Chapter 18: The Cotton State Lottery Heist

The House in New Arcadia

New Arcadia (3 Weeks Later)

The sun seemed almost invisible on this dark afternoon in New Arcadia as rain fell from the skies and landed on top of Alison's hat as the woman found herself dressed in her funeral uniform alongside Locke, Sawyer, Regina, and well over a hundred other officers from across the state as they watched the white casket of Tavon be lowered into the earth while a pastor and news crew were talking and filming the scene in the background.

These last couple of weeks can best be described as a rather shit show for the FIB Agent. Mark had kept his promise and let Brian live but that left her explaining how she and Tavon were able to locate the Haitian Hitman, how they managed to bring him down, and why didn't either of them call for backup before moving to arrest him.

Thanks to some help from Mark and Link, she had some help in creating a story and even planted some evidence that could help her story. She didn't have any proof of it but she figured Ana and her IAA contacts was the reason the Internal Affairs case investigating her was recently thrown out the window.

Because of the investigation she'd been in contact with a lot of her FIB superiors and some investigators from New Arcadia and because of so she wasn't able to see Mark, Lee, Link, or any of the others with the fear that she was being watched. She soon was relieved though that the case against her had dropped so now she was able to make contact with the Creole and his friends.

She and Mark were supposed to meet each other later today at a hotel Mark had rented. She was glad for it, but somewhat sad because she had something to tell him and had been wondering all week just how well he would take it.

"LOOSE!" yelled an officer who was greeted by the sound of guns being fired breaking Alison from her concentration. As she watched the officers giving Tavon his twenty-one shots of honor she couldn't help but think they were being wasted on the man.

Sure Tavon was a cop for nine years but he was also a person who conspired to have someone killed. He worked with the same man who tried to kill her to kill the man she loved. It was ironic though that he was killed by his own partner. She didn't like the idea of Tavon being killed the way he was, but she couldn't be mad at it either…it was best not to dwell on the past.

Red Stick

"I don't like this shit." Said Lee with anger in his tone as he stood in front of the TV with Link, Felix, Davey, Eddy, Buck, Manfred, Miller, and Viktor. "That bastard doesn't deserve a honorable death, he should have been left in a ditch like the garbage he was." The Chinese man added while Buck and Felix nodded their heads.

"Yeah he deserved to die, but we don't need the extra heat being brought on the guys in New Arcadia and this way they didn't do a full investigation of Alison's Unit in the NAPD." Stated Link earning a slight nod from Lee.

"Speaking of which are we going to talk about that?" asked Miller earning the attention of Lee, Link, Felix, and Buck.

"We bust our asses on the corners selling cigarettes and doing the jobs you don't want to do, but I think we had the right to know about Mark and this cop." Stated Viktor earning nods from Davey and Eddy.

"Don't trust us guys?" asked Lee as he smiled at the group.

"It's not that we don't trust you brother, we just feel like we're back in Sunbelt with all the secrets the guys in-charge are keeping." Replied Davey.

"We kill for you, make money for you, and will die fighting if we have to so we believe that we should know everything you guys do." Added Eddy earning a nod from Lee.

"I understand, and we'll talk about this later tonight when Mark gets here. We've got something big tomorrow and we might need you." He stated with a half-smile.

"Plus the way it's looking on those corners you guys maybe having a change of occupation." Added Link earning confused looks from the group.

Meanwhile

"How are things on your end." Asked Ana as she stood across from Mark and Task as the duo stood in her hotel room with confident looks on their faces.

"We're all set." Replied Task with a smile.

"We got the janitors uniforms, the fake ID's, and we bribed a few of the janitors into not showing up tomorrow. So we're good on our end." Added the Creole with half-smile while Ana nodded her head.

"What about vehicles?" the IAA Agent asked with an emotionless tone.

"Mark said that it wasn't good for all of us to arrive at once so he, Link, and Lee will arrive first and me, Adahy, and Felix will arrive next." Stated Task.

"We'll then go about mopping and dumping the trash like janitors while planting charges around the floor, until you can cut the security feed. When you do, we make our way up to the fourth floor." Added Mark.

"It's going to be lunch hour so when you plant the charges the workers shouldn't be in the room, but if there are a few stragglers-?" she asked while sending a look to Mark.

"We won't kill them, but we will make sure they won't be a problem." He replied earning a half-smile from Ana.

"Don't tell me you're going soft." She asked with a chuckle.

"We then make our way to the fifth floor, set the charges on the vault, and detonate at the same time as the thermals. We use that cover to steal all the money and then make our way out through the fire-escape as the firefighters arrive." Mark stated with an emotionless tone that earned a nod from Ana.

"Well then you're all set just be sure to be at the building before the twelve O'clock shift change and you're set." The IAA Agent replied earning a nod from Mark and Task, but as they went to walk out the door they were soon stopped by Ana calling them back.

"Hold up Marcus." She said earning the attention of Creole who sent a look to Task who merely rolled his eyes before turning back to her while Task made his way out of the room.

"You say you won't kill the workers if they're still in the office, I hope you haven't gone soft me." She replied earning a chuckle from Mark.

"Never, I'm just not as enthusiastic about killing people who are just trying to work a crappy dead end job." He replied earning a nod from Ana who slowly started to approach him.

"Well then, I'm glad to see this woman hasn't changed you too much." She replied with a half-smile before running her hand over Mark's injured shoulder.

"How is it?" she asked with a level of concern in her tone.

"Nothing I can't handle, so it shouldn't be a problem for me tomorrow." He replied.

"Just don't over strain yourself tomorrow. If you're bag gets too heavy don't keep stuffing it with money." She stated earning a chuckle from Mark.

"Thanks for the concern." He replied earning a half-smile from the Roman. "I should be the one telling you what to do and not to do seeing as you're taking one of my guys with you." He added earning a chuckle from Ana.

"If that's your way of telling me to be careful because you love me and you're worried about my safety that works to." She replied with a smile.

"You're good at cracking codes." He replied with a smile of his own while Ana moved her arms to the back of his neck. "I can't!" he declared earning a crooked smile from the IAA Agent.

"You're seeing her after this?" she asked earning a slight nod from Mark. "Well then can you at least kiss me before you go snuggle up to the woman you're replacing me with?" she asked earning a surprised look from Mark.

"It's not that I'm replacing you-." He started before Ana interrupted him.

"Really then what is it then?" she asked with a half-smile on her face. "Because it seems that you're preferring her over me." She added causing Mark to press his lips against her for a kiss that didn't surprise the IAA Agent who gave a crooked smile at his actions after Mark broke the kiss.

"It's not the I'm replacing you, I'm taking a page from your book." He replied to her confusion. "You have the best of both worlds with me and your husband, maybe I want the same thing." He added.

"I don't like playing second." She declared.

"Neither do I, but there are things I'm more comfortable consoling in you then Ali and you'll always be the one I turn to in my time of need." He replied before turning to make his way for the door.

"Yet I still don't get an I love you." She shot back earning a few seconds of silence from Mark before he responded.

"It's not that I don't love you, it's just that I'm afraid what may happen after I say it." He replied earning a half-smile from Ana.

His statement may have been nothing more than a cryptic one-liner, but there was a lot of truth in that one-liner. Whenever he told someone he loved and told that person he loved them, something always came along to take his love away from him.

Red Stick

The trip to Red Stick wasn't long for Alison, she decided not to stick around for the wake following Tavon's funeral for obvious reasons. She just wanted the day to be over, to forget about Tavon like he was a distant memory. As she looked down at the GPS in her car she noticed that she was entering a part of Red Stick she had never been before.

She still wasn't too familiar with the city but the portion she'd seen with Mark wasn't as good as what she was seeing now. She then noticed she had reached her destination and was surprised by the sight of it. She knew that she and Mark was supposed to be getting together at a hotel but not one like she was seeing now. It was a luxury high-rise hotel that made the FIB Agent think it was taken from a scene in a movie.

As she pulled up in front of the building she quickly watched as a valet approached her to take her keys and park her car. The gesture was a shock to the woman who quickly handed the man her keys before making her way into the hotel where she took in the sight of the large waiting area before making her way to the front desk.

Meanwhile

As Mark and Task finally arrived at the clubhouse and the duo quickly took in the sight of Lee, Link, Felix, Adahy, Manfred, Davey, Eddy, Miller, Viktor, and Buck sitting outside talking amongst each other.

"What's this?" Mark asked while stepping out with Task.

"They're going on strike." Said Lee as Mark turned to Davey and the others.

"All we want is an equal share of the power." Stated Miller earning a confused look from Mark.

"What do you mean you guys have a voice and it's taken into count along with ours." The Creole replied.

"Yeah, but we have a vote on thing's dealing with the streets but we don't know what else is going on." Stated Davey.

"Like your cop girlfriend for instance." Added Eddy earning a slight nod from Mark while Task and Adahy sent looks to each other.

"So you want to know the secrets we're hiding?" Mark asked with a smile earning nods from the group.

"Okay then, tomorrow we're stealing two point eight million dollars from the Cotton State Lottery building in Red Stick." The Creole stated in a matter-of-fact tone that caught everyone by surprise including Task and Adahy.

"You're really telling them that?" the Creek Warrior asked.

"Hey they want to know, might as well give them what they want." Stated Mark.

"And knowing also makes them complicit of the crime, so they'll serve time with us in case we go down." Said Link with a chuckle.

