The Missing Shipment

Vince and Jazz had gotten back to Saint's Row. Vince was told to meet Dex and Troy near the Freckle Bitch's. But Vince was about to make a stop along the way. Though he wanted some extra backup, Jazz said that she wanted to go back to the church, or at least close to it to patrol the area.

Vince had pulled up in the Hammerhead and made a stop to look right to his partner.

"Are you sure you don't want to do this?" Vince said. "You showed that you could handle yourself out there."

"I'm sure," Jazz said. "Listen, we can do this again soon. I want to check on my younger sister. That's all."

"Oh, well why didn't you say so?" Vince said. "No matter, we'll handle some shit some other time."

"Cool, cool," Jazz said and passed Vince a little piece of paper. "Here's my number in case you want to kick it, however you want to do it." She said with a wink. A smile grew on Vince's face when that happened.

Vince looked up and saw Johnny hanging around outside the church talking with Lin, probably about something to do with her undercover work. Vince put the car in park and stepped out to make an approach. Lin wore her blue pants, something that others in the Row hadn't gotten used to yet, as she also had purple pants with similar patterns.

"…I just don't know what you're up against," Johnny said.

"Please, Johnny," Lin said. "You're treating me like a kid. You know we're around the same age and while we did grow up with each other, you know I can take care of myself."

As Vince walked up, the two fellow Asian-American Saints looked up.

"Hey, you're back," Johnny said.

"Oh, hello," Lin said.

"Hi," Vince said, with a slight smirk coming on his face. "Are you busy, Johnny?"

"Nah, just talking to Lin here about her little undercover job, which I am not sure what to think," Johnny said.

Lin sighed. "It's no big deal." She then looked to Vince and said, "Hey, I am to go check on some stuff with the Rollerz. Call me up when you want to handle some business."

"Will do," Vince said, as he continued to smirk as he saw Lin walk away towards a white and blue Voxel that was parked nearby.

"What was up with that?" Johnny said.

"Oh, nothing," Vince said.

Johnny scoffed. "Yeah, right. I saw you looking at her."

"It's really nothing," Vince said, but he looked at Johnny and it was clear that he was not buying it.

"Okay, so what do you want? You asked if I was busy," Johnny said.

"I was wondering if you would like to help out a bit," Vince said. "I am going to meet up with Dex and Troy. They got something going on with the Carnales."

"Shit, as long as there are some Carnales to smoke, I'm down," Johnny said. "I'll follow you to the place."

"Got it, they're at the gas station next to Freckle Bitch's on Mission Beach," Vince said.

"I'll be right there, Playa," Johnny said.

The two split up. Vince went to his Hammerhead and took off. Vince didn't wait, as it seemed Johnny knew where all of this was going down. Either way, it was time to meet with the other two Saints' lieutenants.

Meanwhile, at that particular location, Troy and Dex stood in front of a car, looking at a map, trying to come up with a plan.

"What if we came from here and here?" Troy said pointing at the map.

"No, they'd just see us coming," Dex said. "Cops try that shit all the time and it never works."

"Shit, you're right," Troy said. "So what should we do then?"

"Well, we could…," Dex said and looked up and saw Vince walking. "Oh, hey, Playa, you might want to hear this." And then turned towards Troy. "A'ight, let's keep talking."

"Okay, Dex, let me tell what I got," Troy said. "I got a lead on where the Los Carnales cut all their shit."

"The Carnales," Dex said.

"What?" Troy said.

"Rio Grande River, Jesus," Dex said, annoyed.

"What the fuck?!" Troy said, unable to comprehend what Dex meant.

"It's not the Los Carnales, it's just the Carnales, 'los' means… fuck it," Dex said. "Like I was saying, we're not going to raid the factory just yet."

"Why not?" Troy said.

"'Cause I'm not a gun-toting psychopath named Johnny Gat," Dex said.

"What the fuck did you just say?" a voice came from nearby. Everyone turned around and saw Johnny standing there.

"Oh, hey, Johnny," Dex said.

"Did I hear you call me a psychopath?" Johnny said.

"Look, Johnny, we're talking about a plan here and I was just making a statement on how we're not raiding the Carnales yet," Dex said. "Besides, what are you doing here? Aren't you dealing with the Vice Kings?"

