Police in America

After spending an evening gossiping with Professor Cahill, who had put on a bit of weight, Jack finally understood the purpose of Rossi's talk. Rossi was essentially advising him to keep the two girls happy, maintain a low profile, and avoid drawing unnecessary attention due to personal issues. Even though Jack was Rossi's protégé, there was no need to emulate him in every aspect.

Over the next two weeks, the world returned to peace. Perhaps it was because spring had just arrived, and the serial killers hadn't fully awakened yet. In any case, everything was calm, and the BAU team found themselves idle once again.

When Jack yawned and walked into the office carrying a food box, he was surprised to find that Reid, who was never late, wasn't at his desk.

"Where's our Dr. Reid?" Jack asked as he began unpacking the food box, labeling everything before placing it in the fridge.

"He and Hotchner went to the prison early this morning. A serial killer named Chester Hardwick wants to participate in our criminal profiling research project before his death sentence is carried out."

Emily grabbed a box of crispy fried pig ears from the table behind him, cheering as she started munching on them.

This dish, a Spanish delicacy, had been slightly modified by Jack. The pig ears were braised, then coated in a thin layer of batter, and fried in low-temperature olive oil until golden. He sprinkled a fine chili powder seasoning over them, making it the perfect snack to go with drinks.

The ears were crispy on the outside, tender and gelatinous on the inside, with a chewy cartilage layer. It was also a great snack to enjoy any time, especially when paired with marinated edamame and a few bottles of cold beer—perfect for a night of watching sports or shows.

Seeing Jack yawn repeatedly as he sat at his desk, Emily asked curiously, "Didn't we just have the weekend? It's rare to see you like this."

"I spent last night sniping rats on a friend's farm. We stayed up all night."

Jack made himself a cup of coffee to perk up. The Wolfe brothers' farm had a rat problem recently, so Braxton got a few air rifles with night vision scopes and high-powered lenses.

The air rifles were quiet and had just the right amount of power—not enough to disturb the farm animals but strong enough to kill small mammals like rats with a single shot. The three men stayed up all night, lying on hay bales and taking out rats, one after another. It was surprisingly stress-relieving, and before they knew it, the sun had come up.

"You men never really grow up, do you?" Emily rolled her eyes, picked up a newspaper from the table, and began flipping through it.

"What are you two talking about?" JJ walked over, her high heels clicking, as she opened the fridge to see what goodies were inside.

"We were just discussing how Emily might have found a partner," Jack said, shocking Emily into sitting up straight in her chair.

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

"You mentioned 'you men' earlier, which suggests that a new man has appeared in your life, someone you think about subconsciously from time to time."

"Utter nonsense." Emily scoffed, giving him a look that said his profiling skills were lacking.

"Okay, then let's try deduction. JJ, when was the last time you saw Emily wearing the same outfit on a Monday after taking the previous Friday off?"

JJ pretended to think hard but couldn't hide the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Oh my God, Emily, you stayed overnight at a guy's place! Thank goodness, I thought you were going to be single forever."

As Emily glared at her, Jack flashed a victory sign. After being the subject of gossip for so long, it was nice to turn the tables. JJ pulled Emily into her office, and the two women began chatting away.

Jack, meanwhile, slumped over his desk and dozed off, only to be jolted awake at noon by JJ and Emily rushing over to wake him.

"Jack, get up! There's a riot at Terminal Prison. Hotchner and Reid are trapped inside."

Jack was instantly wide awake, shocked. A prison riot? Could those two be any more unlucky?

With Rossi absent, the three of them headed to the prison. On the way, Jack made a few calls to his contacts at the LAPD to get a clearer picture of the situation.

Terminal Prison, a maximum-security facility run by a private company, housed about 800 inmates. This morning, a riot broke out among the prisoners. The situation was unclear, but there were rumors that things were going south fast.

When they arrived, the area in front of the prison was packed with LAPD squad cars, fire trucks, SWAT armored vehicles, and several FBI Suburbans.

In front of a large, black LAPD command van, Jack spotted Hannah and the SWAT team leader, Hondo.

"What are you doing here?" Both of them looked surprised to see Jack and Emily.

"Long time no see, Hondo." Jack greeted the black team leader.

"Our team's sharpest mind and our boss are trapped inside. They were here today to meet with a dangerous serial killer."

Jack glanced at the five team members behind him, puzzled. "You only brought one team?"

Hondo shrugged helplessly. "Team B is in the middle of an operation in Century City. They'll be here soon, but for now, it's just us."

"You don't mind if I tag along, right?" Jack asked as he pulled out the gear the SEALs had given him from the trunk.

"Wow, aren't you with the FBI? Where'd you get this gear?" Hondo's eyes lit up with envy.

He wasn't just jealous of Jack's high-end SEAL gear; he also envied the two pretty girls who were helping Jack put on his bulletproof vest.

"A friend from the SEALs gave it to me. Can I borrow one of your comms units?"

With Hannah and JJ's help, Jack donned his bulletproof vest, slipped ceramic plates into it, and strapped a holster to his right leg while he answered.

"I've got one here. Long time no see, Jack. When you visited our team last time, weren't you going to share the recipe for your stew?" Deacon, the bearded deputy team leader, handed over his spare comms unit.

"That's my aunt's secret recipe. I can't just give it out without her permission, but I can ask her for you."

Jack took the comms unit and strapped on the MK24 with the golden anchor logo to the holster on his right leg. Finally, he put on his goggles and moved around a bit, ensuring his mobility wasn't hindered by the tactical gear.

"So, what's the situation inside? Do you have a rescue plan?"

"Not yet. The firefighters just put out the fire in the annex building. The prisoners have taken 18 hostages, including the warden, but we haven't located Reid and Hotchner yet. We don't know where they're hiding."

Hannah led the group into the command van, where the screens displayed a series of mugshots.

___________________

Read Ahead

[email protected]/Mutter