"Unless we flee the state." Replied Viktor.

"Just makes you look more guilty if you run dude." Stated Lee earning a nod from Mark.

"You wanted to know, heist and hits, that's what we do brothers. We carry out hits for the highest bidder and do heist, need I say more?" Link asked with a half-smile.

"And you'll be carrying out your own heist pretty soon." Mark added to the group's surprise.

"We can talk more on that tomorrow for now, we gotta discuss things with them and I have a place to be." Mark replied before watching as the group nodded their heads and made their way back inside the house while Mark turned to Task and Adahy.

"You trust your guys with that kind of information?" asked the Lakota earning a slight nod from Mark.

"Not really, the less people who know about what I do the more comfortable I feel, but I'm making an exception on this one. Especially since I'm going to be using them for similar missions in the future." Stated Mark.

"Well then maybe you want to tell us about your cop girlfriend." Said Adahy with a hint of venom in his tone.

"Pull up a chair we might be here a while." Replied Mark as he gave the duo a half-smile.

While Mark explained his relationship with Alison to Task and Adahy the FIB Agent found herself walking through the door of her hotel room and instantly felt a wave of shock and awe overcome her. The room was huge more than twice the size of her apartment and well-furnished.

The walls were covered in red and white lining paper there was a flat screen television on the wall across from a king sized bed set atop a nice red rug and as she lifted her head she quickly noticed that there was a mirror on the ceiling.

"That might make things interesting." Said Alison as she looked up at the mirror before her eyes widened in surprise and a bit of shock.

Her mouth had got the better of her and she spoke before realizing what she was saying. She and Mark didn't plan on spending more than one night together, but as she looked at the room the more she thought it just might happen.

"It's all going to waste." She said before moving to take a seat on the bed.

New Arcadia

"Hello!" greeted Ana as she found herself walking out the doors of her hotel before the sound of her cellphone chiming caused her to look down at the device and move to answer it.

"Hello my sweet." came a rather sinister sounding voice on the otherside of the causing Ana to give a half-smile at the greeting.

"Devlin, what do I owe the call?" she asked earning a slight chuckle from the man on the otherside.

"Is it wrong that I want to hear my wife's sweet voice?" he replied earning a chuckle from Ana as she made her way out the hotel.

"No, but I'm wondering why." She shot back earning a chuckle from the man.

"You've been spending a lot of time in Louisiana these last few weeks, you mind explaining to me why." He stated.

"I've taken an interest down here and I've found a potential score." She replied earning a laugh from the man on the other end.

"Alright then take your score, and be sure to give Mark a big wet kiss for me." He stated earning a slight chuckle from Ana.

"I'll be sure to tell him that after I pry his lips from his girl next door." She replied earning a nod from Evans.

"Is she the reason why he didn't finish his Haitian mess and why you let him?" he asked with a hint of anger in his voice.

"Mark's one of our hired hoodlums, he works for us but whatever he does in his personal time…is on him." She replied.

"Yes what he does in his own freetime is on him, but should Brian Rose decide to talk about the military trained adult who's barely out of his teens in New Arcadia who took him down will dig up a lot of dirt." He replied.

"He doesn't have a tongue I don't think he will be saying much of anything. Plus, I respect Mark's decisions and if he wants to let someone live…I respect that and him for it." She stated earning a chuckle from the man.

"You respect his wishes more than mine." He shot back earning silence form the woman. "I'll talk to you tomorrow have a good night Ana." He added before hanging up the phone while Ana looked down at her phone with a half-smile.

"Damn snake." She replied before putting her phone in her pocket.

Red Stick

The feeling of the warm water tricking down her body seemed to send a wave of euphoria over Alison's body as she ran her hands through her hair while taking a deep breath.

The FIB Agent had only been in the room for an hour but she had to admit it was a wonderful experience for her. She had ordered room service, watched a movie that wasn't out of theaters, ordered more room service, and rested in the bed, before ordering more room service and hopping in the shower. The food at the hotel was divine and a lot better than the Up N' Atom she's been eating these past few days.

As the woman stepped out of the shower and got dressed she couldn't help but take a look back at herself in the mirror. She had to admit she felt and look almost rejuvenated from being in the room and it was somewhat noticeable as she took in the sight of her warm smile and the sparkle in her blue eyes. She then quickly slipped on a pair of black sleep pants and a red long sleeved shirt before stepping out of the shower and noticing a cold breeze come over causing her to turn her head and notice a familiar face looking out the window of the balcony.

Upon seeing the youngest Roman the FIB Agent couldn't help but fall silence until watching as he turned back to look at her with a half-smile.

"Hey!" he said before watching as a blush spread across Alison's face while she watched him turn to her. "I see your liking the room." he added breaking the woman from the trance.

"You didn't have to do all this." She replied earning a chuckle from Mark.

"Yeah, but I felt bad about being the reason your apartment burned down and with nowhere else to go unlike everyone else I thought you could use a place to stay." He replied earning a slight smile from Alison.

"How much is this costing you?" she asked earning a chuckle from Mark.

"You don't need to worry about that trust me, so you can order all the room service you want and enjoy the mini fridge." He replied before pointing to the device while Alison started to lower her head.

"There's something-." She started before hearing him open a set of doors causing her to lift her head and notice Mark stepping out onto the balcony before directing her over to him.

"There's a reason why I chose this hotel, there's something I want you to see." He stated before ushering the FIB Agent over to the balcony.

"See!" he said before Alison felt the cool night air wash over her body before looking down at the skyline of the city of Red Stick and in the distance she could see the lights from the bridge giving off a rather elegant sight to the duo.

"There aren't that many high buildings in this city but you can see the bridge from any high point in the city and you can also see the stars." He said while lifting his head allowing Alison to look up and see the night sky.

"I can't tell you the last time I saw stars you don't see them in LS or Liberty." She replied earning a nod from Mark.

"That's one thing I like about living in a small city like this, you can enjoy the little things." He replied earning a slight chuckle from Alison.

"Enjoy the little things while avoiding the bullets." She replied while looking back at Mark who couldn't help but lower his head.

"I didn't kill him." He stated.

"You didn't kill him, but you should have called for us to take him down and not went after Brian at all." She shot back.

"And risk more lives, Brian had enough firepower on him to bring down whatever you threw at him but at least against me I could hold my own against him one-on-one." He replied before looking away. "Besides when I get riled up enough, I refuse to go down until I know I've won." He added but his words only seemed to earn a slap across the face courtesy of Alison causing him to look up at the woman and notice tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"Stop talking like that, like you can't die, like you've seen enough fighting to survive just about anything. You might think nobody cares about you Mark, but I do I don't want to see you die or hurt especially because of your own overconfidence." She stated while Mark took a light breath before pulling the FIB Agent to him in his arms.

"You're not a bad guy Marcus. You were just had a hard upbringing and went through a lot more than the average person." She stated. "You may have killed people, some who probably didn't deserve it, and for a minute I wanted to hate you for that and how cold you are towards taking a life." She added causing Mark to look down at her.

"But on some level of thinking I understand it." She admitted to the Roman's shock and surprise as he turned to look at her. "You kill to protect the family you've built, you said that you would do whatever it takes to keep Lee and the others safe, so you kill to protect them and...I would do the same if I was in your shoes." She added to the surprise of the youngest Roman as he continued to look down at her with a mixed expression on his face.

"I don't always kill to protect, I also kill for revenge." He admitted with a hint of anger in his voice. "I want Brian dead…for what he did to you." He said while rubbing her arm where her bullet-wound was still located. "I've always hated Ballas since the day I was left for dead by them, but I never hated someone like the way I hated Brian because of you." He added while looking away from the woman.

"You're innocent like an untainted light in a darkness, and Brian fucked that up by hurting you. I'll admit I don't like cops, but you…you're different. You're beautiful, smart, and one of the most kind hearted caring people I've met and I've been from Sunbelt to Dockington." He said with a chuckle that brought a half-smile to Alison's face. "I won't let anyone change that. I don't know how just a few weeks of being with you brought this out of me, but I'm glad you did. Out of the bad things I've been through and the things I've done I'm happy for them…because they led me to you." He stated earning a slight blush from Alison who couldn't help the sight of Mark smiling at her.

Without thinking Alison then made a move and brought her lips to the youngest Roman who watched with slightly opened eyes as she closed hers. The FIB Agent knew she wasn't supposed to be doing this but she had to she had to have him while he was still in a good mood. She then moved to moisten up his dried lips by running her tongue over them in a gesture that was almost like someone ringing a doorbell because soon Mark opened his mouth and allowed her tongue entrance into his own.

As she deepened the kiss Mark could tell the FIB Agent was in a controlling mood under the light of the moon. The woman had actually pressed herself hard against Mark's chest and had her hands were on the back of his head, forcing him to kiss her and not let go. She then pushed him backwards causing the Roman to actually walk backwards, without breaking the kiss, and as the duo reached the bed she pushed him onto his back before crawling on-top of him.

With his mouth fused to hers and their tongues lightly stroking across each other in a gentle dance, Mark was again taken by surprise at Alison's suddenness. The woman had actually taken his left hand and moved it to her butt before whispering in his ear "Don't Be Shy!"

And with those words Mark took advantage and hungrily gripped her behind before moving his hands under her shirt. The long-sleeved sweater didn't show much skin so he would have to hunt for her porcelain flesh.