"I just want to see if I could help out, is that a problem, Dex?" Johnny said.

"No, we could use some extra help," Dex said.

"Okay then," Johnny said.

"Hey, so what's the plan?" Troy said.

"One of my boys called and said he saw a truck a heavy LC escort leaving the factory district," Dex said. "It's probably loaded with drugs, but that's just a bonus. Our target is the truck itself. I need it brought back to the Row in one piece. It's no good to us if it's blown to shit."

"What do you need the truck for?" Troy said.

"Let's just get the truck first, then I'll tell you the rest of the plan," Dex said.

"I'm just saying it would be nice to know," Troy said.

"Shit, Troy, what's with all the questions?" Dex said. "Why can't you be like the new guy? He already took down two labs today."

"Dex, listen, I just want to know what we need the drugs for," Troy said.

Dex, however, didn't listen and turned to face Vince. "You go get that truck. Johnny, watch the backs of these two."

"No problem, Dex," Johnny said. "I'll follow them."

"Got it," Dex said.

Vince headed to his Hammerhead, while Troy rode shotgun. Johnny went back to his Venom and decided to follow them to where they needed to go. Everyone now took off.

"Okay, here's the plan," Troy said. "Get me to the truck so I can jack that baby. Once I'm in, make sure I make it back to the Row in one piece."

"You got it, Troy," Vince said and put it on The Kronic 92.2, playing "Dogs of War" from Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Cappadonna, and the Theodore Unit. As soon as he drove under the overpass, he turned right onto the freeway. The GPS was telling him where to go. It appeared that the shipment was going on at the factory district, or at least somewhere close by.

"Yo, man, just between you and me," Troy said. "I was fine with cleaning out the Row, but getting into this drug shit ain't cool, alright? Someone should talk some sense into Julius, maybe have him realize that this ain't worth it."

"If it gets us more money, then it shouldn't be a problem," Vince said. "As long as we're not the ones caught pushing it."

"I'm just saying that this is more than what we're trying to do," Troy said. "All we're about is making sure the Row is ours. Besides, I know Lopez. Once we steal from him, he won't back off until we're dead, or until he's dead, unless his brother takes over."

"Dex told me those guys mean serious business," Vince said.

"I've heard stories about Hector Lopez cutting off some dude's fingers, and that is the most generous thing he does compared to cutting some other parts of the body," Troy said. "Sometimes he'll even get Victor Rodriguez on someone. Some other stuff I heard ain't too pretty."

Vince drove through areas leading to the mark on the GPS. He passed through Cecil Park and then through Charlestown. It seemed that the shipment deal was going down at Poseidon Alley, just south from there. It just got closer and closer the moment Vince turned right onto a dirt road. He drove down the road until pavement was visible. Several people who stood around got out of the ways of the Hammerhead and Venom passing through. It didn't take long until they closer to a loading dock near a warehouse.

"Okay, there's the truck," Troy said. "You and Johnny cover me while I get that heap running."

"We're on it," Vince said.

The Venom pulled up and parked nearby. Johnny got out with an NR4 and a Tombstone shotgun. Vince still had his Vice 9 and T3K Urban.

"Hey, Playa, catch!" Johnny yelled. Vince looked up and saw a Tombstone shotgun coming towards him and then caught the shotgun.

"Thanks, Johnny," Vince said.

"No problem, I got another one right here," Johnny said.

Suddenly, some Carnales soldiers started to run out, strapped with handguns.

"This should be no problem," Johnny said and busted out a K-6 Krukov, much to the shock, yet amazement of Vince.

Johnny quickly went to work by dropping any Carnal who got in his way. With him wielding a high-powered assault rifle, this seemed like a walk in the park for him. Vince used the crane that was close by as cover. He had some more extra rounds on his T3K and dropped a few Carnales. Once any of them got close to him, he quickly drew the Tombstone and fired a buckshot to the leg of one of them.

"AHHHH!" a Carnal screamed, as blood splattered from what was left of his left leg, as he had blown off the leg from the knee down. Vince got out his Vice 9 and fired right at the guy's neck, causing some blood to trickle as he slowly dropped to the ground.

