Police in Los Angeles

"Are you all okay?" Jack stepped forward, kicking away the fallen switchblade from Schiller and leading Cheryl out of the room.

He had pretended to drive two kilometers away, worried that the sound of the returning engine would alert the suspect, so he abandoned the car and ran back.

Not knowing how well JJ could fight, he had been concerned about leaving her and Cheryl alone to face Schiller. He had sprinted almost the entire way.

The young girl had long abandoned her pretense of fear. Since the end of Chapter 6—no, since Rossi had informed everyone about the possibility of a bug in the recording device and demanded absolute trust from the Davenport father and daughter—everyone had turned into actors.

Except for Reid, the worst actor, who had been tasked with keeping quiet.

When Rossi had hung up repeatedly to anger Schiller, there had been a mix of real and feigned concern from the Davenport duo over Tracy's safety.

However, when JJ pretended to follow Jack out to buy supplies, but actually sneaked back into Cheryl's room, Cheryl's acting had been somewhat lacking.

Fortunately, Schiller had been too blinded by desire and the thrill of victory to notice Cheryl's frequent glances behind him.

"Where is Tracy?" JJ's brows furrowed in anger, her usually cheerful face now cold and stern.

Seeing Schiller adopt a defiant stance, Jack was about to suggest handling it himself. A coward who only bullied the weak would confess after breaking a few bones.

The next second, Jack's eyes widened, and he gasped. He almost blurted out, "Why are you rewarding him?"

JJ's high-heeled right foot was pressing down on Schiller's groin, slowly increasing the pressure.

"Tell me, where is Tracy?"

Watching this was excruciatingly...wrong. Yes, excruciatingly painful. Jack held back Cheryl, who was curiously trying to peek into the room, and covered her eyes.

"Good girls shouldn't learn this."

---

After handing Schiller over to the arriving FBI agents and police, Jack and JJ took Cheryl to the address he had disclosed. The place was already swarming with police cars, and Rossi was waiting outside.

"Tracy!" Cheryl, seeing her sister being carried out of the garage on a stretcher by paramedics, excitedly rushed forward.

"She's fine. She still has some sedatives in her system but will be okay after a good sleep," Reid, who had helped escort Tracy out, reassured her.

"Thank you, thank you so much."

Evan, their father, hurried over, helping the paramedics lift the stretcher into the ambulance and repeatedly thanking everyone as he turned back to them.

An EMT closed the ambulance door, blocking their view.

Watching the ambulance drive away, the four BAU members exchanged looks, each with a satisfied smile.

"Is Tracy really okay?" JJ's eyes widened in surprise.

"She might be a bit shaken, but with her sister by her side, she'll be fine soon," Reid assured her, knowing what she was worried about.

"Like I said, that guy saw these twin sisters as a perfect whole. He wouldn't rush to harm one without having the other," Jack said, feeling accomplished as the case wrapped up successfully.

On the way back to the airport, Jack drove while JJ took the front passenger seat.

In the back seat, Reid was still curious.

"How did JJ get Schiller to reveal Tracy's location? Why did Jack turn off the communicator in his pocket at the end?"

"You really impressed me," Jack said to JJ, hinting at something.

Seeing both of them being evasive, Reid turned to Rossi.

"Too many questions. Let's just enjoy the moment," Rossi tried to dissuade him.

Reid, still not satisfied, said, "Jack, you know that when you and Schiller were alone in the car, we could all hear your conversation, right?"

Jack paused, glared back at him, and said, "You should know, I did that to elicit Schiller's empathy."

"Speaking of which," JJ suddenly brushed her hair, wrapping a strand around her finger and lightly biting her lip as she looked at Jack.

"Is this the kind of hint you meant?"

Heartbeat skipped!

---

Back in Los Angeles that afternoon, Rossi led them to the BAU's office, located in the same building as the FBI's Los Angeles office.

They had a spacious floor with a large office, several private offices, and two well-equipped conference rooms.

"Pick a desk. Three more team members haven't reported in yet, but everyone should be here by next week."

"This was an emergency assignment. You can all work on the case analysis report together. Aaron Hotchner, who handles administrative work, will arrive tomorrow. He will be your administrative leader."

The team was surprised by this. Reid raised his hand, "Aren't you our supervisor? You brought us together."

Rossi shook his head, smiling, "I don't have the energy for that. Do you want me bogged down in paperwork every day?"

"But at least for the next few years, I will be involved in the cases you handle. Hotchner will take care of all administrative tasks. He's an excellent leader, experienced and energetic. You should give him the respect he deserves."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Rossi then took his leave, leaving the three to complete the analysis report. With the genius Dr. Reid on their side, they finished the over 20,000-word report before dark.

"I need to go home and take a hot bath. I'm exhausted," JJ said, rubbing her sore shoulders and bidding farewell to the others.

Since not all the team members had arrived, suggesting a gathering felt like forming cliques, so they tacitly decided against it.

Jack grabbed Reid, flashing a menacing grin at the bewildered genius.

"Come with me. Before the day ends, let's hit the gym. I promised to help you burn off that extra sugar."

JJ watched the two goofing around and left with a helpless smile.

In the following days, with no new urgent cases, the remaining three team members gradually reported in.

They were Aaron Hotchner, the mentioned supervisor, field agent Emily Prentiss, and tech specialist Penelope Garcia.

Aaron Hotchner was a tall middle-aged man in his early forties who looked very serious. In the few days since he arrived, Jack hadn't seen him smile, finding him hard to approach.

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