Blood and Battle | Criminal Minds (gxg)

Chapter 51

I take my seat at the conference table and the others do the same. JJ and Hotch stand at the front of the room, clicking through photos and outlining the case.

A group of five college students were killed in a house for sale. They were throwing a party when it took a dark turn. All were killed with brutal, wartime techniques used by the Native American tribes of the area.

"Wheels up in thirty," Hotch concludes as always.

I stand, gathering the file in front of me.

"And D'angelo?" Hotch calls.

"Yeah?"

He glances down for a moment but meets my eyes once again. "You're not allowed to sleep with my brother."

Morgan laughs out loud while JJ smiles at the front of the room. Elle smirks beside me.

The corners of my mouth turn up in amusement. I raise my eyebrows and sigh, looking down at the file in my hands.

"Again," I mutter.

I wait for a moment as understanding passes over everyone's face. I walk out the door without another word.

---

"As you can see, the ritualistic killings were extremely violent," Garcia speaks uneasily as she squeezes her eyes shut.

"They didn't use any professional weapons, but the techniques match up with ancient tribal rituals," I add as my eyes take in the gruesome images. The victims were brutally tortured before they died. "One person probably couldn't stake a guy like this..." I mumble to myself. "It could've been a group," I say louder.

"The tribes of this area do not have a history of being violent," Hotch points out.

"Someone could be trying to arouse suspicion against them to force them off their land," Elle suggests.

I glance up and catch her looking at me. She's been eyeing me strangely since the conference room. We haven't had a chance to talk yet, in private.

She sits directly across from me now, Hotch on her right and Gideon to my left, the photos on the table in between us. Morgan, Reid, and JJ sit on the couch while Garcia's image is shown on the computer at the end of the tabletop.

"Okay. When we land, we'll all head to the police station first. Then Elle, Morgan, and D'angelo head to the crime scene, JJ work with the press, and the rest of us will go to a local school on the reservation to talk with the tribe representative."

We all nod, going back to examining the case. I notice that Garcia stays on the call.

"Something else, Baby Girl?" Morgan calls.

I look up in time to see her glance between me and Hotch. "Well, I heard a little rumor-"

"Bye, Penelope." I shake my head as I reach forward to hang up.

"Wait! I want to know more!" Garcia pleads.

Hotch stops me from ending the call. "So do I."

I look at him with my mouth slightly open. "You want to do this now?"

"Yes." His voice is devoid of emotion. Garcia nods furiously on the computer screen.

"Me too," Elle speaks up, closing the file in her hands.

I look at each of them, knowing I won't win. I sigh deeply, leaning back in my seat and tossing the folder onto the table in front of me.

It's silent for a few moments before Morgan speaks up. "So? Did you sleep with him?"