Meanwhile, Johnny just took down any Carnales without breaking a sweat, some even before they stopped their cars. Many of the cars crashed into the crane and to piles of crates and some even to walls.

So this is what Dex meant by "pulling a Johnny." Vince thought. No time to waste, as Carnales enforcers came out to try to stop the Saints. They have a fellow Saint to protect.

Vince and Johnny used everything they had to take out any Carnales trying to gun for them. Even some Cavallaros and Betsy trucks started to pull up with more Carnales coming after them. After some of them dropped, Troy yelled to Vince and Johnny.

"Guys, I got the truck started, let's get back to the Row," Troy said. "Cover me."

Vince ran back to his Hammerhead. Johnny followed him.

"What are you doing?" Vince said.

"Watch you guys' backs," Johnny said. "I'll come back for my car later. I'll cover you guys. You drive."

Vince nodded and the two quickly got into the car. Vince started it up and with a lot of the power that this muscle car had, he quickly caught up to Troy in the large delivery truck.

However, several surviving Carnales soldiers ran out and started firing away the truck and the Hammerhead. Johnny fired at any who tried to shoot at them. In the midst of all this carnage, Troy had some trouble with the truck's handling, as it started to tip over. It didn't help that more Carnales kept coming out, even in their cars.

"Shit, does word spread around this fast around here?" Vince said.

"It happens, but that's something you got to get used to," Johnny said. "Anyway, just keep driving. I'll handle those fuckers."

Troy kept on making some odd turns around Poseidon Alley, trying to get out of range from any Carnales coming after him. Johnny continued to fire away. He even reloaded rounds if necessary. He mainly focused on the drivers, but he also shot at the armed passengers who fired at them.

It didn't take long until they were cleared of any LC reinforcements. So now they were headed back to the Row. Vince and Johnny followed Troy, until he parked a car in an alleyway. He got out and approached the two.

"Well, we got the truck Dex wanted," Troy said. "Now all we got to do is figure out what the hell he needed it for."

"Well, you guys keep me posted," Vince said. "I'm about to go check some stuff out."

"Hey, can we go get my car?" Johnny said.

"Sure thing," Vince said. "Let's go.

The two got back into the Hammerhead and were now off to head back to Poseidon Alley. First they needed to get some heat off themselves, as it was likely the Carnales would be gunning for them, if the heat hadn't died down already.

"Hey, you did good back there," Johnny said. "Where did you learn to shoot like that?"

"Let's just say that I have seen some shit and that a gang war isn't the first kind of war I've been in," Vince said.

"Hold up, you were in the service?" Johnny said.

"For a little bit, until I got kicked out," Vince said.

"Dishonorable discharge, huh? What did you do?" Johnny said.

"I'd rather not talk about it," Vince said.

"Mr. Secretive, huh? You'll have to tell me sooner or later, especially after that kind of shooting," Johnny said. "Besides, you'll have to get better at hiding shit, because I saw the way you were looking at Lin earlier."

Vince quickly turned towards Johnny. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, come on, I'm not blind," Johnny said. "You think she's cute, huh? I mean it was clear that Aisha's sister looked at you a certain way. You said you just met her, but you also just met Lin. Just keep your options open, man. I know I got a girl, but don't put all your eggs in one basket."

"Whatever, man, I'm just a man of my job," Vince said.

"You can't hide shit from me," Johnny said.

But Johnny was right. Ever since Vince laid his eyes on Lin, he thought about getting to know her better. Sure, after working with Jazz earlier, the two made a good team and also got along. He was also able to see that Latisha eyed him a bit after he rescued her. But was this a good time to even try to meet women? He was still trying to prove his worth among the Saints. It was time to keep focused.

Meanwhile, in the backyard of a mansion, four men sat at a table, while an attractive Latina lied on a poolside chair in a rather skimpy red bikini and wore red sandals. The men at the table wore red as well. Three-quarters of the men were high-ranking members of the Carnales – Hector Lopez, Angelo Lopez, and Victor Rodriguez. The fourth man, however, seemed like someone else, as he wore an all white suit with a red Hawaiian shirt and was bald. The man was Manuel Orejuela, a Colombian drug lord, or at least a member of a Colombian cartel who was in Stilwater acting as a liaison for the cartel to work with the Carnales.

