Chapter 6 - I can't arrest anyone

Daniella had my arm and was leading me towards the the lounge room where a group of women were now gathered watching something out of the window. They turned round when they heared me aproach (Daniella made no sound whatsoever - she could probably sneak up on a mouse). Daniella led me towards a women around my mums age. She had long shiny black hair that was plaited down her back and tied up with a small red and white checkered bow. Her dress was of simply tea shirt cloth and again tied around the middle with a red and white bow used to make a belt. The woman had deep viloet eyes that seemed to be made almost of stone and I found myself looking over her head unable to look her in the eyes.

'Who's this?' She asked looking me up and down her voice showing less than pleasure at having me in her house.

"This is Stephanie Plum, Ranger brought her with him." Daniella said to her mum.

"Seriously, who brought her with them?" She asked not sounding happy with the introduction.

"Mum I told you, Ranger brought her with him." Daniella repeated slowly her voice showing the frustration she was hiding from her face.

"Your serious, why would Ranger bring a white gril with him?" She asked Daniella who was now staring out of the window with the other women.

"Mum, whats going on out there?" Daniella asked though I could see from the expression on her face that she had already guessed and it wasn't good.

"Not much, the police are camping out across the street again." Ranger's mum replied turning to face someone who had come up behind me. I knew from the prickling feeling I had at the back of my neck that this person was Ranger. I felt him rest a hand on my back.

"Your not scaring Stephanie are you?" Ranger asked from behind me his voice serious but not lacking any concern.

"Scarring her nonsences, not that it would be hard, white women scare at the drop of a hat, what's she doing here?" She asked her voice showing she was less than pleased at my sudden apearance in her home.

"She's a friend of mine and she wanted to talk to Dani, what's going on out there?" He asked his eyes diverting to where five police cars were sitting across the road.

"Looks like there planning a seage again." Daniella said looking over to Ranger.

"Shit." Ranger said pulling the curtains closed and trying to get the group of women away from the window. I wasn't sure what was going on but I thought I might have better luck with Daniella than with Ranger who was now argueing with his mother in Spanish. I spun round on my heels seeking Daniella in the crowd and spotted her standing of in the corner with her lap top on her lap, how she had gotten the lap top from the kitchen in the thirty seconds I hadn't been watching was a mystery to me. Pushing my way through tth ever growing group of woman by the window I aproached her.

"What's going on?" I asked when I was withing a few feet away from the spot where she was sitting spread out on the floor. "Seems the whole of the Trenton Police Department is camped out on our property."

"Any idea why?" I asked I was almost sure I wasn't going to like the answer.

"Yep, same old same old, there gonna try and round up us all, almost everyone here is wanted for something, either questioning or for crime. The only real innocent people here are the kids under 5 and maybe Ranger."

I smiled at her and took a peak at her screen. "Surveylence cameras" Daniella said catching my eye.

"Whats the plan?" She asked over my shoudler at Ranger who had silently aproached from behind me.

"Get as many poeple out as possible and stall the police for as long as possible." Ranger replied

Daniella smiled and handed her lap top to Ranger, "you keep an eye on them and I'll start evacuating people."

"Shit." Ranger said and I turned to look at him, "Morelli is gonna kill me when he finds you in here." I gave him a startled look and leant over his shoulder to peer at the screen and true enough in the middle picture was Eddie Gazara talking to my boyfriend Joe Morelli, Cotzana was also there but he was looking passed them at the house as if he knew we were watching him. My eyes glued to the screen me and Ranger watched as Cotzana lifted his gun up and shot at the camera and it went out.

"Fuck," Ranger said yelling something in Spansih over his shoulder, I tuned round to look and saw Daniella push a hadnful of people into a small crack hidden behind a large cupboard that had been moved to the side. Daniella gave me a tight smile and pushed a chunk of plaster top block the hole from the inside, I watched as a handful of Ranger's relatives move the cupboard back over the crack where Daniella and Kaylie had disapeared through.

Ranger had his hand on my back and turned me away from the group. "Nothing you can do now babe, they'll be long gone by now."

I nodded and took another look at the screen which was now blank, indicating that all the cameras had been shot out. I pulled away from Ranger and sat down, we both knew it would only be a matter of seconds till the police entered.

I sat there for what felt like hours straining my ears to hear any motion on the outside. thee were still more than a hudred people including Ranger's mum and grandma Bella inside the house. The next second there was a large bang at both doors and around fifty cops poored into the room yelling for us to lay down on the ground with our hands behind our back. I just sat there starring at them hardly believing this was actually happening.

I was watching the front door so I saw Morelli enter, he looked dirrectly at me and I could see the strain on his face to remain composed. I was praying that he would turn round and go back outside so I could deal with him later but instead he walked dirrectly over to me.

"Shit Stephanie. He said

I just gave him a puely innocent look, "What?" I asked trying to mask the fury in my voice, why did he always act like I was his property or something. I'm not and I certainly never shall be!

" What the hell are you doing here?" He asked me his anger not so cleverly masked as my own.

"I'm working," I replied not looking at him in the eye, 'not that it's any of your buisiness though."

Morelli just stared at me, " I can't do this anymore, your job is killing me I quit this relationship for ever, you got that for ever!" And then turning on his heel he walked back out the door. I could feel Ranger's hand on my arm as he led me slowly out the back door past a group of cops that had the place barrackaded in and into his car. I bearely noticed where he drove me, my head was full of thoughts and my body was still standing in the house in shock.

Before I knew it we had reached the apartment building and I was brought back to the present by the presence of five fire trucks, six police cars and an ambulance in the parking lot. Closing my eyes tightly I felt Ranger's hand on my arm, "You have to look sooner or later." He said as I closed my eyes even tighter.

Ranger smiled and stared up at what was left of Steph's apartment, he hoped for her sake that Rex was alright, he wasn't sure if she could handle another bump in the road right now and he sat there watching her praying for the best.

Ok, not my best chapter but please review otherwise I won't continue.