As Alison kissed him, she hummed against his mouth and let out a light moan as Mark kissed the crook of her neck and felt her breast that were still somewhat wet from her recent shower.

"No bra?" he asked earning a slight giggle from the FIB Agent.

"Just the way you like it." She replied before moving forward to pull his shirt from off his body and then moving to kiss his chest and massage his scars. As he felt her run her tongue along one of the scars he was left the day of the club shooting couldn't help but let out a low moan and say something in Creole that Alison interpreted as "Oh Lord".

She then felt something poking her in the leg and looked down to see a spire already forming in Mark's pants and was poking her through his underwear and pants.

"Somebody's happy to see me." She said with a rather wicked smile causing Mark to give a loud exhale as he felt her run her finger over the top.

"You have no idea love." He stated before watching as she started pull down his pants without even undoing his belt buckle. He then decided to help her out by removing her shirt and then raising up so that she could sit on his lap. The Roman then went back to kissing the nape of her neck and listened as Alison gave a low moan, closed her eyes, and moved her head upward so he could kiss all over.

Mark wouldn't tell her but he loved the neck of a person it was a sensitive place for those he cared about but also a major target to strike for his enemies. Then like the scene of a vampire movie Mark hungrily bit the side of Alison's neck earning a light yelp from the woman as she felt him suck on her neck and leave a bright red hickey on her clear white skin that he then massaged with a swipe from his tongue.

The Concrete Soldier then moved down to her breast first kissing her collar area then moving south down to her cleavage. After cupping them he then moved to plant his ebony lips on Ali's ivory colored skin. As he twirled his tongue over her nipple he couldn't help but feel her grind her hips roughly against his lap while letting out a light moan as a drip of saliva could be seen hanging from the side of her mouth. Upon sucking them Alison then looked up to the sky with her eyes beginning to roll into the back of her head.

Mark then took in her scent it was a combination of her lavender smelling soap and a strawberry smelling Shampoo and booth seemed to leave him dazed. Then deciding not to be overpowered by the woman Mark grabbed the back of Alison's neck and pulled backwards causing the woman to arch her back and bring both of her breast closer to his face. Her perky fun bags weren't on his mind though, instead he moved more south and started to gently kiss her abdomen and midsection before he found his prize…her belly button.

It was small thing that most men glossed over, but Mark wasn't like moved men. As he licked, fondled, and damn near molested her navel like a doctor would a tumor he couldn't help but to take in its shape and design almost like he was painting a mental picture and right now he wanted a double header.

"OOOO!" she muttered before letting out a slight giggle as she felt Mark twirl his tongue in her belly button before lightly stabbing it. She then looked down at her and gasped as she watched him continue to trace his tongue over her while running his hands over her butt and under her shorts. The feeling sent chills down her spines and left her with goosebumps over her body. The FIB Agent then responded by biting down Mark's uninjured shoulder leaving a red hickey of her own on his ebony skin.

After giving it one last lick and sneaking a kiss Mark then looked up at Ali and noticed the euphoric look on the woman's face. As their eyes met the duo could swear they could see each other's auras with Mark seeing her as a bright almost pinkish red symbolizing a perfect innocent, while Alison saw his as a bright grey symbolizing the world true color.

He then rolled over to lay the woman on her back before moving to gently pull down her pants while kissing her waist line. After getting them off the Louisiana Native then said something in French as he evilly eyed her hot pink underwear. Alison then let out a rather loud exhale as she felt him tease her through the undergarment. She felt him kiss her right where the zipper of her jeans would be while teasing her clit with his fingers.

He wouldn't say it out loud to a woman but he loved seeing them in brightly colored underwear. Mostly because he liked to see if he can get them drenched in a woman's juices. Once they are they're as valuable to him as a war trophy.

"Yes!" she said with a slight moan as eyes wide with lust and as she narrowed them she noticed Mark kissing her cream colored thighs while massing her through the pink silk.

"Mark…please." She said causing Mark to look up at her and watch as she pulled her underwear to the side exposing her wet flower to him.

The Roman then gave her a nod before wrapping his fingers around her underwear and lightly removing the slightly soaked undergarment. He then, out of her sight, slid them within the front pocket of his pants before taking in the sight of Alison's "Slice of Heaven".

As Alison felt him slip a finger inside of her she couldn't help but arch her back and let out a loud moan as he started to massage her folds just to get more of her juices flowing out. He then slipped in another finger before running his tongue over her clitoris to excite her just a little more.

As he moved to suck on her swollen clit and taste her fluids, Alison let out another high-pitch moan before looking up at the mirror hanging over the ceiling of the bed. The sight of Mark's head moving between her thighs seemed to arouse her more and without looking away from the mirror she moved her hands to his head and forcibly pressed his lips against her causing her to let out another moan of approval and satisfaction.

Then after giving her a quick lick the youngest Roman crawled on top of her to plant a small kisses on her stomach, breast, nipple, before finally ending it with a kiss on her forehead and then looking down to notice the smile on her face.

"Are you ready?" he asked earning a nod from the woman before she felt him slowly and carefully enter her causing the FIB Agent to let out a low almost sexy sound of approval.

As she laid back and put her arms around him as he slowly went in and out of her Alison started to maneuver with him. The woman then closed her eyes and quickly found herself getting used to the feeling of him slowly rocking his hips with hers. Mark then let out a low groan as he pushed into her, before closing his own eyes and moving his hands to caress her breast as he went in and out of his beautiful brunette.

He then opened his eyes and noticed Alison's barely keeping her's open causing him to give her a quick kiss before moving his mouth back to the nape of her neck as he started to thrust a bit faster into the woman. He then felt the woman squirming, rolling, and grinding her hips under him like a redheaded divinity in heat.

"Ali I missed you these last couple of weeks." Marcus breathed out in a pleasure filled tone as he felt Alison wrap her arms around his neck before moving up to kiss him passionately.

"I know honey, I missed you…so much." She replied barely getting the words out between her kisses, cries of ecstasy, and heavy breathing as the duo continued to make love not like their first time, but instead like two people who would soon be married.

"I will never leave you and I will never hurt you." Mark responded as he felt Alison dig her nails into back with enough force to draw blood as he continued to penetrate her causing louder squeals of delight to escape her pink lips as she felt Marcus hitting her spot with the tip of his manhood.

As Alison then laid back with Mark moving to kiss her neck as he went in and out her, she couldn't help but to look up at the ceiling and see his tattoo of Nobody Praying For Me Moving with him as he moved. Seeing the phrase and remembering what she still had tell him were beginning to get to her and she could help but feel her eyes starting to water.

"Oh Mark!" she said in a tone that surprised and confused Creole as he lifted his head to look down at her.

"Ali!" he said while watching as she gave a low sob.

"What's wrong?" he asked earning a wide forced smile from the FIB Agent that reminded him of a giggling clown.

"Nothing nothing's wrong, why would you think anyone's wrong." she replied, shaking her head side to side like a madman in a restraint jacket while trying to disguise her sobs with moans but it wasn't fooling Mark mostly because of the tears flowing from the woman's eyes.

"You're crying." He stated while noticing the woman continuing to smile.

"It'll stop just ignore me." She replied before giving another sob.

"I can't ignore you." He shot back.

"It's fine it's fine just it's okay just keep going." She said while continuing to mask her sobs, unfortunately for the FIB Agent seeing her in such a state left Mark limp and curious. The sound of Alison's phone ringing is what actually broke the duo from their trance. As Mark moved to let her move he watched as she pulled the phone out of her pants pocket before looking back to him.

"It's work!" she said earning a nod from Mark who watched as she tried to compose herself while watching him closely.

"Yes!" she answered while Mark tilted his head to the side while continuing to watch the woman speak.

"Yes yes-." She said before going silent and causing Mark to watch as her eyes widened. "Yes I have my plane ticket set for tomorrow, one way." She said to his shock and surprise.

"Yes I'll see you later tomorrow for reassignment." She said while watching as Mark lowered his head before rising from the bed and moving to put on his clothes.

"Yes yes yes." Watching Mark throw on his clothes in preparation to leave, Alison rushed through her words in order to catch him but as he went for the door Alison quickly hung up the cellar device before moving to grab the arm of the youngest Roman.

"Mark please, hear me out!" she stated causing Mark to look at her with a mix of anger and sorrow in his eyes before looking down and closing the door as Alison pulled him back to the bed and watched him sit down.

The sight of the woman's fully nude body might have given his member new life but right now his mind was more focused on the news he was just learning.

"Explain!" he said while looking away from Alison.

"I got a promotion." She said causing Mark to eye her closely. "When the bureau found out I was one of the officers who took down Brian, thanks to you-." She started earning a roll of the eyes from Mark. "They promoted me and they're reassigning me to a case in Liberty City and I don't have much of choice because the city is shutting down the Task Force so my superiors were gonna have me return home anyway." She added before looking at Mark who looked away from her.

"I know you think this is me trying to walk out on you, but it's not because I love you and I would never abandon you." She stated while Mark continued to look away from her. "Please talk to me, I came here tonight because if tonight is my last night here I want to spend it…with you in your arms and I don't want to leave with the thought of you hating me." She said while tears started to flow from her eyes.

"I don't hate you." He replied causing Alison to look to him and notice him still looking at the floor. "I'm actually quite proud of you." He declared while Alison gave him a look of great confusion.

