CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: LUKE !

14x06

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          "THREE VICTIMS IN THREE DAYS," Garcia presented the case to the team. "Rick Salazar, Michael Williams, and John Reynoso. Each was shot in the back of the head with a .40-caliber pistol."

"They lived in different states running south along the eastern seaboard. John, the most recent, was in nearby Bethesda, Maryland." Casey pointed out. "Execution style. Could be professional." Rossi figured.

"You know, most assassinations are one and dones. Hit men acquire a target, execute them, and then disappear. Killing multiple victims without changing his MO, exposes him and makes him trackable." Spencer explained. "Not doing a very good job at hiding it now, is he?" Chandler added.

"The victims were seemingly-average people with normal middle-class lives. Nothing here says they would be targeted by a hit man." JJ told. "Yeah, killing random people's just not what a hit man does." Tara stated. "They could be working off of a list." Chandler assumes. "If they're moving this fast." Luke nods in agreement there.

"What if all three victims are key witnesses to a federal crime? That would put them on a list." Matt told. "As would Witness Protection." Rossi added.

Emily looks towards Garcia. "Garcia, start running through the WITSEC database. I'll reach out to them and the U.S. attorney's office, - see if there's any overlap." Garcia nods at Emily, "Got it."

"We should also consider that our unsub might not be a hit man, that he's operating off a list of victims based on their perceived transgressions." Spencer stated. "Why would we not to look into hit men?" Chandler wondered. "We could be looking a moral enforcer." JJ added.

Casey then nods along, "Well, either way, we need to assume there are other targets. We'll run the case out of here until we can predict his next move. But based on his speed, we will have to work fast and we have to work now."

After Emily had contacted the US attorney's office, she had sent Spencer and Casey to visit the office and as they waited at the elevator, Garcia approached them. "Guys. Bad news." She announces and Casey assumes the worst. "A fourth victim already?"

Garcia nods, "Paul McEntee, Arlington, Virginia, just south of here. He's an accountant, lived alone. I sent all the files to your tablets and phones."

"Any luck with WITSEC?" Casey asked and Garcia shakes her head. "Not yet. And I've been scouring any pertinent FBI databases. Nothing there, either."

"Two kills in less than a day. He's speeding up." Spencer comments. "Well, if our unsub's a hit man, he's moving fast to avoid detection. He might be near the end of his list." Casey stated. "But I'm not even sure it's a hit man we're even dealing with."

Spencer nods, "I'm still not convinced he is a hit man, either. If he's a vigilante or moral enforcer, the shortening cooling down period could be a sign he's losing control."

Casey nodded, "And we're running out of time. Spence, you, Rossi, and Tara go to Bethesda. Luke, Emily and I will head to the M.E.'s office, take a look at the latest victim. I'll have Matt, Chandler and JJ go to Arlington."

Garcia walks away and the elevator opens and Spencer lets Casey pass through first as they enter.

After Casey took care of business, her, Emily and Luke met up at the ME's office to talk to the coroner about the bodies found. "COD on Paul McEntee was two successive gunshot wounds to the back of the head at close range with a .40-caliber pistol. Same as the first three." The coroner explained.

"So he controlled them with the gun. Did he torture them at all?" Emily asked. "There's no evidence of hematoma anywhere on his body, but there is pre-mortem bruising to his wrists." The ME explains as Casey looks down at the body.

"If he's a professional, why go through all the trouble of tying him up just to kill him in there?" Luke asked. "Maybe he wanted to muffle the sound?" Emily assumes ".40 cal's a big gun with a big bang."

"I also found sodium hypochlorite in his mouth, throat, and stomach." The ME told. "Bleach?" Casey asked, remembering the scientific name for it.

The ME nodded, "He made him drink an entire bottle's worth." Casey sits up fully as she crosses her arms, "So he could have let him die from the poisoning, but he chose not to. That's a pretty clear message."

"'You're a rat, so I'm gonna silence you first by burning your mouth and throat, and then I'll kill you.'" Emily thinks like an unsub.

"He did this to all of them, didn't he?" Luke questioned and Casey and Emily look his way and he has a distinct look on his face. "He did." The ME nodded.

"Have you seen this before?" Casey asks and Luke nods, "Yeah, I have. In Mexico."

Casey brought Luke and Emily back to the BAU, where Luke had explained where he had seen this MO before. And he started by introducing what he found on the screen. "This is Eduardo Ramos. He's the most feared sicario in Mexico." Luke explained to Casey, Chandler, Tara and Garcia in the room.

"A sicario's a hit man, yeah?" Garcia asks and Tara nods, "Specifically hit men that work for Mexican drug cartels." Luke nods, "He's with the Martinez cartel. They're one of the most dangerous around."

