It had been half way through the profile that the call had come in. They had a body number two and by the grim looks on the team’s faces, none of them were happy about it. They filed out of the police station, automatically splitting to SUVs, JJ tossing Morrow the keys as they plus Emily climbed into one car, Derek, Reid and Aaron went to the other. Kian rode with the girls.

“This isn’t good, right?” she asked.

“For the families and the friends? Of course not. For us, it could be,” Morrow answered tactlessly.

“We need more people to die?”

“Yes and no,” Emily said, shooting Morrow a half-hearted glare through the back of the seat. “We don’t want people to die, Jill, don’t think that for a second, but with every body we learn something about our unsub.”

Kian seemed placated for now.

They pulled up to the scene and Emily knew they made quite the picture as they jumped out of the SUVs. They moved smoothly and swiftly, flashing badges to get under the crime scene tape.

“Different dump site,” Derek said, looking around. “He didn’t try to hide her this time.”

“Maybe he was interrupted,” Morrow volunteered. “Didn’t have time to hide her and not be caught.” It was a plausible explanation.

“Same wrist marks as your first victim.” It was the same coroner that had looked at Stephanie Lite’s body.

“Rage like this is intimate,” Reid said, looking at the stab wounds.

Emily felt her stomach revolt slightly. She locked eyes with Aaron and both knew she’d be having nightmares again.

“Final stab wound count on Stephanie Lite was 22,” the coroner said. “I’ll get her back to the morgue and let you know.”

“Thanks,” Aaron said politely, eyes still taking in the scene around him.

“Katrina Stark has a boyfriend,” Kian said, stepping under the tape. She’d gotten a call just before stepping under the yellow tape. “Logan Kite.”

Emily’s eyebrow rose. “High power family.”

“You know them?” Derek asked, partially out of surprise. It was easy to forget that Emily was the daughter of a senator and an ambassador.

“Mother knows the family. They come to functions,” Emily said with a shrug. She watched Aaron debate with himself. It was a question of politics versus putting her in the field and they both knew it.

“Take JJ, go talk to him,” he said finally.

Emily and JJ exchanged a glance. “Old fashioned family, are you sure?”

“Two beautiful women? Maybe you’ll distract him and he’ll let something slip,” Derek teased, the corner of his mouth turning up. Sometimes lightheartedness was something they needed in their job.

Both women simply rolled their eyes but turned to head back to the cars. Emily seriously didn’t mind JJ driving. They waited until they were on the road to talk.

“Old fashioned family?”

“The Kite’s are of the old breed, the one where women are objects to be admired and shouldn’t be working.”

JJ’s eyebrow rose. “And we’re going to talk to this guy?”

Emily cocked an echoing eyebrow. JJ had chosen a flattering outfit for the day, an understated grey, skirt, and a pale blue tanktop and cardigan set that brought out her eyes and accented her blond hair. And Emily knew she wasn’t chopped liver herself. She’d gone with a light pink three-quarter length blouse and black pants. Both wore heels. “Wouldn’t you, looking like us?”

The blond laughed as she followed the GPS’s instructions to turn. She turned reflective when the laughter passed. “I missed you, you know.”

Emily smiled. She’d known that, but it always felt good to hear it. She had missed them all too, missed the joking like this, missed Derek’s borderline sexual harassment and missed Reid’s penchant to throw out obscure fact, even, apparently, about the porn industry. “I missed this too.”

JJ glanced over as Emily’s phone chirped. “We haven’t been gone five minutes!”

Emily chuckled as she looked at the text message.

Be good.

Emily rolled her eyes, typing back what JJ had said. He didn’t acknowledge the short passage of time, just reiterated his point.

“What is it?”

“We have to play nice,” Emily responded absently, typing back a slightly scolding text message. We keep doing this we’re going to be distracted.

JJ’s eyebrows hit her hairline. “He texted you to say that?”

The brunette winced internally. It was scary that JJ had caught on to who she was talking to so quickly. There was really no use in denying that now. “Yup?”

“Can you just get on with it already?” JJ asked in exasperation as she slowed to a stop at a red light. The houses around were getting bigger and fancier and both women knew they were getting closer.

Emily played dumb. “What?”

