Chapter 20: Til Kingdom Come Pt. 1
Welcome Back
What you leave behind has a funny way of sneaking back up on you.
New Arcadia (One Week Later)
The sun had barely started to rise on this morning in New Arcadia as Alison found herself waking up to the feeling of her plane hitting some wind turbulence that caused her earphones to fall from her ears as she bounced in her seat. The female FIB Agent then rubbed her eyes before sticking the device back in her ears just as the song Til Kingdom Come by Coldplay started to play causing her to give a smile before beginning to hum to the melody.
The song was just one of the many things she had to remember about the youngest Roman. She wasn't big into music when she arrived in New Arcadia but she was when leaving and she thanked him for that.
As she hummed to the tune, Mark found himself stepping out of his home with Link, Lee, Felix, Buck, and Manfred following behind him. The group were each wearing black denim jackets over, white t-shirts, and black jeans with Mark and Lee being the only two having white towels hanging out their back pockets, and black and white shoes with black sunglasses in preparation for the funeral that was a few hours away.
There was also a bag in the hands of Felix that was filled with the groups Body Armor. Today they would be doing a drug heist that the group had preparing for a while. With drug heist it can range from ripping off dealers to major crime groups and that's what the Multi-Ethic Brotherhood of Thieves was doing today. Interrupting a major drug deal between the New Austin based Condados Gang and the Arturo-Calderon Cartel.
"We set?" Mark asked while Davey nodded his head before pushed a few buttons on the console of the truck and watching as a secret compartment opened up on the back allowing them to throw the bag inside.
It wasn't safe for the BSU members to transport weapons across state lines so they had to be extra careful and decided it was best to leave their heavier weapons back in New Arcadia so if they are pulled over they'll be somewhat safer with the hidden pistols instead of a high caliber Assault Rifle with illegal modifications.
Marcus had also decided to bring his new MP7 Submachine Gun and Standalone M203 Grenade Launcher while Lee had his Sawn-Off Shotgun ready just in case, but the duo kept them tucked under their jacket and away from prying eyes.
"Now we are." Replied Eddy just as Link turned to face Mark.
"You mind explaining to me why we're hitting the Condados when we are somewhat alright with them?" the Irish man asked.
Mark didn't respond at first only reaching into his pocket to pull out a gun magazine to blow the dust off it before stating. "We have business with a few Condados in Sunbelt and the next cities over but West and South Austin we don't fuck with them just Central and that's who's doing the deal."
"I understand that but is it smart to go starting shit with a cartel?" asked Manfred as he putting a toy race-car and a quadcopter into the trunk of the car.
"The Arturo's haven't been shit since they broke away from Madrazo and all of their leaders are either dead or in jail. They have nothing, I see this drug deal with the Condados is just their way of making an alliance with the largest gang in New Austin so they could recruit them as soldiers down south." Stated Mark.
This earned a chuckle from Lee who finished loading a few shells for his gun into the car before speaking. "No matter how you slice it, a drug cartel will never have the number of soldiers that a street gang can have so they have to use them for a recruitment pool." Stated Lee before he added. "The largest gang in the next state over combined with the weakest Cartel south of the border can bring them up a few notches especially since they've allied with the Zeros Cartel."
"And the Zeros are an enemy we don't need to be fighting, so I don't think ripping off their allies would be good." Protested Link.
"You worry too much brother, besides we got a schedule to keep." Lee replied just as Mark's cellphone started to go off.
"Speak of the devil himself and he shall ring before appearing." Stated the Roman as he moved to answer the cellar device. "You've reached the inbox of Marcus Kanan Roman please leave a message after the beep." He greeted with a chuckle.
"Cut the crap Marcus, we're running low." Came the familiar voice of Maurice Roman causing Mark to nod his head.
"And you'll get it at the end of the day, don't get your panties in a bunch." Mark shot back before hanging up the phone without allowing his father to get another word.
"Let's go!" Mark replied before making his way towards Lee's Dominator with Link following behind them.
"Mark even if we get more weapons we're still gonna need more hands on getting those drugs." Stated Link earning a chuckle from Lee.
"Don't worry about that princess we got it covered." Said Mark as he sent a look to Lee who gave an evil smile before drawing his cellphone from out of his pocket and putting it to his ear.
Red Stick
The sound of his bedroom door being opened caused Task to quickly open his eyes and notice Adahy standing before him with a serious look on his face.
"What's this about?" the Lakota asked while rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"We gotta a call from a buyer. They're new, but they're creditable and want us to meet us for a buy in a few hours." The Creek replied earning a nod from Task.
"Alright any request as to what they are buying?" he asked earning a shake of the head from the Creek.
"They didn't say much just bring everything." Adahy replied.
"That means go strapped just in case they try something." Said Task as he reached under his bed and pulled out his Revolver and started loading it.
"If it does come down to that I suggest you bring a bigger gun." Stated Adahy before he walked out of the room while Task looked under his bed and pulled out an EBR Rifle.
Outside New Arcadia
The scene on the freeway was somewhat calm for Alison as she watched the cars go by with a mixed look on her face. She was on her way to the New Arcadia Police Station to pick-up information they've gathered on the vacant murders and she was hoping to see Locke and Regina while she was there. The duo had provided her with a lot of help on her last assignment in the city and to have them as assets on her side should things go crazy.
It would be another week before Steve and Jenna arrived with her other teammates, but in the meantime she would do recon work and start looking into the case before they arrived.
As she pulled off the freeway and stopped at a red-light her mind then returned to a familiar man in the city. Since she found out she was going back to New Arcadia Marcus has been the number one thing on her mind. She didn't know exactly what to say to him or know if he had changed a lot in their time apart. He had promised her to slow his life down when she was away but she didn't know if he would keep that promise, especially in a city like New Arcadia.
The woman then watched as a light blue and white Dominator pulled up at the red-light on the otherside of the road and with it came a black Moonbeam and Black Sadler. The sight of the vehicles caused her heart to skip somewhat of a beat as she remembered that the group of hitman drove them. She then washed those thought away New Arcadia was a city with over three hundred thousand people and there was no way that she would just instantly run into the group.
As the light turned green she watched as the vehicles speeded out of their lanes and drove past her and as they went by she heard the faint sound of loud punk rock music blaring from each vehicle causing her to shake her head again before she finally made it into the city and made her way towards the police station.
"Weird!" she said while remembering the cars before walking inside and being greeted by the familiar sight of an African American woman sitting behind the desk.
"I didn't know super feds had to wait in line." Came a somewhat familiar voice that caused Alison to turn her head backwards and notice a familiar African American woman standing behind her.
"Regina." She said before the duo shared a quick hug with one another.
"It's so good to see you girl." The woman replied before breaking the hug.
"I heard about your promotion to homicide." Alison said earning a smile from the woman.
"Yeah and I heard about you cracking Mobsters over the head in Liberty." Regina replied earning a smile from Alison. "I heard the FIB was taking over the vacant murder cases, but I didn't think they'd send you back here." The woman added.
"I didn't either." The FIB Agent replied with a chuckle.
"Come on I'll show you what we've got so far on the case." The woman declared before leading Alison away from the main desk and towards the back office for the homicide division.
"Lucky for you they stuck the case on me, lucky for me you're taking it from me." Regina replied before taking a seat at her desk before handing Alison an envelope.
"Were these people all killed by the same person?" she asked.
"Or persons, they were all killed in the same fashion, shot in the back of the head while they were on their knees." Regina replied earning a nod from Alison.
"Execution style." The redhead replied earning a nod from Regina.
"There were over thirty bodies but ballistics came back showing all these men were killed by three different handguns so it could be one person or a group of people." The Homicide Detective stated while Regina looked over the notes.
"Any ideas as to who might be involved?" the FIB Agent asked earning a nod from Regina.
"I still have my sources on the street and they can't give me an exact answer but many of them think this the work of Maurice Roman and I believe them." She stated to Alison's shock and surprise.
"Are you serious?" Ali asked earning a nod from Regina.
"The Roman Boyz have control of the 3rd Ward and parts of the second ward, but after that war with the Ballas they took control of the northern half of the 17th Ward. A few months ago they made a play and took control of the entire 17th Ward." She stated to Alison's surprise as she watched the woman set a piece of paper down on her desk along with a picture of a man whose seated body was riddled with bullets.
"This man used to be in control of the lower 17th Ward and had a problems with the Roman's taking over. There were a few fist fights and several bodies dropped between the two sides, but it ended when four gunmen ran up on him when he was at restaurant eating dinner with his mom. His mother went to the bathroom and gunmen stormed in and showed no mercy. They shot him eighteen times and when she came out of the bathroom all she was his head in a bowl of soup." She declared earning a shocked and surprised look from Alison who couldn't help but think of Mark. "Since then the Roman have been in control of all of the 17th and guys are worrying about them." She finished causing Alison to shake her head at the statement.
"What about Joe I thought he was running the show in New Arcadia and kept the gangs from fighting each other?" Alison asked earning a nod from Regina.
"He does but word on the street is he's been having problems from higher powers." Regina replied earning a nod from Alison.
"The BGA?" Alison asked earning a shake of the head from the woman.
"I can't tell you girl it could be the BGA, it could be his drug suppliers, or anyone. All I know is this cities on the verge of another war between itself." Regina replied earning a nod from Alison.
"If you need to know some more information on this you can ask Locke. He's running things in East New Arcadia now in case you want to find him, but I don't recommend going to him now he's always all over the place." The woman added earning a nod from Alison.
"Thanks Regina this is really helpful." Alison stated earning a nod from the woman.
"No problem let me know if you need some help I still got guys on the streets." She replied earning a nod from Alison before she walked out of the room and looked down at the file.
"Marcus what have you gotten into?" she asked with a hint of worry in her voice.
Central Louisiana
Just a short drive from New Arcadia there was a place many people didn't want to go but many found themselves there. The area was mostly farms but in this area it was nothing but farms and one farm that was larger than any other to match the barbed-wired fences, Sniper Towers, and attack dogs. This place was the Louisiana Corrections Department and Penitentiary or as many people call it Sudan or the Barn.
It is the largest maximum security prison and one of the oldest in the country. The name Sudan was given to it because it was once a plantation and many of the slaves who worked there hailed from the African Nation of Sudan. The place was made from a plantation but it would remind people of a plantation when they drove by it and noticed orange clad men working in the fields.
The prison was also full of history in 1935 the remains of a Native American were uncovered under the prison and in 1952 thirty-one inmates cut their Achilles tendon to protest living conditions in the prison.