"I corrupt, fuck up, or end up destroying everyone I love and I thought I was gonna do the same with you. Hearing you say you're leaving is a good thing, because it means I won't be able to hurt or disappoint you more then I already have." He stated while Alison noticed the half-smile on his face. "Now you can leave and get back to your life, and forget all about me." He added to the woman's shock.

"Everything I said about you I meant Ali, you're a beautiful, kind-hearted, and caring person that all men should fight each other to call you their own." He stated earning a slight blush from the woman. "You deserve a lot better than a killer like me. Just think of me like a bad dream because that's all I am." He added before looking away from the woman.

"NO!" she screamed before grabbing Mark by his head and forcing him to look up at her.

"I don't want to forget about you Marcus, you may be a killer, but you did things to me nobody has ever done before and you made me feel things I've never felt before. I don't want to forget about you Mark because I love you and if we don't see each other for a year, two, five, or ten years I will continue to love you and never forget who you are." She replied while looking at Mark who couldn't help but feel tears beginning to form in his own eyes.

"Tonight is not goodbye, its being with each other until we meet again." She replied causing Mark to give a slight blush before feeling as Alison pressed her lips against his for a kiss that seemed to stop time.

"Now lay back and let's have this one night together." She replied while watching as Alison slid off the bed before kneeling down between his legs. "You've done it so many times to me, I think you more than deserve it." She added while running her hand across his member.

"Can you give it to me?" she asked while Mark nodded his head before leaning back as Alison pulled his pants below his legs.

Red Stick (The Next Morning)

The sun was just beginning to rise on this day in Red Stick but it wasn't the early bird that caught the worm this morning as Task found himself doing pushups against the carpeted floor of his living room just as Adahy entered the room and couldn't help but smile at the scene.

"Amped for this?" the Creek asked before watching as Task jumped to his feet with a smile.

"Hell yeah, we've been preparing for this for weeks and now it's time to see if all that preparing paid off." Replied Task with a slight chuckle earning a nod from Adahy.

"Well then let's hope the others are in the same mood as you." He replied before walking away while Task started to do squats. "And remember we gotta make that deal tonight." Adahy added while Task continued to do squats.

Meanwhile just on the otherside of the city Lee found himself standing over a bottle of Chloroform, some napkins, and a two Garrotes made from Piano Wire. When on a heist even a subtle one there are risks that they may have to kill or knock someone out to make sure it goes smoothly and that was something the Chinese gunman was always prepared for.

He then looked over to the thermal charges on the otherside of the room just as Link and Felix entered the room and caught sight of the man.

"You sure we're gonna need all this?" Link asked.

"Better to be prepared then in prison." Lee shot back before watching as Buck entered the room.

"So we ready for this?" he asked with a wide smile on his face that earned a slight chuckle from Lee.

"In a few hours we'll be ready just try to keep up kid, you're working with Ana and she won't help you should you fall behind." Replied Lee as Felix sent a look to the others.

"Can we really trust her?" he asked earning a slight scoff from Lee.

"Yeah she'll pull through, probably a lot better than we do just stick to the plan." He said before picking up his phone and sending a text message to a familiar number.

The sound of his phone chiming is what caused Mark to open his eyes and notice Alison sitting between his legs as they sat in a bubble filled bath tub. He then shifted to pull his phone from his pants pocket before looking at the text message and responding with a text of his own. The Roman then climbed out of the top and grabbed a towel while Alison looked up at him.

"That Lee?" the FIB Agent asked while stepping out of the shower and grabbing a towel to dry herself off.

"Yeah." Mark replied before moving to help the woman towel off.

"He's gonna hate me when you tell him won't he?" she asked while lowering her head.

The woman got what she wanted, a night alone with the youngest Roman but it wasn't what she expected because it was nowhere near the level of their first night together or what it was at first. They mostly layed in silence and didn't get any sleep and whenever one of them made a move that led to sex it only seemed to leave them both in tears. The thought of Alison leaving seems to have breached the shell of the youngest Roman a lot more than any bullet, knife, or threat in his lifetime.

"He won't once I explain your reason for leaving. We can understand leaving for work, but if you were to leave like any of my ex's he'd be pissed off." He replied while moving to dry the woman's hair as she toweled off his torso.

"This maybe a little late to ask but exactly how did your ex's leave you. I know you said your last one cheated on you, but what happened to the others?" she asked earning a slight chuckle from Mark.

"Well my last girlfriend cheated on me, the one before her chose another dude over me, Ana was well married, and I had a girlfriend back in Dockington but…she wasn't really my girlfriend so much as a girl that was passed around by the BGA. I never slept with her but we were really close with one-another." He finished earning a nod from Alison.

"And what happened to her?" the FIB Agent asked earning a few seconds of silence from Mark before he spoke.

"After Leroy and all the major players on the West Side of Dockington went to prison they smelled a rat in their ranks, because police knew only things members knew and some of them would tell her things. So they believed she was a snitch." He stated before Alison looked up at him.

"Was she?" the FIB Agent asked.

"I knew she was but they didn't." he replied to the woman's confusion. "One day I saw her meeting with some detectives at a park in the Northside. I didn't want to lie about it because I knew they would kill me for lying and I didn't want to tell them the truth because they would make me kill her." He added.

"So what happened?" she asked.

"The BGA member who was telling her the most was shanked inside by other members, another member who was telling her things suffocated her to death, and I had to watch it all." He replied to Alison's surprise as she watched him lower his head. The woman then wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder while Mark seemed to be reliving memories of the past.

Dockington City (4 Years Earlier)

"You ready." Asked an African American girl with short black hair as she turned to look back at a sixteen-year old Marcus who watched her as she stood in her bra and panties before walking over to the side of her bed and bending over to get something out of her dresser.

"Yeah I'm ready." He replied while reaching into the back of his pants and pulling out a P99 Pistol and then slamming it over the back of the woman's head and knocking her on the bed.

He then followed up climbing on top of the struggling girl, putting a pillow over her head to muffle her screams, and then cocking his Pistol before hovering it over the pillow.

As the woman screamed and fought for air the young Creole couldn't find the will to pull the trigger so instead of shooting he merely pressed the pillow harder over her face until she finally stopped fighting him and her body went limp under the pillow. He didn't dare look under the pillow mostly out of fear of knowing what was underneath it.

The Roman then took a deep breath before looking over his shoulder and noticing a heavy-set African American man standing behind him with a half-smile on his face.

"Man you really is one cold-hearted motherfucker ain't you." He stated while Mark angrily bit his teeth before whipping around with his Pistol drawn and then firing five shots that caught the man three times in the chest and twice in the stomach, successfully knocking him on his back.

"You dead motherfucker." He said through hazy breaths as Mark climbed off the dead woman before grabbing the fallen man by the back of his shirt and then dragging him out of the house and into the middle of the streets.

"The Army is gonna kill your ass." He yelled while Mark looked down at him through teary eyes.

"Who do you think told me to do this?" he asked while reloading his gun and then firing a single shot into the man's groan successfully shooting off his penis.

"She's dead because of you, if you kept your fucking mouth shut she'd be here." He yelled before pressing the hot barrel of his gun on the side of the man's neck creating a loud sizzling sound as the hot barrel burned into his skin.

Mark then aimed the pistol at the man face before emptying his entire magazine into his head until it was nothing more than a bloody mess. The Roman then repeated the process but instead shot him in the chest. When the deed was done Mark had fired at least thirty five rounds into the man before finally catching his breath and looking down at the corpse.

"Your talking is what got her killed, fucking bitch!" Mark stated before kicking what was left of the man's torso and then walking away while pulling out his cellphone and putting it to his ear.

"It's done!" he said while trying to hide his tears and sadness in his voice.

Present

"I'm sorry you had to go through that." She said while Mark moved to give her a quick kiss.

"I need to go." He said while moving to put on his clothes while Alison watched him get dressed.

"Will I see you before I go?" she asked while moving to rub the right cheek of the Roman.

"Yeah you'll see me." He replied before moving to kiss the palm of the woman's hand. "Have a good day." He added before walking out the door while Alison took a seat on the bed and lowered her head in sadness.

Meanwhile

The drive to the home of Task and Adahy wasn't long for Lee, Felix, Link, and Buck as the group stepped out of their car and noticed the duo standing outside the house dressed in Janitor's uniforms earning chuckles from the group.

"Dudes you guys look like my high school janitor." Stated Lee earning a middle-finger from Adahy.

"Where's Mark?" asked Task before the group watched as the youngest Roman pulled his car in front of the home of the group.

"Well that was convenient." Stated Felix as the group watched Mark step out of the car with an emotionless look on his face.

"Well then there's our lover-boy." Said Lee earning a middle finger from the Roman.

"Let's get this over-with." He replied to the group's confusion as they watched him pull a janitor scrub from the back of his car and then make his way into the home while the rest of the group looked on in confusion.

New Arcadia

The drive to the New Arcadia Police Station wasn't long for Alison as she walked in through the front door she noticed the familiar scene of uniformed officers bringing in people in handcuffs. The woman then made her way into her office where she was greeted by the sight of Locke, Regina, and Sawyer waiting for her with smiles on their faces.

"There's the new FIB Senior Special Agent." Said Locke as Alison felt a smile spread across her face as she was greeted by the group.

"Thanks." She replied just as Regina gave the woman a hug.

"We're gonna miss having you around girl." The woman stated earning a nod from Alison while she sent a look to Sawyer who couldn't help but smile.

