Chapter 6

Erin became rather nervous when David hadn't returned in more 15 minutes after she had left the shop. Sometimes she had dared to turn to steal a glance through the dirty windows, but she couldn't see a thing what the two men were doing in there.

Maybe it was a good sign that she didn't hear screams or bursting windows and furniture... or maybe not.

The way David had thrown her out of the shop worried her. It was always bad when David Rossi was calmer than usual. Many UnSubs who had been at the receiving end of his calmness had left the interrogation room as broken men. If she was honest to herself she liked the idea that he wanted to protect her, but then she reminded herself of who he was. David Rossi did nothing without a reason and she assumed that he was just sick of sitting in the middle of nowhere, trapped with an old, toothless clerk and a woman he loved to fuck, but otherwise could stand like the plague.

She heard a door falling shut and turned. Rossi stepped out on the porch, lit a cigar and inhaled deeply.

"Where did you get that from?"

"A gift from Amos," he said, as strolled toward her. "Want to try?" He asked, offering her the cigar. Her forehead wrinkled in disgust.

"No, thanks. So?"

"So what?" he asked back.

"Did you kill him and call a taxi?"

"I did... I mean I called a taxi, but..." he scratched the back of his neck.

"What?" she asked, already pissed, because she sensed new trouble.

"While we were chit chatting about your boobs..."

She hit his arm. "Rossi!"

"Okay, okay... I told him you're mine and only I'm allowed to touch you. Better?"

"Just tell me what's wrong."

"Okay, he told me that last night he saw a couple in a white Cadillac. The man bought beer and water and the woman looked like you... well, quite wrecked. Anyway, he sold them something to drink and they drove away, but half an hour later, he saw a police cars rushing down the highway and later when a cop stopped to buy a coffee, he told him that... and now listen very carefully... an idiot hit a police car with his white Cadillac. No one got hurt, but the driver and the lady in the passengers seat were both drunk and sit now in jail."

"In jail? But how..."

"Don't ask me... I only know I'll kill that jackass with my bare hands, if the car is severely damaged! So the taxi I called will take us to the next police station where your friend Gideon and Stacy..."

"Tracy."

"That's what I said... where Tracy and Gideon are waiting for someone to bail them out."

15 minutes later

The taxi stopped in front of the police station and Erin and David climbed out. After Rossi had paid the driver, Erin gave him a suspicious look.

"Where did you get the money from?"

"From Amos," Rossi answered nonchalantly.

"When we asked him for a call, he wanted your Rolex and later he gave you a cigar and the money for a taxi? What did you do to him?"

Smiling deviously, Rossi leaned in and whispered into her ear, "You don't want to know."

Rossi and Erin entered and had instantly everybody's attention. The station was deserted and there were just three pairs of eyes that checked them curiously.

"Busy weekend, Boss," the youngest cop behind the counter next to the entrance door said and then his eyes were refocused on the Superman comic in his hands.

"Seems so," the oldest policeman agreed and rose from his comfortable position behind his desk. The third one sat behind the second desk, chewing a bubblegum and reading the newspaper. A cultural trio in perfect peace, Erin thought.

"We're sorry to interrupt, but we believe our friends could be here... in custody," Rossi started.

"Your friends?"

"Yes, Captain. A young woman and a man... Sta... Tracy... Miller and Jason Gideon."

"I see..." the captain nodded slowly. "We have two people here... drunk driving and they hit one of our two police cars... police cars are rare around here, you know."

Erin narrowed her eyes, thinking everybody in this area was mad or she was still drunk.

"There's my purse!" she said, pointing at the Captain's desk.

"That's yours? We found it in the car and the young lady claimed it wasn't hers."

"Could I please get it back?" Erin asked, already thinking of what to say when he refused to do so.

"Sure... I hope you don't mind that we had to search it. We were looking for the guys ID's..." The Captain gave her the purse with a knowing smile. Curiously Rossi bent over Erin's shoulder when she opened the purse to check the contents. Immediately knowing what the policeman was referring to, Erin closed it quickly, waiting for one of Rossi's dirty comments.

