Chapter 6: A Sign of Caring

Beware The Concrete Creole Soldier of the South

And The Hard-Living Lakota Warrior of the Prairies Team Up

New Arcadia

The sun was already rising on this day in New Arcadia as Mark found himself leaning over the railings of his apartment looking out at the parking lot below him while Link, Manfred, Lee, and Felix sat in his apartment with the song I Stand Alone by Godsmack played in the background. The song was going unheard for Mark as he listed to the song Black Sun by Death Cab for Cutie. Being a member of BSU was a guarantee that you were a fan of hard rock it was almost the call sign for the gang, but Mark wasn't like most hard-rock loving members.

He was more of a fan of Indie Rock, it might sound weird but yes the Concrete Soldier's favorite style of music is the same style that many of those coffee sipping hipsters listen to. It might sound weird but to him the somber melodies with harmonizing lyrics brought a calming feeling over the youngest Roman he hadn't felt since he was with his grandmother. Many of the members of BSU back in Sunbelt often made fun of him for his taste in music, but not many had the balls to say it to his face.

They wouldn't say anything negative to him after watching him force a Mara Bunta member to drink a glass of piss with a dead roach in it followed by eating his own fingers after calling him a faggot because he was listening to Coldplay.

As he listened to the song he couldn't help but look out and notice five purple wearing African American gang members standing across the street from the gated apartment complex. From their style of clothing he could easily tell they were members of the Ballas Street Gang. Since coming from Dockington he's always had a strong resentment for Ballas and often referred to them as Hepatitis B, Ball-Aches, and Sissies. His hatred for them stemmed mostly from the BGA sending them to kill him when the greenlight went through. He had been stabbed three times that night but had killed twelve Sissies because of it.

"Punk ass fuck-boys." Mark said with a low growl before he felt a hand being placed on his shoulder and being that he was only wearing a black wife-beater he was able to feel the warm soft almost silk like skin of the hand being layed upon his shoulder like a soft blanket. As he looked back he quickly noticed Alison standing behind him eyeing him closely with her deep blue eyes that seemed to glimmer in the early morning hours.

"Bonjou!" Mark greeted with a half-smile while taking out his earphones and taking in the sight of the woman's red blouse, blue jean pants, and brown shoes. He guessed she must have been off today because he'd normally

"Are you okay?" she asked earning a raised eyebrow from the youngest Roman.

"Yeah why wouldn't I be?" he asked.

"Well you're leaning over the railings muttering curse words and staring off into space and that's kinda drawing a red flag for me." She said earning half-chuckle from Mark.

"Didn't know you cared that much." He said while folding his arms over his chest.

"Someone has to." She said with a half-smile as the duo continued to look at each other before they were interrupted by Lee.

"So…are we interrupting something?" the Chinese American asked earning a middle finger from Mark and a slight blush from Alison as she looked away from him.

"Nothing at all brother." Said Mark before the group was interrupted by the sound of yelling from the parking lot.

"MARK WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT GUEST!" the almost ear shattering scream that sounded like nails on a chalk board quickly caught the groups attention as they each looked down and noticed a Caucasian man who was probably in his early forties with a balding scalp, thick glasses, and wearing a black collar shirt, blue jean pants, and white shoes. After catching site of the man Mark almost instantly felt every bit of joy in his body disappear at the sight of Norm the supervisor of the complex.

"Remind me!" Mark yelled in a sarcastic tone.

"Was that back talk." He yelled.

"No face talk." Mark replied earning a slight chuckle.

"Don't make me kick you out." Norm shot back with anger in his tone.

"Alright when you do tell your wife you won't be bringing home as much money asshole." Mark shot back to Alison's confusion as she watched the man storm off.

"You would think with as much money as you pay for this place he'd leave you alone." Said Link.

"Aye he ain't got nothing better to do with himself and he knows he can kick me out whenever he wants but he knows what's gonna happen when he does, as much rent I'm paying for this bitch I can shut it down." Said Mark to Alison's confusion.

"Speaking of which your sister just called and she wants to meet." Said Lee earning Mark's attention.

"Ah I gotta deal with her preaching ass today, not a good way to start a day off." Said Mark while rubbing the back of his head. As of this point Alison had become an outsider in the conversation but one of the things the FIB taught her was that it was more important to sit-back and listen instead of joining the conversation.

"Well look on the bright side I get to talk to your sister again, I'll grab my shoes." Said Lee as he walked back inside the apartment.

"I don't think my sister like Asians." Said Mark.

"Brother with as much as your ass likes Asians I'm guessing it's genetic." Lee shot back earning another middle-finger from Mark before he turned to Alison.

"Well I know what I'm doing now, what are you doing and are you going to be free tonight?" Mark asked catching Alison off-guard.

"Wait you refuse to help me but still ask me out?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah I was hoping the only reason you asked me over for dinner wasn't only to get close to me so I can become an informant. You know like you cared about me." He said earning a roll of the eyes from Alison.

"Sorry but I've got plans tonight but maybe we can grab dinner tomorrow." She said earning a smile from Mark.

"Yeah or I can cook for you and show you why us Southern Folk are some of the best cooks in the country." He said earning a slight chuckle from Alison.

"I'll hold you to that." She said as Lee walked out of the apartment dressed in a white t-shirt under a black leather jacket, blue jean pants, and whites. He then tossed Mark a black t-shirt with three red claw Mark's going over the middle.

"So I'll see you later." She said earning a slight chuckle from Mark.

"Swinn-twa." He said before walking away with Lee in tow.

(Take Care.")

