The Colorado case was a kidnapping ring—three children taken from three different states, held in a compound outside Denver, families desperate for answers that weren't coming fast enough.
Important work. Lives at stake. The kind of case that should have consumed every ounce of my attention.
Instead, my mind was two thousand miles away.
[REMOTE MONITORING: UNAVAILABLE]
[SUBJECT: ELLE GREENAWAY — BEYOND OBSERVATION RANGE]
[STATUS: UNKNOWN]
JJ had assigned the cases at the morning briefing. Colorado for me, Reid, and local support. Georgia for Elle and Morgan—a home invasion suspect named William Lee who'd been released on a technicality the day before a new victim was attacked.
I'd requested to stay with Elle. Hotch had refused.
"You've been partnered with her for three weeks straight. The team needs to rotate. She needs to work with other agents."
Reasonable. Professional. Completely wrong.
But I couldn't explain why without revealing things I couldn't reveal.
The compound outside Denver was a converted ranch house surrounded by acres of nothing. Local FBI had established a perimeter, but the children were still inside with the captors. Negotiations were ongoing.
Reid coordinated with the hostage negotiation team while I analyzed the compound's layout, looking for weaknesses.
"Three entry points," I said, spreading blueprints across the hood of an SUV. "Main door, basement access, and a window on the second floor that leads to what used to be a nursery."
"The nursery is where they're holding the children," Reid added. "Thermal imaging shows three small heat signatures, two adult-sized."
"So we need a simultaneous breach. Basement team takes the adults, second floor team extracts the children."
The plan came together over the next four hours. HRT moved into position. Negotiators kept the captors talking. Everything was precise, controlled, professional.
My phone buzzed at 6:47 PM.
Morgan's name.
"Hold on," I told Reid, stepping away from the command center.
"Morgan. What's happening?"
"Ethan." His voice was wrong. Tight. Controlled in a way that meant something was very uncontrolled underneath. "Elle shot William Lee. In his house. He's dead."
The world narrowed to a pinpoint.
The compound disappeared. The children disappeared. Colorado itself ceased to exist except as a location preventing me from being where I needed to be.
"Is she okay?"
"Physically, yes." Morgan paused. "Everything else... no."
"What happened?"
"She says self-defense. Lee grabbed a knife, came at her. She had no choice." Another pause, longer. "But I saw the scene, Ethan. The positioning doesn't match. Something's wrong."
[CRISIS DETECTED]
[PERSONAL PRIORITY: MAXIMUM]
[RECOMMENDED ACTION: IMMEDIATE RETURN]
"Where is she now?"
"Being interviewed by local IA. They're treating it as a clean shoot, but..." Morgan's voice dropped. "I know Elle. This wasn't clean."
"I'm coming back."
"The Colorado case—"
"Can be handed off. Reid can coordinate. The children will be fine." My voice sounded strange to my own ears—calm on the surface, cracking underneath. "Get me on the first flight to Georgia."
"Already done. JJ's handling arrangements. Wheels up in ninety minutes from Denver International."
I hung up and found Reid.
"I have to go."
Reid's eyes widened.
"What happened?"
"Elle." The word carried everything I couldn't explain. "I need you to take point here. The breach plan is solid. Trust HRT."
"Of course. But—"
"I'll explain when I can."
I was in a rental car heading toward Denver before Reid could ask more questions.
The flight was three hours and forty-seven minutes.
I spent every second replaying conversations I should have had, interventions I should have made, signs I should have seen more clearly. The seat beside me was empty—the same seat Elle would have occupied if she'd been on this flight, if we'd been working the same case, if I'd been where I was supposed to be.
You knew this was coming.
You saw the darkness growing.
And you weren't there when it mattered.
The system offered analysis I didn't want.
[SUBJECT: ELLE GREENAWAY]
[PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAJECTORY: AS PREDICTED]
[INTERVENTION WINDOW: CLOSED]
[FOCUS: -12]
[DREAD METER: 21 → 28]
I stared at the numbers, hating them, hating myself, hating the universe that had given me the ability to see futures I couldn't change.
You promised her you wouldn't say she wasn't ready.
You promised, and she wasn't ready, and now someone is dead.
The plane landed at 11:43 PM.
Twelve missed calls glowed on my phone—Hotch, Morgan, Reid, JJ, Garcia. All wanting to talk, to coordinate, to process what had happened.
And one text from Elle.
Don't come looking for me tonight.
I flagged a taxi and gave the driver her address.
Some requests were meant to be ignored.
To supporting Me in Pateron .
with exclusive access to more chapters (based on tiers more chapters for each tiers) on my Patreon, you get more chapters if you ask for more (in few days), plus new fanfic every week! Your support starting at just $6/month helps me keep crafting the stories you love across epic universes .
By joining, you're not just getting more chapters—you're helping me bring new worlds, twists, and adventures to life. Every pledge makes a huge difference!
👉 Join now at patreon.com/TheFinex5 and start reading today!