**HOTCH'S POV

I have been sitting in my office for almost two entire days, but still there is no word on my daughter. Knowing that the first twenty four hours of a kidnapping are the most important, my hope of finding Bridget was beginning to fade in front of my eyes. Emily's only wish is that I remain calm and collected, but I simply am unable. The sound of the gun penetrating through Haley's body is the only thing that comes to mind whenever I think about my daughter in danger. Although the suspect is not similar to Foyet, losing a loved one is the worst possible event to occur. The last thing I want is to lose my daughter too.

knock, knock.

"Come in." I answer, lacking any form of enthusiasm in my voice.

"Sir, are you okay? You seem a bit-"

Garcia's pure kindness and sensibility was admirable, but at this specific moment in time, answering question about my wellbeing seemed irrelevant as the idea of my missing daughter remains prevalent in my mind.

"I am fine, Garcia. What is it?" I reply, instantly putting on a mask to disguise my emotions.

Garcia's mouth opens and closes as if she wants to reply, but instead she switches to discussing the reason for coming to my office. "Well, I was able to do some.. extra digging... and I managed to find James's previous place of employment. He used to work for the NSA, but was terminated from the job due to being caught taking advantage of his privileges." 

"My God, his father worked for the NSA." I am suddenly more poised in my chair. "What was he caught doing?"

 "From what I can tell he was stalking and hacking into this encrypted website named Dear Diary where young girls could talk about their issues and what they did during the day. Other girls could respond to the entries anonymously, along with their posts being anonymous, and so on and so on, sir."

"Dear Diary? I am beyond certain that Emily caught Bridget on that site once and Jack's iPad. She had to be twelve or thirteen. I know for a fact she has not had access to it recently. Garcia, you are excused, thank you."

"Yes, sir." She bows awkwardly and scurries out the door.

I know for a fact that Bridget used that sight at least once. Emily and I tried our best to restrict her access to the internet, but Jack was given an iPad from his Aunt Jessica which Bridget got a hold of a lot more than I'd care to admit. With that being said, I am about to give Jack a call.

I dial his number and wait a couple of seconds for him to pick up.

"Hey Dad, any update on Bridge?" He inquires kindly, his voice heightening with all intent of receiving a positive response.

I sigh. "No, nothing yet unfortunately. We are slowly getting a grasp on who did this and who is involved. Look, do you have your iPad on you?

"Uh," Jack answers. He speaks to someone, but covers the speaker so his voice is muffled. "Yeah, Megan is grabbing it from the kitchen. Why?"

"Remember when Aunt Jessica gave you the iPad.... and how Bridget was begging you to let her peruse that one website Dear Diary  even though Emily and I were quite firm on the idea of her not using that kind of thing?"

"That was years ago, Dad. . ." He begins, clearly nervous that I am ratting him out.

Jack is almost thirty years old, and he still is scared when I interrogate him. 

"I know. I could care less know if you let her use or whatever went down, but I need to know right now if Bridget went on it or not."

"She did." He replies rapidly.

"God Damn." I mumble, scrambling to find a pen somewhere on my desk.

"Dad, why?" He presses, growing concerned for either my wellbeing, his life, or Bridget.

"Jack, I can't disclose why. I will tell you later, but I have to go. Thanks for your help, kid." 

I press the red button and slam my phone onto the table. If a person like him had access to a website that innocent young girls used a couple years back, the outcome is destined to not be good. Frantically, I collect some objects from my desk and stride over to the tech room.

"Garcia!" I shout, opening the door without warning.

She jumps in her chair and sets down the unicorn figurine she was holding while maintaining steady eye contact with me. I lift my chin and shove my hands into my pockets before shutting the door behind me.

"What is it, sir?" She inquires.

"Bridget used that site. Jack let her use his iPad at some point. First, I need you to look up Charlie Rue along with our earlier suspects- Abigail and Erin."

"On it like a tiger when they catch their prey." She answers, pretending to growl like a tiger.

Her sudden animal impression causes me to lean back a bit due to the fact I was not expecting that... not because I was frightened.

"Oh, sir. All the girls had an account, look." She explains, motioning towards a screen that showed the usernames of all the girls, including Bridget.

SEARCH RESULTS:

Bridget Hotchner -@ B_Hotch

Charlie Rue - @ CharCharBinks 

Abigail Schultz - @ lavidadeabby

Erin Dahlem -  @ dahladahlaerin

"I'm not going to lie, sir, some of these names are quite creative. They would have been completely incognito if they did not provide their last names."

I feel as though I betrayed everything I was striving for in parenting. I had warned Bridget about putting her name out like this into the world for years. All these other girls at least created unique nick names besides my daughter. The daughter that had two FBI parents. How disappointing is that? 

And I thought my life could not get any worse.

"I am thankful that we are know cognizant of the place he received not only their names, but private information about them that he most likely incorporated while the girls were/are imprisoned." I admit. "This information is important nonetheless, but knowing where James worked after being dismissed is crucial."