"Well, look, the M.O. of these guys is typically brutal. What makes Ramos most feared?" Tara wonders. "His unrelenting focus and complete lack of boundaries. He's got no moral code. I mean, if you're his target, he doesn't stop until you're dead. If that means going through every man, woman, and child, he does. No hesitation." Chandler looks over at Casey as Luke explains this. "Someone else, you might be able to buy your way out of it, not Ramos. There's no bribing him. There's no appealing to his senses. Eduardo Ramos is a killing machine that never fails."

"So, how did you come across him?" Chandler wondered.

Luke sighs as he looks back. "Five years ago, I was working a case with the DEA and Mexican police force. Our goal was to arrest Ramos."

"And did you?" Tara asks. "It got complicated." Luke reveals. He then went on to explain that his team had been on a stakeout and had a sniper on the roof to track him. The inspector on the case had told Luke and his pal, Phil that Ramos had deserved to die but Luke told him the victims deserved justice. They were ambushed and Luke had gone to run after him. The sniper had the shot but Luke told him not to take it and Luke had caught up to him and had him arrested.

"Inspector Silva was wrong. Ramos stayed in prison for three years, and then he broke out and vanished. Now, both the DEA and the FBI believed he'd come back to get his revenge on the Martinez cartel because someone inside the cartel, and we never found out who, gave us the initial tip that led to his arrest." Luke explained.

"So, the trail that led to Paul McEntee's panic room may have started with the Martinez cartel, and if that's true, it likely involved drugs." Tara stated and Luke nodded in response. "Yeah." He then looked over at Garcia. "Garcia, we need you to go through the DEA database and find out if any of our victims are connected to the cartel." She nods, "Copy that."

"And Casey, is it alright if I bring my buddy, Phil? He had contacts with the DEA. He was there when we made the arrest. Maybe he can help." Luke told and Casey nods, "Absolutely. All the help we can get."

Soon, another victim was found and Luke and Phil had discovered that this wasn't Ramos' doing due to him being dead for a few weeks since then. So, they were back at square one and someone was posing as Ramos.

Luke and Casey had met up with Spencer at the latest crime scene. "What did you find, Spence?" Casey started as they had both arrived towards the garage where the latest crime scene happened.

"Victim's name is Mike Everson. He owns an auto shop and lived alone. The DEA says he's a known drug trafficker for the Martinez cartel, so even though Ramos isn't our guy, it appears as though the unsub is still punishing his victims for their cartel ties." Spencer explained. Casey notices the blood splatter behind him. It almost looks like spray paint.

"Any signs of a struggle?" Luke asked. "Did Mike fight back?" Spencer nods, "He did, and during the fight, this happened." He points to a darker spot next to the blood splatter. "This part right here isn't blood. It's a mixture of chewing tobacco and saliva. What's weird is the unsub used bleach to try to clean it up, but he left behind some residue. I'm having it run through all the appropriate criminal databases. I mean, hopefully there's a hit." Casey furrows her brows and notices the look on Luke's face once Spencer mentions it.

Luke mutters something to himself. "Luke, what's wrong?" Casey asked. And now Spencer has noticed the look. "What?"

"We need the whole team," Luke stated, looking at Casey. "I know who did this."

And soon enough, they were back at the BAU in a hurry where Luke gathered everyone up, along with his friend, Phil. "So DNA from the latest crime scene confirms that our unsub is Jeremy Grant. He was a DEA sniper Phil and I worked with in Mexico when we were hunting Eduardo Ramos. We weren't tight, but we knew him a bit. He took orders well. He was good at his job. I lost touch with him after Mexico." Phil nods to reply to Luke, "Yeah, so did I."

"That's not uncommon after a mission. So what happened?" Matt asked.

Garcia answers as she looks through her computer. "Jeremy Grant still works for the DEA. He lives in Mexico with his wife and two daughters. Wow, he was practically Ramos' neighbor. Uh, he's lived in Mexico for over 10 years. Both of his daughters were born there. He was just put on mandatory bereavement for... oh, my." Casey looks at Garcia's screen.

"His wife and children were all murdered in the family's home." Casey stated sadly. "They were all forced to drink bleach before being shot twice in the back of the head with a .40-caliber pistol." Emily finished off. "That must've been Ramos." Chandler figured.

"Where was Grant when it happened?" Phil asked. "He was out of the country on assignment. He discovered the bodies." Garcia said sadly.

"Somehow Ramos must have gotten a list of everybody involved with his arrest. And he went after the Grants first because they lived the closest. After that, he likely would have gone after Silva and his men, and then crossed stateside and come after us. But Grant got to him first." Luke explained. The possibility of Luke or Phil being next grew a pit in the middle of Casey's stomach.

