Inner Demons

15

"Send the team to my location," I respond, sending her the address. I remove the gun from my leg holster and make my way out into the hall. I go up the first set of stairs, gun held out in front of me. Once I'm sure the area is clear,
I lower my arm slightly, hurrying down the hallway. I step behind a column as I hear a man's voice approaching, gun tucked to my chest.
"We need these codes," he snaps. "I know you have your stupid fucking timeline, but you need to speed it up."
Whoever he's talking to does not respond, and the two of them retreat. I make my way down the hall, until I hear shouts muffled behind a door. I take a deep breath and kick it in. Behind it is Mateo Cruz, chained to the ceiling, and some man I've never seen before holding a house. I fire twice, both bullets hitting their targets. He falls to the floor and I rush to release Cruz.
"Do you know where JJ is?" I ask.
"She's in the next room."
I hand him the gun from the waistband of the man I just shot and leave to find JJ.

The next door is cracked open. I push it open with one hand, gun held out in front of me with the other. JJ barely raises her head to look at me as I approach to unchain her.
"Katie?"
"I'm here JJ."
"How did you know I was here? Where is the team?"
"I'll try and explain later. The team is on their way. Where'd Hastings go?"
She just shakes her head. Hurried footsteps approach the door and I step in front of her, finger on the trigger. Emily and Morgan burst in, and I lower my gun.
"I've got JJ, go find Michael Hastings. He should be the only one left in this building."
Emily hesitates, but follows Morgan out the door. I put JJ's arm around my shoulders and support her as we exit the room. I get her down the stairs to the lobby of the building, with Hotchner bringing Cruz down behind us. He runs back up to support the team as medics come over to check on them. JJ notices me watching him and nods for me to follow. I do, running after him. I'm stopped short by a touch hand on my shoulder, yanking me through a doorway.

"You're no Jennifer Jareau, but I'll leave that to the imagination." Hastings whispers in my ear as he pushes me up against a wall. I bring my knee up as hard as I can into his crotch, flooded with satisfaction as he winces in pain.
"Oh you'll pay for that one bitch," he snarls, pulling a knife from his waistband and stabbing it into my stomach before I can react. He pulls the blade out and pushes me to the ground, laughing as I cover the wound with my hand.
"We're going to have some fun now," he says. "And the best part is, no one from the FBI will even notice or care that you're missing until it's too late." I open my mouth to protest, but I know he's right. He inspects the bloody tip of the knife as he crouches down to where I lay.
"Try something stupid, I'll do it again. Next time, I think I'll go for the hand. Makes it harder to fight back. Before we get started, let me give you a piece of advice. Men like their women submissive." He puts the knife handle between his teeth as he unbuckles his belt. The door swings open and Hotchner runs in, Emily and Morgan behind him.
"Michael Hastings," he says. "You've committed an act of treason against the United States and harmed two federal agents in the process. You're not getting away from this one." Hastings grabs the knife from his mouth and rushes at them. Hotchner fires, the bullet colliding with Hastings' forehead. He twitches once as he hits the ground, then ceases to move. Morgan goes to check his pulse as Emily comes over to me, offering a hand to help me up. I take it, one hand still clamped over my stomach.
"You're hurt," she observes, lifting my shirt to examine the stab wound. "We'll get you to the medics, but once they clear you I'm going to need one hell of an explanation."