Page 5 of Once Hidden
CHAPTER TWO
As Riley drove through the D.C.suburb of Woodridge, she checked the time on the dashboard: 9:34.Good.She was on schedule to pick up Ann Marie and they wouldn't be late getting to Chief Meredith's Quantico office.After years in the Bureau, summons from Meredith still carried weight, still meant something was wrong somewhere in the world—something that required her particular way of seeing.
A familiar tug-of-war started up in her mind.Part of her—the part that had spent years chasing monsters through the darkest corners of human depravity—hummed with anticipation.Field work had a clarity to it, a purpose that resonated in her bones.But another part—the part that had stood in front of her classroom just last week, watching understanding dawn on her students' faces—resisted.
Teaching had given her structure.Predictability.Safety, even, though she'd never admit to needing it.No more midnight calls.No more explaining to April and Jilly why she might not be home for dinner.Again.But now April wanted to follow in her footsteps—not to be a teacher, but an agent.Even Jilly had hinted at similar ambitions.Riley shuddered at the thought of what might happen to her daughters, who had already experienced more than their share of danger.What cost had her family already paid for her career?What cost would they pay in the future?She didn’t know.She wondered whether she ever would know.
A red light caught her at an intersection near a community college.Riley leaned back, letting out a slow breath as she gathered her thoughts.Meredith's call had been brief, matter-of-fact.A case.Something urgent.Something that required her.
The light turned green, and Riley accelerated through the intersection, past a few restaurants preparing to open and dog-walkers exercising their pets.Ann Marie's apartment complex appeared on her right—a modern mid-rise with clean lines and large windows that reflected the cloudy sky.Riley pulled into a visitor spot and texted:I'm here.
The response came immediately:Be right down!
Riley watched the lobby doors, her mind drifting back to her first impression of Ann Marie Esmer.So young, so earnest, with that perpetual enthusiasm that sometimes-made Riley feel ancient by comparison.But beneath the cheerful exterior lay a keen intellect and a surprising toughness.Riley had underestimated her once.She wouldn't make that mistake again.
The lobby doors swung open, and Ann Marie emerged, moving at her usual brisk pace.She wore a tailored navy pantsuit with sensible shoes; her blonde hair pulled back in a neat bun.Even from a distance, Riley could see the that irrepressible energy that seemed to hover around her like an aura.
The young agent slid into the passenger seat and Riley pulled back into the street traffic.“Morning, Riley!Thanks for the pick-up.”She settled her bag between her feet and fastened her seatbelt.“So, what do we know about the case?Meredith was cryptic when he called.”
“He was cryptic with me too,” Riley said, turning onto the highway on-ramp.“All I know is that it's urgent enough to pull me in.He was insistent.”
“Ah.So, something that requires your special talent.”
Riley felt the familiar uneasiness whenever someone referenced her ability—that uncanny knack for slipping into a killer's mindset, for seeing what others missed.It wasn't supernatural, just an unusual fusion of observation, deduction, and intuition, but few people truly understood how it worked.Ann Marie was one of the few who did.
“Maybe,” she conceded.“Though it's not like I can turn it on and off like a faucet.”
“Still, Meredith wouldn't call you in unless he thought you could see something others might miss.I mean, pulling you away from teaching and all.”
“I was supposed to be on break, actually.”Riley merged into the middle lane, letting a speeding SUV pass.“Had a whole list of things to catch up on.”
“Oh, sorry about that.”Ann Marie sounded genuinely contrite.“How are things at home?April and Jilly doing okay?”
Riley sighed, thinking of the tense breakfast conversation that morning.“Jilly's fine.April is...well, April.She's got a new boyfriend.Ethan.Or maybe a boyfriend—or maybe not.She’s not sure.An artist who does IT work.She's completely smitten.”
“Ah, young love.”Ann Marie's voice took on a wistful quality.“I barely remember what that feels like.How long has it been going on?”
“A week or so.Not long enough for me to have met him properly.”Riley frowned.“I'm trying not to hover, but...”
“But you're a profiler and a mom,” Ann Marie finished.“Double the worry.”
“Something like that.”
Ann Marie gazed out the window.“You know, I haven't been on a date in almost eight months.It's hard to find someone who understands the job, the hours.The nightmares.”She turned back to Riley.“Plus, growing up in a funeral home doesn't exactly give you the sunniest outlook on relationships.Sometimes I think I get along better with the dead than the living.”
Riley shot her a surprised glance.This glimpse of melancholy was unexpected from Ann Marie, whose relentless positivity sometimes bordered on the surreal.
“That's dark,” she said, softening the comment with a smile.
Ann Marie laughed, the momentary shadow passing.“I know, I know.Maybe I'm just growing into the job.Developing that classic BAU cynicism everyone talks about.”
“God help us all,” Riley muttered, but there was warmth in her voice.
They fell into a comfortable silence on the familiar route to Quantico.Riley found herself grateful for Ann Marie's presence—her youthful energy balanced by a growing wisdom that made her both an effective agent and a welcome companion.
The Behavioral Analysis Unit headquarters soon rose before them, gray and imposing against the overcast sky, carrying countless dark memories along with the good ones.She found a parking spot close to the building.
“Home sweet home,” Ann Marie said beside her, gathering her bag and straightening her jacket.There was no irony in her voice—just that earnest attachment to the Bureau that Riley remembered feeling once, before the years had tempered her idealism with hard-won caution.