"We got the day off, so come on we're buying you a well-deserved drink." Replied Locke earning a half smile from Alison before she followed the group out the door of the building.

"But it's not even noon." She replied earning a chuckle from Sawyers.

"There's always a time to drink sweetheart." He replied while continuing to laugh.

Red Stick

Things seemed somewhat calm in Downtown Red Stick as Lee and Link found themselves sitting in the parking lot outside the main office building for the Cotton State Lottery while Mark sat in the back seat in silence that seemed to leave an air of anger that both Lee and Link could sense in the air.

"Two minutes before we go in any advice?" came the voice of Felix over the Walkie Talkie causing Lee to pick it up and speak.

"Yeah just go in, start working, and remember to look Mexican." The Chinese man shot back.

"I take offense to that." Replied Task.

"Why you and Felix are more related then any of us are, I can't see how you take offense to that." Link replied in a somewhat hushed tone.

"Well you try to look white and Asian oh wait I forget you don't do day labor." Declared Adahy.

"Exactly we're actually acting, this is a role you guys were basically born to play." Said Lee before he hung up the Walkie Talkie and started laughing while Felix, Task, and Adahy stepped out of the vehicle and made their way to the front of the building but not before turning around a flipping off the group.

"Ah I love this job." Stated Lee while Link rolled his eyes.

"Alright Mark five minutes." Declared Link as Mark turned to face the duo and finally spoke.

"Alison's leaving." He said to the duo's confusion causing them to turn back to face the Creole. "Her unit is being shut down and she been promoted and now reassigned to some case in Liberty City." He added earning mixed looks from the duo.

"Damn, sorry to hear that." Replied Link.

"I'm not." Said Lee earning the group's attention. "I'm not saying that in a bad way I do like Alison, but with her not here and the Task Force dissolved we don't have that money wrench in the plan anymore and we can finally do what we set out to do." The Chinese man stated while Mark rose to his feet.

"I thought about that and I've decided that her leaving…is probably for the best." The Creole replied earning nods from the group. "I gotta take care of something when this job is done, you think you can count the money for me?" he asked earning a nod from the group.

"Yeah we got you brother." Stated Link before the group stepped out of the car and made their way into the front door of the building where a man greeted them and told them to scan their cards before getting to work.

"So how long before we follow them-." Started Buck before he felt a slight electrical feeling going through his body that caused him to pass out from the pain.

"Sorry kid, but all I need from you is to stay here." Said Ana as she stepped out of the car while sliding her handheld Taser into her purse before making her way inside of the building while Buck lay passed out in the passenger seat.

New Arcadia

The sound of the authentic New Arcadia music seemed to be playing loudly throughout the bar as Alison found her having a few drinks with a number of other officers who were not only celebrating her promotion, but the arrest of Brian Rose, and memorializing the death of Tavon.

As she took a sip of her drink she remembered the few good memories she had with Tavon, well before he attempted to have Mark killed. Her mind seemed to be drawn to their night together at her apartment even-though she was trying her hardest to forget it. Tavon was in the small list of men to actually get into her pants and not surprisingly she was hoping Marcus would be the last.

"This seat taken." Came a familiar voice that caused Alison to turn her head and notice Locke standing beside her with a smile.

"No it's free." She replied before watching as the man took a seat beside her and ordered a drink. "That's better." He said earning a smile from Alison before the bartender returned with his drink.

"So how is Marcus taken the news of you leaving?" he asked causing Alison to choke on her drink upon hearing the man ask the question.

"What do you mean?" she asked earning a smile from Locke.

"Come on Alison, Mark's been living next to you this whole time and you only had one conversation with him. I wasn't born yesterday I have your entire situation figured out." He stated to the woman's confusion.

"What situation?" she asked with a sarcastic tone.

"Judging by the hickey I saw on your neck the day after the attack at the club I'm guessing you and Mark are lovers." He stated to Alison's shock. "I don't know if you two are recent lovers or if you've been together a while but I figure he was the one passing you information all this time." He added with a half-smile.

"I also figured it was Mark who took down Brian not you and Tavon, and speaking of Tavon I figured he was the one that told Brian Rose where he could find Mark. I also have a feeling you know Mark was involved in that club shooting, that warehouse shootout, and that he did kill those Ballas that attacked that apartment complex, and maybe even be the reason for so many deaths in that war." He added while Alison looked at him with wide eyes.

"If you knew this entire time why didn't you say anything?" she asked while Locke took another sip of his drink.

"I'm guessing you already know Ana Chan, you met her already." He stated earning wide eyes from Alison. "She's IAA and if Mark's tied to her, I can't really do anything but sit back and let him do what he wants." He added earning a confused look from Alison.

"What do you mean by that and how do you know who Ana is?" the FIB Agent while Locke remained silent for a few seconds before speaking.

"As you know before I became a cop I was apart of military Delta Force to be exact." He said earning a nod from Alison. "Well back in the early 2000s when I was about to be discharged I was approached by a man named Charles Evan's, he was IAA and he wanted me to work for him." He added while taking a sip of his drink.

"He wanted me to work for him, but I wouldn't be working for the IAA I'd just be working for him doing various jobs for him. I refused but a friend of mine didn't so he signed up and Evans used him to do these missions that you wouldn't expect the IAA of doing." He continued.

"You mean things like wet-work." She replied.

"No I mean things like bank-robberies, drug trafficking, hijacking, espionage, and things of that nature." He shot back to Alison's confusion. "And he did all of this on American soil and he was working with not only ex-military but guys who were in street gangs, guys just getting outta prison, soldiers from other countries, criminals from other countries. It was a blend of personalities and then he realized he was a patsy." He added.

"He never asked them why he was doing it, he was just blindly following orders, until one day he decided he was gonna go to the press with the things he was doing and well…he never made it to the office." Locke finished before taking another drink of his alcohol.

"They killed him?" Alison asked earning a nod from Locke.

"Ana killed him and she was gonna kill me as well all those years ago, but she let me go. She told me to forget everything I'd heard…or else I'd be lying in an unmarked grave like my friend." Locke replied before taking a sip of his alcohol.

"Jesus Christ, so Mark is doing the same thing with her?" the FIB Agent asked earning a nod from Locke.

"Seems that way I can tell you he didn't get those skills from just some gang member in the streets." He replied while Alison looked away from the man.

"Jesus!" she said while remembering the bag of money that Mark was in possession of along with his skills in training, and when he disappeared for a few weeks with calling her.

"If you want my advice, maybe leaving this city is a good thing. I don't know what exactly Ana has him doing down here but whatever it is…it's big and it may take years to do but it will get done." Locke replied before the duo was interrupted by the sound of someone tapping a glass with a spoon.

"Alright listen up." Said Sawyer causing everyone to turn their attention to him. "I know we're here to celebrate Alison's promotion, but I think we should take a second to toast Tavon." He stated earning nods from the other officers while Locke gave a slight scoff.

"To Tavon!" Sawyer said earning a sea of responses from the officers as they took sips from their drinks.

Red Stick

The sound a flushing toilet seemed to be the only thing Link could hear as he watched the last man in the bathroom walk out of the door without washing his hands causing the Irishmen to grunt in disgust before reaching into his jumpsuit and pulling out a thermal explosion.

"Hopefully this won't hurt anyone." He whispered to himself before planting the device behind the toilet while Mark set another bomb behind a trashcan, Felix set one of his own next to a computer, and Adahy set one behind a water-fountain.

"How long is this going to take?" asked Task as he found himself moping the floor while watching as Lee walked past him.

"Ana and Bucky should be making their way to the security room now, so move up the stairs." Said Lee as Task watched him leave with a mixed looks.

"You're only going to the vault so you could get out cleaning didn't you?" the Lakota asked while Lee continued to walk away before tossing an explosive in the janitor's office.

"Remember little circles brother." Said Lee as Mark found himself making his way into the office area where he noticed a man sitting at a desk typing on a computer.

"Ana where are you with those cameras?" asked Mark over his Walkie Talkie as Ana found herself stepping out of an elevator on the top floor.

"I'm going there now just give me a few minutes." She replied before making her way to a door at the end of the hall and then knocking on it.

"Who is-." Started a heavy-set Caucasian man as he went to open the door only to be met with a shocking feeling as a series of electric volts started coursing through his body courtesy of Ana who watched as the man fell to the floor unconscious.

"Weak system." She said before moving past the man and closing the door to the room.

"Mark I'm in and I'm shutting the cameras down now." She replied before Mark turned back to the sole man working on his computer just as Lee, Link, Felix, Task and Adahy made their way to his location.

"Lee take care of him." Stated Mark earning a nod from the Chinese man as the group watched him apply Chloroform on a towel before walking up behind the man and pressing it over his mouth and nose causing him to struggle for air.

"It's alright go to sleep." Said Lee as the man started to fade from reality before finally passing out while Lee took the towel from over his mouth.

"Start setting the charges." Said Mark as he watched the group move around the office and plant explosives behind computers, under desk, chairs, and even in the ventilation system.

"Alright let's do this." Said Mark as he pulled six duffel bags from out of his trash cart and handed five of them to the other men before stepping out of the room.

"Let's move!" said Link as the group stepped out of the office, making sure to lock the door behind them, then made their way to the next floor where they noticed Ana standing outside a set of double doors.

"Are you ready?" she asked earning nods from the group.

"Where's Buck?" asked Felix.

