****
Katie crept up to the back of the garage and took a deep breath. She'd spied the utility room window the instant she'd scaled the fence and landed in Frankie and Jake's back yard. After waiting a moment to make sure it was clear, she slowly raised up and felt at the window. Good, it wasn't latched. Gingerly she slid up the windowpane and braced herself to jump and slide in.
--
LJ watched the events unfold around him intently. Although he did not quite understand all that was happening, he did know that his Aunt Frankie and Cousin Jessie were being kept away from the people who loved them.His thoughts were distracted briefly by his father walking by with some strange thing that he kept talking to Uncle Jake's house with. His eyes opened wide when he was hit with an idea. He waited until his father put down the horn-talking-thingy and toddled over to where it waited. Glancing around he saw no one was paying him much attention as he examined the strange thing.
'Now, how did daddy work this? Hmmm...yeah. He pushed this in...yeah. I can do that!' Without hesitation he picked up the bullhorn and pushed the protruding piece that worked the gizmo.
All heads turned when they heard the sudden squawk of the bullhorn. Frank raced back to retrieve it from his son, but not before LJ had said his piece.
"Um...Mr. BadMan inside Uncew Jake's house...um...pweeze let my Aunt Fwankie and Cuzzin' Jessie come out to pway." LJ paused and grew frustrated when he received no answer from the Mr. BadMan. "My Daddy's gonna beat you up, Mr. BadMan! You bettah do da wight thing!"
Behind the Shaw house, Shay's hand flew to her mouth in an effort to contain the squeal that threatened. He was so darling in his concern for his aunt and cousin that he had little regard for the grownups and decided to take matters into his own little hands.
Frank and Jake reached him at the same time, both trying to scoop him up into their arms to hug him and scold him at the same time. Neither one quite got around to scolding the little tyke. Instead, Daddy passed LJ off to Auntie Alex and Uncle Cody to keep him out of the way. Both Jake and Frank prayed that LJ's distraction hadn't harmed the situation.
--
Katie smiled to herself at LJ's distraction. When she'd landed, she'd hit the dryer and made a racket before landing on the ground. However, with LJ squawking on the bullhorn, chances were that no one heard the noise. She checked the radio and earpiece that had been given her. She hit the button and whispered to Shay that she was in the garage. Cautiously she inched through the garage and pushed open the door that led into the kitchen. From what Jake had told her of the layout, the garage opened into the kitchen, the kitchen into the dining room, which was openly adjacent to the den. Jake had a feeling that the den was where Frankie and Quito were. On hands and knees, she crept along the floor, halting in her progress as she heard a man's voice.
"How cute. Well, Auntie Fwankie…" Quito turned from facing the front of the house to look at the woman behind him. Raw hatred was beginning to form for this woman.
Frankie smirked coldly. She'd heard the noise in the garage and she'd also heard the door to the garage opening. Someone was in the house.
--
"Frank…"
Frank picked up his handheld radio. "Go ahead."
"She's in. I'm watching her from the rear neighbor's yard and Katie's just radioed that she was in. She's going to send me a signal when she's about to distract Quito and give you and Jake some time to get to the front door."
"Good work Shay, Katie too. When Quito shot his accomplice, he neglected to close the front door. Tell Katie to go, remind her that her first priority is to distract Quito and protect Jessie. Frankie can take care of herself once the worry of her child is off of her mind."
"10-4."
--
Katie paused and listened to the relayed message. She depressed the button on her radio twice to signal Shay she understood. Inching along to the edge of the cabinets, Katie peeked around them to see a tall black man facing down Frankie with his back to her and little Jessie on the floor a good 10 feet behind them both. Her lack of movement told Katie that the baby was asleep or playing with something. Quickly she depressed the button three more times and waited.
--
Shay heard the three static clicks and switched radios. "It's a go. Repeat, move in Shaw and Donovan. Move In."
Once the order was given, she hit the response to Katie, three more quick succession clicks that told her to Go.
--
Jake and Frank heard the order and bolted out from behind the cars and ran up to the front of the house. Inside they both heard a ruckus and some shouting. Jake kicked the door open wider and leapt over the dead body. Frank was right behind him, both of them with guns drawn. They followed the noise to see Katie up against the back wall with something bundled up in her arms and Frankie locked in a struggle with Quito.
"Give it up Quito!" Jake screamed. "It's over!"
"Put it down Quito!" Frank ordered.
Frankie's forehead was screwed up in concentration. He was strong, she had to give him that. When she'd seen Katie peeking around the corner of the kitchen cabinets, she knew that it was time. When Katie stood up, Quito turned around. Frankie had taken the opportunity to launch herself at Quito while shouting for Katie to grab the baby. Shortly after that she heard the front door kicked in and heard Jake's voice. Right now she was fighting for control of the gun in Quito's hand. Her right hand had closed over his left and the two of them were steadily straining to get control.
Jake watched as Frank circled around Frankie and Quito, putting himself between Katie and possible danger. "Katie, get out!" he shouted.
Katie nodded and bolted past them all towards the front door.
Quito snarled at Frankie as he felt his grip twisted. The gun came between them and pressed up against them. Frankie's body concealed the gun from view as she turned slightly and got one foot between his.
"Quito! Give it up!" Jake shouted upon seeing his wife turn and twist.
Frankie smiled, her grip twisting between their pressed bodies. "God help you if it is right that He should do so," Frankie whispered evilly. "For no one else will."
Jake and Frank both saw her lips moving slightly. Quito's eyes widened the split second that a succession of shots boomed through the house. Jake screamed and rushed over as both Quito and Frankie fell to the ground, Frankie under Quito.
Katie skidded to a stop when the shots rang out. Outside, the local law enforcement officers prepared to return fire and behind the house, Shay paused as taut as a bowstring when she heard the shots.
****