle glance Rossi sent her way to check on her once again.

"It could have also just been a gag to literally keep their victims quiet," JJ suggested, eyes following to where Rossi looked. Quinn kept her head down, buried in her file, attempting to conceal the fear she felt.

She was working with profilers. They all knew.

"Well," Hotch began, drawing all attention to him, "Either way, we're probably looking at multiple UnSubs. This would be very difficult to pull off alone."

"Multiple UnSubs in a prison? Sounds like a gang," Kate put in, with a small shrug.

"Or a greatly resourced and trained mass murder," Quinn muttered, refusing to look up from her file. She felt Spencer's gaze on her, and knew that the rest of her team was exchanging glances. The girl finally looked up to find all eyes on her. "You can't tell me that I'm paranoid for thinking this. You all caught the Horsemen and put them in prison six months ago, which is right when the murders began."

"We can't make assumptions like that yet," Hotch told her carefully. Quinn bit the inside of her cheek. "We can't have a that bias walking into this investigation with someone from our past."

"We've asked the staff about Nelson," Rossi said, making Quinn's head snap toward him. "They've all said he's been relatively peaceful since he got there."

Quinn nodded once, releasing a shaky sigh. "Okay," she said. "Back to the gang theory?"

JJ nodded. "Gangs have gang leaders and the murders could lead back to one of them. And by them, I mean him." She turned the tablet she held in her hands toward the group, revealing the mugshot of a man whose photo they all had in their files.

"Julio Watson," Morgan stated, glancing at the picture, "founder of the Southside Crip Nation"

"He transferred in a month before the murders started." JJ let out a humorless chuckle. "I wonder if it's a coincidence."

Quinn bit the inside of her cheek. "What happened to not having a bias?" she muttered under her breath, so softly that hardly anyone heard. Spencer looked down at her, lightly nudging her in the side with his elbow, a silent warning to stay calm. She let a quiet apology slip past her lips, watching as Penelope popped up onto the laptop screen in front of them.

"Excuse me sir," she began, looking slightly flustered, "even I am befuddled." Hotch furrowed his brow. "I found almost nothing on this prison. The most press they've gotten was six months ago when they transferred Lucas Nelson there, and even those details are slim pickings. But this is what I do know. The Regan Federal Penitentiary was opened in nineteen sixty-nine just outside of Liberty, Texas. Oh, the irony, I know," she said, waving on hand in the air for effect. "And then it was scheduled to be shut down, but Citadel Corrections Company bought it a year ago from Uncle Sam."

"The business of incarceration is extremely lucrative and virtually recession proof," Spencer added. "Uh, the Citadel Corrections Company has more than quadrupled their holdings since they were founded twenty years ago. They now have nineteen facilities all across the country. Fifty-nine thousand, six hundred and three prisoners are in their charge."

A short-lived quiet settled over the group before Rossi sighed. "Guess I had it wrong all this time," he said. "Crime does pay."

"I want everyone on alert today," Hotch told his team. "If we want to solve this case quickly, we need to work to the best of our ability. Carson, I want you looking for lies in everyone. All of the prisoners we encounter, you look for tells in all of them. You're critical to this investigation," he said, eyes trained on Quinn. She nodded, glancing down at her left hand that was unconsciously tapping the rhythm they all knew too well into the leather seat of the jet. She stopped suddenly, folding her hands together and glancing to her left as she felt eyes on her.

Spencer's lips twitched upward as he made eye contact with her. "Everything's going to be okay, Quinn," he whispered. She couldn't help but notice the fact that he didn't add a promise to the end of his words.

Her heart sank as she came to the realization. Not even he could be sure that everything was going to be okay.

-----

The cars that had taken the team from the airport to the prison parked. They all quickly got out of the car, slamming the doors as they saw two men walk out to greet them. "Agent Hotchner," the man in the neatly pressed suit that they knew as Warden Tate said, "it's good to see you sir. Thank you again for coming all this way." The man reached his hand out to shake the leader's, a small smile pulling at his mouth as he eyed the rest of the team.

"Hopefully we can help, Warden," Hotch replied.

"Oh, Agent Rossi, it's great to meet you," Tate greeted, seeming slightly giddy as he shook hands with the man.