“He texted you for no good reason, we all saw the crossword exchange this morning, you’re comfortable together. Hell, Em, I’d bet my paycheck that’s where you were this morning.” She glanced over at her colleague to catch the blush. “And I’m right.”

“I had a nightmare,” Emily admitted. Aaron had been the hardest person to admit that too. JJ was much easier. Not to mention the blond was one of Emily’s closest friends.

“So you went to him?”

“I lived with him, Jayje.”

“Security blanket,” JJ nodded in understanding, pulling through the intersection. “You okay?”

“It’s a lot to handle, that’s all,” Emily repeated, looking down at the new message.

I know you hate politics.

She snorted. Understatement.

“So you said this morning. I don’t buy it.”

Emily sighed. She hadn’t even spoken to Aaron about all this, had almost flat out refused to. “These girls are being stabbed. It makes my nightmares a little bit more realistic.” Thankfully, JJ didn’t ask any more than that.

“What am I getting myself into here?”

Emily closed her eyes, trying to remember the people she was dealing with. “They made their money off of some serious investments and multiple small businesses.”

JJ let out a low whistle. “Kite International?”

“Mmhmm,” Emily agreed, looking down at her phone.

Stark family interview.

She nodded as she typed her reply. Kite house momentarily. Check in when we’re done.

“And you know them?”

“Mother and Mrs Kite often cross paths on the gala planning circuit,” Emily replied, her distaste for the lifestyle apparent. “Mother’s taken up the practice.”

“Charities?”

“Mostly,” Emily agreed. “They sit on the same committees for two or three charities.”

“For someone who hates them, you sure know a lot about them,” JJ said.

“I’ve been to my fair share,” Emily replied contemptuously. “We don’t talk about it.”

JJ smiled. “Meat market?”

“Right on. You know a lot yourself.”

“We have our own types of meat markets in Pennsylvania,” she replied. “Now I live in Virginia and my job keeps me busy enough that I can tell my mother no.”

“Me too,” Emily agreed, then grinned at JJ. “Thank God.”

Both women laughed.

Aaron knocked on the door of the Stark house, Morgan at his side. Reid and Morrow were heading back to the precinct with Kian to await the coroner’s report on Katrina Stark and add her death to their case spread. A red-eyed woman opened the door. “Can I help you?”

“Mrs Stark, we’re with the FBI.”

Her eyes widened. “My baby? Is this about my baby? Where is she? She’s not…?”

Aaron exchanged a look with Morgan. He hated this part, just like every other agent did. “Mrs Stark, I’m afraid we found your daughter’s body this morning.”

Tears welled and cascaded down the woman’s cheeks as a cry of anguish tore from her throat. Morgan caught her as she went down, unsurprised to hear hurried footsteps from the back of the house.

“Alice? What the hell happened?!”

Morgan happily allowed the husband to take Mrs Stark from him. “Sir, we’re with the FBI. Agents Morgan and Hotchner. We’re here about your daughter.” Both agents watched the news wash over the man. Still, he held strong.

“We wondered when we’d be getting this visit,” he said tiredly. “She’s been gone over a month.”

“May we come in?” Aaron asked.

Mr Stark nodded, half helping, half carrying his wife to the couch in the nearby sitting room. “When did you find her?”

“This morning,” Morgan answered, sincere sympathy dripping from his voice. “We’re sorry for your loss.”

Mr Stark winced at the government line. “You said you had questions?”

Aaron nodded. “Do you know of anyone who would do this to your daughter?”

“Kat was a really good girl, sir. And I’m not just saying that. She worked hard and for what she wanted. She deserved that job with Kite International.”

“Could someone be jealous of her? Think she didn’t deserve the position because of her relationship with Logan Kite?”

Mr Stark deflated. Mrs Stark sniffled. “Kat always said she knew a different Logan. She swore he’d never make her give up the work she loved so much.”

“You didn’t believe that,” Aaron said, more of a statement than a question.

“Not at all. He was always subtly digging when he came for dinner and we know he was trying to convince her to quit. His parents too. I’ve never seen Kat so down as when she came back from dinner with his family,” Mr Stark agreed. “She’d laugh it off when she was at home. She loved him, but she loved her job too.”

Aaron nodded, then folded his hands, leaning his elbows on his knees. “Mr and Mrs Stark, were you aware of your daughter’s extracurricular activities?”