As he walked away Alison couldn't help but watch him leave with a smile. The more she watched and talked with the youngest Roman the more she felt he was starting to open up to her and maybe take her up on her offer. He may have hated his father but Mark also knew just how dangerous becoming a CI was, so she wasn't going to push him into it.

Before Alison could think more on the matter she was quickly interrupted by Link who quickly moved beside her.

"So he shoot you down on your offer?" he asked earning a surprised look from Alison.

"He told you about it?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"We're brothers we tell each other everything especially if it's something that could potentially get us killed." The blonde replied with a slight chuckle.

"Frankly I don't like the idea of him being around his family. It's weird outta me, him, and Lee he's the only one who has them but refuses to be with them…but I understand why you want him to do it." He said to Alison's surprise.

"His family's legacy holds him back and keeps him from his potential along with his last name that looms over his head. I gotta say being the son of a major drug dealer is a problem and I feel that being here will cause more problems for him." Link stated.

"But maybe if he helps you do some good maybe he can at least wipe his own slate clean." He finished earning a nod from Alison.

"So what do you think can help me get him on my side?" she asked.

"You gotta show you care about him." He said.

"These last couple of years Mark has burned, hurt, and betrayed by everyone that comes into his life saying that they give a damn about him, because of so he has built a protective wall around himself that keeps people from getting close to him. If you want him to help you, you've gotta break pass that wall by showing him some affection." He said earning another nod from Alison.

"And what do you suppose I do?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"For starters you're showing you care about him by doing things with him and being verbal with him, but you gotta do it physically as well." He replied to her confusion.

"A hold of the hand or a hug can do great things for him and you in the sense that he'll see you as someone who isn't just saying she cares. You may have noticed that already when you put your hand on his shoulder earlier." He said as Alison thought back to earlier and quickly realized that Marks mood changed when she touched him earlier.

"Another thing you could do is a rub of the knuckles or the head it calms him down, but if you really want to help him-." Link started before he reached in his back pocket and pulled out a piece of paper.

"Show him that you want him around." He said before passing the woman the sheet of paper they she quickly looked over and noticed it was a bill for living in the apartment.

"Jesus Christ!" Alison said upon spotting the amount the bill was due.

"Nine hundred and eighty six dollars." She said earning a nod from Link.

"Do notice that Mark doesn't pay for internet or cable with that." he said to Alison's shock.

"How is this possible I have the full package here and I hardly pay six hundred. How is this possible?" She asked while looking to Link.

"A little case of silent racism." He said to Alison's confusion.

"Come on I'll show you what I mean." He said before leading Alison back inside of her apartment.

Red Stick

Things in Red Stick seemed to be ominous for Task and Adahy as the duo found themselves in a deeper bind then they were at first. They had the money they needed to pay the elders for the guns by winning the fights but in one swift move they lost it all and with their due date just two days away they needed to make their money back fast and right now…they were thinking of ways to do it.

"We can rob the Families again." Said Task earning a shake of the head from Adahy.

"Wouldn't give us enough and we can't go to the pits with those Redneck pricks." Adahy replied with venom in his tone.

"Well we gotta do something the elders either want their money or their guns and we got neither and you know what happens to guys who can't deliver." Said Task earning a nod.

"I know but we do we have to sell?" asked Adahy as the duo sat in silence for a few seconds before something hit Task.

"Do we still have those silencers?" Task earning a confused look from Adahy.

"We got four of them and that's hardly anything to sell." The Creek Warrior replied.

"Doesn't matter I know someone who will buy them." Task replied before pulling out his cellphone.

Liddell

The drive out of the urban inner city of New Arcadia to the city of Liddell wasn't long for Mark as he and Lee finally got off bridge that separated New Arcadia Parish from St. Tammy Parish and Washington Parish with Lake Phélypeaux in the middle of the two areas.

"So this is where all the white people live." Said Lee as the he sat in the passenger seat of Mark's car and took in the sights of the people walking the streets. He did have a point to his statement though Liddel was seventy-six percent white and the black population was less than twenty percent so mixing that with a population of about ninety thousand people meant seeing a minority was almost like spotting a Asian in South Central Los Santos who didn't own a store.

After a few moments of driving he quickly pulled into a rather high class neighborhood with a two story houses before pulling his car into the driveway of a house on the corner before stepping out where he and Lee quickly noticed that they had earned the attention of many of the white neighbors.

"What the fuck?" asked Lee as Mark moved to the front door and quickly knocked on it.

"I think we need to get off the streets before a lynch mob forms brother." Said Lee earning a slight chuckle from the youngest Roman before the door opened to reveal Gwen standing on the otherside wearing a red, blue, and white stripped short, blue jean pants, and brown shoes.

"Glad you could make it." She said with a smile.

"Yeah Lee really really wanted to see you." Said Mark as Gwen sent a look to Lee who sent her a smile that she returned with a look of disgust.

"I told him you don't like Asian dudes." He added.

"I like Asian boys I just don't like him." She replied.

"You saying that now but you'll like me better when you get to me." Lee replied earning a roll of the eyes from the girl.

"Whatever." She said while putting her hands on her hip.

"Are you gonna let us in because your neighbors are staring at us and I have a problem with that." Stated Mark as Gwen took a look around her street and noticed that some of her neighbors were staring at the group.

"Come in!" she said before allowing the group to step inside and take in the sight of the nicely furnished house that gave the image of a wealthy persons bachelor pad.

"Your mother and elephants." Said Mark as he noticed that the room was filled with elephant art works.

