ABLOCATE ▇▇▇▇ VOLUME ONE
━━ ❛ 𝒊 𝒂𝒎 𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 ❜

chapter no. 012!

❝ YOU'RE BEHIND THIS, AREN'T
YOU? ❞
▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄

     THE AUTOMATIC DOORS TO THE VANCOUVER POLICE DEPARTMENT SLID OPEN, AND THE TEAM WALKED IN WITH CARA AT HOTCH'S SIDE. Her eyes were trained on the tiled floor while they made their way further inside. However, everyone came to a sudden halt, including Cara. She couldn't force herself to stop looking at the ground. There were parts of her that refused to believe all of this was still happening even though she'd had nineteen hours, twelve minutes, and twenty-four seconds to process the timeline of events that'd transpired.

     "Ms. Valentine." A new set of footsteps approached before stopping a few feet away. Keeping her head down, she lifted her chin an inch, signaling to whoever was speaking that she was listening. "Someone by the name of Kirk Farell sent in a set of digital files this morning at six o'clock." Her eyes widened and her head shot up to see the Police Captain standing there. The tag on his shirt read 'Marvinhill'. "The files enclosed the details of the Surrey Six murders and your involvement with the Red Scorpions." Out of her peripheral vision, she noticed the team glance at her. "They also enclose the agreement Person X made with the court to turn over all information and details they had pertaining to the Red Scorpions, in return for the protection of you and their identity."

     Matthew Campbell told Cara that her father's name was concealed to protect his sources, and since his name was concealed, nobody would know who Cara was. He never told her that her protection was part of that agreement.

     "Farell also provided us with a substantial amount of evidence that proves you were not present for the Abbotsford Auto-Mall attack, the arrest of the Bacon brothers, the murder of Raphael Baldini, any of the various murders Person X committed, the capture of Person Y, Matthew Campbell's death, or any other drug-trafficking heists or transactions. In other words, all supposed evidence proving you have done anything illegal for the Red Scorpions has been proven and authenticated as being falsified or fake." Marvinhill wore a look of pure anger.

     That wasn't possible. This wasn't possible.

     She ran more than the majority of the Red Scorpion's drug heists, deals, arrangements, and deliveries. She was the one who made deals with rich, white men that had nothing but pockets full of money to burn. She was the one who went undercover to get intel from corporations. She was the one who brought those who wronged the gang to the leaders. She was one of the most highly respected and trusted members of the Red Scorpions. This wasn't possible.

     Kirk Farell, of all people, would no way in hell help her. It was because of her father that his own was placed in prison, and now, he was dead. Farell despised the Valentine's. They ruined his family, as well as their own in the process.

     "All charges against you, Cara Valentine, have been dropped." The Vancouver Police Department was dead silent in the early rays of the morning as every set of eyes landed on her still figure. Only the sound of a clock ticking could be heard, and everyone waited for the now-free woman to react. No one moved or mentioned the fact that dozens of files showing and confirming everything she did for the Scorpions were sitting in the back of the black Suburban parked outside. Everyone simply remained quiet.

     "You're behind this, aren't you?!" Marvinhill remarked, and Cara's brows raised considerably high. "You and your little gang? It may say you're innocent on paper, but you and I both know you are anything but that." Narrowing her stare, she gave the man a stone-cold glare that made him blanch.

     Taking a step forward, he regained his composure. "Agents, it seems that your job here is done. I can take Ms. Valentine and process her—make sure she gets out of here safely."

     Spencer moved to Cara's side and gave her a reassuring look before making eye contact with Marvinhill. "There's no need for that, Captain. We still have a few more questions for Cara and when we're done, we can process her ourselves," he said, and Cara noticed Hotch narrowing his eyes.

     "Have it your way," he scoffed, stalking off and disappearing into his office.

     Turning sharply to Spencer, Hotch cleared his throat. "I need to speak to you in the conference room."

────

     CLOSING THE DOOR, HOTCH SPUN ON HIS HEEL TO LOOK AT THE YOUNGEST MEMBER OF HIS TEAM WITH AN INCREDULOUS EXPRESSION. His eyes narrowed and he studied Spencer before asking, "What was that?"

     Fidgeting with his fingers nervously, Spencer met his stare. "I know she's part of an infamous drug-trafficking gang, an accessory to murder—potentially more—and has withheld information about murders and trafficking events that happened, but she isn't a bad person. I know you and the others see what I see, too. You don't see a monster resting inside her like you do when you look at other UnSubs. You see a woman who got dragged into something as a kid that she should have never been a part of—a woman who doesn't deserve everything she's been through.

     "For years, she's been isolated, controlled, and kept a secret from most of the world. We all saw that bunker. She was practically kept in a cage like a wild animal. She did what she had to do to survive the situation she was in. I don't have to know everything that's happened to her to know that I would have done the same things she's done while with them.

     "Throughout the entire time we've had her, she could've stayed quiet. She could've remained silent and stagnant, but she didn't. She helped us, even if it took a little pushing to get her to, and due to that, we have gotten valuable information that we would have never known or learned otherwise," he breathed, maintaining eye contact with Hotch to ensure he knew how serious he was with his insinuation.

     Hotch glanced out the window of the conference room, his eyes landing on the blonde who was sitting in a chair. Blake talking to her. "What are you proposing, Reid?" he asked, slowly glancing back over at the brown-haired man.

     "We take Cara back to Quantico with us. Make her a part of the team."

     "Reid—"

     "I know it's a crazy idea, Hotch, but Cara has an enhanced sense of pattern recognition and her specialty is detecting behavior and lies. Those are two skills that make a great profiler. During the increments of time that I've spent with her, she's pointed out my behavior and knew my next move before I had a chance to even act. She would make an excellent profiler and would be a good addition to the team."

     Hotch remained stoic as he took in Spencer's words. Silently, he, himself, had been having similar thoughts. It wouldn't be an easy thing to do—to get the government or the F.B.I. to agree to this proposition. But it was possible.

     "If she can locate the Red Scorpions, I'll consider it. Right now, it's too early to tell, and I need to see her in action—see how good she truly is."

     Immediately, Spencer breathed a sigh of relief. He was one step closer to getting Cara Valentine out of the hellhole she was in. He was one step closer to saving her.