"You know you won't get away with that," Rossi said lowly. "So much for calling me a..."

"Shut up and don't you dare to look into my purse again!" Erin spat and cleared her throat. "Can we see our friends now?"

"Sure. Follow me, please."

"Gideon behind bars!" Rossi laughed. "That my old eyes have to see this..."

Gideon lay on the small bed in his cell and stared at the ceiling. "Why me?" he groaned, without moving. "Give him a cell far away from mine!" he told the ceiling.

"Your friend here isn't arrested," the Captain informed him.

"Did you search him?" Rossi asked.

"The whole procedure," Gideon said and finally sat up, but his facial expression became dark when he saw Erin standing at the bars, watching him with growing uneasiness.

"How are you?" she asked sheepishly and blushed when his knowing eyes roamed her appearance.

"I guess better than you... Erin, how could you?"

"Look, I'm sorry, but..."

"What are you apologizing for?" Rossi interrupted her. "I didn't know the two of you got married!"

"You know no shame, Rossi, don't you?" Gideon asked. He had risen from his uncomfortable spot and stood now face to face with Rossi, only bars between them. "You're lucky I'm in here! Otherwise I'd..."

"I'm shaking in my shoes," Rossi returned.

The men kept bantering while the Captain watched them with growing interest. Erin could see the brain cells in his head working, as he tried to grasp the background story of the argument.

"SHUT UP!"

"What was that?" Erin asked startled and turned.

"That's your other friend... the girl. She insisted on getting a cell as far away from him as possible. Cute thing, but she's a little unstable. Was pretty drunk."

"LET ME GO AND CALL THE GUYS WITH THE WHITE JACKETS FOR THESE FREAKS!"

"You know now what I mean?" the Captain asked Erin who suddenly had bad conscience, because she was the one who had made the young woman drunk. Erin took the man's elbow and led him away from the cell. Addressing him in a low voice she asked, "Captain, can we get them out? I can explain what happened and I'm sure..."

"Well, they couldn't identify themselves... and... since they hit our car, they won't get away without charges."

"You son of bitch won't tell me..."

Worried, Erin looked at Rossi and Gideon who were still yelling at each other. The whole thing was just embarrassing and she had to bring them out of here, before the Captain would learn every unnecessary detail of the last night. The first move was to bring the policeman somewhere where he couldn't listen to Rossi and Gideon.

"I see..." she straightened her back, fixed the collar of her blouse so that she showed off a plunging neckline that caught every man's attention, and put on her best smile. "Captain... why don't we talk somewhere where they don't disturb us..."

"Well..." he gave her hesitating glance, causing her to lean in closer. His eyes unconsciously moved where they were supposed to look at and when he swallowed hard, she sensed she was about to win.

"Oh come on, Captain... you're in charge here, don't you?" she licked her upper lip. "I like man in charge."

Encouraged by her smile, he nodded, grinning. "Well...why not?"

"Oh and Captain... could you do me another favor?"

"I can't believe she did that..." Rossi barked, uselessly tearing at the door to his cell. Gideon, who lay on his bed one cell next to Rossi's, laughed.

"Now you know, why I do tend to forgive for everything she does. She always makes me laugh."

"Shut up, Gideon! Erin, come back in here and tell this cop to set me free!"

One hour later the Captain and Erin returned. Rossi rose from his bed and glared darkly at her. Apparently she had found her make up kit between the other interesting stuff in her purse and a barrette. She had pinned up her hair and had removed every trace of last night from her face. Erin Strauss looked like her old self, including the arrogant smile.

"I see you found your bra," he commented grumpily, as she leaned against the bars and smiled at him, caressing the cold metal with her fingertips.

"Are you sure, you don't want to keep him, Jim?" she asked sweetly without taking her eyes from Rossi. "He can be quite entertaining when he talks about his tales with the FBI when he was still young and black-haired."

"Sorry, but I'm not in the mood for tales."

"May I?" she asked, pointing at the keys in Jim's hand.

"If you want to..."

"That's one of her fantasies, you know..." Rossi said sarcastically. "Holding me as her personal slave. I think it turns her on."