"Guarding the getaway car." She replied earning a roll of the eyes from Mark while Felix sent the Creole a mixed look. He didn't have much to say on the matter he figured Ana would leave Buck behind but it was best not to dwell on the matter.

"If you're doing staring at one another we should go." She said before leading them into a room where the group noticed a large built in safe in a dark grey room that towered over their heads. "Get to work." Stated Ana earning nods from the boys as Mark sent a look to Link who looked over the safe and started to analyze the door around it.

"Plant charges here, there, and there." He said before pointing out three locations that Mark quickly moved to plant the explosives while Link gave Lee another place to plant another set of explosives.

"All set?" asked Task earning nods from Mark and Lee before the group started to step away from the safe.

"Don't lose your balance boys." Said Ana as the group ran out the room and hit the floor just as the explosives on the safe went off blowing open the door while the thermal explosives on the floor underneath them went off and shook the building as a ball of fire erupted out a series of windows on the floor.

"Goddamn that will fuck up your hearing." Said Task as he rubbed his ringing ears before Adahy pulled him up to his feet while Ana lifted her head and noticed that Mark had shielded her with his body from the explosion.

"Always playing the role of my hero." She said with a half-smile while Mark hopped back on his feet and helped her up while Lee did the same to Link and Felix just as the fire alarm started to go off.

"Let's move." Said Mark as Ana watched the six boys make their way through the doors of the vault where they quickly noticed a few clips of money on a table while more was in a series of lockboxes that the group started to go through.

"Clean the place out." Said Lee as he stuffed well over fifty-thousand dollar-worth of money into his pack while Task and Adahy tried their best to keep up with the more experienced thieves, the Creek Warrior decided to improvise and forced open a lockbox and dumped the contents into his bag with his bare hands.

"Don't overwork yourself, if you dump too much in your bag it maybe too much to carry." Stated Mark as he stuffed a few dollars into his pack before sticking four more stacks of money into the pockets of his pants while Lee did the same with his pants.

"You boys better hurry it won't be long before security think it be best to check on the money." Stated Ana as she watched Felix stuff a few more stacks of money into his bag before zipping it up while Lee stuffed a few more into his pants after zipping up his bag.

"Let's go!" said Mark as he noticed Task struggling to close his bag that was filled to the brim causing Mark to move to him and grab a few bills from his bag and stuff them into his jumpsuit while Task did the same.

"No overworking and try and play it cool with this." Said Mark earning a nod from Task before he helped the Lakota to his feet.

"Move!" said Lee as he led Adahy, Felix, and Link out of the room while Mark helped Task with Ana closing the door behind the group as they made their way for the emergency exit where the group was instantly caught by a firefighter.

"OUTTA THE BUILDING NOW!" he yelled as the group took his advice and made their way down the stairs before letting out a few coughs as smoke from the fourth floor started to fill their lungs. The group was then taken off-guard as another explosion went off on the fourth floor that caused them to lift their heads and notice the same firefighter from earlier being blown away from the door.

"Shit!" said Mark as he ran back to help the man to Ana's dismay.

"Go I'll catch up!" said Mark as he went to check on the firefighter before grabbing the man by his arms and then pulling him away from the flames as they started to spread into the staircase causing Mark to turn around and notice that a few flames were on his duffel bag.

"Hell no!" said Mark as he started to pat the bag down successfully putting out the flames but burning both of his hands in the process as he went back to grab the firefighter before getting him to the last floor and pulling him out of the building.

"MARK COME ON!" yelled Link as he waved to the youngest Roman who looked to the unconscious firefighter before running away and leaving the man.

"Let's go!" said Mark as he climbed into the group's getaway car where they noticed Buck still passed out on the backseat while Ana drove away from the building.

"Your hands." Said Link causing Mark to look down at his partially burned hands.

"They're fine." He said before watching as Lee moved to look them over.

"I guess your girlfriend is rubbing off on you Mark, you're getting a soft spot for others?" stated Ana earning a roll of the eyes from Mark.

"Yeah, but it won't be long before it fades away." He replied earning a confused look from Ana before she looked over and noticed Task chuckling to himself.

"What's so funny?" she asked causing all eyes to fall on the man.

"We did it, we pulled it off." He said earning slight smiles from the group.

"Aye we did," said Lee who sent a look to Adahy who noticed the man chuckling as well earning a sea of laughter from Lee, Mark, Link, and Felix while Ana rolled her eyes.

"Boys will be boys." She said to herself with a chuckle of her own.

Vice City

The feeling of the planes wheels touching solid ground made the nervous feeling in Brian's stomach quickly fade away. The Haitian Hitman would always be nervous for a flight despite traveling around the country.

His current situation didn't make him feel any more comfortable. As he looked down at shiny steel handcuffs locked around his wrist he couldn't help but to let out a sigh of anger. He had finally been caught and would spend the rest of his day in prison until the state decided to put him down like a sick dog.

Before he could be sent to prison, though he had to go through trial in every state he committed a crime in. He recently left New Arcadia so now he was heading for Vice to stand trial for the murders he'd committed in the city.

He wasn't one to just sit and take verbal abuse without saying anything back, but it seemed that was entirely what he had to do. During the battle with Marcus, that Asian woman he was with shot his tongue off rendering him forever speechless.

"Let's go Rose." Ordered a US Marshall causing Brian to send a look to the man before following his order and rising from his seat and mumbling something to the man that only responded by hitting him in the back.

"Keep moving." The Marshall yelled before Brian followed his command and made his way off the plane where he noticed a police van waiting for him.

Red Stick

"And there you go." Said Lee as he and Manfred backed away from Mark who looked down at his bandaged hands.

"Thanks brother." Mark replied as he looked over his hands and started to move his fingers before looking up and noticing Ana smiling at him.

"I don't want to hear it." He replied earning a chuckle from the woman.

"I wasn't going to say anything after today there's no need to say anything, frankly I like that you're willing to turn yourself into a punching bag to help others." She stated earning a scoff from the Roman.

"You weren't complaining when I do it for you." He shot back.

"Yes but if you start to do it for every unknown stranger it starts to lose it luster Marcus." She replied earning a roll of the eyes from Mark before the group heard a loud yell in the backroom and decided to investigate it.

"Something going on?" asked Lee.

"Task doesn't understand the numbers for the split." Replied Felix earning a confused look from Mark.

"I'm saying we all did this job so we should split the money eight ways." Shot the Lakota earning a confused look from Mark and Lee.

"That's not how it goes dude, everyone has percentage of the money to take based off experience and skill set." Stated Mark earning an angry look from Adahy.

"Hell no, because we're new at this you're using this as an excuse to short-change us but it's not happening." Stated Adahy as he moved to step to Mark.

"Easy there big warrior no need to go Geronimo." Replied Lee with a slight chuckle.

"He's actually right, because if you two are pissed about getting half the profit I'd see reason to never use you." Stated Ana earning confused looks from the duo.

"This heist came to be from you two therefore you get a bigger cut, twenty five percent for the both of you." she declared earning shocked looks from the duo.

"Well forty-percent we believe in the guys who get the biggest cut paying a contribution fee to their team, to keep everyone quiet." Replied Lee earning confused looks from the duo.

"Forty percent that's..." Task started before trailing off while Mark gave him a confused look.

"One point one twenty million dude." Stated Link while the group continued to look at Task confusingly.

"Don't look at me like that I dropped out of school in the tenth grade to take care of things at home." He stated.

"SO DID WE!" said Mark, Lee, and Link to the group's confusion.

"I didn't!" stated Felix.

"Forget him he and ain't in the club." Said Mark earning a middle finger from Felix. "But me and Lee dropped out in the tenth as well while Link dropped out his senior year." Stated Mark earning confused looks from Task, Adahy, and even Felix.

"Wait if all three of you dropped out how are you in college now?" the Mexican man asked with a raised eyebrow.

"We got GED's in Dockington and took classes at the local community college, together that balances out to a high school diploma." Stated Link.

"Plus it's faster especially for people who have to take care of things at home and don't have the time for school." Added Lee with a half-smile.

"Plus who needs school you learn just as good as you do on the streets and the education system across the country sucks ass seriously." Stated Mark earning a chuckle from Ana.

"What you disagree?" he asked.

"I'll say the education system isn't what it used to be and leave it at that." She replied.

"See the point is brother you don't need a piece of paper to tell you you're smart, other people can do that for you." Stated the youngest Roman earning nods from the group.

"Okay then if we're getting forty percent what does that leave you?" asked Task.

"I got twelve, Lee gets twelve, Ana gets fifteen, Link gets twelve, Felix gets seven, and Buck gets one." Stated Mark.

"We giving the kid a percent, all he did was sleep?" asked Adahy causing Mark to send a look to Ana.

"Yeah but he's still loyal and would have helped if he could." Stated Mark earning a roll of the eyes from the woman.

"If you say so." Replied Task.

"Manfred start dividing up the take, I got somewhere to be." He replied earning a nod from the Irish man.

"Aye we got you brother." He replied before watching as Mark made his way out the front door with Ana following in tow.

"Are you going to see her?" the IAA Agent asked causing Mark to stop in his tracks to turn to her.

"Yeah I am, but I was hoping to see you later tonight." He replied earning a slight smile from the woman.

"We'll see I don't like playing cat and mouse." She replied while Lee and Link made his way out of the house and approached Mark's car.

"Where you going?" the Creole asked with a raised brow.