"Yeah things never change." She said as the trio made their way into the living room.

"So why did you invite me here?" asked while watching Gwen take a seat on the couch.

"Well if you don't remember my birthdays next Saturday and I was hoping you would bless me with your presences." She stated earning a confused look from Mark.

"You couldn't have this conversation over the phone?" Lee whispered earning an elbow to the side from Mark.

"Well I got nothing planned but...why do you want me there?" he asked with a raised eyebrow,

"Because we may have different mothers but you are still my little brother and unlike what you maybe think I did think about you while you were gone. So I'm hoping maybe we can reconnect, plus I met your friends maybe you can meet some of mine." She said earning a nod from Mark.

"Will our father, Martin, or Marrick be here?" he asked.

"Martin will drop off some food but Marrick and Martin never come to my parties." She replied in a tone that was a blend of sadness and anger.

"Him and your mom never did like being around each other for long periods of time." Mark said while looking around the room.

"She can be around him long enough to have two kids for him." She replied in a sarcastic tone earning a slight chuckle from Mark.

"Oh and Hakeem will be here." She said.

"You telling me that like I give a shit about him." Said Mark earning a slight chuckle from Gwen.

"I know you never got along with him, but come on he's changed now." She said earning a roll of the eyes from Mark.

"Can I bring a few of my friends?" Mark asked.

"Sure but I have a feeling he's gonna follow you anyway." Gwen said while looking at Lee who blew her a kiss.

"Alright I'll be there but only for you not your friends and especially not that bitch…maybe for the food though." Mark said earning a slight chuckle from the girl.

"I can deal with that." She said with a chuckle.

"Speaking of reconnecting you want to grab lunch tomorrow you know just the two of us, my treat." Said Mark earning slight smile from his sister.

"I'd like that, but be sure to leave that one at home." She said while pointing at Lee who winked at her before his cellphone started to vibrate causing him to quickly look at it and notice he had a text message.

"Who's that?" Mark asked while looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"A friend in need." Lee replied earning a nod from Mark who turned to Gwen.

"Well we gotta go." He said earning a nod from Mark.

"Alright text me when you're coming over tomorrow." She said before waving to the duo who made their way out of the house.

"Who's the friend?" Mark asked.

"That Native dude you saved for Joe, says he wants to sell us some silencers." Lee replied earning a nod from Mark.

"Good we can make a lot of use of those things." The Creole said before the duo made their way to his car.

New Arcadia

"So let me get this straight racism is alive and well in the Louisiana in the form of living arrangements?" Alison asked with a raised eyebrow as she sat in front of her table with a map of New Arcadia in her lap.

"There is still old fashioned racism here I mean it is the south, the dirty south at that, but an easy way of spotting silent racism is housing arrangements." Stated Link as he directed Alison's attention to the map.

"New Arcadia is over sixty percent black and thirty three percent white. If you go pass the bridge into St Tammy and Washington Parish the white population goes up and you can notice the change. In New Arcadia there is a big racial divide amongst housing, it's like South Los Santos when a lot of the blacks started moving in." he started earning a nod from Alison.

"You can tell a black area from the white areas because one looks better than the other and ones safer. A white family won't move into a black area…almost ever, but if a black family tries to move into a white area they face a lot of problems." He stated "If you're a family of more than two kids you'll have problems, if you're a single male in your twenties you'll have a problem, and if you're a single woman with a single child you'll have problems." He finished.

"What kind of problems?" she asked.

"Well you most likely won't get the house, but if you do you'll be paying double or triple it's worth or if you in an apartment complex like this the same goes but you have a lot of rules. For instance if Mark were paying for Wi-Fi, Cable, and all that he'd be paying over twelve-hundred dollars, he can't have guest over so he basically sneaks us in, he can't stand outside without receiving hassle from Norm, and he can't doing anything that would basically get people kicked out over a period of time. He gets kicked out if he fucks up." He finished earning a shocked look from Alison.

"Don't get me started on Mexican families either. This city never had a large brown population but it don't matter if you Mexican, Honduran, or Cuban you speak Spanish your Mexican undesired unless you Spaniard and noticeably Spaniard." He added with a chuckle.

"This is extortion why doesn't he go to the police with this?" she asked.

"They'd laugh at him, it's just the way things are here. Don't tell me you didn't notice that Mark is the only black person in this entire apartment complex?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I never really looked around, but I see black people in the area." She said.

"It's a city that's over sixty percent black remember of course you're gonna see them in the area, but never behind the gate." Link said while looking at the gates.

"I don't get it how does Mark pay all of this?" she asked.

"I have a feeling you're gonna see him do that later." He replied to Alison's confusion.

Elmwood

The drive to Elmwood wasn't long for Mark and Lee as the duo parked their car deep into an area surrounded by trees and out of the sights of prying eyes. The duo then pulled up into a clearing where they noticed Task and Adahy standing next to their truck with mixed looks on their face as the duo stepped out of the car.

"Wasn't expecting to hear from you so soon." Said Mark as he and Lee approached the duo before shaking hands with Task.

"Yes well we're having an everything must go sale and you're on the top of our list for silencers." Said Task as he reached into the backseat of the truck before pulling out a brown bag and handing it to Mark who quickly opened it and noticed that it had about seven silencers.

"Nice!" the Creole said before reaching into his back pocket and pulling out his silver Glock 19 before screwing a silencer on the barrel then firing the weapon at a tree. The shot sounded of almost like a sharp snap of a tree branch and not the loud bang that he was familiar with.

"Nice and the barrel isn't that long either making concealability better." Said Mark as he looked through the site on his gun.