Morgan and Aaron expected a ‘no’. They got the opposite.

“You mean the website?” Mrs Stark asked. “Yes. We didn’t approve, but it was Kat’s decision.”

“It was supposed to pay her way through college. As you can see, Agent Hotchner, we’re not exactly the Kites,” Mr Stark agreed. “Kat said she was always careful.”

Aarons phone chirped and he exchanged a look with Morgan. They had all they needed, really. He stood up and shook hands with both parents. “Thank you,” he said sincerely. “I’m so sorry.”

Both nodded. Mrs Stark walked them to the door. “Could it be him?” she asked. “Logan, I mean.”

“He’s a person of interest,” Aaron responded.

She nodded, looking away, her hands shaking.

Morgan could tell the woman was barely holding it together. “Mrs Stark, we will find out who did this to your daughter.”

Mrs Stark nodded. “Thank you, Agent Morgan.”

Aaron waited until they were in the car before pulling out his phone and checking Emily’s text message.

Arrogant, condescending son of a bitch.

He couldn’t hold in the smile that tilted the corners of his mouth. That bad?

“Em?”

He hoped his surprise was hidden at the way Morgan knew who he was texting. “Kite gave them a hard time.”

Morgan shrugged. “It was what we expected.”

Aaron knew the man was a little off center with Mrs Stark’s primal reaction. He could feel it too and was glad for the chance to connect with Emily. Her next message came though before he could come up with a reply for Morgan.

I was glad I knew what I was getting into. JJ’s still a little shell shocked.

Anything? he shot back.

He expected her to stop working once he put that all-important diamond on her finger.

Katrina didn’t want to leave, he sent back. Her parents didn’t like him.

He could almost see the dark look on her face when he read her response.

I don’t like him. I don’t care about being polite, if he or his father undressed me with their eyes one more time, I was going to punch them both. Think my mother would pick up the diplomatic pieces?

Aaron chuckled. For a stoic agent, Emily had a revenge streak when pushed. What did you expect? You’re a beautiful woman. It’s a natural male reaction. He held his breath while he waited for her response.

Flattery will get you everywhere, thank you.

Her next message came through before he could get out a reply. It made me feel better when Eric and Victoria went purple at the site’s pictures of Katrina.

Son’s reaction? It was the fiancées reaction he wanted.

Interest. What did you expect?

Aaron thought about that for a moment. Could he have encouraged it?

Nope. Daddy’s threatened him one too many times with the loss of his cushioned lifestyle for that.

Part of him disagreed. Garcia had a hard time finding that site.

I’ve heard their fights. Plus, if you were a playboy like Logan you’d want a woman who could do the things Katrina seemed to be able to.

Long story short, she didn’t think the Kites were involved in Katrina’s disappearance or murder. The logical part of him agreed, but he didn’t like thinking about other men leering at Emily. We’ll touch base with the precinct. Then you should head to bed.

He wasn’t surprised when he didn’t get a reply, nor was he surprised to find her talking to one of the officers at the front about nothing in particular. She cocked her head to the side when she noticed them. “Got a minute?”

Morgan went ahead into the conference room, eying the both of them. Aaron cocked an eyebrow. This was dangerous territory for them to be stepping into on a case, but he followed her back outside into the Sacramento heat.

Emily sighed and put her hands on her hips. “I am fine,” she said. “I can do this.”

“I know you can.”

“Do you?” she asked straight out, her eyes drilling into his. “I’m awake enough and energized enough to do this.”

He felt relief in his mind. He’d been afraid she was going to rip into him about their relationship on the job. This he could handle. “Are you?”

“Yes,” she said promptly. “Going out to do one interview isn’t going to exhaust me. Chasing after a suspect might, but I’m pretty much healed, Aaron. I haven’t had to take a pill in almost a week.”

Aaron put his hands on his hips, digging his fingers into the cloth and flesh to keep himself from reaching out to her. The way her biceps flexed as her arms crossed over her stomach said the same thing. “You can’t overdo yourself.”

Emily sighed, looking down at her toes. “I know.”

Silence stretched for a moment. “Let’s do a final debrief, check in with Garcia. Then I’m sending everyone back to the hotel. What they do with that time is their decision,” he said.

She looked up, a smile tilting the corners of her mouth. “Want to go over some files?”