Despite its long history the number one thing about Sudan is it's history of sexual slavery. Inmates would tell stories of how sex slavery in prison was the norm and how over a fourth of the population were in bondage. Some would say these tales are farfetched but when an ex-warden goes on live television and admits that systematic sexual slavery was facilitated and controlled by the officers things had to be true.
Sudan was a dangerous place but what made it dangerous was the fact that it would accept dangerous criminals from other states and bring them inside its walls. With this practice came the intake of prisoners with gang ties.
There aren't that many prison gangs or gang affiliates in Louisiana but the AV does have a few members on the yards including at Sudan, along with members of their New Austin Faction the AVA. There were also members of the state's Black Cougar Party across the states prisons, Dockington Cities a few members of Dockington's Undertaker Inc was also representing on one prison yard, New Austin's Tejano Syndicate was also on a yard, and even a few members of the Black Guerrilla Army from across the country were scattered around.
And that was the reason Joe found himself sitting in the belly of the beast today with a worried but firm look on his face that he kept to hide his fear. That fear soon rose though as he heard the door to the visitors room open and he watched as a dark skinned bald heavily muscled African American man standing six foot three wearing an orange jumpsuit, and black do-rag walked into the room.
Joe then watched as the man took a seat across from him before his eyes quickly fell on the tattoo on the side of his neck that depicted a dragon eating a prison guard over a tower. Joe didn't know this man's government name but on the streets he's referred to as Omar. He didn't know much about his story either other than the fact that this man earned his bones in Eastland and joined the BGA when he was young, he then moved to New Austin before being arrested on drug charges in New Arcadia and sentenced to thirty years in the Barn.
("Habari Rafiki Yangu!")
"Hello my friend." The BGA Captain greeted in Swahili earning a nod from Joe who quickly gave a response.
"What brings you here to see me Brother Joseph?" asked Omar as Joe nodded his head.
"I need to talk with you about my problems with the Army. We all gotta kick money up the ladder but why am I kicking up damn near triple what I been owing and I don't want to hear any more stories about life, god, country, and Africa be straight with me." Joe replied earning a chuckle from Omar.
"Fine, they're doubling your kick-up because you're disobeying a direct order Joe and you know what I mean by that." he replied.
"Look I can't just kill Mark he's a good earner and loyal soldier." Joe replied.
"Loyal!" Omar yelled before grabbing Joe by the arm. "Joe Mark got greenlit by the Army in Dockington. They took him out to the forest, shot at him, stabbed him, left him for dead, and left the body of one of those foster boys he ran with chopped up and frozen stiff in the trunk of a car. Guys like that aren't loyal, they get close to you and kill you when you least expect it." He finished earning silence from Joe.
"Mark is essential for me in New Arcadia." He shot back with anger in his tone. "Mark is a pup who's well aware he's got claws and influence within New Arcadia so it won't be long before he takes you out. When he was running things in Dockington he began to take a lot of control and I bet he's doing the same thing in New Arcadia. "Omar shot back with a smile while Joe remained silent.
"This is how it is Joe, until you kill Mark and his crew the Army is gonna keep taxing you for every second he breaths and if I were you I'd make the right call because it's only a matter of time they decide that they don't want your money or you're around anymore Joe." Omar yelled earning silence from Joe.
Sunbelt City, New Austin
This warm day could be described as somewhat sad for Tasha Jackson as she found herself standing before her bathroom mirror running her hands through her hair. She was a rather attractive African American woman who stood about five foot one with light brown skin, long black hair that was done into curls, dark black eyes, and on her back there was a butterfly tattooed on her right shoulder blade while a heart was tattooed on her right thigh.
The woman then looked to her side where she noticed a black dress hanging off her shower rack. She then quickly went to put on the dress in preparation for the funeral. In a few hours. After pulling the article of clothing on she then started to put on her eyeliner and lip-gloss when she was startled by a knock at the door.
"Tasha, you okay." Came a familiar voice as she watched the door swing open and noticed a Caucasian man of Irish and Middle Eastern descent with short curly black hair, beady black eyes, and wearing a black sweater vest over a long-sleeved white dress shirt, black dress pants, and a black hat with the letters BSU in white written across the front.
"Yeah I'm just…worried is all Ryan." She replied in a thick Creole accent that showed off her New Arcadia roots.
"That something might happen at the funeral?" he asked with a raised brow. "You got nothing to worry about. If something does happen we won't be alone we've got almost all the other chapters with us in case those skinheads try something." He said earning a slight nod from the woman.
"The skinheads aren't who I'm worried about seeing." She replied earning a slight nod from Ryan.
Meanwhile
The drive to the next state over wasn't long for Mark and the others as they took in the sights of the streets they once roamed almost four years ago. The city of Sunbelt was a lot different from New Arcadia and Red Stick with higher buildings, more stores, and a lot more white faces then the group had become accustomed to seeing.
The group each had mixed looks on their faces with each thinking of things to do while they were in the city. Felix wanted to see his family while Davey and Eddy wanted to see theirs. Because of this the group had decided to split up from each other for now and meet back up at the funeral.
As the group passed a sign Mark signaled for those that wanted to break off to do so and watched as Felix, Davey, and Manfred pulled their vehicles away from Lee's Dominator as he, the Chinese man, Link, Manfred, and Buck found themselves speeding past a sign that told them they were on the campus of the University of Sunbelt.
"Where are the dorms?" asked Lee as Mark pointed to the back of campus where the group noticed a small dormitory lined up with the others. Lee then pulled his Dominator into a parking spot of a dorm that was used by the military cadets before stepping out of the vehicle with Mark, Link, Manfred, and Buck.
"You think we need visitor's passes?" asked Link.
"Fuck that shit." Mark replied before he led the group into the dormitory where they noticed the place was clean and clear like it had just been cleaned out. "Let's go!" Mark added before leading the group down a hallway.
"Hey Lee maybe we should sit through this." Said Manfred directing Lee's attention to a poster that read Asian Pride Festival and showed a picture of an East Asian woman of Chinese Descent and South Asian male that appeared to be Indian.
"Goddamn white washed media where's the Chinese dude in this picture." Lee replied with anger in his voice.
"I keep telling you, Indians are Asians, South Asians. You guys can't take up the entire continent." Manfred shot back earning a series look from Lee before he reached in his back pocket and pulled out a marker and started writing on the poster.
"Now you're out!" the Chinese man replied while Manfred noticed he scribbled East on the Poster so now it read East Asian Pride Festival and he drew slants on the eyes of the Indian male to represent and East Asian man.
This childish act seemed to earn fits of laughter from the group that didn't go unnoticed as Lee turned his head and noticed a skinny Caucasian male with baggy shorts, glasses, short blonde hair that was tied into a man-bun, sandals, and a blue and white sleeveless T-Shirt approach him. This made the group raise their eyebrows they knew this was a military dorm but the man before them gave off the vibe of a Metrosexual hipster from the West Coast.
"The military must really be taking all applicants." Stated Mark.
"You're gonna be running laps for a week and scrubbing the toilet with a toothbrush for a month because of that Private." He stated earning a chuckle from Lee who watched him start to write something on a notepad.
"It's alright we aren't students here or soldiers." Lee replied earning a low chuckle from Mark who whispered "Here we go" under his breath while Link shook his head in disappointment.
"Sir this building is not open to the public so I have to ask all of you to leave." He shot back earning a chuckle from Mark.
"We'll leave after we find our brother." Mark replied stepping in front of Lee and almost towering over the smaller man. The Roman then watched as the man started to cower at the sight of him.
"White boys makes it too easy." Said Lee with a low chuckle.
"Sir you can't come in here and get students, or I will have to call campus security." He shot back earning a chuckle from Lee.
"That a threat?" the Chinese man asked getting in the face of the man who took several steps back.
"Sir I have to ask you to leave." The man replied earning a chuckle from Lee.
"Make me!" the Chinese man shot back before pushing the man back causing him to scurry to a room where he started to go for his phone in order to call security. His actions were quickly adverted though by Mark and Lee as the duo knocked him to the floor before getting on the intercom.
"Will James Thompson please report to the front desk, I repeat James Thompson to the front desk." Said Link as he and Buck watched Lee and Mark hold down the man while Manfred stood by shaking their heads. "Jimmy if you don't get down to the front desk now, Mark and Lee are gonna rip your RA a new asshole." Link added before getting off the intercom.
"Wouldn't rip him a new asshole but we'd have some fun with him. I like a man with a man bun." Said Lee with a chuckle earning a scared whimper from the man.
"Put him down now." Came a somewhat familiar voice that brought a smile to the faces of Mark, Lee, and Link before they turned their heads around and noticed a muscular Caucasian man that stood about six foot one with short blonde hair that was styled into a slicked back undercut, bright blue eyes, and wearing an ROTC uniform that consisted of a green t-shirt, green camouflage pants, and brown boots.
"There's our brother." Said Lee with an evil smirk as he approached Jimmy who responded by throwing a punch that the Chinese man easily avoided before tackling the man to the ground with Mark hopping on top of him.
"Woah those drill sergeant made you faster, but not faster than us brother." Said Mark as he Jimmy tried to fight out of his grasp.
"Get off me." Jimmy yelled out earning chuckles from the duo before they stepped off him and allowed him to rise to his feet.
"You've got some skill now, but you got a long way to go before you're on our level." Said Lee as he extended his hand to help Jimmy who took it but quickly pulled the Chinese man down and put him in a headlock that Lee struggled to escape from.
"I may have a hard time fighting Mark, but I'm pretty sure I can take you now." Jimmy replied while Mark chuckled before moving to intervene.
"Is this how they normally act?" asked Manfred as he whispered to Link who nodded his head.
The Irish man then chuckled before responding. "Yeah this is as normal as it gets." he then looked to the Residential Assistant who still seemed to be in a state of shock. "Alright break it up you three we're on a schedule." He added earning the group's attention.
"He's still the party fouler." Said Jimmy with a chuckle before looking to his RA. "I'm getting written up for this aren't I?" he asked.
"You better not be, less someone might be losing his man-bun." Mark replied with a chuckle.
"NO, you're fine just…leave for a few hours before I have panic attack." He replied earning a chuckle from Jimmy.
"Alright we'll have him back in a few hours." Mark replied before pulling Jimmy out of the room to the group's surprise.
"What exactly are we doing?" the foster child asked as he stepped out of the dorm with Mark, Lee, Link, Manfred, and Buck.
"You heard about what happened to Kozik?" Mark asked.
Jimmy then responded by nodding his head already knowing full well where this was going. "We're going to his funeral, then we have a job we may need you. You may be able to test these new Army skills of yours out, and then…we're gonna hunt down the pricks who did it." Mark replied earning a nod from Jimmy.