"I'll give you seven hundred for each of them." Said Mark.

"Hell no those are tactical silencers that work for Pistols and Assault Rifles and they're untraceable. That's at least twelve hundred each." Stated Adahy.

"Yes but if we wanted we could buy these same silencers from the store for the same amount." Said Mark. "We can also make our own it ain't a hard task just time consuming." He added in an emotionless tone.

"You're trying to double the actual price of these things and we don't like that." Said Lee with anger in his tone.

"If you don't like the price then walk away." Adahy replied with anger of his own.

"Brother we need this right now." Said Task earning a low growl from Adahy and Mark's attention.

"You got a deal." He said before Mark stopped him.

"Hold on brother tell me why this sale is so important to you both." Said Mark.

"Wouldn't you like to know." Adahy replied before Task interrupted him.

"We need this sale because we lost our last shipment to those snot green wearing trannies in Red Stick and when we had the money to pay for them we lost them to those fucking rednecks so we're short on cash to give back to our elders." Task stated to Adahy's dismay.

"Outsiders aren't supposed to know this." He yelled.

"Yeah well we do now and maybe we can help you." Mark stated earning the duo's attention.

"The Rednecks took money out of your pockets why not take money out of theirs." Said Lee earning confused looks from the duo.

"How do you plan to do that?" asked Task with a raised eyebrow.

"They're Rednecks you know they cook and sell meth." Said Lee with a chuckle.

"Give us a few minutes to make a few phone calls and we'll call you with a location so you can meet us there." Said Mark as he sent a look to Lee who reached in his jacket and pulled out a crumpled brown bag and handed it to Task.

"Keep the change." Said Mark as he and Lee walked away while Task and Adahy looked into the bag and noticed that it was filed with four stacks of money.

"You really gave them all that money after they tried to get over on us?" Lee asked earning a chuckle from Mark.

"It's always good to have a gun runner in your contacts list." Said Mark with a chuckle. "Call Miller and the others and tell them to pick up Link and Felix." He said earning a nod from Lee who quickly pulled out his cellphone.

New Arcadia

Almost thirty minutes must have passed but they were unseen to Alison as she looked down at the bill Mark had while her was lay next to it. She knew in some place's families would be sold homes double their worth and it was illegal, but here it seemed almost like it was no big deal and people just let it happen like it was as common as the sunrise.

"You need to know anything else?" asked Link breaking Alison's attention as she turned to him.

"No thanks for helping me." She said earning a nod from the blonde haired man as he went for the door only to be stopped by Alison calling his name causing him to turn to look at her. In her time with Link she'd learned that the man who was barely out of his teenage years was very well educated and had one of the kindest hearts of anyone she's ever met. "How did you and Mark meet and why are you so worried about what he does?" she asked earning a slight chuckle from Link.

"I met Mark in a foster system in Dockington City. When I was thirteen my dad came home a night of drinking and in argument he shot and killed my mom, then he came into my room, sat on my bed, and blew his own brains out while I was lying under the bed." Link stated to Alison's shock.

"When I entered the foster home I was in a bad place and a lot of guys used to pick on me. Mark helped me deal with my problems so the least I could do is help him deal with his own, because that's what we brothers do." He finished.

"I'm sorry for-." Alison started before Link interrupted her.

"Don't be it feels good to talk about it sometimes." He said before the duo heard a knock at the door causing Alison to rise up and move to open it revealing Felix and Manfred standing on the otherside of the door.

"Sorry to bother you we looking for our white boy have you seen him, about this tall, blonde hair, blue eyes, image of what Hitler wanted for his future?" asked Felix earning a raised eyebrow from Alison before the duo spotted Link.

"Link stop bonding with Mark old lady and come on our rides here." Said Manfred earning a blush from Alison and a slight chuckle from Link.

"Where we going?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Where Mark told us to meet him now come on." Said Felix as he and Manfred walked away from the apartment.

"Mark's old lady, you all see me as Mark's girlfriend?" she asked while turning to Link with the blush still noticeable.

"Hey aside from us you're the only other person he talks about." He said before moving for the door.

"And don't worry I'll tell him to come see you before you leave." He said before walking out the door while closing it up behind him. The thought of her leaving was confusing at first but then her mind remembered that she was meeting Tavon later tonight.

"Crap!" she said before moving to her room to change her clothes. She'd get ready to meet with Tavon later for right now she had bigger things to handles.

East New Arcadia

While his son was off doing his own business Maurice found himself enjoying what was a day off time him, in a sense it was a day off because he didn't have to check on the Roman Boyz while they sold their drugs. He decided to spend this day watching the New Arcadia Angels play the Sunbelt Longhorns in football with Marrick sitting beside him when Yolanda walked into the living room and quickly turned the TV off.

"What the fuck we were watching that?" Maurice yelled.

"Well you need to be out doing what we talked about." She replied with anger in her voice.

"What Marcus, you heard what he said. That boy don't want nothing to do with us, he made that perfectly clear when he stabbed TJ." He replied with venom in his tone.

"Yeah and we don't need him." Said Marrick earning a slap over the head from his mother.

"Shut your mouth boy." She said before turning her attention back to Maurice. "Then you need to convince him. Mark is a game changer and having him on your side as a lieutenant hell a foot soldier could work in your favor." She said earning a few seconds of silence from Maurice.

"Well how do you expect me to find him I don't exactly know his number." He replied with venom in his tone.

"Ask Martin he went to him first for a reason." She replied earning a nod from the man.