"With you we got something to take care of so let's go." He replied while sliding in the passenger seat causing Mark to roll his eyes before stepping into the driver seat and then driving away from the clubhouse.

Vice City

The feeling of the van hitting bumps in the road seemed to be the only thing Brian could feel and he was starting to become annoyed by the feeling as he bumped his head on the wall behind him causing him to mentally yell out in anger.

As he went to lower his head in disappointment the sound of squeaking tires followed by the vehicle coming to a hard stop that actually threw him from his seat and caused him to hit his head on the wall in front of him is what broke him out of the rut.

The Haitian Hitmen then felt blood leaking from his head and thought that he was had a concussion but the sound of gunshots is what brought him back to reality followed by a still silence as someone opened the driver's side of the vehicle tossed out the driver before hopping inside and driving away.

New Arcadia Airport

The drive to the airport was somewhat long for Alison, she had to take a taxi to get there, but upon arriving she started to look around the building before making her way inside where she noticed a sea of people moving around the waiting area.

"Looking for some familiar faces." Came a familiar voice that caused Alison to turn her head and notice Link and Lee approaching her with smiles on their faces.

"Thanks for coming to see me off." She said with a smile before turning to Lee.

"Don't worry I don't hate you for leaving, this is what you we wanted to do when you were young stick to it." The Chinese man stated earning a hug from Alison.

"We'll be sure to keep an eye on our brother while you're gone." Replied Link earning a nod from Alison who couldn't help but to give a sniffle.

"Where is he now?" the FIB Agent asked.

"Women's bathroom in the back, they've got some police officers here and he doesn't want to chance it." Link replied earning a nod from the woman.

"Don't keep him waiting." Stated Lee earning a nod from the woman before she walked away from the duo leaving them to talk amongst themselves.

"Huh and here I thought we'd found ourselves a sister." Stated Link earning a chuckle from Lee.

"Haven't you heard brother we got a sister, everyone else is just in the way of her." The Chinese man stated as Alison found herself walking into the women's restroom and looking the door behind her as she watched Mark step out one of the stalls with a half-smile on his face.

"Sorry I couldn't make the arrangements nicer." He stated earning a nod from the woman.

"It's okay, as long as you're here…everything is fine." Alison replied earning a smile from Mark before he looked away from the woman who approached him and wrapped him into his arms.

"I'm gonna miss you." She said earning a chuckle from Mark.

"Please you're gonna forget about me in a few weeks when you meet some skinny white guy with a gym membership and a love for coffee." Stated Mark earning a chuckle from Alison.

"You keep saying I'll forget about you, but I won't and I won't move on so fast maybe not even at all." She replied earning a chuckle from Mark.

"I'm flattered by the sentiment but if there's one thing I've learned is to not dwell on the past, if you come across a guy you like don't hesitate in making a move or have me come to mind. We might be away from each other for a while and I don't want you to just sit around worrying about me all day." He stated earning a slight nod from Alison.

"Speaking of worrying about you." She replied before eyeing his bandaged hands. "You want to tell me what happened there." She declared earning a chuckle from Mark.

"A cooking accident I was hoping I could cook you something before you left but I was careless with the fire." He said with a slight chuckle causing Alison to look to his hand and plant a kiss on the knuckles. She didn't know if he was lying or telling the truth and she didn't really care the sentiment of his statement left her star struck.

"Mark I want you to make me a promise." She said while resting her head on Mark's chest.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I know I can't tell you how to live your life, but can you please just slow down and try to take it easy while I'm away." She replied earning a slight smile from Mark. "I can't promise I'll move on and I can't promise I won't give up on you, but I can promise that I'll check news reports in New Arcadia and I don't want to see your name in the paper…ever." She added earning a slight chuckle from Mark who planted a quick kiss on the woman's forehead before responding.

"I promise." He replied before the duo shared a long kiss that was reminiscent of their first night together.

"Wait!" he said before reaching into his pants pocket and pulling out his cellphone and then holding it up over his head.

"I don't like Selfies but-." He started before moving his head close to Alison's and snapping a picture of the two of them.

"We can still call each other when we're not too busy, but this way you can remember my battered mug." He replied earning a chuckle from Alison.

"You gonna send me the picture?" she asked earning a chuckle from Mark.

"You gonna send me a picture?" he responded earning a slight giggle from Alison before the duo shared another before giving their goodbyes as Mark made his way out of the bathroom while Alison made her way towards her plane, both trying to hide the slight tears forming in their eyes.

"Let's get this over with." Stated Mark in an angry tone as he, Lee, and Link stepped out of the airport while Alison made her way towards her planes boarding area but not without taking a look back at Mark who sent a look back to her.

Vice City

The sound of the van stopping seemed to be jolt Brian back to reality as he listened and heard the driver's side door of the vehicle open before hearing a series of footsteps as someone made their way towards the back of the vehicle.

Brian then felt a feeling of panic wash over him as he heard the unknown assailant start to open the door of the van. The Haitian Hitman was then blinded by the light of the outside as he noticed a masked figure standing outside with a SPAS 12 Combat Shotgun in his hands.

As Brian went to lift his hands in a mock defense the assailant lifted his gun and fired a single shot that hit the Haitian Hitman in the chest and blew his inside on the walls of the van, staining the clean white painted metal with streams of red blood.

The shooter then responded by jumping in the back of the van before firing another shot in the skull of Brian. He then jumped back out of the van and returned to the front where a Jerry Can was located. He then proceeded to douse the vehicle in gasoline before pouring the rest on the corpse of Brian.

"So long!" he said after jumping from the back of the van, then lighting a match, and tossing it into the back of the van where it quickly ignited gasoline and created a fire that started to consume the fire.

As he started to walk away from the van he quickly pulled the black ski mask off his face revealing himself to be a man of Indigenous and African Ancestry with short black hair, dark caramel skin, and dark brown eyes. The man then reached into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone before pressing it to his ear.

"Did you take care of it?" came a familiar voice that caused the man to nod his head as he slid into his vehicle.

"Affirmative Mr. Evans." He replied while starting up his car.

"Good return back to location Perez." He replied while the Dominican Man looked to the burning van before watching as it blew upward in a violent explosion that damn near shook the ground with it.

New Arcadia

The sound of pounding on her front door caused Yolanda to come running out of her bedroom to answer it with an angry look on her face as she grabbed the doorknob and pulled it open.

"Who the-."she started before noticing Mark standing on the otherside of the door with Lee and Link flanking him.

"Marcus." She said before the young Creole stepped past her.

"Maurice or Marrick home?" he asked while Lee and Link followed him into the living room while Yolanda closed the door.

"No they in the third." She replied earning a nod from Mark before he sent a look to Link who quickly sent a text message to the duo as well as Martin and Hakeem.

"They should be here soon." Stated Link earning a nod from Mark.

"So what the fuck you and your…friends doing here?" she asked earning a slight chuckle from Mark.

"Originally I was coming here to kill you, in fact that was the real reason I came here to New Arcadia." Stated Mark in a dark tone that took his mother by shock and surprise. "You see you might not think I remember this, but a week before my grandmother died, your husband's mother, she called him. My father's a lot of things and he and her bumped heads a lot but he took care of her when she needed taking care of." He added with a slight chuckle as Yolanda watched with wide eyes as her youngest son drew a Pistol from the back of his pants and started to load it.

"But he didn't answer the phone…you did and you got into an argument about money and you told her that you were cutting her off." He continued while the woman noticed Lee and Link blocking the exits preventing her from escaping.

"You were cutting her off because you felt she was making him weak and when the Hurricane hit whenever I called his phone you sent me straight to voicemail, without knowing that that woman was already gone, but she could have been saved if you weren't such a stuck-up bitch!" Mark finished before pulling back the slide on his gun causing his mother to jump in terror before a wide smiled crossed her face.

"Come on Mark are you really gonna shoot your mother-." She started before a loud bang went off followed by the sound of a glass breaking. The woman then felt a slight stinging sensation on her right cheek causing her to look down and notice the bullet had whizzed by her cheek and the heat of the bullet had left a slight scratch on her flesh.

"No I'm gonna shoot you, this was just me showing you that I'm not only capable of shooting you but I've good reason to do so." He said while watching as his mother fell to the floor and looked at him with wide scared eyes. "You may not like Link or Lee because they don't look like us but you should be thanking them because they're the only reason you're alive right now." He added causing the woman to look at the duo watching the scene closely.

"You know I feel bad for them every day, they both lost their parents while I still have mine but would rather get rid of them both." The Creole stated with venom in his tone.

"So let's get this straight I'm gonna get into the family business, but you aren't gonna control me like you do Maurice and Marrick, so you your input means shit to me and you're gonna treat my guys like they humans and stop looking at them like they don't belong." Stated Mark earning a slight nod from his mother.

"Another thing you're gonna quit treating Martin like he's the black-sheep of the family. He went to college and married someone he loved and if you can't be happy for him step out the door, because we need him…but we don't need you." He finished with anger in his tone. "Do I make myself clear?" he asked earning a slight nod from the woman.

"Good thank you mother." Mark stated before turning to eye Lee and Link.

"I got things handled here, you guys head back to the clubhouse." He stated earning nods from the duo.

"You did the right thing brother." Stated Link.

"Yeah, I don't care what anybody says I'm an awesome person." Stated Mark as he slapped hands with the duo before watching them walk out of the house.