"We won't have to do much hunting." Jimmy replied to the group's confusion. "Kozik was stabbed at The Blitz Club, where they do hardcore shows, he was attacked by some Skinheads. You remember the dude they called Spider, he did it?" he asked earning a nod from Mark.
"Yeah I remember Spider." Said Lee with anger in his tone as the group watched Jimmy pull out a Cigarette from his back pocket, light it, and begin to smoke.
"That's a nasty habit." Mark replied earning a chuckle from Jimmy.
"You're one to talk, sure smoking may kill me but that's what twenty thirty years from now but your entire life is a hazard." The Soldier shot back earning a roll of the eyes from Mark who had to agree with his statement.
"Skinheads started showing up about a month ago. At first there was a few scuffles with them and BSU. I was there at the last show, Heather wanted me to go since some of you aren't answering your phones." He added before sending a look to Lee who folded his arms over his chest.
"I got nothing to say to that girl and she knows it." The Chinese man shot back with venom in his tone.
The remark seemed harsh but in truth the Chinese man did sometimes think about the girl he referred to as "The Stuck Up White Washed Bitch."
"Still I was there and provided some extra help, but the group has changed since you've been gone. They weren't really fighters when we first met them, and all those years of us doing their dirty work for them have made many of them weaker, lazier, to sum it up they were fighting a losing war." The man stated before taking another drag from his Redwood. "On top of that a lot of people walked away after we left and a lot of people didn't like the news of Ryan and Tasha being together either. They put two and two together when they came out as a couple just a week after you left Mark." He added earning a slight nod from Roman.
"And here we are again about to solve their problems for them." Shot Lee while looking to Mark.
"Don't see it as helping them, see it as…getting revenge for the death of good friend." The Creole declared before looking to Jimmy.
"Are you in brother?" Mark asked.
The group then watched as a slight smile spread across the face of the man of Irish-German descent. "Fuck yeah just like Dockington." He replied before slapping hands with Mark, Lee, and Link before his eyes fell on Buck and Manfred.
"The kid pop his cherry yet?" he asked earning a chuckle from Mark.
"More then I wanted him to." The Creole replied before leading the group towards his vehicle.
"Fill me in on this other job you have planned for me." Stated Jimmy as he slid into the vehicle.
"We will but first we gotta pick up some more muscle." Added Mark to before Link drove away off campus.
Meanwhile
The drive to Southwest Sunbelt wasn't long for Felix as he parked his Moonbeam across the street of his childhood home and took in the sight of the small one-story home as a smile spread across his face while the song Lights Out by P.O.D. played on the radio. His gaze then shifted as he noticed a few black wearing Chicano's standing a few houses away from his own. Felix quickly recognized the group as members of the South West Vagos, one of the many brown gangs that called Southwest Sunbelt as their own.
Felix then sent a look back at the house where he noticed a heavy set Mexican woman step out the front door and make her way to her car. The sight of his mother brought a wide smile to the face of Felix, but before he could step out of the car to greet his mother he was interrupted causing him to whip his head around and notice one of the younger gang members standing by the side of his car.
Felix then cursed his luck he knew that when it came to gang members of any color the younger ones were the most troublesome and trigger-happy. To make it worse he's never seen this kid before, he could probably be recognized by a Veterano but definitely not a Pee-Wee.
"Que Pasa Amigo, what you doing in here and where you from?" he asked with a thick accent as Felix noticed a gun holstered underneath the teens shirt. He knew how this went they were G-Checking him to see if he was a rival but at the same-time he knew he could be shot for just saying the wrong thing.
"I'm from here." He said earning a chuckle from the man.
"I ain't see you here before ese, so if you want to be here you gotta have a reason." The man replied to Felix's anger.
"I'm here to see somebody." Felix shot back before turning to see his mother moving to climb into the driver's seat of her car.
"Well now you're seeing me puto, step out of the car." He replied to Felix's anger as he turned to the man and noticed he was moving to draw his gun.
"SHIT!" Felix yelled with anger in his voice before he drew his own pistol from the otherside of the car and fired four shots striking the Vago in the chest and alerting all the others.
"Damn!" he yelled then took one last look at his mother who was lying on the ground before slamming on the gas pedal and speeding away from the area while the other Vagos started to shoot at his fleeing vehicle.
Later On
"The funeral would be starting in a few minutes so the sound of church bells tolling wasn't unusual for Ryan as he prepared to walk through the front doors of the church with Tasha and a few other members of BSU.
As he made it through the interior doors his eyes almost instantly fell on his personal bodyguard and main enforcer for the Sunbelt Chapter Nathan Doyle. Nathan was a rather muscular Caucasian man that stood beside six foot three with short black hair, beady black eyes, and wearing a black funeral suit. He along with Ryan were some of the original founders of BSU's Sunbelt Chapter after getting permission from the guys on the East Coast.
Ryan then flagged Nathan down and as the man approached him the Sunbelt Chapter President quickly whispered in his ear. "Make sure nobody get through these doors." Nathan quickly nodded his head before sending a look to four young men who looked to be in their mid to late teens.
"We got it handled." he replied earning a nod from Ryan as the group noticed the all black Hearse back-up into the front of the church.
"Alright be sure to keep your eyes open for anyone suspicious." Ryan replied before leading Tasha and the few other BSU members into the church before moving to take a seat at the front of the room. As they went to take a seat in the first pew their eyes quickly fell on a Caucasian girl who stood about five feet exactly with short black hair, black eyes and wearing a black jacket over her black dress and beside her was a Chinese American girl who stood about five foot one with long black hair, black eyes, and wearing a black dress and beside her was another Caucasian girl with short blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and probably stood five foot three wearing a black dress who immediately lowered her head upon seeing Ryan.
Upon seeing the trio Ryan felt his heart sink a little in anger and surprise before speaking. "Myra Heather it's good to see you two." Said Ryan earning fake smiles from the duo and utterly ignoring the third girl.
"Good to see you to Ryan." Myra said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. The brunette then watched in anger as the man took a seat besides her being extra careful as to keep Tasha away from the two hostile women.
The woman was then taken by surprise as the church organ started to play causing everyone to look to the front of the church just as a young Caucasian teenager with short blonde hair, black eyes, and wearing a suit tried to rush his way to the front of the church without making a scene.
"Tucker what are you doing you're supposed to be guarding the front." Ryan silently yelled.
"Yeah we have a problem." He replied before the group heard the back doors of the church open causing them to lift their heads before going wide eyed at the sight before them.
"Holy shit!" said Myra as she and Heather looked on with eyes full of surprise while Tasha and Ryan looked on with a hint of shock but mostly fear as they noticed a group of familiar faces standing in the doorway.
"Let's go!" said Mark as he held the casket over his shoulder while Lee stood behind him, Link stood to his right, and Jimmy standing behind Link as the group started to make their way into the church acting as the Paul-Bearers while Felix, Manfred, Buck, Davey, Eddy, Miller, and Viktor followed the group from behind as they made their way to the front of the church earning shocked, surprised, and stunned looks from the BSU members as they watched them set the casket down on the table in the front of the room before taking a look back at the group.
Outside of New Arcadia
The drive to New Arcadia Parish wasn't long for Task and Adahy as they parked their car in their usual location before stepping out with their guns hidden under their clothing as they scanned their area in hopes of spotting any signs of an ambush from these new buyers.
"We're clear." Said Task as he sent a look to Adahy who nodded his head before turning his head to the side of the road.
"Well then, we got company." Said Adahy.
The duo then looked to the road where they noticed two cars coming down the pavement and moving to drive into the forest. "We can feel safe about this buyer they checked out with a previous buyer." Adahy stated while Task gave a slow nod.
As the two vehicles pulled up the duo quickly noticed that they were both were Tornados except one was painted light blue while the other was lightish brown. They then watched as a bald Mexican-American man who looked to be in his early thirties and stood about five foot nine with a black mustache, black sun shades, with the number 18 tattooed on the side of his neck to match the Azteca tattoo on his arm stepped out of the blue car wearing a light blue button-up shirt that was open in the front to reveal a black wife beater underneath and the letters VLA tattooed on his chest, khaki pants, and black shoes.
The man was then followed by a Chicana who looked to be in her early twenties and stood about five foot two with long curly black hair that flowed past her back, bright brown eyes, light brownish skin, and wearing black shoes, khaki shorts, a blue bandanna tied over her forehead, and a black muscle shirt that showed off the cross tattoo on her right sleeve.
The duo then watched as three people stepped out of the brown car the first being a Honduran-American man with dark brown skin, long black hair, beady black eyes, and wearing a white t-shirt, khaki pants with a brown bandanna hanging out the back, and white shoes. The man also had the letters SBPV tattooed on his right forearm.
The next was a woman of Mexican and Honduran descent with long brown hair, bright brown eyes and a darker brown skin tone that stood about five foot one wearing a black t-shirt that hugged her chest rather firmly, khaki pants, and black shoes with a brown bandanna hanging from the back of her pants.
The last was a Honduran man who looked to be in his early twenties that stood about five foot seven with short black hair, black eyes hidden behind a pair of sunshades, and wearing a white wife beater, khaki pants, and a brown bandanna over his forehead.
The sight of the group left Task and Adahy somewhat perplexed. The duo knew that the brown population had risen in the state especially after the Hurricane brought in a wave of fresh immigrants and even families from across the South. They both also knew that there was a significant Honduran population across New Arcadia in the next parish over but they didn't expect to see the Azteca's but it made sense the Azteca's were one of the largest gangs in the next state over.
"You the guys?" asked the lead Azteca member as Task and Adahy nodded their heads.
"I'm Chayton you can call me Task and that's Adahy." The Lakota stated.
The Azteca leader then nodded his head before speaking. "Guardo Leyva and this is my sister Loka, we're Azteca's South Side Diablo Loko's." He replied before shaking hands with the duo.
"And you?" asked Adahy as he directed his attention to the other three.
"I'm Travieso, this is Rascal and La Quica East Side Brown Pride Vagos." He stated earning a nod Task and Adahy.
"So what are you trying to buy?" asked Adahy.
"What you got ese?" asked Guardo as he watched Task and Adahy make their way over to the back of their car before opening it up and revealing an assortment of MP5 Submachine Guns and M-16 Assault Rifles.
"This the heavy shit we have in stock at the moment but we do have a few Pistols on deck as well." Said Task earning a nod from the duo.
"We got enough pistols between all of us we need heavy artillery amigo." Replied Travieso earning a confused look from Task.
"Heavy Artillery for what exactly?" the Lakota asked earning a look from Adahy.
"Wouldn't you like to know ese." Replied Rascal.
"Let's just say I don't like the idea of selling guns to people who may do a mass shooting." He shot back.