"Keeping you behind bars, far away from me, is certainly one of my dreams," she answered and opened Gideon's cell.

"We can go?" Jason asked the policeman.

"Yes, get out of here."

"And the charges?"

"No charges... ask Erin. She has a very... convincing way with men."

"We know that," Rossi mumbled, as he left his cell and grabbed Erin's elbow to force her with him.

"Hey!" Jim yelled after him. "What about the kiddo in the other cell?"

"Here's your car," Captain Jim said, as he, Rossi, and Gideon reached the back of the building. "Broken axle."

"Oh shit!" Rossi tore at his hair. "I can't believe it. Gideon, you'll pay for this!"

"Come on, it's just a car! Your bigger problem is your girlfriend, in case Erin can't calm her down."

Rossi waved dismissively. "Who cares for the chick... it's not my car!"

"Nothing you say or do will make me feel better!" Tracy yelled at Erin. They were standing in the narrow private bathroom of Captain Jim. Tracy had just washed her face and was now brushing her long hair with Erin's hair brush.

"Oh please... did nobody ever tell you, not to drink so much? It's hardly my fault when you don't know your boundaries!" Erin said, a little annoyed. The hairbrush ended against her stomach and Erin had to hold her breath.

"You did only did that, because you wanted to ruin our date!"

"Nooo," Erin lied. "Look, I know this sounds strange for you, but David and I... we just... look..."

"Oh, shut up!"

Tracy turned on her heels and left the bathroom with Erin on her heels.

"Tracy!" Erin followed the young woman outside, but froze when she saw Gideon and Rossi arguing right in front of the police station.

"Forget it, Rossi, this isn't about the car and you know it..." Gideon pushed Rossi backwards.

"Of course, it is about the car," Rossi replied and pushed Gideon a bit harder.

"Boys," she mumbled, stressed out, wondering when they would start a real fist fight.

"You're just angry, because you know, she'll never be yours, no matter how hard you try..."

Rossi grabbed Gideon's collar. "I'm really sick of you and your holier than God behavior! You just don't have the guts to go after her like a real man and you blame me for doing it. What do you want from her? An engraved invitation with the plea to fuck her as gently as possible?"

"What is this? Another David Rossi rule... Maybe No. 72... Rossi shoots the birds, while others just watch them?"

"Stop it now!" Erin yelled. "You know who's sick? I'm sick of both of you! I'm sick of your childish behavior! I'm sick of this day, of this fucking car and I'm even sick of fucking the two of you! Do whatever you want, but I'll go home now!"

Dumbfounded Rossi released Gideon's collar and watched Erin vanishing inside the police station.

"Now that's a first," Rossi said after one minute of silence.

"I think, she just realized the two of you are pigs," Tracy commented dryly.

"Hey Stacy..." Rossi greeted her. "How do you feel?"

"Just perfect..." she hissed. "And it's Tracy, you jackass!"

Gideon looked from Tracy to Rossi and back. The young woman looked rather pissed and he had no intention to get drawn into this argument. "You know what? I'll go in there and talk to Erin... and you two can talk this out."

"You won't..." Rossi said sternly. "I know what you want to do and it's not going to work."

"I just want to talk to her. Do you have any idea what she's capable of when she's pissed like this?"

"What can she so? Call a SWAT team?"

Gideon gave him a smile. "If you had worked with her in the last ten years, you wouldn't have to ask that question."

Gideon turned, heading toward the police station.

"Gideon," Rossi said calmly.

"Yep?" He stopped and turned.

"Just for old time's sake." Without further warning, Rossi lifted his clenched fist and stroke out, hitting Gideon's nose. Gideon stumbled backwards.

"Fuck!" he yelled and covered his nose with his hand. He tasted his own blood, looked at his blood-spattered hand and struck back. Rossi bent quickly aside, and one second later he knew he was in big shit. Behind him, he heard a body dropping.

"Don't tell me..." Rossi started, praying for patience.

"Damn it... why did you move?"

Rossi turned and bend down next to Tracy who lay on the ground, unconscious.

~tbc~