****

Jake peeked up from where he'd been shielding Shay from possible fire.  The gunshots had first come from the house and then the house was fired upon by law enforcement.  He didn't care anymore.  His wife was still in there with his daughter.  He popped up lickety split and started towards the house.

Frank looked up to see Jake start running and he himself bolted up off of the ground and grabbed Jake.  "NO!"

"LET ME GO!!"  Jake started struggling in Frank's grip.  However, he couldn't break loose from Frank's iron grip.

"Stop it Jake!  We don't know what happened yet!  For all we know Frankie found her backup and shot -" They were interrupted by the voice from inside the house.

"Twelve rounds in a fight, Jake the Dog!" echoed across the street.  "I think I have something that belongs to you."

Cody and Katie looked up.  Alex stood up slowly and Shay's mouth dropped open.  Frank and Jake stilled their struggle. 

"I see you, Jake the Dog... going to come claim what's yours?"

At that threat, Jake started struggling in Frank's grasp again.  It was obvious he was eager to get into the house and to his wife and child.  The inner resolve he'd formed was now gone in the face of a very real threat to his family.  Alex grabbed hold of him and started to shake him as if to shake some sense into him.  Shay had started to get up, but Cody pushed her back down to sitting.

"We've got to find a way into the house." Shay said plainly as both Frank and Alex got Jake under control.

"How?  He'll see us if we approach the front." Jake ground out through gritted teeth.

"Easy there Jake."  Alex tentatively released her grip on her friend.  "I highly doubt Frank would allow us to rush the house like it was Iwo Jima."

"Alex is right."  Frank sighed in frustration.  "We can't go in the front.  And if we try to go in the side gate, he'll see us.  It's not smart to wait until dark - I have a feeling that if we do, Quito will get desperate and it'll turn ugly.  Jake, tell me again about the layout of the house."

"There are three rooms upstairs, a guest room downstairs, the den, the living room, the dining room and the kitchen.  There's also a utility room off of the garage."

"Well, the three rooms upstairs are out of the question.  Any locked doors that might be unlocked?"

"Doesn't matter, the alarm system is on all of the doors.  You open a door and the control panel chimes throughout the house.  He'll hear us."

"What about the windows?" Katie piped up.  "Surely you've got a window open somewhere in that house."

"I doubt it.  Frankie knows better." Jake muttered.

"Yeah, weren't y'all painting a room?" Shay asked.

"That one was upstairs, the guest bedroom.  No, the only window that I know that Frankie keeps open is the utility room window when she's doing laundry.  Best I can hope for is that it's unlocked.  I know we didn't have a chime alarm put on it because it's too small for anyone to fit through."  Jake looked at Shay and sighed.  "The only one who might be able to fit through it is Cody or Katie, Katie probably."

"Then I guess I'm going in."

All five Federal Agents turned to look at the petite Ranger as if she were loony.  Cody grabbed hold of her arm and dragged her off to the side.

"NO!"

"Stop it Caleb.  I'm a big girl and I know what I'm doing.  Look," she pulled away and addressed everyone else.  "I can fit through the window, right Jake?"  When he nodded yes, probably, she continued.  "I'm not ballsy enough to think I can take on a seasoned criminal.  But, perhaps I can slip in and distract him away from the front door and allow you guys to come in and do your thing."

"Let me put it to you in words I know you'll understand Katie... N-O NO!  No way, no how, not a snowball's chance in hell am I going to let you put your life in danger!"  Cody was nearly shouting.

"Cody, stop it."  Shay cut in.  "I think she's got a point.  Look..."  Frank and company gathered around her as she outlined her plan.

--

Quito watched the scene unfolding outside the window.  The two men still inside the house lay bleeding all over Frankie's new carpeting while the one man bled on the porch.  "It looks like your hero is going to try and mount a rescue."

Frankie just looked at Quito from where she was curled up on the floor around Jessie.  Raw hatred seethed in her gray eyes and for a moment Quito backed up.

"There is no escape for you Quito Real." She ground out between her teeth.  "It will be swift and it will be merciless."

****