"We look white to you boboso?" yelled Loka but just as Task went to respond the sound of gunshots in the distance broke him from his remark and caused him and Adahy to jump behind the car while the otherside did the same.
"They jacking us." Yelled Task as he drew his Revolver before Adahy stopped him. "Look!" the Creek said before watching as the Azteca's and Vagos dove behind the cars and retuned fire. "They're not after us they're here for them." He shot back before drawing an AK from the trunk of his car.
"LOOK OUT!" yelled Task as he noticed a hooded man wearing a yellow and black jacket with a yellow bandanna over his face rush out of the brush firing a Mac-11. As he pulled the trigger on his weapon Task responded by lifting hi revolver and firing a single shot that hit the man in the center of his face instantly killing him and causing him to fall face first on the ground.
"Who are these guys?" asked Task as he watched Adahy grab the fallen man before pulling him towards the duo. The Creek Warrior then removed the mask from the man's face to reveal that he was of Mexican descent with a tattoo of a five pointed crown with the letters S and L underneath.
"Spanish Lords!" said Adahy as he and Task took cover from a barrage of rounds.
Sunbelt City
Things were quiet and the cemetery in Sunbelt but it wasn't because of the casket being lowered in the ground it was because of the tension that seemed so thick it would take a machete to cut through it. The tension was so thick the preacher could sense it as he looked to one side of the casket and noticed Mark, Lee, and his crew of BSU dropouts while Ryan and Tasha stood on the otherside with the current members.
As he gave a few words on the event Tasha sent a look over to the youngest Roman who stood still and silent with his eyes hidden behind his black sunglasses like Link and the others.
"They got some nerve." Said a BSU member before he was silenced by another as the group noticed Lee and Jimmy lift their heads before sending sadistic smiles at the group.
"From ashes to ashes and dust to dust, we return you Jason Kozik back to the Earth." Said the Preacher as he rushed through his speech hoping to end this tense scene before him without it coming to blows.
As the two sides watched three men bury the casket in dirt Mark patted Lee on the chest and motioned with his head to leave earning a nod from the Chinese man who flashed the peace sign to the BSU members before walking away with Mark and the others.
"Talk about an awkward moment." Said Link earning a chuckle from Buck before his eyes fell on the silent Felix.
"What's up brother?" the Irish man asked causing all eyes to fall on Felix.
"I shot a Vago when I went to go see my mom." He replied causing Mark and the others to stop in their tracks before looking to him. "The kid couldn't have been no older then eighteen and I shot him four times in the chest."
Mark then turned to the Mexican man already knowing full well where this conversation was going. "Why did you shoot him?" he asked. "Because he was going to draw on me." Felix shot back.
"There you go brother, you may have a problem with killing your own but if they draw on you…you put them down." Mark replied with a hint of venom in his voice.
"You better throw that shit aside today to brother, we're dropping a lot of brown people today and we need your head in the game." Stated Lee.
"Aye now let's-." started Mark as he went to turn around before being caught off-guard by a familiar short black haired female standing before her.
"Hello shit for brains." Said Myra as she greeted Mark with a smile.
"Well if it ain't everyone's favorite potty-mouth." Mark replied with a half-smile while Lee turned to Link. "Our brother is behind me." Mark added before stepping aside allowing Myra to get a look at Link before approaching him with a smile.
"Hey-!" Link started before being slapped across the face by the woman that made the group recoil with a wincing sound.
"That's gotta hurt." Said Lee with a chuckle before he was grabbed by the right arm, spun around, and hit with a slap of his own courtesy of Heather.
"Asshole!" She yelled while Lee turned back to her angrily.
"Alright two for one." Said Jimmy with a chuckle. "Can it shit-stain." Yelled Myra earning a low chuckle from Felix and Manfred while Lee turned back to Heather.
"The fuck was that for?" he yelled with anger in his voice.
"Not calling, texting, or even writing me in damn near three years you fucking asshole." She yelled with anger in her voice.
"Well I'm sorry I was busy." Lee yelled back with anger of his own while Mark and Jimmy chuckled at each other before turning their heads and noticing Tasha leaving with Ryan while a few other BSU members approached the group with mixed looks.
"Bitters, Johnson, Patrick, Ethan, Sheldon-." Said Mark as he slapped hands with a few BSU members with Felix, Manfred, Davey, Eddy, Viktor, and Miller.
"You owe me for leaving asshole." Said Myra as she stepped to Link who seemed to be cowering in fear while Lee held a shouting contest with Heather.
"Hey guys we gotta a job to do." Yelled Mark earning the attention of the duo.
"Duty calls." Said Link as he walked past the angry Myra while Lee sent a look to Heather before walking away.
"We'll see all of you a little later, but we have things to do." Said Mark with a hint of emotionlessness in his tone as he turned around and was greeted by the sight of the Caucasian woman from earlier.
"Brooke!" the Creole said before noticing the tears welled up in the woman's eyes before she slapped him across the face with enough force to cause the Roman to take a few steps back before realizing he had a few droplets of blood on his lower lip. The action was shocking to everyone and brought confused looks to their faces before they noticed a smile spread across Mark's face as he stood chuckling.
"Ah man I gotta say I figured I was gonna get hit when I got here, but I assumed it would be from Myra or Heather and I told myself that if anyone else touched me I'd crack their skulls." He said while Brooke stood before him unintimidated. "But you…you got me curious." He finished with another chuckle before Brooke slapped him across the face again then finally walking away from the Creole.
"Ah man we're definitely coming back after we're done." Said Mark earning nods from the group.
"Kiss your girlfriends goodbye brothers we gotta work." Said Jimmy earning chuckles from Davey and Eddy while the group walked away from the BSU members.
"Assholes." Said Myra before she walked away with Heather to grab Brooke.
"Alright let's go grab our gear." Said Mark with an evil chuckle.
Red Stick
The drive to Red Stick wasn't long for Alison as she parked her car outside of a familiar home on the city's South Side. The sight of the small house seemed to bring a slight smile to the woman's face that was then snatched away as she noticed that there weren't any cars parked out front.
After a few moments of staring at the house the FIB Agent was ready to take a chance by knocking on the door, but before she could step out of the car the sound of her cellphone chiming quickly broke her from her concentration and caused her to look down at it and notice a familiar name.
"Hello!" she said.
"Hey I thought you said you were going to call me after you landed." Came the familiar voice of Steve earning a slight shake of the head from Alison.
"Yeah sorry I was…enthusiastic about seeing some old faces." She replied while sending a look to the front of the house.
"Well it's alright, beside it won't be long before I get to New Arcadia my plane leaves tomorrow night." he replied to Alison's shock and surprise.
"This early have you managed to catch McCreary?" she asked.
"No he must have skipped town we've turned over all most all the stones in Liberty and Algonquin looking for him." He replied earning a low nod from Alison.
"Damn we were so close." She replied.
"Hey he'll turn up all these Irish guys do eventually." He replied earning a slight chuckle from Alison. "I've also been looking into these vacant murders, and if you ask me it has some similarities to a case in Dockington a few years back." He added to Alison's surprise.
"Dockington?" she asked.
"Yeah in 2006 over thirty bodies were found in a number of vacant homes in West Dockington all with gunshots to the head and were killed by a man named Nickolas Washington Jr. He was BGA Hitman operating in West Dockington under Leroy Barksdale's crew." He stated earning a nod from Alison.
"Judging by the way you're talking Mr. Washington is more than likely in prison I presume?" she asked.
"Nothing fools you, he was arrested a few years later by Dockington PD. To get the death penalty off the table he admitted to took a plea deal and is now serving a thirty-five year sentence in the same prison as Leroy Barksdale." He replied causing Alison to shake her head.
"How is that relevant then?" she asked.
"Mr. Washington abusive father was a Vietnam Vet who put his son through basic training and for two hundred dollars both father and son would train gunslingers on the streets of Dockington and those that showed great skill would work under him." He replied to Alison's shock and surprise.
"So you think this killer was trained by Mr. Washington?" she asked.
"Maybe, it's just a hunch but it could be something to look out for." He replied earning a few seconds of silence from Alison before he interrupted her thoughts.
"So how has apartment hunting been going down there." He asked.
"I've got mine my have you gotten yours?" she asked earning a chuckle from Steve.
"I can't crash at your place." He asked earning a slight smile from Alison but before she could respond she was taken off-guard by the sound of a knock on her window causing her to turn her head before going wide eyed at the person standing before her.
"I gotta go." Alison replied before hanging up the phone and then rolling down her window to be greeted by the sight of a Chinese-American woman wearing a red jacket, black jeans, and high heeled shoes.
"Well ain't it good to see you again." Said Ana while Alison kept her look of shock and surprise.
Sunbelt City
The drive away from the funeral had been somewhat talkative for Mark, Lee, Link, and Jimmy as the four men found themselves in Lee's Dominator speeding down the road with Felix and the others following close behind.
"So…Mark you mind telling us why Brooke slapped you?" asked Lee earning a scoff from Mark.
"Like hell if I know me and Brooke were never that close." He shot back.
"You forget though Brooke was Ryan's ex-girlfriend before Tasha came into his life." Replied Jimmy.
"So what she's mad at me for Tasha sleeping with Ryan that seems stupid as fuck to me." Mark replied.
Link then gave a chuckle at the situation of his brother from another mother before responding. "Well you better figure out what you want to say to her brother because you need to deal with that."
This soon earned a chuckle from Mark who quickly shot back with. "Yeah I'll deal with Brooke when you wash Myra's mouth out with soap and water." This soon earned a chuckle from Lee who added to the conversation. "No don't wash her mouth out, especially if she talks like that in the bedroom that's sexy as hell."
"You would think so." Said Jimmy while the group continued to laugh amongst themselves before they arrived at a vacant building on the Sunbelt's West Side.
After stepping out of their vehicles the group quickly made their way inside of the building where they noticed that the inside looked like it had been ransacked.
"Guess the bums have been busy." Said Felix as he watched Mark, Lee, and Jimmy take a few steps before moving to a section of the wall in the living room.
"Alright go!" Mark yelled before the trio kicked in the wall revealing to the group that it was made from cheap drywall.
"What'd you do that for?" asked Felix as he watched Mark, Lee, and Jimmy begin to dig through the drywall before the Chinese man pulled out an M4A1 Assault Rifle with ACOG Scope and tossed it to Felix.
"This is where we hid our good shit after that heist we pulled on the army base." Said Lee as Mark pulled out two MP5 Submachine Guns before handing them to Miller and Viktor while Davey and Eddy were given G36C Assault Rifles and Buck was given a Vector Submachine Gun.