"You drive brother, I'm tired." Said Lee as he tossed his keys to Link who nodded his head before sliding into the driver's side of the car.

Red Stick

"And here's your cut." Said Manfred as he slid Task and Adahy their percentage of the money from the heist.

"Thanks dude." Said Task before he and Adahy started piling their money into a bag.

"You guys might want to set up a bank account to keep all of that in." stated Felix earning a shake of the head from Adahy.

"I don't trust the banks." The Creek Warrior stated.

"We don't either, but if you want to buy yourself something nice I suggest you have a bank account for it less questions asked then walking up to someone with a bag of cash." The Mexican man stated earning a nod from the duo.

"We'll look into that." Said Task as Manfred continued to count the money. "Besides we're looking into getting into something else to help bring in money for our people." The Lakota added earning a slight nod from Felix.

"Well you have Mark and Lee on speed-dial but if you need an extra hand I'm here." He stated earning a nod from the duo.

"Yeah maybe there is something you could help us with, we got a deal going down in a few hours we may need someone watching our backs for." Stated Task earning a surprised look from Adahy.

"I'm done!" replied Felix earning a nod from Task who sent a look to Adahy and watched as the man rolled his eyes before the group made their way for the door.

"Tell Link I'll be back." Stated Felix as Manfred and Buck watched him grab his Assault Rifle before making his way out of the house.

As the trio hopped into Task's Car Ana couldn't help but to watch them with a smile as she sat in her car reading a news report on her phone just before it started ringing causing her to quickly answer it.

"I see you didn't respect my wishes." She stated earning a chuckle from the man on the otherside of the phone.

"Sorry beautiful but I couldn't take any chances." Evans replied earning a slight chuckle from Ana.

"I guess I'll have to explain to Mark about your actions." Ana replied earning a loud laugh from the man on the otherside.

"Don't worry about Mark I think he's more concerned with something else." The man stated to Ana's confusion and curiosity.

"Really and why is that?" the IAA Agent asked with a smile.

While Ana discussed her situation with her husband Link found himself driving through the streets of New Arcadia taking in the sights around him while Lee sat in the passenger seat beside him seeming to be in a deep sleep.

As the Irish man looked at the scenery around him, he couldn't help but to fumble with the radio until a familiar song came out that brought a smile to his face and made him nod his head because of its relations with the situation of the group.

"There is a house in New Arcadia, they call the Rising Sun." He sang out while trying to match verses with the song."And It's been the ruin of many a poor boy, and God I know we're one." The Irish man sang while sending a look to Lee.

"His mother was a tailor, she sewed his new blue jeans." Link then looked out the window and noticed a few drug dealers on corners and his mind instantly went to Mark as he continued to sing. "His father was a gamblin' man, down in New Arcadia."

As Link thought about Mark the young Creole lifted his head and watched as his father Maurice and brother's Martin, Marrick, and Hakeem stepped through the front door with mixed looks on all of their faces.

"Let's talk business." The Roman said earning confused looks from Martin and Hakeem while Maurice and Marrick couldn't help but to smile at his declaration.

"Now the only thing a gambler needs, is a suitcase and a trunk." Link continued as he found himself driving by the Voodoo Club where Heavy Joe found himself counting large stacks of money. "And the only time he's satisfied, is when he's on a drunk."

"Oh mother tell your children, not to do what I have done." Upon singing those words Link's mind then flashed to Buck as the youngest member of Mark's group watched as Manfred slid him his cut of the heist it was only one percent of the take but it still equaled out to being twenty eight thousand dollars. "He'll spend his life in sin and misery, in the House of the Rising Sun."

"Well, I got one foot on the platform the other foot on the train." After saying those words Link couldn't help but to think of Alison as the FIB Agent found herself sitting with her back to the chair of the plane as it soared over the clouds. "I'm goin' back to New Arcadia, to wear that ball and chain."

Link's mind then instantly went to Task and Adahy as the duo found themselves ushering Felix over to them as he was standing by the car watching the duo talk with five other men.

As the Mexican man approached the duo he quickly noticed that the men they were talking to all looked to be of Mexican or Central American descent and in the middle of them was a heavily tattooed man with the letters MB tattooed on his face.

"WELL, there is a house in New Arcadia, they call the Rising Sun." He continued to sing while Felix shook hands with the man. "And It's been the ruin of many a poor boy, and God I know we're one." He finished as the song started to fade out with a piano solo Link couldn't help but to look at the sign on the road that told him he was now leaving New Arcadia.

While Link was making his way back to the clubhouse Mark found himself entering the hotel room he had shared with Alison the night before and making his way over to the balcony to look out at the bridge and stars as the darkness of the night started to envelope the skies.

As he stood for what felt like hours the Roman was then surprised by two arms wrapping around his torso causing him to look up and notice Ana standing over him with a half-smile. The Roman then responded by planting a quick kiss on the woman's hand before looking back out at the scene painted before him like it would be the last thing he would see.

Authors Note: And boom there you have it people the end of part one of the New Arcadia story. I know a lot went on this chapter that are leaving you asking a lot of questions but I will happily answer them for you but let me go over a few things.

First this is the end of the first part mostly because next chapter will show a major jump in time to an event that will have Alison coming back to New Arcadia to meet Mark and Lee to see just how much they've changed over the time they've been apart. The second part will also mark the start of a new war that will be waged in New Arcadia that will pay some homage to my Roman Empire story but you will see more characters from other stories as well.

You also may have noticed I killed off Brian but all I have to say to that is that you should have seen it coming. I don't believe in letting a major villain go unless it's in a body bag. How I had him killed was actually determinant though based on a choice my readers decided. I had them pick who they would rather see and give stipulations without telling them exactly how it was gonna go down.

The choice that won out was to meet Ana's husband and if you met him you met his lead assassin similar to what Mark is to Ana. And because he won out I decided to have him make the move to kill Brian without Mark or Ana's knowledge.

The other choice was to meet Jimmy, the other foster kid that was with Mark, Lee, and Link in Dockington and if he was going to carry out the hit I was gonna introduce three more members of BSU and it would have been Mark ordering him to kill Brian without Alison knowing.

The last choice was to have Ana use another assassin she works with to kill Brian which would lead to another debate.

Don't worry though all of these characters will be introduced in the next two chapters, though so you aren't gonna miss out on them.

The setup for the heist was based somewhat off the mission in V where Michael and Franklin raid the FIB Building but it was somewhat tweaked to make it more of my design. And Mark saving the firefighter is also a way to show that Mark is indeed going soft, but that's gonna change somewhat over the time skip.

Also that little scene of Mark killing that girl and the BGA member on the order of the gang was originally part of a larger series of flashbacks that showed her and Mark interacting and growing close before leading up to her death. There was also flashbacks of the day Mark found out Ana was married as well as the day walked in on his girlfriend cheating on him, I decided it was best to cut these though because they didn't seem very relevant for the rest of the story.

Task not graduating from high school is somewhat common because he's a Lakota from a reservation that is based on Pine Ridge and the dropout rate on Pine Ridge is over seventy-five percent of the residents. As for Mark, Lee, and Link being dropout that follows the stereotype that most foster kids do drop out of school especially to support themselves.

Also what Mark said about not needing school to be smart is somewhat true to me. All having a high school diploma is to me is saying you can commit something and finish through it without taking the easy way out of things and it is true if you drop out of school you can't get much of a job with a GED but if you get a GED and do two years of community college that balances out to high school diploma and you'd have gotten it in half the time.

I'm not saying don't finish high school but don't think a person with a GED isn't just as smart as you. Plus nowadays to me the education system is becoming a joke, one thing I liked about The Wire was how they showed that in public schools they're dropping the focus of writing and reading and putting more attention on math and that's becoming common across America.

Now if you take an ACT the writing part is optional you don't need to do the writing part to pass. I gotta be honest I scored a twenty-three the first time I took it, but I Imagine I could have gotten a lot higher if I did the writing part because it can still be counted I was just too lazy to do it because they had us taking the test at eight in the morning on a Saturday.

I introduced two new characters in this chapters Ana's husband Devlin Evans and his lead soldier Marco Perez. You'll see more of the both of them next chapter as well as see Marco and Marcus go head to head to show their handlers Ana and Devlin who's better than the other.

Locke telling Alison about how he was almost recruited as a soldier for Devlin and almost being killed by Ana is something that will have Alison looking in on Mark as well as Ana just exactly what they're doing because to her now there's more to them than meets the eyes.

Mark's reason for coming to New Arcadia was also revealed with him being there to kill his mother and if you look at his reason for it, it's kinda expected. His mother was basically the reason for his grandmother's death and him being in the foster system. I know a lot of you are against someone killing their own mother, me included, but if you look at it through his eyes you probably wouldn't see the woman who barely raised you as a mother.

Stick around for next chapter as Mark finds himself in a competition heist between Ana and her husband, Lee and Task do a mock heist, and Alison learns news that will draw her back to New Arcadia.

Also expect a Canon character from the GTA Series to appear next chapter.

Thank you all for reading have a nice day ZIlla Out.

P.S. if you've been watching the news you should know it's been flooding like crazy in Baton Rouge and just to let people know yes my entire front yard flooded and I had water in my house but compared to other people I can't complain. The flood waters swept away my friends car along with his mom and dads and a lot of people in this state apparently don't have flood insurance so things are a bit crazy and things seem to be at a stand-still here.