Episode 3 of Season 4 of FBI: International kicks off with a picturesque scene of young girls basking in the sun by the resort's sparkling poolside, their vacation in Lisbon, Portugal, just beginning. Among them is Mindy, one of the girls' mothers, who finds herself engaged in conversation with an attractive man across the pool. Unbeknownst to Mindy, the girls devise a plan, fibbing their way out of her watchful eye to attend a late-night bash.
At the party, Leah crosses paths with Nico, while Zoe finds herself in the company of an Australian lad. In stark contrast, Olivia stands alone, a sense of unease enveloping her. Leah and Nico, driven by a spontaneous thrill, decide to take a dip in a secluded beach area. When Olivia eventually goes to check on Leah, she discovers that both have vanished without a trace.
Meanwhile, in Budapest, Wes finds himself at a tattoo parlor, contemplating his latest ink addition. He exchanges pleasantries with the tattoo artist, fibbing about his occupation in security, still grappling with the uncertainty of his move to the city. His tattoo session is abruptly interrupted by a message, prompting his premature departure.
The Fly team lands in Lisbon to find Mindy has beaten them to the punch, granting an interview to the press despite the local police's efforts to劝阻 her. Santos, their local contact, fills them in on Nico, and the hunt for him begins. Wes and Vo confront Mindy, reassuring her of their commitment to bringing Leah home.
Back at the hotel, Smitty and Raines grill Leah's friend, Zoe, who is visibly shaken as Mindy lays the blame for Leah's abduction at her feet. Zoe hands over a video she captured at the party, which helps the team positively identify Nico. However, his real name isn't Nico, and based on Zoe's account, it seems Nico deliberately got Leah intoxicated while constantly glancing at his phone. Smitty and Santos track down Nico at his workplace at the local marina, where he vehemently denies any involvement in Leah's disappearance. His alibi checks out, but Wes notices that Nico deliberately makes eye contact with surveillance cameras at the club and restaurant he frequented. This observation raises suspicions that Nico might be working with an accomplice.
Back at the police station, tension mounts as Mindy's estranged husband and Leah's father, Craig, arrives. A heated argument erupts between Mindy and Craig, with Craig accusing Mindy of being responsible for Leah's predicament. He warns Wes that Mindy is unstable and capable of anything. Hours later, a miraculous twist unfolds as Leah is found alive. She recounts how, shortly after Nico left her, she was confronted by a mysterious man.
He forcibly abducted her, shielding her eyes from the world outside. As he drove her to what she could only guess was a hotel, the sorrowful reality hit her: she couldn't recognize the assailant's face. Yet, in a moment of ingenuity, she slipped off her wristband and concealed it within the toilet's cistern, a silent testament to her plight. She vividly recounted the distinctive wallpaper in the bathroom stall during her brief moment of liberty. Leah recounted how the perpetrator, upon realizing he had been exposed through her mother's interview, set her free. He drove her to a deserted locale, instructed her to count to 100, and then fled, leaving her in the wilderness.
The Fly team scrutinized Leah's narrative with skepticism, her past as a liar casting a shadow over her words. Mindy sought to shield Leah from further interrogation, but Craig granted consent, allowing the questioning to resume. Leah stood firm in her conviction, longing for someone to believe her tale of terror. Vo felt a pang of guilt for doubting her, knowing she had traversed similar treacherous paths.
As the investigation deepened, it led them to a love motel—a den of iniquity. There, they discovered Leah's wristband exactly where she had described, hidden in the toilet bowl. The suspect's credit card payment for the room unveiled his identity: Luis, the man Mindy had been conversing with at the hotel. Wes and Vo grilled her, but she steadfastly denied any involvement in the abduction.
Simultaneously, Craig's lawyer filed for custody of his two minor sons with Mindy in the United States. The timing of this legal maneuver raised eyebrows, prompting questions about Craig's motives. Suspecting him of orchestrating a smear campaign against his ex, Wes and Vo tried to coerce Luis into betraying Craig. When this failed, Wes resorted to confronting Craig directly, falsely claiming Luis had confessed.
Cornered and desperate, Craig spilled the beans, admitting his desperate bid to keep his family intact. He feared losing Leah, who wished to change her surname upon turning 18, and believed Mindy was orchestrating his estrangement from his children. Yet, he refused to acknowledge his violent outbursts had alienated his kids. Vo gently broke the news to Leah, offering her compassion and support.
Post-resolution, Smitty politely declined Santos' romantic overtures. Meanwhile, Vo pled with Wes to trust her and let go of his reservations. Wes vowed to work on it, returning to Budapest to complete a tattoo honoring his fallen partners with their badge numbers. When he revealed his identity to the tattoo artist, she offered him a toast to the deceased, solidifying their bond of camaraderie.