"There you are." Said Lee as he reached into the wall and pulled out a KSG 12 Shotgun with Holographic Scope and a Foregrip on the pump. "Did you miss daddy?" the Chinese man asked.
This earned a smile from Jimmy who reached into the wall and pulled out a Tactical M1 Garand with Holographic Scope. "I miss this thing." He said while looking over the redesigned WWII gun.
"Here!" said Mark earning the attention of Link who noticed him handing him a Micro SMG. "Just in case." He said before Link nodded his head and took the weapon.
"What about me?" asked Manfred before Lee tossed him something that he quickly caught.
"Make yourself useful just in case." The Chinese man replied before Manfred looked down and noticed that the Lee had tossed him two bricks of C4 Explosive.
"Mark I'm not seeing your gun." Said Jimmy causing Mark to double check the hole before angrily pulling back.
"Any idea where you left it?" Link asked earning a nod from Mark who gave a low growl.
"Yeah I do." He replied with anger in his tone before turning to the group. "Link come with me Lee get to the spot and get into position." Mark replied earning a nod from the Chinese man while Link followed him out of the building.
"Where are we going?" the Irish man asked with curiosity in his voice.
"My old place." He replied to Link's shock and surprise.
Outside New Arcadia
The sound of gunshots were still ravaging the ears of Task and Adahy as the Spanish Lords seemed to have the group surrounded and were barraging the Vagos with heavy firepower but despite this the South Siders were holding their own.
As Task took a peek from behind his car he watched with awe and surprise as Guardo blindly fired six shots from a Pistol he had retrieved from his car and struck a Spanish Lord member three times in the chest and knocked him to the ground.
"Fucking Chavala's!" yelled Raskal as he fired five shots from his pistol at a Spanish Lord carrying a MP5 Submachine Gun but the SL member quickly forced the Brown Pride Vago to duck for cover as a barrage of bullets tore through his car. The man was then hit once in the chest by Loka who was about to shoot the man again but he was quicker on the trigger and fired a barrage of rounds her way.
Before any could hit the woman though Guardo quickly pulled her down while Travieso returned fire.
"We gotta help them." Said Adahy as he reloaded his AK-47 and fired eight rounds in the direction of a Lord striking him four times in the leg and staining his blue pants in red as blood shot from his shredded artery.
Task then responded by grabbing an MP5 Submachine Gun from the trunk of the car and then barrel-rolling from behind the car and firing several shots that hit one Spanish Lord member in the chest, then two more that hit another in the head, and finally another that hit an SL member in the neck.
"Kill that bitch!" yelled another Lord as he directed the fire towards Task who quickly moved back to cover but in that momentary redirection of fire Adahy, Guardo, Raskal, and La Quica had managed to shoot down three more Lords.
With their numbers dwindling the Lords decided it best to take retreat and leave the surviving gang members who took the time to catch their breaths while the Lords ran off and decided to stay in cover in case they decided to pop-off rounds while they were down the road.
Sunbelt City
The ride back home wasn't long for Tasha as she found herself getting undressed in her bathroom while Ryan changed clothes in the living room. The woman's mind seemed to be a flurry of emotions as her mind kept flashing back to the memories of her ex-boyfriend standing before her. Her memories were then interrupted by a crashing sound that caused her to quickly slip on her blue jeans and light brown blouse before running out of the bathroom.
"Ryan what is-." She started before her eyes fell on the sight of Ryan sitting on the couch with his hands over his head while Link stood over him with his Micro-SMG pointed at the man.
"Link put it down." Tasha yelled causing the Irish man to turn to her before lowering the gun.
"We didn't come here to hurt you, just pick something up." Link replied to Tasha's surprise and confusion.
"We!" she repeated before turning her head and noticing a familiar Creole looking through the ventilation shaft of the lower side of the wall.
"We'll only be a minute." Said Link as Tasha sent a look to Mark.
"NO what the hell are you looking for you have no right to be here." She yelled earning a slight chuckle from Mark as he finally grabbed a hold of what he was looking for.
"Got it brother." He said causing Link to turn his head while Ryan and Tasha did the same to watch as the youngest Roman pulled out an LSAT Light Machine Gun with ACOG Sight, a 100-Round Drum Magazine, and Foregrip.
"Now I'm back in business." Said Mark as he scanned over the weapon while Ryan and Tasha looked on with confused looks.
"How long has that been there?" the BSU Sunbelt President asked earning a chuckle from Mark.
"Long enough!" Mark shot back before cocking his gun with an evil chuckle.
"Let's go brother we're behind schedule." Mark ordered earning a nod from Link.
As Tasha watched the youngest Roman strap the weapon to his back she couldn't help but to feel a hint of sadness in her body. That sadness was then replaced by anger as she yelled out to Mark. "Is that it?"
Her words confused Mark but they didn't seem to stop him and Link from headed to the door so she continued her verbal assault. "I cheated on you, you walked into the room and saw me cheating on you but all you did was walk out of the room." She stated earning a chuckle from Link.
"You wanted him to react like he normally would?" the Irish man asked. "This is Mark we're talking about." He added.
"Shut it Link!" Tasha yelled before approaching Mark to get into his face.
"I know what you are Mark and I know what you do, you can kill just about anyone but when I broke your heart you became a shriveled up bitch who can't even look me in the eyes." She added earning a low growl from Mark that seemed to bring a smile to her face.
Her smile then quickly vanished as she noticed a smile spread across the face of Mark who couldn't helo but laugh at her statement. "You can say what you want about me, but you can never call me a bitch. I left because I knew that if I stayed…I would have killed the both of you." He stated in a nonchalant manner. "But what good would that be, killing the rich black girl who wants to rebel against her parents by dating the most hardcore black guy she could find." He added before stepping to Tasha who took a few steps back.
"And you can never call me a bitch when you the guy you left me for is too much of a punk-ass bitch to let a bunch of white guys insult you to your face and do nothing about it." He said while sending a look to Ryan who remained silent.
"I didn't fight for you that day Tasha because you ain't shit to fight for. If you were willing to cheat on me in the same bed we shared…I knew you weren't nothing and you still are nothing. You cheated on me with your best friend's boyfriend, you alienated all your friends, and for what…some wannabe tough bitch with a trust fund who relies too much on others to solve his problems for him." Stated Mark as he eyed Ryan who only remained silent.
"Like it or not but at the end of the day Tasha all you are is some stuck up New Arcadia bitch from the rich part of town who only wants to latch onto a guy with power. That's all you are and all you ever will be."
Upon ending his declaration Mark then turned his gaze back to a stunned Link. "Let's go brother." He said before making his way for the door with Link following after him in silence.
Red Stick
"Sunbelt City, he in New Austin?" asked Alison a she sat on the living room couch of the BSU clubhouse in Red Stick while Ana stood before her.
"Yeah a friend of theirs was killed a week ago so they're there for the funeral." Stated Ana before she took a seat across from the FIB Agent. "And maybe get a little payback." She added earning silence form Alison who silently took in the news.
"So how have you been Alison, last I heard you were taking charge in Liberty and took part in one of the largest bust against the five families in history." The IAA stated earning a nod Alison that broke her from her concentration.
"Yeah it took a lot of work." She said earning a nod from the IAA Agent.
"Understandable and now you're here to solve the case of the vacant murders. That seems to be all everyone is talking about. There are rumors it's gang related, a serial killer, and even an act of terror either way it goes it's bad for everyone." Stated Ana earning a nod from Alison.
A wave of silence then spread over the duo and both women knew exactly why. One woman had a question she was afraid to ask while the other had an answer that could relieve the stress and worry in the other woman's body.
Feeling like she could take the pressure no more Alison then voiced her question. "Is Mark involved in the vacant murders?" this brought a smile to the face of Ana who gave a chuckle before responding.
"No!" she replied earning a sigh of relief from Alison. "Well I can't speak for all the bodies but I can tell you that the first three months after you left Marcus wasn't involved in the streets. He did a few jobs with me but not in New Arcadia, and just last week Mark returned to New Arcadia after me and him were away for three months." She repeated to Alison's shock and surprise.
"So he's…been spending a lot of time with you?" she asked earning a nod from Ana. "Someone had to piece him back together." She added while lowering her head.
"There weren't that many pieces to pick up, you left a dent in his heart…but he's so used to it now he's grown accustomed to it." Ana replied while Alison felt her sadness rise.
"He's gonna hate me after I tell him-." The woman started before being interrupted by the IAA Agent who replied. "That you're involved with another man."
This caused Alison to whip her head around to eye the IAA Agent. "Don't worry he doesn't know you are, but he's convinced himself that you were that's why you never answered his texts or calls. You moved on with your life with a white guy named Neil who loves coffee and has a gym membership." She added earning a raised eyebrow from Alison.
"His name is Steve and-." She started before realizing there was some truth to Mark's wild guess. Steve did have a love for coffee and a gym membership at one of the best gyms in Liberty. "Those are…somewhat accurate guesses." She added earning a chuckle from Alison.
"Trust me Mark can read people and he knew that if you did leave him you were going to go for boring guy who's more the likely a cop, the polar opposite of himself." She replied earning a slight blush from Alison. "He's good." The FIB Agent stated earning a chuckle from Ana.
"He doesn't know, but how do you know about Steve?" Alison asked earning a half-smile from Ana.
"Ms. Trueblood did you really think I would just let you walk away without keeping tabs on you. You know too much about who Mark is, who I am, and the relationship between Mark and the IAA." She replied earning a nod from the FIB Agent who gave a smile of her own.
"You mean like how you use him to assassinate people for you or to rob banks and sell drugs for you." Alison replied with a hint of venom in her voice.
"I'm guessing your old friend Locke told you about the things his friend was doing working for my husband. I knew I should have just pulled the trigger on that man, would have made my day easier." Ana replied while Alison watched him closely.
"What kind of jobs has Mark done for you Ana and I want the truth." She yelled out earning a slight smile from Ana who gave her a few seconds of silence before responding.
"If you really want to know you're gonna be sitting here a while." She replied.
"I got nothing but time.
Outside New Arcadia
Thirty minutes of silence and stillness must have passed Task and Adahy before the duo finally rose to their feet and noticed that everything was clear. The Lord's ambush didn't go as planned but the group had learned from Mark and Lee when the bullets stopped flying it was good to wait a few minutes to start moving around in case stragglers were still around.
"Fucking mess." Said Adahy as he sent a look to one of the fallen Lords and noticed that his body was somewhat covered in flies causing the Creek to gag a little at the sight.
"Fucking Lords!" yelled Guardo as he rose to his feet with Loka and the Vagos before eyeing Task and Adahy.
