"You son of a bitch!" Keeson Vaughn roared in fury, but Jack blocked his path.
Rossi and Reid had positioned themselves behind Jack before the confrontation, confident in his fighting abilities.
Although the reason was unclear, the various signs in the room suggested that the father and daughter were clearly not normal; of course, the alleged abuse was just Reid's fabrication to provoke them.
Everyone had noticed Keeson Vaughn taking pills at the body disposal scene. While the exact type was unknown, his well-trained physique suggested it was unlikely to be heart dication.
That left only psychotropic drugs to control impulsive emotions.
The purpose of provoking Keeson Vaughn was simple: to reverse their positions.
Previously, Keeson Vaughn was the victim's family mber, and the FBI, lacking evidence, could only hope for his cooperation or conduct so superficial background checks.
However, it was clear that Garcia's background check on the family hadn't gone smoothly; it was obviously fabricated.
Once the assault on a police officer was established, the power dynamics would completely reverse, making any deal or obtaining a search warrant a logical next step.
This was the "dirty" sche that Rossi, Reid, and Jack devised after exchanging a few glances.
But their sche was almost thwarted. Just as Keeson Vaughn tried to rush forward, the chubby-looking middle-aged man nad Pat Mannan grabbed him tightly.
"Don't be impulsive, they're deliberately provoking you!"
"No, let go! I'm going to kill these bastards!"
Keeson Vaughn completely lost control, and although Pat Mannan was a head taller, he could barely restrain him.
"Gun!"
Jack roared, and Rossi and Reid behind him simultaneously took a step back and drew their service pistols.
During the struggle, Pat Mannan's jacket was pulled up, revealing a Glock pistol at his waist.
However, Jack advanced instead of retreating, taking a half-step forward and swiftly grabbing Pat Mannan by the back of the neck with his left hand. With a slight pull, he rendered Pat Mannan immobile. Then, with his right hand, he drew a pistol from Pat Mannan's waist and slamd him against the wall, his back turned.
"Put your hands where I can see you, both of you, don't move!"
"Hmph." Pat Mannan, pinned against the wall by the back of his neck, couldn't make a sound, only gasping for breath, but he still obediently raised his hands high.
On the other side, Keeson Vaughn, with two pistols pointed at him, quickly cald down, raising his hands and showing a helpless expression.
"Left, left pocket!" Pat Mannan frantically waved his left hand, signaling Jack to check his pockets.
"Don't move." Jack continued to hold him firmly, first tucking the captured pistol into his own waistband, then reaching into Pat Mannan's pocket and pulling out a wallet, tossing it to Reid without even looking at it.
Reid reached out and took the badge, opening it to find a police emblem and identification. "A federal marshal?"
Jack slightly loosened his grip on the man's neck, allowing him to speak.
"Yes, Keeson and Lindsay are under my jurisdiction. Can you let go?" Pat Mannan struggled sowhat, clearly annoyed.
"What's going on here?" Reid seed to understand imdiately, speaking in unison with Jack.
"A federal witness?"
Before the BAU was officially established, and before Hotchner, Emily, and Garcia were all present, their first case with Rossi—the kidnapping of twins—involved a family also under the Federal Witness Protection Program.
This was a huge problem. Just as Jack was muttering to himself, Rossi picked up the phone and called Hotchner, telling them to co imdiately.
Seeing that Federal Marshal Pat Mannan was about to say sothing, Jack said.
"Shut up. Wait until everyone's here. I know what you're up to. I hope you're ready to explain this to your superior."
Pat Mannan opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.
Less than an hour later, Hotchner arrived with JJ and Hannah. The two won looked sowhat listless, their makeup heavier than usual, trying to conceal their fatigue.
"What happened?" Hotchner asked the two won on the sofa as soon as he entered the room.
"Keeson is a federal witness, for ten years," Pat Mannan replied in a muffled voice.
"Why didn't you tell us imdiately?" As an FBI agent himself, Hotchner wasn't buying it.
"Because the case he's involved in is too important. His identity is under the highest level of protection, at all costs."
Pat Mannan finished speaking and then turned to Keeson Vaughn, saying, "This shouldn't have anything to do with that."
"Nothing to what? His past? Can you guarantee that?" Rossi's words were dripping with sarcasm.
Pat Mannan opened his mouth, then fell silent again.
"Everyone in this room, except this guy, is here to find your daughter."
Hotchner's poker face, coupled with his righteous words, was always so convincing.
Keeson Vaughn hesitated for a long ti before finally speaking, "If, if this really does have sothing to do with , then the other party should be from Boston, Irish, at least two people."
Gangsters, killers, tainted witnesses, and a series of related words flashed through everyone's minds. Jack sighed inwardly, hoping things wouldn't get to the worst.
Irish family-run gangs, though no longer as powerful as they once were.
Perhaps gangster movies had perfected the aesthetics of this decadent gangster world: suits, ties, cigars, top hats, polite hitn, family-oriented gang leaders.
But in reality, there was only human trafficking, guns and drugs, extrely bloody and violent conflicts over territory, the bullying and exploitation of the vulnerable, including prostitutes, and so on. Ching Chong gangs that were once rampant were made to suck their own dicks.
"Take them back to the station. They're not coming out until the case is solved."
Before Hotchner could finish speaking, Pat Mannan stood up in front of him, his words carrying a strong threat.
"You have no idea who you're dealing with, or what you're dealing with."
Hotchner's patience with this guy had run out. He stared into his eyes, his tone calm.
"Either tell , or get out of my way."
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