"Likewise, Warden," Rossi responded.

Hotch cleared his throat. "This is our team. This is Agent Callahan," he began, motioning to each member as he went down the line, "Agent Jareau, Doctor Reid, Quinn Carson, and Agent Morgan." Quinn watched as Derek shook Tate's hand, ignoring the glances of the Warden and the officer next to him.

Tate motioned to the officer. "This is Captain Shavers, head of security." The man gave them a nod. "He can help you with anything you need."

"Call me Dale, please," Shavers told them. "And welcome. It's good to have you all here. Right this way."

Quinn shifted slightly, uncomfortable with the subtle glances that Shavers was sending her way. She shook off the feeling, knowing that the paranoia had gotten to her head. Everything was going to seem suspicious to her today.

The team entered the prison doors, following Shavers's orders to put their weapons and ammo into the lockers the jail had before signing in. Quinn glanced up at the man who held the sign-in paper, giving him a small smile as he nodded at her.

"Obviously we had to move Officer Rivers' body, but per your request, we left everything else as is," Tate said to the group. Hotch thanked him.

"Thank you for coming," the man who had signed everyone in said.

Shavers met eyes with him. "Polinsky," he addressed him, "I want those sign-up forms logged in before the next shift. Make sure we get them visitor badges."

"Yessir," Polinsky responded.

"Close," Shavers ordered another officer, closing the door that led to the outside world. "Now if you don't mind, I got a few out things I need to tend to, but I'll catch up with you ASAP."

The team nodded and began to follow Warden Tate down to the conference room that the prison held. "I'm sorry there's no cell signal inside these walls. We had to jam it."

"You got inmates smuggling phones in?" Morgan asked.

"Yeah, that's been a problem," Tate answered, shaking his head. "One of many."

JJ spoke up next. "What about Wi-Fi?"

"We got you set up as close to the router as possible, but it's still glitchy. Drives me nuts," he responded. "Back when I worked on the hill, I couldn't survive without my phone."

Kate laughed to herself. "I got a teenager at home who knows exactly how you feel," she joked, eliciting a slight chuckle from Tate.

"Well, we have got a good old-fashioned landline and a fax machine for you, though."

"I thought I was the only one who still used those," Rossi quipped with a smile.

"And there actually is a pretty decent signal outside, so you're not completely cut off," Tate stated. "We'll provide all your meals. Food's not much to speak of, especially breakfast, so you may want to grab something over at your hotel and bring it in."

Tate brought them into the large room that he had spoke of, letting them place all of their belonging down before excusing himself and slipping out of the room for a moment. Hotch nodded, a glancing to his teammates.

"How do you want to do this Aaron?" Rossi asked, raising an eyebrow.

The leader thought for a moment before looking toward JJ. "Dave, you and JJ go take a look at the body and see what you can get from the coroner. Carson, Morgan and Callahan, I want you to check out the halls of the prison. Ask around, see what you can find out. Reid and I will stay here and get everything set up."

-----

"I bet all the inmates know exactly what areas are covered by surveillance," Morgan said to Captain Shavers as they stood in one of the halls of the prison. The three had met up with the Captain, asking him to show them around the prison. Quinn still felt uneasy around him, unable to shake the feeling that he was constantly looking at her. Perhaps he didn't trust her, knowing who she was. Perhaps it was something more.

"That they do," he replied, watching Derek walk around.

Kate looked up from the door that she was investigating. "The lock's not picked, so they either stole a key from a guard, or took one off the victim."

Quinn glanced to her right as she saw Morgan approach the crime scene and stand next to her. "But how did they get him all the way back here?" he asked, looking around the closet the body was once stuffed in.

"Patience or a ruse," Quinn suggested. "They could have waited for the right moment to attack or drawn him here."

"I mean, look at this shelf," Morgan said, motioning to the place where the officers had found the body. "It's pretty high. I had to take at least two attackers to get him up here."

"What's the deal with the shoddy surveillance? I mean this is a big hallway. No cameras?" Kate inquired.

Shavers shrugged. "Ask our corporate office. Maybe you'll have better luck than I did."