"We profiled Grant as either a hit man or a moral enforcer, but he's actually both. He's a moral enforcer posing as a hit man. It's the perfect cover." Spencer explained.

"We need to find everyone associated with the cartel in this immediate area. That's where he's heading next." Emily told. "The DEA's just given us three more suspected Martinez cartel contacts in the DC area. I just sent you all their info, Garcia." JJ told as it appears on Garcia's screen. "On it. Ken Ronson, Steve Bagnis, Kathleen Jensen. I've sent you their home and work addresses."

Casey nudged her head towards Phil. "Phil, do you recognize any of them?" She asks as he approaches Garcia and her laptop and then shakes his head, "No."

"Okay, then we have to assume all three are still in play." Casey nods at Emily and she finishes, "Let's split up and go."

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       After the team had split up, Casey had gone back to check in with Garcia. But when she had come back, she was panicking. "I'm gonna let the rest of the team know. It's all hands on deck."

"Hey, Pen, what's going on?" Casey questioned. "Luke and Lisa." Garcia stated. "What about them?" Casey asks. "I don't know, it's just a gut call, but I think... I think Lisa's in trouble."

Garcia and Casey both exchange a look and now Casey understands why Garcia is worried now. The last time this happened Hotch lost his wife. "Matt's on his way to their house right now. Oh, dear god, please not again. This team's gone through enough." Garcia muttered to herself.

Casey had decided not to show her own panicking to Garcia. She had to hold it together for her. "Okay, I'll get Rossi and JJ. We'll meet him there. Nobody's gonna die, not today."

         But Casey couldn't have been more wrong after that fact. Luke was made to think that Lisa was in trouble but in reality, it was Phil that was. Luke had figured it out too late and he discovered Phil's body himself. She knew after she had been informed from the local authorities and Luke himself, Luke was gonna need to take personal time. And Casey would not have blamed him for that.

         When she'd gotten word that Luke was at the BAU, she had decided to talk to him, to help him with this loss. When she opened the door to her office, Luke was standing right there.

         "Hey," she started. "I was just coming to find you." Luke looks down, pain written in his eyes. "Can we talk?" He asks and Casey nods, "Yeah, come in." Noticing the team eyeing her office, she closed the behind him as he walked right in.

Luke seated himself towards the seat facing her desk and Casey sat in front of him on the edge of her desk, knowing this would be a difficult conversation. "I know what you're gonna ask me, but I can't let you stay on this case. You're a potential target of a trained assassin. And I know you requested a protected detail at the house for Lisa, but the fact of the matter is you need one, too. And I don't wanna see you get hurt." Casey explained to him and Luke nodded in his understanding.

"Standing operating procedure. I get it." He told. "Count on the fact that we won't rest until we catch Jeremy Grant. I promise. We will send armies if we have to." Casey told Luke and switches from her boss demeanor to a caring friend demeanor. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Luke nods, "Yeah. Yeah, I need to get home and see Lisa. I scared the hell out of her. And I need to start making phone calls and paying visits. Phil's parents..." Luke stops himself from crying. "His brother and his sisters, his army buddies and manhunters, people in CID. Um... I need a little leeway with this detail on me."

Casey nods at Luke, "Okay. But then I'll need regular check-ins from you. Every hour." And he nods back, "Absolutely." There's a slight pause and Luke looks up at Casey. "We good?" Casey nods, "We're good."

With that, Luke leaves Casey's office and as she watches him leave, she can't help but feel that familiar pit in her stomach. She worried that Luke may want to take this into his own hands. She knew because it was what she would do. She decided that she would bring this up to Emily later. Right now, they had Jeremy Grant to catch.

Casey walks into the conference room and looks at everyone's faces as they focus on Luke leaving. "I know we're all worried about Luke right now. And trust me, he's in my heart too, but the fact of the matter is that Jeremy Grant is still on the loose and he's killed multiple people and now that he's murdered a federal agent, he knows the full weight of every agency in the US law enforcement machine will be looking for him, especially us."

        "We know from his profile he's not suicidal." Spencer stated. "Exactly, so he'll go underground, which means he'll either flee the country or wait for the storm to pass." JJ followed. "He's a sniper with resources on both sides of the border." Matt adds. "Right. These guys are trained to have safe houses and backstops."

        "Ok, that's where we start. I want a full background on Grant's DEA history... missions, known associates, anyone or anything that would help keep him off the radar. JJ's right, he will try and go underground, but before he does, I have a feeling he's going to want to get in one final shot." Emily explains.