"Mind telling us what the fuck was that?" The Lakota asked with anger in his voice.
"Spanish Lords, those fucking Chavalas have been a pain in the ass since we got here." Replied Guardo.
"Those fucking Mayateros are the largest in New Arcadia County and have been giving us problems since we came here." Stated Travieso with anger in his voice. "Originally we were fighting them with Marabunta when they first got here after the Hurricane, but this state has a number of bullshit laws that make it hard for national gangs to really establish themselves." He added with anger in his voice.
"They took a lot of the Marabunta members off the streets. Originally we were gonna work together in Lincoln Parish and push into New Arcadia Parish but the feds came down hard and stopped that idea." Added La Quica.
"Since then we've been holding out against them on our own, until Guardo brought the Azteca's into town and now we think we can push them back just a little." Stated Rascal earning a nod from Task and Adahy.
"I guess that explains the firepower." Stated Task.
"Where do these Lords like to be?" asked Adahy earning a raised eyebrow from the group. "We'll give you a little hand in your war." He added with a sadistic smile.
Sunbelt City
"And we got a signal." Said Manfred causing Lee, Felix, Buck, Davey, and Eddy to approach the Indian man as he sat in the front seat of the Moonbeam with his laptop resting on his lap while a joystick was in his hands.
The group quickly noticed that a video feed was coming in from the Quadcopter as they watched it hover past the chain-link fence of an industrial area where the group noticed a few armed Mexican men walking the perimeter of the area.
"This must be where the Arturo's New Austin HQ is located." Said Lee before Manfred adjusted the camera and moved the Quadcopter to the gate where the group noticed four black vans pulling into the area.
"Looks like the Condados have arrived." Felix added before watching the vehicles pull into a warehouse in the middle of the area.
"It's gonna be tough as hell to get into that warehouse." Replied Jimmy earning a chuckle from Lee.
"Nothing we can't handle." The Chinese man stated before sending a look to Felix. "I hope you've pushed that shit about killing brown out of your head, because we got work to do." He added.
"I got no problem killing cartel members, for what they've done to Mexico it would be a crime if I didn't." the Mexican man shot back earning a nod from Lee before the group watched as a black Sand-king pulled up to their location.
They then watched as Mark and Link stepped out of the vehicle the former of whom was now sporting his LSAT Light Machine Gun across his back while a Remington 700 in his right hand. "Glad to see you found your baby." Said Lee earning a chuckle from Mark before his eyes fell on the Sniper Rile.
"What's that for?" he asked before watching as Mark loaded a magazine into the Sniper before tossing it into the tail of the truck where a few bottles of alcohol with cloths in the top were located.
"Just in case we run into problems 800 meters away." The Creole replied before jumping back into the truck-bed of the tailgate. "Lee Jimmy with me, the rest of you know what to do so let's make this happen." The Roman ordered earning nods from the two men before they hopped into the backseat of the truck.
While BSU members were setting up their position those in the warehouse were just about to start their deal as a Mexican-American man with almond skin, short black hair, bright brown eyes, and wearing a black t-shirt, red hat with a five-pointed star designed in the front that was the logo for the Sunbelt Astronauts, black pants, and white shoes stepped out of the first van. On the man's right arm was the phrase Not Blastin Not Lastin while on his other was the Sunbelt Skyline.
As he stepped out of the van four other Condados stepped out of the first while another six stepped out of the next, and then another six stepped out the next, followed by another four. As the group looked around the warehouse they noticed a few armed cartel members standing on the high rafters of the warehouse looking down on the group.
"Where's Javier Arturo?" the man asked before watching as a Mexican man wearing a yellow collar shirt, blue jean pants, and brown dress shoes stepped out of the back of the warehouse.
"Impatient as always Luis." The Mexican national replied before approaching the Tejano and moving to shake his hand.
"You have my product?" he asked earning a nod from the man before he directed his gaze to a series of boxes stacked into the corner.
"All the boxes are filled with your product but there is something I need to show you." The Cartel boss replied before leading the Condados member away from his men while they moved to load the boxes into the vans.
"What's this about?" Luis asked before Javier opened the back door of the warehouse allowing Luis to look inside of the dimly lit room that was filled with three long tables covered in kilos of Coke.
"You know with the arrest of the Arturos and much of our organization I'm the one running things and my first order of business is looking for a partner who can help me move my product and the Condados are the largest in New Austin so I'm looking to make a deal." He stated earning a slight smile from Luis.
"I'll have to talk to other guys across the state but it won't be-." Started Javier before a series of gunshots caught their attention followed by a loud crashing sound followed by the horn of a car that caused them both to whip their heads around in the direction of the noise
"What the fuck is that?" asked Javier while the Cartel gunmen on the otherside of the warehouse noticed a black Sand-King had plowed through the front of the gate before slamming through the doors of the warehouse.
This caused the Condados members as well as the gunmen to draw their weapons at the vehicle while the men outside of the warehouse moved on the back of the vehicle and yelled something in Spanish to the men on the otherside who slowly approached the driver's seat where they noticed a Mexican male lying face down on the horn of the steering wheel.
"What the hell is this?" yelled Javier as one of the gunmen grabbed the man by the back of the shirt and slowly lifted his head and looking on with wide eyes upon noticing the Hand Grenade that was stuffed into the man's mouth.
"ADIOS MIO!" he screamed just as the Grenade went off blowing the man's head completely off and killing the gunmen in the process. This explosion was then met by another as a bomb under the truck went off and created a violent explosion that sent everyone around it flying backwards including Javier and Luis who were both taken off their feet by the explosion and looked up to watch in disgust as body parts rained from the skies.
"Shit!" said Luis as the man's hearing finally returned to him and he quickly took in the sound of gunshots before watching as one of his Condados was struck several times in the chest before falling back first just as a another barrage of bullets blew through the warehouse.
"Shit!" said a Cartel member as he slowly rose to his feet before turning in the direction of the hole only to notice a masked man holding a Shotgun to his chest.
"See-ya!" said Lee as fired a single shot that ripped through the man's torso and blew a hole out the center of his back. This brought a smile to the Chinese man's face as he cocked his weapon before eyeing the survivors.
"Vamonos amigos." he said before Mark and Jimmy stormed in from his flanks with their weapons drawn and firing a barrage of rounds in the direction of their targets.
"Take um out." Said Mark as he fired ten rounds in the direction of four Cartel members sweeping the floor with them each and taking them off their feet with bullets riddling their torso's, legs, and arms. The Creole usually liked to fire in short-burst to conserve ammo but since his weapon featured a 100-round magazine he wasn't too worried about ammo.
"Rafters." Said Lee causing Mark and Jimmy to lift their weapons and fire a barrage of rounds at the Cartel members in the rafters forcing them to take cover. One man wasn't so lucky as Jimmy fired a single shot from his M1 Garand at hit the man once in the back of the skull and sent him falling over the rails and down to the floor of the warehouse.
Lee followed up by firing two shots from his Shotgun that struck one Condado in the leg shredding his flesh and pants before he was finished off with a shot to the head that coated the hard floor with his blood and brains.
"Keep formation." Said Mark as Cartel member with an AK-74 lifted his weapon at Mark who was raining down shots at the enemy before he was struck in the head by Jimmy. The formation the group was using wasn't a complex one to follow or figure out. Mark and Jimmy had the best mid and long range weapons so they took the sides to take out enemies from a distance while Lee stood his ground in the middle and took out anyone that got to close.
It wasn't over the top, but it seemed to be doing the trick as Jimmy shot down three Condados with headshots before a Cartel gunmen pulled the pin off a Grenade and lobbed it at the group.
"MOVE!" Mark yelled causing the trio to break away from each other and move to cover just as the Grenade went off and with their broken formation they quickly lost their superior fire-power as Mark found himself hiding behind a van that Condados had brought with them while Lee and Jimmy found themselves hiding behind work tables.
"Show those Pendejos no mercy, don't leave any of them alive." Yelled Javier as Luis grabbed an AK-47 Assault Rifle from a dead body and started to fire on Lee and Jimmy who tried their best to blindly fire from cover.
"Shit!" said Mark as more rounds impacted against the top of the van he was using for cover causing him to crouch down to avoid shots.
"AH FUCK!" yelled Lee as a round from a Cartel member grazed his shoulder and drew a little blood causing him raise up and fire a shell from his Shotgun that hit his shooter in the head and actually ripped the top of his head off his shoulders.
"WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU FELIX?" Lee yelled before a door on the top floor blew open and the trio watched as Felix walked through the door and fired five shots into the chest of one man before hitting another with four shots to the chest.
"Go and spread out!" the Mexican man yelled as Buck, Davey, Eddy, Miller and Viktor rushed through the doors and fired their weapons shooting down several more Cartel guys before four men with Assault Rifles pinned them down.
"A LITTLE HELP HERE!" yelled Miller as he slid to avoid shots aimed at his head before blindly firing his MP5 Submachine Gun at the men.
This caused Mark to look up and take notice of the BSU member's situation. He then responded by drawing his Standalone M203 Grenade Launcher and firing a shot at the floor of the rafters destroying the man-made bridge and causing the gunmen on it to fall with it.
"High ground motherfucker's high ground." Yelled Davey as he, Eddy, and Felix started to fire on the gunmen on the ground and easily shredding the men. As Felix shot down a man with a shot to the neck he then directed his fire to Javier who to run to the back of the warehouse.
"We got a runner." Yelled the Mexican man earning Mark's attention as he watched Javier lower his head to avoid the bullets whizzing past him.
"MORE BAD GUYS OUT FRONT." Yelled Buck as Mark then directed his gaze outside the hole of the warehouse where he noticed five SUV speeding their way towards the warehouse.
"LEE AFTER HIM WE GOT THIS!" Mark yelled out before running through the hole in the warehouse and lifting his Machine Gun before firing a barrage of rounds at the SUV leading the convoy. If his count was right he still had over seventy-rounds left in his mag, but now he figured he must have been down to a little over thirty because he filled the hood of the SUV with so many rounds that the occupants inside were dead and the engine was also on fire.
"SHIT!" Mark yelled out before taking cover behind a dumpster as the vehicle exploded creating a loud shockwave that assaulted the ears of the youngest Roman and filled his nose with the smell of burning metal, flesh, and rubber.
While Mark continued to fight off those on the outside Felix and the others had finally cleared out enough guys in the warehouse to allow Lee to go after Javier. The Chinese man then took a look towards Jimmy who was firing his Battle Rifle from a crouched position.
"I'll keep you covered." The Army Private said before firing off several shots and striking a Condados once in the chest and twice in the face. With the force of the powerful 7.62x51mm impacting against the man's head it was no surprise for Jimmy to see the blood and brains of the fallen gunmen on the wall of the other side of the room. He was greatly surprised to see that some of the man's blood had actually gotten into the eyes of the man next to him leaving him blinded by the substance.
