VIOLENT DELIGHTS, aaron hotchner

devils roll the dice

Juliette considered taking Rossi's advice to heart. Other than Morgan, this didn't seem like the boys club she usually infiltrates. She thought about his words drifting to sleep that night, but being woken up by a call from Garcia only two hours later, she believes it was simply the half-bottle of wine making her soft.

Thankfully, she still had time to flatten her hair and dress in her signature black pantsuit, but no amount of makeup or aspirin could wipe the hangover from her face. Morgan seems to notice this, calling out to her as she sits at the round table clutching her coffee. "Late night?"

"You wish." She quips, earning a laugh from Emily and Rossi. Their banter's cut short by a flustered Garcia rushing into the room behind Hotch. While she prepares the presentation, their boss glances in the direction of the newest agent. Juliette feels his eyes on her, and instead of ignoring them, she glares right back.

Maybe she's still a little drunk, but Juliette doesn't even have to try to keep her eyes on Hotch, she's simply stuck in that position, profiling his reaction. Meanwhile, Hotch is lost in his head, trying to figure out her angle. She's private and quiet, but speaks as though she knows exactly what to say. He can't figure out how someone can appear so bad at making friends, yet so good at knowing what everyone else is feeling. They're only broken up by the sound of Garcia's voice, to which they both look away.

"Danny Savino, floor manager at the Sapphire Lady Casino in Atlantic City, was found dead in his office this morning." She winces. "Blunt force trauma to the head, an empty wallet and money clip left next to the body."

"Mug shot, this guy's got record." Morgan points out.

"Savino was a member of the Agnoli crime family, they're active in the Atlantic City area." Hotch explains.

"Looks like a robbery gone bad, why was the BAU called in?" JJ asks.

"Eight one-dollar bills surrounding an eight card." Hotch says as more photos appear on the screen. "And because Savino has ties to organized crime, agents in New Jersey are worried about things escalating. Wheels up in twenty."

Juliette doesn't bother to say anything to the team today, instead wandering to her desk to read the case file before they leave.

She's still pouring over the file as the jet takes off, only half listening JJ, Emily, and Spencer debate what the best gangster flick is. She does, however, surprise them with a barely-audible laugh when Dave says, "I've had too much of the real thing to be a fan of Mob movies."

In an effort to end that conversation, Hotch picks up the phone. "Garcia, did we get the crime scene surveillance video yet?"

"No, sir, because there wasn't any." She replies.

"That's not possible. Every inch of a casino is surveilled every minute of every day." Morgan shakes his head.

"Evidently, the footage has been tampered with."

"All right, Reid, Prentiss, and Leroux, go to the crime scene. Dave, you and JJ find out is Savino was involved in anything the local authorities dont know about; Morgan and I will contact the local FBI office and arrange a cease-fire with the families." Hotch orders.

Spencer turns to Juliette, who he's sitting across from. "I heard you play chess."

She sends a glare to Rossi, but nods. "Yeah, I do."

Spencer looks as though he just saw puppy under his Christmas tree, pulling out a board. "Finally, no one else here will play with me anymore."

So they set up a board, Juliette allowing Reid to play white in order to profile his first move. His technique is older, matching that of Denker or Sanguinetti, and she uses that to her advantage. While she learned in her childhood, Juliette now uses that of Kasporov and Polgár. An hour into their two hour flight, Spencer surrenders. "Where'd you learn to play like that?"