         As everyone focuses on Jeremy's whereabouts, Casey exchanges a look with Emily and nudges her head out of the door so she can follow her outside and once Casey and Emily are outside, Emily immediately asks: "What's wrong?"

         "Luke," Casey stated. "I don't think he's gonna wanna sit this one out. The look he had on his face when he was talking to me. He wants revenge on Grant, I know it." Emily crosses her arms. "And you're sure of this?" Casey nods, "I know because it's what I would do. And it's what you have done, remember?" Casey mentions Emily going on that manhunt of her own that nearly costed her life and Casey thought it actually had.

         "I just... I have this feeling in my bones that Luke's gonna want to take matters into his own hands." Casey told and Emily began to see what Casey was talking about. "I think you're right about this." 

         So, the women had decided to go to Garcia to track his phone to see where he was. But he was smart, he left his phone at home and that's when Casey told Garcia to look through multiple phones of his from his man hunting days. Casey worried for Luke, hoping that he wasn't going to go rogue and praying he would sit this out but Casey knew that was hopeless. Luke wouldn't sit this out. But she hoped nonetheless.

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It was a matter of time before the team found out where Grant may have been located. And now, Emily, Casey and Matt were going to a potential location. Casey, of course, was driving. "Garcia, we're minutes away from the marina." Emily tells Garcia on her cell, sitting in the passenger's seat.

"Turn around. Turn around right now." Garcia practically ordered. "Jeremy Grant is in Baltimore at the port."

"But we already ruled out that port." Casey told. "I know, but Luke." Garcia said. "What about him?" Matt asked.

"Damn it," Casey muttered. "I had a hunch about Luke, so I had Garcia keep tabs on all the phones he used during his undercover days in the manhunter unit."

"Yeah, all those phones are dead except for one, and it is pinging right at the port." Garcia told. "Thanks, Garcia." Emily hangs up on Garcia. "Everyone, hold on." Casey swerved back to turn around and of course, driven as recklessly as she always had, Matt white-knuckling the seats as Emily recited a quick prayer in her head.

When they had arrived at the port, they arrived to see that Luke had the upper hand and Grant was beneath him and Luke held his gun to Grant's head. "Luke!" Matt called as he held his own gun up. "Luke, what the hell are you doing?!" Casey questioned.

Luke kept his eyes on Grant, holding his gun steady at him and Matt had decided to slowly approach the man. "Luke!" He called again. "It's okay. Give me the gun." Matt tries calming him down and luckily, Luke puts his gun down.

Matt took this opportunity to put Grant in handcuffs. Luke had this crazed look on his face that was slowly dying down as Emily and Casey approached him. And Casey was pissed, to say the least.

"I told you you had to sit this one out." Casey told. Luke nods weakly, "Yeah. I know."
"You defied a direct order. What the hell were you thinking?" Luke didn't respond to this as Casey scolded him in her mom/boss voice.

"You put your life on the risk. You put your job in jeopardy, you realize that, right? You leave me no choice, I can't let it slide. I'm sorry, Luke, but you're suspended." Casey shook her head, disappointed in Luke's own actions. This would be the first time she'd be suspending somebody as acting unit chief.

"Because a shot was fired, OPR will take your gun. I'm not asking for your badge yet, but I am placing field restrictions on you. For the foreseeable future, you will work out of the BAU. You're not allowed to travel with the team." Casey looked over as Emily took over as well.

"There will also be a formal demotion," Emily spoke. "You'll be downgraded from Supervisory Special Agent to Special Agent. Neither of those are necessarily permanent. You can earn back both privileges, but it won't be easy. Is that clear?"

When Luke didn't respond to Emily, Casey nearly startled him when she questioned thoroughly. "Is that clear?" Luke nods, snapping out of his gaze, "Yeah."

"Good," Casey stated. "You're lucky you didn't kill him, or else I would be asking for your badge right now."

Casey was pissed to say the least as she walked back to the car. She didn't want to have to do this to Luke but he forced her hand. He defied her order to sit this out. She was brought back to herself and Hotch. She knew she couldn't be reckless like that and she sure as hell knew her team couldn't be like that. They had targets on their backs enough as it is.

But the one thing Casey didn't know was that she was gonna be the biggest hypocrite in a few short months.

it's my 19th birthday! <3 🥳

and here i am updating because i love you hehehe

anywaysssss
i'm trying to get casey to have more badass unit chief moments and i'm failing MISERABLY AHHHHH

also
that last sentence is a sneak peek to what the original chapters will endure,, we have about two more chapters before we get into the craziness of it all
and i'm telling you now
buckle up while you fucking can because it's gonna get crazy

anywayssss
i love you all
thank you so much for reading!
and now imma go celebrate me
bye!!!!!
-mya </333