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“Try to get some rest.”
Ashley tried for a smile but didn’t quite succeed. She nodded. “Okay,” she said quietly.
Derek stood and patted Ashley’s shoulder. He gave her an encouraging smile. “Believe me. You’ll learn how to deal.”
“Thanks, Morgan.”
“You can’t keep going through this in your head. We caught Ben and we managed to take him alive. That’s a win.” Derek took Ben’s file from her and closed it. He tossed it on the seat across the aisle from her. “And you’re welcome.”
Ashley watched Derek walk away. He disappeared into the seat next to Dave while she sat forward. She rested her elbows on her knees, ran both hands through her hair, and laced her fingers at the back of her neck.
She shut her eyes and took a deep breath. She was weary and yet her whole body felt tight. She blinked and found her gaze drawn back to the file.
She shook her head at herself and sat up. She rolled her shoulders and raised her arms above her head to stretch. She glanced at Spencer and wished she could sleep like that.
She stood and retrieved her ipod from her bag. She slipped the ear buds in her ears. She tried to relax in her seat and let her soulful rhythm and blues collection take her away.
However, the distraction didn’t quite work. She kept seeing Ben and the wild, frightened look in his eyes. He had a white knuckle grip on his knife. The plane shook in turbulence and she jerked upright.
Her heart jumped in her throat. She looked around nervously before she recognized the interior of the jet. She saw that Aaron was awake and looked to be making a cup of tea.
Ashley left her ipod on the seat and went to join Aaron in the small kitchen area. Her voice was low. “Can I have some of that?”
Aaron grabbed another mug. He dropped a teabag in it and filled it with hot water. Then he held it out to her. “You did well on this one.”
“Thanks.” Ashley took it and started dunking the bag in the water. She kept her eyes on what she was doing. “Is it bad that I could feel sorry for Ben?”
“No,” Aaron answered simply and earnestly.
“I told Morgan that I used to think that all serial killers were monsters. It’s not always that simple, is it?”
Aaron sighed. “I’m afraid not. Some of the people that we’re after have had horrible lives. You may feel for them, but they’ve crossed the line from victim to perpetrator. You can’t let any empathy blind you and keep you from doing your job.”
“I know that,” Ashley replied, trying not to be defensive. She continued watching the teabag creating tiny ripples in her tea. She still didn’t look at Aaron. “Right now, I just wish that I didn’t see Ben’s face every time I close my eyes. Why can’t I sleep like the rest of you?”
Aaron chuckled. “Like them?”
Ashley looked up. She followed Aaron’s gaze to Derek and Dave sleeping next to each other. Derek’s head rested on Dave’s shoulder. The fingers of Derek’s left hand were interlaced with Dave’s right and they rested on Derek’s leg.
Aaron took their picture with his cell phone. “Garcia will love this.”
Ashley found herself smiling. “They’ll blame you if it ends up posted on the web.”
Aaron smirked. “What Garcia does with it is her own business. I have no control over that.”
“You really think they’ll buy that?”
Derek unconsciously shifted closer to Dave. He tilted his face and lightly nuzzled the side of Dave’s neck. He let out a contented noise that could’ve been classified a purr if made by anyone else on the planet.
Dave inhaled sharply but didn’t wake. A slow smirk crossed his face. He barely turned his head so that his cheek rested against the top of Derek’s.
Aaron snapped another picture. “I’m pretty sure Garcia will just gush about how cute they are. She’ll only post them online if one or both of them does something to piss her off.”
Ashley laughed under her breath. “I’m beginning to think that she’s the most dangerous one out of all of us.”
“She is,” Aaron said deadpan. “We’ve got another couple hours till we land. You want to play cards?”
“You don’t have to.”
Aaron flashed one of his ghost of a smiles. “I want to.” He started leading the way to the other end of the plane. “Besides, if Morgan climbs into Dave’s lap, I don’t want to see it. If Garcia wants a picture of that, she’ll have to get it herself.”