Chapter 11
I could not believe it. One minute I was free and the next, more ropes. ~ Spirit from Spirit, stallion of the Cimarron.
Tanya and Shannon glanced at each other through the dark gloom of their small hiding space when they heard the red head's low voice. Then they sighed quietly when Rick let him in and realized they could be in there for a while.
Rick and Horatio stood awkwardly in the kitchen, not knowing what to say to each other while waiting for Yelena. Rick felt that the Lt knew something he didn't know. A soft thump came from the living room and Horatio cocked his head toward the sound.
"We have mice in the walls, they'll be taken care of next week," Rick said coolly. He was now thinking of those rickety shelves in the closet that tended to fall down and make a mess. Horatio seemed to accept this explanation and didn't inquire any more about it.
In the closet Shannon and Tanya were struggling to keep the damn thing from falling and giving them away. Unfortunately it was very heavy with cleaning supplies and the like. After a few minutes it fell and crashed.
"Some big mice there Rick?" Horatio said sarcastically with a knowing smile. "Tell the girls to come out here." Rick swallowed and glanced toward the living room.
"Girls run!" Rick yelled and they bolted from the closet and out into the back yard and through the garden gate. Tanya stopped and screamed as she was hit with a stun gun and she fell, immobilized. Shannon yelped and turned but was hit as well.
Frank and another officer cuffed them while they couldn't move. Horatio had jerked Rick outside and was cuffing him.
"How did you find them?" Rick asked.
"I got a few tips from the airport Clavo sent his private jet to." Horatio said. He then left Rick with another officer and went over to the recuperating teenagers. Tanya and Shannon were terrified of what would happen to them now; and felt horrible about Rick and Yelena being caught up in it.
"What happens now?" Tanya asked Horatio.
"You two are going to jail," H said bluntly.
"You can't send us to jail!" Shannon exclaimed.
"You are going to be charged with running away, eluding the police, carried concealed weapons, and brandishing deadly weapons at officers of the law," Horatio listed.
"Yes so we don't get killed by the damn mob!" Tanya yelled.
"You will be safe on the inside, take them," H told Frank. Yelena pulled up in her small silver vehicle and stormed toward her brother in law.
"This is not legal! You cannot do this!" Yelena fumed.
"I'm sorry but I have permission to take them back to the US. And I need to take you too," Horatio said with regret.
"Horatio, what about Ray Jr?!" Yelena asked angrily as she was cuffed and led to a car.
"I will take care of him," Horatio assured her. Yelena shook her head as she was put into a car along with Rick. The four accused were flown into Miami and taken to holding in the crime lab. Horatio had picked up Ray and he was with his father in law.
Horatio brought in Rick for questioning first.
"So who helped you besides Yelena?" Horatio asked; Rick glared and kept silent. "You'll get a lighter sentence if you tell me," Horatio offered. Ryan and Eric looked in on Rick with pained expressions on their faces.
"I don't know about you Ryan but I'm giving myself up," Eric said finally.
"Me too," Ryan said and they knocked on the window to get Horatio's attention. He turned to them then came out of the room. Rick shook his head at them but the two ignored him.
"We helped him," Ryan and Eric said at the same time. Horatio blinked and studied them for a moment.
"Why would you do that?" Horatio asked.
"For the girls, take us to holding," Eric said. Frank looked between them and Horatio, not sure he heard that right.
"Take them Frank," Horatio sighed.
"Whatever you say H," Frank said and walked and locked the two in booking. The whole crime lab stared and the gossip began immediately.
Rick would not say a word to Horatio, and neither did a very upset Yelena. Ryan and Eric didn't speak and it drove Horatio up the wall. The trial would be in a few days and the group was sent to jail for the mean time. They were led out to the front of the building to await the buses in orange jumpsuits. Tanya looked up to see something being tossed toward them. The bomb went off in a shower of rubble and threw them all to the ground. People started shouting and the accused got up to run. Tanya was grabbed by her collar and yanked to her feet and hauled through the smoke.
"Ramon?" she said in surprise as the short Cuban pulled her along behind the crime lab.
"My favorite niece are you hurt?" he asked.
"No I think I'm fine, what about Shannon?" Tanya asked.
"Another guy will get her, your dad is waiting on the next block," Ramon Cruz told her and cut off her handcuffs. They began to run behind houses and suddenly a gun fired and Ramon fell. Tanya started and searched for the source. She looked to her right and fell into blackness as the back of her head was hit with the butt of a gun.