UNDER REVISION Silence in the Scars (A Criminal Minds Story)

Chapter 16: Failed Negotiations

"And what makes you think that you or Tyler is going to survive this?" Zoe's words chilled Reid right to the bone. Sure he'd been in life-threatening situations before but never had he so harshly been face-to-face with his own mortality. The blood from his arm dripped onto the floor, creating a puddle.

"Zoe," Tyler coughed. Reid noticed with worry that he had grown noticeably paler. "It's not his fault, just-"

"You be quiet," Zoe ordered. She pointed the knife at him threateningly. "You have helped quit enough." Tyler coughed and spat a mouthful of blood on the floor. Reid took a breath and looked at Tyler, trying to remember how long someone could survive with a gunshot wound in their stomach. He thought that Tyler had an hour, at best. Zoe had to slip up soon.

"Zoe," Reid said slowly. "Killing Tyler will not make the FBI let Jake go. If you let him die than the FBI will not let Jake go." Zoe narrowed her eyes coldly. Reid's arm and leg were throbbing but his situation was not as serious as Tyler's.

"Well I can't just let him go," Zoe scoffed. "He's the reason all you're damn fed friends are here."

"You don't have to let him go. Just let someone come look at him and treat the wound." Silence filled the room as Zoe considered the options. Reid held his breath, if she refused this offer than Reid had no more cards left to play.

"Fine," Zoe said. "Try anything funny and I'll kill Tyler and whoever else comes through that door." Reid swallowed and nodded as Zoe picked up the phone.

~

Outside the FBI and the local police were trying to figure out a point of entry that wouldn't result in the death of Reid or Tyler.

"We can't go barging in the front door," Hotch said tiredly to a grizzled police officer who didn't seem to understand why. "The minute we try to get in that way she won't hesitate to kill Reid." The police officer grumbled something but feel silent.

"Do we know the state of Tyler?" Sheriff Jones asked.

"Zoe shot him," Prentiss replied. "Beyond that we don't know the extent of his injuries."

"Reid's been injured also but we don't know the extent of those injuries either," Morgan said. He was pissed and felt guilty. It was his fault that Reid was in this situation. If he hadn't told the kid to split up than Zoe and the others wouldn't have been able to grab him. He could feel JJ's eyes on him and guessed that she knew what he was thinking.

"Could we get a sniper to shoot through on of the windows?" Deputy Jonathan Riley suggested.

"To risky, " Hotch replied, shaking his head. "The curtains are closed and judging by the thickness of the glass a sniper would need to fire at least two shoots. One to break the glass and a second to take out Zoe."

"Looks like we're going to need to rely on negotiating," JJ said. Hotch's phone started ringing.

"It's Zoe," he said before answering it. "Hotchner."

"Hello Aaron," Zoe said. "I have decided that you may send in one person to look at Tyler so that he doesn't die before I want him to."

"Tyler is still alive than."

"Yes, why would I have you come look at a corpse?"

"Alright we'll send in someone. Is there anything else that you need?"

"No. I don't want to see any cops or feds near the door though and no guns. If they have a gun, I'm killing them." The connection went dead.

"She's letting us send one person in to make sure Tyler doesn't die," Hotch told the others as he put his phone back in his pocket.