"GO!" Jimmy ordered before laying down covering fire as Lee broke from away from the man and fired a single shot from his Shotgun in the process and striking the man next to Luis in the leg and spraying his blood over the Condados member shirt. The gang member then responded by firing several shots at Lee who managed to avoid the hits.
"AH FUCK!" yelled Luis as his gun was literally blown from his hands causing him to turn his head and notice Jimmy staring him down while aiming a Beretta M9 at the man.
"Wait-!" started Luis before Jimmy fired a shot that hit the man in his left shoulder.
"Left Shoulder, Right Shoulder." Jimmy started before firing another shot that hit the man in his right shoulder this time and caused him to take a few steps backwards. "Left leg, Right Leg." He continued before hitting the man again in both of his legs and causing him to fall down on both knees.
"Stomach, Neck,-." The former foster kid was merciless in his Assault as he shot Luis once in the stomach with a bullet that tore through his small intestine, before hitting him again with a shot aimed for his neck that didn't hit the sensitive area but merely grazed it just enough to draw blood. "FACE!" he added before firing another well-placed shot that hit Luis's upper lip just under his nose and blew out the back of his head.
"Heart!" Jimmy finished before firing another shot that went through the left side of the man's chest and easily ripped through his heart shredding the muscle in the process as he watched with a smile as the lifeless body of Luis hit the ground with a loud thud.
"Damn!" said Buck as he, Davey, Eddy, and Miller, and Viktor watched as Jimmy blew the smoke from the barrel of his pistol before reloading it.
"What are you waiting for get down here and start loading up these boxes." Jimmy yelled out reminding the other BSU members of their current situation causing them to rush off the rafters and onto the floor of the warehouse.
"What about Mark?" asked Buck as he holstered his weapon before grabbing a box and moving to put it in the back of a van.
"He can handle himself for now worry about loading these boxes." Jimmy yelled out earning mixed looks from the group before they went to load up the vans while Mark found himself trying to hold off the new arrivals on his own.
"FUCK YOU!" he yelled out before firing a barrage of rounds from his Light Machine Gun at an SUV shredding the three men using the vehicle for cover and hitting the gas tank and then watching with a smile as it blew upward in a loud explosion that killed four more Cartel Gunmen. He then took cover behind a dumpster as more rounds came his way from his attackers who were pushing up on his location.
"Pinche Mayate." Yelled a Cartel gunmen from behind Mark causing the Roman to move for cover as the man swung a Machete at him. Mark then responded by aiming his weapon at the man before hearing a familiar click and realizing he had run empty. As the man to swing the weapon again Mark this time sidestepped his attack before responding by swinging his gun and hitting the man in the face then drawing his Glock and pointing it at the man's chin before pulling the trigger and spraying his blood over Mark's clothes.
"Fucking bitches." Mark yelled before barrel-rolling to cover and then firing three shots from his pistol and striking another Cartel gunmen three times in the chest just as another tried to sneak up behind him. The Roman then moved to reload another Cartel gunman had ran up on him with an AR-15 Assault Rifle at the youngest Roman but before he could fire a shot Mark watched in disbelief as the side of the man's mouth exploded in a bloody display causing him to look on with wide eyes before noticing a bullet hole in the back of the man's head.
"Take him down brother." Said Link as he looked through the Scope of Mark's Remington 700 Sniper Rifle and watched with a smile as Mark drew his Bowie Knife and quickly stabbed the gunman in the side of the neck before kicking his corpse off his blade.
"Thanks for the help." Mark uttered before loading another Grenade into his Launcher and firing the explosive striking another SUV and watching it explode before noticing three more SUV's starting to pull up and watching as more Condados piled out causing him to draw his MP7 Submachine Gun and prepare himself for battle.
As Mark did battle with the next wave of enemies Javier had finally burst through the backdoors of the warehouse and was greeted by the sight of sunlight but before he could get to far from the building
"Fucking assholes." He said while taking a few breaths of oxygen before turning his head and noticing Lee giving chase but before the Chinese man could reach him Javier had drawn a pistol from his back pocket and fired three shots that struck the Chinese man in the chest. Lucky for Lee his vest had protected him but the force of the bullets had knocked him off his feet.
Lee was quick to react though and quickly drew his pistol and fired five shots into the leg and chest of Javier knocking the Cartel leader off his feet and causing him to hit the ground back first.
"Lucky shot!" said Lee as he slowly rose to his feet before drawing his Sawn-Off Double Barrel Shotgun and slowly approaching the fallen Cartel leader who was trying to reach for his gun only to watch in horror and fear as Lee kicked the weapon away from his hands.
"You won't be needing that." He said before watching as Javier lifted his hands over his head.
"Please don't kill me I can make you a very rich man." He said only for Lee to respond by squeezing both triggers of his gun and blowing the head off the Cartel leader and watching the top half skid across the ground.
"Sorry but I'm about to be become a very rich man." Lee replied before making his way back into the warehouse where he noticed the BSU members loading the boxes into the van.
"I got it." Said Manfred earning Link's attention as he turned to the Indian man and noticed him starting up his Quadcopter and was flying it towards the battlefield.
"SHIT!" said Mark as he ducked under a Cartel member who swung a Machete at him. The Roman then responded by taking his knife and swiftly slashing the man's stomach before grabbing his right arm and spinning him around to use his body as a human shield just as five Condados started shooting at him.
Mark then responded by kicking the bleeding man in the direction of the Condados before lifting his Submachine Gun and firing fifteen rounds at the five men striking two of the five in the chest and another in the legs blowing them each apart in the process.
Before Mark could fire another salvo of rounds he was struck three times in his vest, once in the shoulder, and to his surprise one of the gunmen actually shot his pistol out of his hands and he watched in surprise as the Glock was literally ripped apart from the force of the bullet. The stunned Roman then took his chance to take a few steps back before rolling to cover behind a truck.
"They just keep coming." He said before looking to his hand and counting his fingers to see that he had all five and digits and that none were blown away with his gun. Thankfully all were present but Mark could easily make out the sound of a few Cartel gunmen slowly moving towards his location. The Creole didn't take any chances so he quickly loaded a fresh magazine into both his SMG and prepared himself to make a final stand.
"ADIOS CABRON." Started a Condados member as he moved to fire on the youngest Roman before the side of his head was blown off causing Mark to whip his head around and notice Lee firing on the Cartel members before taking a stand beside him.
"This seat taken?" the Chinese man asked earning a slight chuckle from Mark.
"Nah my date stood me up." Mark replied before following Lee's lead and firing on the men forcing them to take cover to avoid the shots.
"Man this is a lot, you got anymore rounds for that Grenade Launcher?" he asked causing Mark to look down at his weapon.
"Just one, you got any tricks up your sleeve?" the Creole asked before Lee gave a chuckle.
"Just one!" he replied before pointing up at the sky causing Mark to look up and notice Manfred's Quadcopter hovering over their heads.
"Let's just hope this works." Said Lee as Mark watched him reach into the back of his pants and quickly pull out a RC remote control car and set it on the ground. "It's on you buddy." He whispered before watching the toy car move forward past their feet and in the direction of their attackers.
"We might pull this off." Said Mark as he loaded another Grenade into his launcher before preparing to fire the weapon as he watched the toy car speed it's way passed the confused gunmen who watched it stop before them.
"Que!" started one man before Manfred smashed a button on his computer screen and watched with a smile as a violent explosion went off outside the warehouse as Mark and Lee watched in sheer disgust as body parts fell from the sky and hit the ground while an ash mark was left in the dirt around where the car exploded while a few of the surviving Cartel members tried to collect themselves after the blast left them disoriented and confused.
"Too much C4!" said Lee as Mark nodded his head before firing his final Grenade at an SUV sending it up in flames and watching with a smile as the vehicles explosion caused a chain reaction that that made the other three vehicles explode one after the other and throwing their attackers off their feet and watching as either the explosions blew off their limbs, burned their flesh, or rattled their brains around so much in their skulls blood seemed to be pouring from their eyes and noses.
"That was awesome." Said Lee with a chuckle as he sent a look to Mark who responded by nodding his head before chuckling.
"TICK TICK BOOM!" they both said before hearing a loud crashing sound and watching as the four black vans came crashing out of the warehouse before stopping in front of the duo allowing them to climb into the first van where they were greeted by the sight of Jimmy and Buck.
"I see you handle yourself out here brother." Jimmy replied earning a middle finger from the youngest Roman before he collapsed on the floor.
"Let's go!" said Lee as Jimmy led the convoy away from the warehouse and the carnage surrounding it.
New Arcadia
The drive to New Arcadia wasn't long for Alison as she found herself parking her car in front of a rather large one story home on the cities east side before stepping out and taking in the sight of the home while Ana followed her out of the vehicle.
After the duo had talked, the IAA Agent had decided to show Alison the new home Mark and the BSU members resided. Upon first look the house and neighborhood didn't give off the vibe of rough like Uptown New Arcadia but it made sense to her it wasn't wise to work where you live.
In her conversation with Ana she had learned that Mark had spent a few months off the streets but he couldn't completely resist the pull of them. The IAA Agent didn't give her much information on what all Mark was involved in, but she knew that he, Lee, and Link were now owners of a few small businesses in Red Stick and New Arcadia mostly as a way to clean their money and look good on paper.
As Ana approached the front door of the home Alison couldn't help but send a look to the all-black Duke parked outside the garage. Upon setting her gaze on it the youngest Roman instantly came to mind, he was always a fan of muscles cars especially black ones.
After reaching the front door she then watched as Ana moved to grab a key for the door from her pocket. As she watched her do so Alison couldn't help but feel her a little unnerved. If Ana had a key to the house than that meant she had practically moved in with Mark and this information bothered her some how.
As Ana swung the front door open Alison found herself being instantly assaulted by a wave of cool fresh air and the scent of lemons as she walked inside. The FIB Agent was then in a state of shock and awe as her eyes darted back and forth to the large living room. The room was well furnished with two couches and a lazy-boy chair set in front a wide screen TV that was attached to a surround sound system, pool table in the back of the room, and even a few bean-bag chairs in the corner next to shelf that was covered in books, DVD's, and games.
Instead of pictures lining the wall Alison quickly noticed that there were a few movie and game posters giving the room an air that resembled a frat house then an actual home.
"Welcome to Casa BSU or as they like to call it the Barracks." Stated Ana as Alison continued to look around the living room before her eyes fell on a rather large well-stocked kitchen that reminded her of her of a chef's TV kitchen with the large cabinet in the middle of the room and wall over next to the stove.