"James worked at a private business... Hart's Bait."

"Kyle Hart?" I reply, surprised at the sudden association.

"Yes. Hart owned the business up until 2020 or so until a man named Gary Adams took over."

"Garcia, I am going to say this once and only once. . . you are the best."

Before I can catch Garcia's reaction, I turn around and swiftly exit the room. 

"Alright! Garcia accomplished some extra digging this morning and discovered several facts that are beginning to form a clear path to not only James's motives, but the how's of it all. James worked for the NSA like his father and thus acquired special access to all websites and databases across the nation. With that privilege, he chose to hack into an older 2020's website under the name of Dear Diary. I attempted to search for Spencer, but his name unfortunately his name did not appear on the first try."

My subtle joke causes the team to laugh while Spencer bites his lip and attempts to mask his uncontrollable blush.

"With this easily accessible, James was able to interact with these girls via this website and find out information about them that is supposed to remain a secret. I just sent you all an image that shows the names of all four girls who have been kidnapped by James Lewis. Although it hurts to see that my daughter and other girls used an app such as this that put them at high risk of many horrible things, it is important that we take note of this website."

"Is it still up and running to date?" Emily inquires softly, still in shock at the news that her daughter used the website.

"Yes, the website is still running today. Luke, I am going to need you and Garcia to work together and notify the company that it has been ultimately hacked and confidential information has the capability of being leaked and has been leaked in the past."

Garcia and Luke make eye contact and Luke nods respectfully at Garcia. She smiles lightly and the two stand up at make their way to the tech room.

"In addition, Garcia discovered Jame's last place of employment. He used to work for Hank's bait which was owned by the one and only Kyle Hart. After he was fired, he completely disappears off of all records."

"Well I'll be damned." Rossi scoffed, completely caught off guard by the idea of James working for Hart.

"As of today, Gary Adams owns the bait shop. Spencer, you and I will speak with Mr. Adams in regards to James. We can see if we can get anything out of him." I turn to Rossi. "Rossi, forgive me, welcome back to the team as your one day suspension is over. Glad to have you be a part of the case again."

The team makes profound eye contact with one another and I turn towards Emily with a look of pure confusion.

"What's this about?" I inquire as I watch JJ, Spencer, and Rossi shift in their seats uncomfortably. 

"Look, Aaron and Emily, we think you guys should take a break from this case." Rossi points out.

I just welcomed this man back to the team, and now he is threatening to make me take a break from the case that involves my daughter. I am beyond frustrated and quickly respond.

"No way. We are her parents, you cannot let us not handle the case too."

Rossi sighs and pulls my wife and I aside. 

"Aaron, I know you regret what happened to Haley, and it is not your fault. I know you and I know damn straight that you also regret involving yourself in that case because look at what happened. Do you want to risk involving yourself in a case involving your family? Especially, Emily. What the hell would you do if you watch her get shot and die instantly. Let us handle this, please. Emily, go home, relax. Don't stress about Bridget. Aaron, clean your desk and take off the suit you have worn since the day she disappeared. Sleep. Eat. Have a little fun with Emily. God, anything to take your mind off of this. JJ, Spencer, Luke, Garcia, and I have it all under control. Relax and let us take over."

Rossi knows me too well and frankly, it is painful to know someone who knows you more than you know yourself. Being unit chief, it is extremely difficult to simply let go of this case and allow the team to help, but he is right. Emily and I have not slept since the day she was kidnapped. All we can think about is our baby girl off on her own. Bridget is one of the strongest girls I know, but I cannot shake off the idea of her being out there somewhere so vulnerable. 

"Okay." I answer reluctantly. 

"Good! Now enjoy some of that leftover carbonara, unless Bridget finished it all on her birthday." He laughs, forcing us out of the room.

"Look, we are staying for the briefing. If and when you all go out on the field, Emily and I will remain off the case under Rossi's request."

Emily smiles at me and pulls me into a quick kiss. Her lips against mine cause a rush of adrenaline to surge through me. I instantly want more, but pull back knowing that we have an audience.

Just in time, Garcia and Luke barge into the room once again. Garcia appears to be frantic while Luke is standing behind her with her hands on her hips. The woman is panting like a dog and the team is beyond concerned.

"I just received a notification of a report from someone who was driving down Grange and saw a teen girl standing in the woods. They also said they saw another body on the ground, but whether or not it was alive is unknown. The exact location is unknown and the person who made the call seemed shaken up."

I make eye contact with Emily and then turn towards Garcia. My heart is pounding and I am desperate to go and find my daughter with them, but I remain standing beside Emily.

"Do they know if it's Bridget?"

"From the description given from the witness, it sure looks sounds like it could be her." 

"Oh my God. . ." Emily cries, burying her head against my chest.

I close my eyes, swallow, and wrap my arms around my wife, hoping that the girl deceased isn't my beloved daughter.