Morgan turned around, Quinn following shortly after. "What do you mean by that?" Shavers didn't respond, clenching his jaw and looking slightly uneasy. His eyes flicked to Quinn for a moment before looking back at Morgan. "It's okay. You can level with us," he told Shavers.

A heavy sigh left the Captain. "I requested cameras. Dozens of times, but I got shut down because upgrades cost money." He shook his head in disbelief. "You want me to level with you, okay. These CCC College boys have their heads up their asses. The Warden's a fair enough man, but he's one of them. Twenty years I've been here. They don't care about is or this place." Quinn furrowed her brow as he began to get angry. "The only thing they care about is the bottom line, and my guys are dying because of it." He stared at Quinn. "I mean, we get sent Lucas Nelson, one of the most prominent killers of our time, and they don't even bat an eye. Miss Carson over there can gage for me, that title's not an exaggeration."

Quinn flinched at his words, a frown finding her lips as she avoided Shavers's eyes. Morgan stiffened and stationed himself slightly in front of Quinn, opening his mouth to reply, but was cut off by Captain Shavers's radio. "Captain, the De-Seg supervisors are ready for you in the main office."

"Copy that, I'll be right up," he spoke into his radio. He looked at the agents in front of him. "Can you three find your way back?"

Kate nodded, staring at Shavers with narrowed eyes. "Yeah. We're good," Morgan replied. The three sat in silence, watching Shavers leave their sight. Quinn's eyes scanned the hall, over bricks, bars and officers scattered throughout. "You know, there's one other possibility we need to consider," he said. He sighed, not taking his eyes off of the group of men that stood down at the other end of the hall. "What is a guard is actually involved?"

Kate pursed her lips, flicking her gaze to Quinn and Morgan. "It just means we've got to be careful who we can trust."

-----

"I just didn't like the way that he was looking at her and talking to her, man," Morgan whispered to Spencer. "It was like he couldn't actually believe that she had the audacity to stand in front of him. Like, he almost hated her."

Spencer pulled his brows together. "Maybe he's connecting Nelson to her," he suggested, eyes flicking to Quinn who sat in the corner of the room, speaking with Hotch and Rossi. "You said the way he talked about Nelson was almost hateful?"

"Yeah," Derek replied. "I'm not sure about this place. Something just doesn't seem right."

The doctor nodded. He had heard Callahan, Morgan and Quinn's theory about the guards and the entire team was taking it into account. It made the investigation even more difficult. "Is Quinn okay?"

Morgan nodded. "She seems fine. Paranoid, but that's expected. She saw the way he was looking at her too." Spencer met his eyes. "She doesn't miss much. She saw it."

His lips pulled downward into a frown. "It's been six months," he muttered, feeling a slight anger begin to bubble up inside of him, "you'd think that people would be able to see that she's innocent. The fact that this is going to follow her around is maddening."

"Just keep an eye on her kid," Derek told him, nudging him with his elbow. "I know you're worried about her. She'll be okay."

He was unable to reply as Hotch cut him off, calling Rossi, Morgan and Quinn over to him. Spencer listened as he told the three what they were to do while speaking to the gang leader, Julio Watson. A sigh left his lips as he watched them enter the interrogation room.

There was something off-putting about this case. It was like something was bound to go wrong. Spencer didn't like it.

"Mr. Watson," Rossi said as he walked into the room. "Sorry for the wait."

The inmate laughed. "I hope y'all know I had to rearrange my entire schedule," he mocked, staring down at his hands. "I have back-to-back meetings and a conference call after lunch." His eyes scanned over the two men as they sat down, flicking toward Quinn as well. Quinn's stomach churned as she saw his eyes light up.

"Well, we appreciate your understanding," Rossi responded.

Watson's eyes fell on Morgan and he laughed. "Ah, what's up, bro?" he chuckled. "They bring you in here so we could relate?" he asked, eyebrows dancing as he said his last word.

"Not exactly brother," Morgan replied.

Quinn crossed her arms over her chest as Watson stared at her. "And you," he said, biting down on his bottom lip, "you baby, are fine as hell. Tell me, what's your name?"