"Alright I'll call him later." He said in defeat.

"You better, damn boy can hate us both but he's useful and whoever side he's on can basically run things here and money" She said before walking away from the duo while Maurice turned the television back on.

"We really gonna reach out to that fucking traitor?" Marrick asked with venom in his tone.

"Yeah we are, your mother has a point having Mark on our team is like having a real life soldier and we need that especially if we ever gonna breakaway from Joe." Maurice replied earning a nod from Marrick before the duo went back to watching the game.

Denim Falls

Just a few miles away from the city of Red Stick was a small town by the name of Denim Falls. The city barely had a population of ten thousand and was in such a close proximity to Red Stick one might think it was a part of the larger city. A few miles outside of the city there was an RV parked deep in the forest with signs that warned people about trespassing and it was around this area that Mark and Lee were sitting in the formers car listening to the song This Moment by Disturbed when a familiar Moonbeam pulled up alongside them before the doors slid open and Link and Buck stepped out with bags of Burger Shot.

"Hey brothers." Said Mark with a chuckle.

"Mind telling us why we had to pick up food for you?" asked Link as he and Buck handed the duo the bags of food.

"Because we haven't eaten anything all morning." Said Lee as he pulled out his burger and quickly bit into it.

"Plus you ain't from here but this is Denim Falls, they have Klan rallies in this bitch and I refused to be lynched on a Saturday." Said Mark.

"So you can be lynched any day of the week but not Saturday?" asked Miller with a raised eyebrow from the driver's seat.

"Or Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Sunday any other day is free for me. There's always something on TV these days." Said Mark as the group watched him choke down three French fries while chuckling before the Creole's eyes fell on Buck.

"Why you'd bring him?" he asked while pointing to Buck.

"He wanted to come plus Davey, Eddy, Miller, and Victor are off selling those cigarettes." Link replied.

"Bucky hasn't killed anyone." Stated Mark.

"I can if you let me." Said Buck earning Mark's attention.

"That so brother?" he asked while staring the young teen down before the group noticed a familiar truck pull up along-side them and noticed Task and Adahy sitting in the front seat.

"Glad you could make it." Said Mark as he watched the duo step out with Task carrying a Bow and a Quiver of Arrows while Adahy carried his AK-47 Assault Rifle.

"Is it racist to ask about the bow and arrow?" Lee whispered earning a shrug of the shoulders from Felix.

"So what's the plan?" Task asked as Mark sent a look to the campsite.

"They cook meth in that RV over there we're gonna go in and take it." Said Mark earning a nod from Task who looked over the area and noticed that there were at least twelve Rednecks on the ground.

"I don't see any guards or dogs watching the place. You trust these odds?" he asked while noticing Mark, Lee, and Felix screwing silencers on their Pistols.

"Nope but since we ain't walking on a minefield I got nothing to worry about, plus these guys won't risk a shootout with the chemicals they got in that trailer." Said Mark as he pulled his black face guard over his mouth and nose while Lee and Felix did the same before making their way towards the RV while Task moved into the tree line while loading an arrow in his bow.

"Why are you still here?" Adahy asked as he started to move away before looking at Link, Manfred, and Buck.

"We're more of the thinkers not the killers." Said Link.

"Plus this one hasn't popped his cherry yet." Manfred added while pointing at Buck.

"He's never killed but I bet his ancestors have." Adahy replied before moving away from the group,

"What was that about?" Buck asked.

"He's Native American and more than likely hates white people." Said Manfred.

"And you're Spanish and Irish so he'll hate you more than anyone else." Said Link earning another confused look from Buck.

While the trio were talking amongst themselves Mark, Lee, and Felix had moved to surround the RV with Mark moving for the front, with Lee at his side, while Felix and Task moved to the back of the vehicle with their weapons raised.

"Mark!" Lee said earning a nod from the young Creole who drew his second pistol before moving to the front door while Lee stood behind him facing the opposite direction. The Chinese man then wrapped his arms around Mark's before bending forward and lifting Mark off the ground for the youngest Roman to outstretch his legs and kick open the door with one hard strike before Lee let him go, allowing the him to race into the trailer with his pistol drawn.

"Don't move!" Mark yelled as he caught sight of three men wearing robes, gloves, and gas mask to protect themselves from the flammable chemicals they were mixing.

"Shit!" yelled one of the trio as he moved to draw a gun only for Mark to strike him in the face with the butt of his gun while Lee put his gun on the other men.

"Dumbass fire a shot in here you might blow us all up." The Chinese man said before whistling to Task and the others causing them to run for the RV.

"Search the place for money and take the dope to the truck we gotta move quickly." Mark replied earning nods from the group as Lee, Felix, and Adahy started going through the RV and finding packages of meth as they went.

"What are we gonna do with them?" asked Task as he sent a look to the three men.

"I was hoping we'd kill them in a hail of bullets." Said Mark with a chuckle before his eyes fell on one of the prisoners he quickly noticed that the man was of Korean descent with short black hair, bright black eyes, and a skinny frame that looked like he hadn't been fed in days.

"I guess we found the lead cook." Said Mark as the man looked at him in silence.

"What's the matter cat got your tongue?" Mark asked before removing the man's mask where he quickly noticed that the man had bruises and cuts on his face but to make his face even worse as he opened his mouth to breathe Mark noticed that he was missing his tongue.

"Guess the cat does have your tongue." Said Mark in amazement before he heard a chuckle from the man he hit in the face.

"Don't bother with Jrue he isn't much of a talker these days." He said with a chuckle,

"I assume you're the cause of that?" Mark asked while kneeling down in front of the man.