"Angelo, I need you go to one of the labs tonight," Hector said. "One of our shipments didn't arrive, and I want to make sure no one's skimming off the top. Plus, I got word that someone fucked with two of our labs earlier."

"No problem, hermano," Angelo said.

"Angelo," the woman said as she sat up. "You promised we'd go shopping tonight."

"Ah shit," Angelo said. "Mira, Hector, hey, I told Luz I'd take her downtown. Can Victor take care of…?"

"Is Victor sitting at the table, Angelo?" Hector said.

"Yes," Angelo said.

"So if I wanted Victor to handle it, I could have asked him, right?" Hector said.

Angelo sighed and shook his head and looked towards Luz, the bikini-clad woman. She seemed like she was his girlfriend.

"Luz, we'll go out tomorrow," Angelo said.

"But Angelo…," Luz said.

["Damn it, Luz, shut your mouth, okay,"] Angelo said in Spanish. ["Didn't you hear me?"]

"Gracias," Hector said.

"You should be nicer to the lady," Manuel said.

["Hey, Angelo, put your dick in her mouth, that will shut her up,"] Victor said and started laughing and Hector started to smirk.

["Fuck you,"] Luz said to Victor.

"Mira, Luz, come on, mama, don't be so sensitive," Angelo said.

"I'll be inside," Luz said with such a bothered tone.

"Señorita, a moment," Manuel said. "If Angelo is busy, I can take you out tonight."

"Mr. Orejuela, I couldn't," Luz said with such a flattered tone, like a schoolgirl being talked to by a crush. Even her body language spoke volumes, much to Angelo's chagrin.

"Nonsense, it would be my pleasure," Manuel said and turned towards Angelo. "Unless, you have a problem with me entertaining the lady."

A glare grew on Angelo's face. He noticed the way Manuel talked to Luz, and the way his girlfriend was taken in by his charm. He quickly got to his feet and looked dead at Manuel in the eye and then to Hector, who shook his head at Angelo.

"No, of course not," Angelo said. "I have some business to deal with. You go take Luz shopping."

"Good," Manuel said to Angelo and turned to Luz. "I'll see you at 8."

Luz smirked and then walked away to get inside the house.

"That's a lot of woman you got there, Angelo," Manuel said.

"I know," Angelo said in a stern tone.

"Eh, I always thought she was a bitch," Hector said. Victor started to laugh at that comment. It was clear that Luz was not well-liked among Hector and Victor.

Suddenly, a cellphone started to ring. Hector quickly answered and talked in Spanish.

["Yes, what's up?"] Hector said. ["What? But what happened?"]

"What's going on?" Angelo said.

["That asshole son of a bitch!"] Hector yelled.

"That didn't sound encouraging," Manuel said.

"Everything is fine," Hector said, despite it being clear that things weren't.

"Of course it is," Manuel said and got up. "If you would excuse me, I'm going to check on the señorita."

As Manuel walked away, Angelo yelled, calling him a "dirty old man" in Spanish and that he would kill him if he touches her, in the same language as well.

"Angelo, you are my brother and I love you," Hector said. "But if you let your dick fuck things up with the Colombians, I'm going to cut it off."

"Forgive me, Hector," Angelo said.

"Don't let it happen again," Hector said.

["And what was that from the call?"] Victor said.

["Those idiots in Saint's Row are the ones who took the shipment and took out those two labs,"] Hector said. ["With the Colombians arriving, we can't show any weakness."]

"Pero, hermano, the Colombians are already here," Angelo said.

"All the more reason to settle this now," Hector said. "Victor, Angelo, gather your men together. It's time to tear Saint's Row apart."

"We'll check this out, hermano," Angelo said.

Author's note: That's it for this one. I decided to have Johnny take part in the action here. I wanted to do a little mixing up, just like how I had Lin appear in the earlier parts of this chapter.

Regarding the dialogue in brackets, I know some Spanish myself, but I will alternate here and there regarding translations and use of Spanish words in dialogue.

Next up, Vince goes after a truck carrier. Stay tuned.