She saw both men in the chairs in front of her stiffen. A short sigh left her lips. "My name's Quinn Carson, Watson," she answered, a sense of pride washing over her as his face contorted into shock. "And now that you know my name, I believe you know who I am. And if Nelson's told you about me, you should know that my reputation does indeed proceed me." She neared the table. "So, we have a couple of questions for you, and you're going to answer them. Sound good?"

Watson's eyebrows raised in amusement as he watched Quinn speak. "Damn," he said, eyes trailing down her body, "fine, feisty and a killer. Just my type. It's strange though. Nelson said you's was shy." Quinn went rigid at his words, but soon unfroze, face remaining stoic. "I'll answer some of your questions."

Morgan's lips twitched upward as he moved his glance away from Quinn and back to the convict. "So, officers Hightower and Rivers-"

"I ain't do it," Watson stated, shaking his head.

"You didn't do what?"

"I ain't killed 'em," he clarified.

"And we should just believe you?" Rossi asked, leaning toward the man.

Watson rolled his eyes. "C'mon, you both know if it was me, I'd be braggin' about it already." He shrugged while shaking his head. "What I got to hide? What, they gonna give me more time? I got life plus thirty already. That mean after I die, I gotta be back up in here anyway."

"Alright then, do you know anything about who might be involved?" Rossi questioned.

"Nah, man, me and my people, we don't mess with socks. It's melodramatic."

Morgan and Rossi both exchanged a glance. Quinn narrowed her eyes at the man, evaluating his words. He hadn't told them a lie yet. Maybe he wasn't involved.

"You know about that?" Morgan asked.

Watson raised a brow. "I know about a lot."

"Just not who did it," Rossi added in question.

"And you're not exactly crying over it though, are you?" Morgan inquired.

The gang leader who sat in the chair before them paused for a moment, almost as if he were recounting a memory. His facial expression remained the same, but his eyes lost the joking vibrance that they had before. "Them two cops," he began, sighing heavily, "world's better off without 'em."

"According to who?" Quinn asked, cocking her head to the side slightly. "You?"

Watson's eyes landed on her. "Me and everybody else in here wearing green," he said. "Ask around."

"Due respect, Julio," Rossi began, "but you're a mass murderer who copped a plea and flipped on your friends in exchange for a lesser sentence. You're not exactly what I'd call a reliable character witness."

"Believe whatever you want," Watson shot back. "But trust, I hated them pigs. Matter of fact, I wish I had done it. Would have given me something to do to pass the time."

They were quiet for a moment before Morgan stood up. "I think we're done here. Thanks for speaking with us."

The man responded with a nod, a smirk falling across his lips as they began to leave. "And hey, dollface," he called out, eyebrows raising once again as he looked at Quinn. "Your friend know what you did."

Quinn became light headed. She gulped and let out a shaky breath, feeling Morgan's hand on her back, guiding her out of the interrogation room. "Q, don't listen to him."

"Miss Carson, he is not a happy boy," Watson teased, now grinning widely. "He's pissed at your fine ass." He met gazes with Morgan. "I'd keep her away from him. Who knows what could happen?"

Before Quinn could get a word to leave her mouth, she found herself out of the room. She felt her breathing become heavier and grimaced as she met eyes with the member of her team that stood outside.

She couldn't cry. Not now. She couldn't give Nelson that satisfaction.

"He wasn't lying," Quinn choked out. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. "About anything." Hotch nodded, quietly thanking her.

The team walked down the hall, all in a state on unease. They were on edge, not knowing who to trust, never knowing when they would run into Lucas Nelson. This investigation was hardly in their grasp and they were struggling to control it.

Spencer fell into step with Quinn as they walked, arms brushing against each other. Their fingers began to touch, slowly intertwining with one another as they made their way down the hall to the team's conference room.

They didn't look at each other, no words were spoken. They didn't have to. Just knowing that they were there for each other was enough to bring the slightest ease to their racing minds.

It was enough.

-----

this chapter was so long and boring i am so sorry not my best work

the next chapters will hopefully better, because unfortunately, this story will becoming to a close sooner rather than later. only about 11 chapters left. yikes.

hope you all enjoyed somewhat! i love you all tons and tons!
-mags