"Don't blame me the prick should have listened when we kept telling him to shut up. He knows why he's here and he would have been fine if he cooperated." The man stated.

"I wouldn't worry too much about him though you'll all be dead in a few minutes when the boys get back in a few minutes." He said earning a slight smile from Mark.

"You gonna shoot the bastard or do you want me to-." Started Task before he watched Mark draw a small switchblade and stab the man in the throat quickly silencing him and spraying blood on the floor of the RV. As the young Creole watched the life fade from the man's eyes he couldn't help but to look over at Jrue and see that the man was unaffected by the sight of the dying man which meant he was no stranger to seeing death and Mark quickly figured that out.

"Nevermind I asked." Said Task as Mark nodded his head.

"Help me put this guy in the trunk." Said Mark as he grabbed Jrue by the back of his neck and forced him up and out of the RV with everyone following suite as they loaded the Moonbeam with the drugs while Mark tossed Jrue in the back of the van.

"Alright we're all set let's get out of here before-." Task started before the group heard the sound of car engines before looking down the road and noticing five trucks making their way to the RV.

"We got company." Said Mark as he cocked his pistol just as Adahy lifted his Assault Rifle and fired a barrage of about fifteen rounds into the windshield of the first truck striking the driver seven times in the head and chest and actually blowing the top of the man's head off his body while the remaining shots ripped through the glass before tearing through the man in the passenger seat and forcing him to slump back in his head and die with his eyes still open.

"Spread out!" Mark yelled as Link, Manfred, and Buck moved to cover while Lee, Felix, Adahy, and Task spread themselves around the trailer and found cover around their cars.

"Kill the-!" started a Redneck before an arrow embedded itself in the middle of the man's throat, striking his Adam's Apple and sending blood spewing out of his mouth and nose.

"Focus!" Mark said before raising his Pistol and firing three shots that found their Mark in a Rednecks chest and stomach. "Damn you!" started a heavy set Redneck with dusty blonde hair before a bullet him in the arm knocking his Mossberg 500 from his hands before a round found it's Mark in the middle of the man's head.

"Fuck you gringo!" Felix yelled before firing off six more shots directed at a Redneck that was ducking behind the door of his truck and blindly firing a Mac-10.

"Just wait til Bobby finds out you boys are done." He yelled before Adahy reloaded his Rifle and sent five rounds in the direction of the truck door.

"Damn!" said the Redneck before he looked down and noticed he had five exit wounds coming out his chest from where the powerful 7.62x39mm had ripped through his body after going through the rusty door of the truck like it was mere paper.

"And-!" started Task as he stuck his tongue out and fired another arrow that embedded itself in the skull of a Redneck. "Headshot!" he said with a smile just as three Rednecks fired at Mark causing him to barrel roll out of the way before rolling away and coming to a halt while lying on his stomach with his guns pointed at the group.

"Bonswa!" Mark said with a smile before unloading a barrage of rounds that struck the three men all over their bodies before rolling again to avoid another barrage of rounds from a man with a Sawn-Off Shotgun but before the man could fire another shot Lee had fired a well-placed round that tore through the man's right hand where he was holding the butt of his gun.

"Son of a bitch!" the man yelled while lifting his hand to look at it and notice that there was a smoking hole in the middle of his hand and he was missing his two middle fingers from the round had went through his hand and even the stock of his Shotgun.

"Your wife's gonna hate you." Said Lee before he fired another round that struck the man in the leg causing him to hit the ground hard before he was finished off with four rounds to his chest courtesy of Adahy who fired his remaining magazine at the few Rednecks who had managed to get into cover.

"These pricks just keep coming." He said with venom in his tone. "We'll run out of ammo before we kill all of them." He added earning Mark's attention after he shot down another Redneck with a well-placed round to the neck.

"Alright then let's go." Said Mark as he fired off three rounds while the group quickly jumped into the Moonbeam while the Rednecks continued to shoot at them.

"Fucking Gringos!" Felix yelled as a bullet burst the window next to him sending glass all over his lip and causing him to return fire and strike the man in the chest while Link climbed in the driver's seat.

"FLOOR IT!" Task yelled as Link slammed his foot on the gas petal and sending the Moonbeam rocketing forward and crashing into a Redneck who thought it was smart to stand in front of the vehicle and fire at the windshield, but obviously it failed.

"Everybody whole?" Mark asked from the passenger seat. "We're all good with the exception of being uncomfortable." Replied Task as Mark looked in the backseat and noticed that the group was sitting all around each other and even with Manfred sitting on Lee's lap.

"When we get back to our cars we'll be alright just tuck it out for now." Said Mark.

"Easy for you to say." Said Task as he noticed he was sitting on Adahy's lap.

New Arcadia

It wasn't long before Alison changed her clothes into something more suiting for a night out, which included a white button up shirt over a red jacket, dark blue jean pants, and her brown boots, but before her night could start she had other matters to deal with. As she finally arrived at the room of the building supervisor she quickly knocked on the door before watching it swing open with Norm standing on the otherside.

"Ms. Trueblood come in." he said before moving aside allowing Alison to walk into his apartment where she noticed that living room was nicely furnished with designer couches and even a few fish tanks. "So what do I owe the visit, can I get you anything?" he asked with a wide smile

"No I'm here to make a complaint." She said earning a surprised look from Norm.

"Let me guess is it about Marcus being here. I know I don't like having him either but we need to make the complex look diverse so they don't shut us down." He stated to her shook.

