Battlecry | Criminal Minds (gxg)

Chapter 24

~Present Day, June, 2010~

Elle's POV

I leave her on the sidewalk before I lose control of the tears. I don't want her to see me cry—not now. Not when she needs me to be strong for her.

This is hell. Every second, I'm faced with the thought that she's in danger. Life-threatening danger.

But I need to understand what she's going through. I have every right to be angry, upset, but I won't be. Not now, not when seeing me break down will only make Carli blame herself more.

I make a stop at the bathroom on my way back to the bullpen, expecting her to be there when I return. When I get there, standing in the doorway and scanning the room only to find her nowhere, I frown.

"Where is she?"

Spencer looks up from the file in his hands. "Huh?"

"Carli," I clarify.

"I thought she was with you?"

"She said she was coming up," I say slowly. "She said she was coming back."

Reid's confusion quickly turns to concern. He drops the file and leans towards the table. "Guys, where is it?"

"Where's what?" Morgan answers.

"The phone. The burner phone from Murphy. Where is it?"

The rest of them are silent. I stare at the center of the table where the phone should be, safely away from Carli. Who should be next to me, safely away from Murphy.

I let out a small whisper of her name, and then I'm running for the door.

I hear Morgan stomping behind me as I take the stairs, running and jumping over half the steps. I don't stop until I've reached the sidewalk, right where I left her, but—

She's gone.

I run in one direction, Morgan in the other, and I'm screaming her name, waiting for her to appear from the shadows with an innocent smile and a teasing I'm right here, love.

I circle the entire block, only to find myself back in front of the building empty-handed. I'm about to take off again when Morgan grabs my shoulders.

"She's gone, Elle."

"No. No, she can't—she was right here!"

"I'm sorry."

"She was saying goodbye." My voice cracks, my vision swimming with tears. "S-she was saying goodbye, and I didn't even know it."

Derek holds me to his chest as I break.

Carli's POV

The coordinates lead me to a parking lot behind an abandoned office building. It's a junkyard, piles of scraps in some spaces and car wrecks in others. I walk slowly, eyes scanning every inch of twisted metal, every heap of damaged vehicles.

The phone in my pocket beeps. I pull it out to find the screen lit up with a notification from an unknown number.

STOP.

I do.

DROP THE PHONE AND SMASH IT.

Again, I follow directions.

When another minute goes by without activity, I lift my hands into the air. "I'm unarmed, Sam. Come out."

The answer I receive is a squealing of tires. A black van pulls up in front of me, a good fifty feet away. The door slides open, and there's Murphy with his cold stare.