"No I'm here to complain about you regarding Marcus." She said to his surprise. "Despite having less utilities then myself and a lot of other people living here Marcus is being charged almost double what they're paying." She said earning a nod from Norm.

"You can't prove that." He said to Alison's anger. "Yes I can!" she yelled.

"Look Ms. Trueblood you're new to New Arcadia so allow me to explain how things work here. This is a city of animals and this city is the jungle. My job is to make sure that the jungle stays out there and that few descent people in this city are safe." He replied.

"By animals you mean minorities and by descent people you mean white people." She said.

"I didn't use those words directly but even if I did what are you gonna do go to the police because NAPD have a lot better things to look into this." He said before watching the woman reach into her pocket and pulling out her badge.

"NAPD might not but the FIB just might especially if I ask them to." She said to Norm's surprise.

"Now he's what's gonna happen you're either gonna stop this extortion racket you have on Marcus and anyone else in this complex or you're gonna be dealing with a lot of problems in your future." She said with venom in her tone earning a few seconds of silence from Norm.

New Arcadia

The drive back to New Arcadia wasn't long for the two groups as they found themselves parked outside of a train yard waiting patiently as Mark and Task walked out of a trailer holding a rather large bag with them.

"Well?" Adahy asked earning a smile from Task.

"We got more than enough." The Lakota warrior replied with a smile earning a nod from Adahy.

"I gotta say thank you for this Mark." He said earning a chuckle from the Creole.

"Don't thank us thank the fact that we know guys who'd buy that much meth." Said Mark with a chuckle. "Besides you're the only gun runner we know in this town and I have a feeling we'll be needing more guns in the future." Said Mark earning a nod from Task before the duo slapped hands with each other.

"Well then what do you plan to do with the guy in the trunk?" Adahy asked earning a confused look from Mark before realization hit him at the meth cook in the trunk of the Moonbeam.

"Right Lee get him up here." Said Mark earning a nod from Lee who moved to the back of the Moonbeam before opening it up and pulling the man out on his feet.

"Follow me!" said Mark as Lee started to pull Jrue in the direction of the youngest Roman with Link, Felix, Manfred, and Buck following after them. Task and Adahy even found themselves following after the youngest Roman with curiosity getting the best of them as they watched Mark approach a lone box-cart before opening it up and revealing a tight space that was filled with hot air.

"Put him in there." Said Mark as Lee pushed Jrue into the box-cart and causing him to fall flat on his face before rising up to look at the group.

"Alright then Bucky you next." Mark said to everyone's confusion as they turned to Buck who had a look of confusion on his face. "You know why Felix, Manfred, Davey, Eddy, and the others are here with me and aren't getting as much lip as you?" he asked earning a confused look from Buck.

"It's because all of them have spilled blood to be here and if you want to stay you're gonna have to spill blood just like they have." The Creole stated earning a shocked look from Buck.

"Mark!" started Link before the youngest Roman cut him off. "No this is his right of passage to prove his keep and he must either stick with it or walk away from it." Mark finished before approaching Buck and grabbing the boy by his arm then shoving him into the box-cart. "If he ain't dead when we come back you're going back on the first bus to Sunbelt, so make your choice fast." He stated before closing the duo up in the box-cart and locking the door with a padlock.

"Isn't this a little extreme?" asked Task.

"Yeah but he won't be able to do it trust me it's easy to kill a guy with a gun in front of a group of people, that's peer pressure, but to be locked in a confined space with someone and have to kill them with your bare hands." Said Mark as he started to walk away with the others in tow.

"See you around brothers." Said Mark as the group went their separate ways while Buck sat in the boxcart staring down at Jrue who sat in silence.

New Arcadia

After her conversation with Norm Alison quickly returned to her trailer and returned to getting herself ready for her night out. As she sat in front of her mirror doing her hair realization soon hit her as to why Tavon had asked to meet with her…she was going on a date with him. The information had hit her over the head like a ton of bricks.

Since she'd been in the FIB she can't remember the last time she was asked on a date. Most men were often intimidated to ask her out and many would often suspect her of being a lesbian because of her lack of communication with the opposite sex, which to her didn't support the rumor.

Still the idea of being on a date in so long brought a wave of feelings over her that she can best describe as not feeling in a long time. Those feelings were soon interrupted by a loud knock at her front door that caused her to quickly move into her living room to answer it. Upon opening the door she was quickly greeted by the sight of a familiar Creole standing on the otherside with a half-smile on his face.

"Well don't you look nice." Said Mark with a half-smile earning a smile and a slight blush from Alison who stepped aside and allowed him to enter her apartment.

"So I heard you and Link did a little bonding today." He said with a chuckle earning a nod from Alison.

"Yes well you continue to be secretive so I thought maybe he can tell me a little about you." She replied earning a slight chuckle from Mark.

"Good choice!" Mark said before leaning against the wall to eye her.

"You know behind all the tattoos and intimidating demeanor, you're a good person." Sher said earning a chuckle from Mark.

"Yeah but don't tell anyone I got reputation to keep in this city." The Creole said with a chuckle.

"You don't have to keep this reputation." She said in a soft voice that caused Mark's expression to change.

"Just because your family is what it is that doesn't mean you have to become like them. Life isn't set in stone and you can change things-." She started before moving to Mark and, in a gesture that surprised him, take his hands into her own and run her soft velvet like fingers over his knuckles that were somewhat scarred over years of fighting. "For the better." She finished causing the youngest Roman to look into her bright blue eyes that seemed to sparkle before him almost like an ocean of blue water in the night skies.

"I'm afraid." He said to her confusion.

"Afraid of what?" she asked.

"All my life I've always been shielded from my father's life by my grandmother and now you're asking me to step into that world and call it my own." He started before looking away from Alison. "I won't go into details, but I can say that I've done my fair share of things and been in a life similar to his own and stepping into his world has got me afraid." He finished while looking at the floor in silence but he was soon left in a state of shock as Alison let go of his hands and wrapped her arms around the young Creole before resting his head on her chest just above her breast.

"I know this may be hard for you to do, but I promise I will be there to protect you." She said while rubbing Mark's back just as the youngest Roman moved his hands to her hips and rocked with her. The duo stood there in silence for a few minutes and Alison couldn't see through her closed eyes but if she did she would have seen the wicked smile on Mark's face.

"I'll do it!" he said earning Alison's attention as she looked down at him with wide eyes.

"I'll help you but I'm doing this for you and only for you, not because my father deserves it, not because it's good for the city, and definitely not for the NAPD." He said earning a nod and a smile from Alison who couldn't help but blush at his statement.

"As long as I have you on my side that doesn't matter." She said with a smile. "…That and because I assume you're the reason my rents been taken down." Mark replied earning a slight chuckle from Alison.

"Yeah well it's not right for you to be paying so much just because of race." She said earning a chuckle from the youngest Roman.

"If only more people thought like you." He said before turning away from her.

"Where are you going now?" she asked.

"To talk with the others, when things affect me I can always count on them watching my back." He said with a chuckle.

"They're a loyal group." She said while folding her arms over her chest.

"Brothers don't let brothers fight alone." Mark replied before walking out of the apartment while the woman couldn't help but smile before going back to getting dressed.

Red Stick

The drive back to Red Stick wasn't long for Task and Adahy as the duo arrived at their home and quickly made their ways to the living room while setting the bag of money on the table.

"I'll call the elders." Said Adahy earning a nod from Task who took a seat on the couch and leaned his head back.

"What a day." He said before looking off to the radio resting on the table beside him. The Lakota then quickly pressed play on the device as the song You Wouldn't Know by Hellyeah started to play through the room.

New Arcadia

The drive to the restaurant she was supposed to be meeting Tavon wasn't long for Alison as she stepped out of her car and was quickly greeted by the sight of the man standing at the door.

"Glad to see you made it." He said while greeting the woman with a smile.

"I wouldn't miss it." She replied while walking into the restaurant with the Homicide Detective all the while her mind was pondering about a familiar Creole.

"Open it up so I can show you I win." Said Mark as Lee and Felix opened the door to the box-cart shining a light inside as they watched Buck step out in silence with an emotionless look on his face and blood staining his hands.

"It's done!" the young boy said while moving past the shocked group who looked inside of the box-cart and noticed a large stain of blood on the wall next to the motionless body of Jrue.

"Well I'll be damned." Said Felix as the group looked at Buck with wide eyes.

"This was not my smartest plan." Said Mark.

"You think!" Link replied with sarcasm in his voice.

Authors Note: And boom finally done sorry for the late update I was supposed to post this last weekend but things came up. If you may have noticed I did change Helen's name to Alison why can't really be explained in words lol. It didn't just change in this chapter but all others as well in case you go back and look.

In my last story I would explain things about the way things are done in New Orleans and I decided to do the same in this story. Yes the housing system here is designed so that blacks and minorities are unable to move into white neighborhoods and areas and if they do they'll be paying almost double or triple the amount of their white counterparts. This has been a very controversial thing going on in New Orleans since Katrina and as of right now there are numerous legal actions trying to stop this but so far they are still in progress and have been since the late 2000's.

The Apartment Complex Supervisor Norm is based off David Cross and he'll make more appearances in future chapters.

If you didn't figure it out the character Jrue is based off Jrue from the GTA story Sunbelt City by Stelm, Native Guns, and Afro Spirit. The story hasn't been updated in over a year and me and Native have been talking about rebooting it in the same setting but with different characters, different plot, and a few other things. I can't promise nothing but talks are being made. Sorry about killing Jrue Stelm but maybe this can get you to respond to people's messages.

Liddell is based off the city of Slidell which is right across Lake Pontchartrain to New Orleans. The city is small and mostly white but the real story in the lake itself. Lake Pontchartrain has been the site of many deaths and mysteries such as a plane crash on February 25, 1964 that resulted in the deaths of 51 passengers and 7 crew members which was one of five different plane crashes in the lake, a bus plunging into the Lake Causeway killing 6, and the death of a former New England Patriot Defensive End Marquise Hill. It has also been used in many songs and movies.

Denim Falls is based off the city Denham Springs in the past it was nothing more than a small town just thirty minutes away from Baton Rouge but in recent years the city has been expanding and can almost be seen as close enough to the city to be a part of it. And yes there is a chapter of the Ku Klux Klan in Denham it's mostly a small group of old white guys who aren't in touch with the change in time but hey they're there.

What Mark did to Buck in order to give him his first kill was inspired by an episode of the Shield where Vic locked the leader of the One-Niners Gang in a box-cart with his rival. The plan was originally for them to talk it out but it ended with the One-Niner leader killing his rival a move that shocked him similar to how Mark was shocked at Buck's actions.

The New Arcadia Angels is a parody of the New Orleans Saints.

Stick around for next chapter as Task and Adahy meet with their elders, the Brothers go to Gwen's party, Mark sitsdown with his father and meets more members of the Roman Boyz, and Heavy Joe sends him on another mission that has Alison worrying for him.