"Jesus how can they afford all of this?" she asked while Ana chuckled.
"They have their ways." Ana replied before nudging her head and leading Ana out of the living room down a dark hallway where she noticed three doors on each side of the hallway.
"Five bedroom, one hall bathroom. Mark, Lee, Manfred, and Felix have their own room while Link and Buck share, plus they have a guest bedroom in case one of the others needs a place to crash." Ana replied earning a surprised look from Alison who watched her pull out another key before approaching the room at the end of the hall.
"You need a key to get in?" Alison asked earning a slight smile form Ana.
"You forget these boys are criminals they always lock their doors. When they leave the house they lock all doors and when they go to sleep they lock themselves in their rooms so if the door is kicked down they can be ready." The IAA Agent replied before opening the door and allowing Alison to look inside and see a somewhat small room with posters of rock bands lining the wall, a queen sized bed with a dozen pair of shoes sticking out from underneath, one dresser with a laptop on top, a fish tank in the corner of the room, and a large bookshelf.
"I had to do a little decorating for him, but he's never here enough to appreciate it." Stated Ana as she watched Alison look over the room with a mixed expression painted across her face.
"I'll give him a call to see where he is." Ana added before pulling out her cellphone and dialing a familiar number while Alison watched her closely as she put the phone on speaker mode.
"Hello!" came the familiar voice of the youngest Roman as Alison found herself blushing just at the mere sound of his now deeper voice.
"Hello to you soldier, how did your job go?" she asked earning a confused look from Alison.
"Somewhat smoothly all my guys are whole and I'm…relatively okay but we did leave a big mess outside of the city." he replied earning a low chuckle from Ana.
"Don't worry about that, those were Cartel gunmen and Mexican Nationals none of whom the United States Government cares enough about to care." She replied in a cold hearted tone that surprised Alison. "Well then since you're done when might you be home, I have a surprise here for you." She stated earning a low growl from Mark.
"I like your surprises, but by the way it's looking I may not be back until tomorrow morning." He replied earning a low nod from Ana.
"I understand, my gift will be here waiting so take your time, do your job right, and come home safely." She replied before hearing a slight chuckle from Mark on the other end of the phone.
"Don't worry about me-." Started Mark before he looked down the side of the street and noticed Lee and Jimmy stomping a blonde haired Caucasian man into the dirt just as Mark approached him and quickly drew his Combat Knife before moving it to the man's ears.
"Take care then." Ana replied before hanging up the phone and then turning to Alison who sat in silence at the conversation.
"He'll be here tomorrow maybe even sooner, especially when he thinks I'm here with a surprise." She replied to Alison's confusion.
"What kinda surprises does he usually expect?" she asked earning a slight smile from Ana.
"The kind of surprises a person Mark's age likes especially with women." She replied earning a not so surprised look from Alison. "His favorite surprise is when I bring a girl home with me to join in our fun." She replied to Alison's shock causing the FIB Agent to look up at her in shock and surprise.
"Wait you-." She started before Ana took her words out of her mouth.
"Go both ways…I can't give you a real definition of my sexual preference. If I had to do jobs where I had to seduce men or women, I performed without an issue. With that I picked up a few things." Ana replied while Alison continued to look up at her with wide eyes.
"You know, I wonder what his surprise would be if he came here and saw that I brought you home." The IAA stated before slowly approaching Alison who sat frozen in place. "What do you say Ali want to join in the fun?" she asked with a causal smile while rubbing the side of Alison's causing her to blush harder before pulling away.
"I I don't go that way." She replied earning a chuckle from Ana.
"If you say so." She replied before moving for the door.
"You're not going to wait here with me?" Alison asked while continuing to hide her blush.
"No, this is your time to reconnect with him, so don't spoil it." The IAA Agent stated before walking out of the room leaving Alison alone to herself and her thoughts as the feeling of Ana rubbing the side of her face sent a slight sliver of arousal down her spine.
Sunbelt City
The sun was beginning to set on this day in Sunbelt as Myra, Heather, and Brooke found themselves sitting at a distance from a bonfire party being held outside of Sunbelt in remembrance of their fallen friend.
As the trio stood in silence they quickly looked on with wide eyes as a familiar convoy of vehicles parked before them and out of them stepped a group of familiar faces.
"Well looks like we weren't the only ones not invited to the party." Said Lee as he, Mark, Jimmy, Link, Felix, Buck, and Manfred approached the trio who looked at them closely.
"I assume the asshole that killed Kozik is dead?" asked Myra as she folded her arms over her chest while sending a look to Link who only responded by looking to Mark.
"He's not dead, we need him for something." Said Mark as the group turned their heads and watched as Davey and Eddy grabbed something out the back of Lee's Dominator.
While the New Arcadia group were doing their thing, Tasha found herself sitting on a log next to the fire staring at the flames and watching them dance across the dead tree limbs as Ryan approached her and took a seat beside her.
"What Mark said isn't true." He said while the girl remained silent. "Me and you hooked up because we wanted to escape the people that were dragging us down." He added causing Tasha to look up at him.
"I know that." She replied to the BSU leaders surprise as he watched her turn to face him with a smile. "I've learned never to take the words of a psychopath like Mark to heart." She added earning a slight smile from Ryan before he and Tasha shared a quick kiss with one another.
"Mark's nothing more than a murderer with nothing to his name but a bunch of blind followers…you're a leader. Everyone here looks up to you don't forget that." She stated earning a wide smile from Ryan who nodded his head.
As he went in to give her another the duo was interrupted by a loud scream followed by people moving out of the way for Tasha, Ryan, and the other BSU members to notice Mark, Lee, Jimmy, and Link pushing a shirtless Caucasian man with numerous cuts over his body and a brown bag over his head towards the fire while Buck, Felix, Davey, Eddy, Manfred, Viktor, and Miller brought up the rear.
"On your knees." Said Lee as he slammed the butt of his Shotgun into the man's back causing him to fall on all fours before the Sunbelt members who seemed to be in a mixed state of shock, surprise, fear, and disgust all at once at the sight of the man before him.
"What is this Mark?" asked Ryan as he eyed the youngest Roman closely taking in the sight of his blood covered clothing and Glock 19 in his right hand.
"This…this is us taking care of business." Mark replied while pulling back the slide on his pistol and creating that familiar cocking sound that he had grown to love and hate over the years.
The Creole then sent a look to Jimmy who quickly approached the fallen man and removed the mask from his head allowing everyone to see his blood covered.
"This is the asshole who killed Kozik." Mark yelled out while everyone took in the sight of the man. "Still breathing I might add, Kozik's been dead for a week and this asshole has been spending it burning crosses on a black families yard and handing brown people over to Civic Border Patrol and what have any of you done about it." He yelled out with anger in his tone.
"A friend of ours dies and you let his killer walk around with a smile on his face and a stripe on his belt." Yelled Lee as the man looked up at him with an pained angry expression on his face. "DON'T EYEBALL ME!" he yelled before slamming the butt of his gun across the man's face knocking him to the ground again.
"You spoiled rich assholes might not know about it, but in the real world when someone kills one of us…we kill one of them." Stated Jimmy as the group watched him fold his arms across his chest.
"Why don't you kill him." Came a familiar voice that caused all eyes to fall on Tasha as she stood before Mark with a serious look. "That's all you boys are good for." She added with venom in her tone.
"Because we ain't BSU anymore so we don't have an obligation to help you." Mark replied with venom of his own.
"If you want us to kill someone for you, you better learn to start talking numbers or favors because there are no more freebies from us." Lee replied while folding his arms across his chest.
"We got our revenge on this prick for Kozik, but now…it's your turn." Added Felix as the group watched Mark drop the pistol on the ground before kicking it over to Tasha and Ryan.
"I hope somebody in this group grows a pair pretty quick." Said Jimmy as he shared a chuckle with Lee, Davey, and Eddy before Mark sent a look to Link and started to walk away from the bonfire with the group following behind them.
"You really think one of them is going to pull the trigger?" asked Link as he walked beside Mark who gave him a light chuckle.
"I have no faith at all." He replied before sending looks to Myra, Heather, and Brooke.
"Say goodbye to your girlfriend's boys we gotta go." He replied before watching his brothers walk away while he sent a look to Brooke who was eyeing him closely.
New Arcadia
The sun had finally set on this day in New Arcadia as Task found himself stepping out of his car in front of a pool hall carrying an MP5 Submachine Gun with Adahy stepping out beside him carrying his AK-47 Assault Rifle.
The duo then sent looks down the road where they noticed a light Blue Emperor and Tornado pull up followed by three brown cars as they watched Guardo, Loka, Raskal, La Quica, Travieso, and six other members of the Azteca's and Brown Pride stepped out of the vehicles with their own heavy weapons.
"You sure this the place?" asked Task earning a nod from Guardo.
"A few of the pee-wees have been watching King Vinewood and they can confirm he's here now with about twelve other guys." The Azteca leader replied before sending a look down the street where the two Northern Natives turned their attention to three Mexican-American kids who had to be less than ten years old riding on bicycles before riding away from the group.
"Alright then we go in loud and lay everyone out, including that Cabron Vinewood." Stated Guardo as he loaded a few shells into his Mossberg 500 Shotgun before leading the group of attackers which consisted of Loka, Task, Adahy, and two more Azteca's towards the front of the pool hall while Travieso led his group towards the back.
As the group readied themselves Loka took a peek through the window where she quickly noticed three Spanish Lords sitting around the bottom floor of pool hall but her eyes quickly fell on a man of Puerto Rican descent wearing a black do-rag, yellow shirt, baggy black jeans, and white shoes moving for the stairs.
"I see that Puto Vinewood, he's moving up the stairs." She stated earning a nod from Guardo who cocked his Rifle.
"Let's go then!" he said before kicking the glass door, shattering it, and creating a loud crashing sound that caught the Spanish Lords by surprise.
As they watched him, Task, and Adahy make their way through the door they quickly went for their guns but they weren't quick enough for the two Natives as Task and Adahy quickly squeezed their triggers and fired four shots striking one man in the chest and another twice in the chest and twice in the head.
"VAGOS IN THE HOUSE!" yelled the last man on the ground before he was shot three times in the gut before being hit once in the face just below the eye courtesy of Loka who quickly moved to take cover while Guardo went for the staircase and noticed a Spanish Lord wearing a red bandanna over his face and carrying a Mac-10 coming down the stairs.
"Fucking Punto." He yelled before firing a single shot that slammed through the man's chest, destroying his rib cage, and blowing his heart and parts of his lung out a back exit wound. The Azteca leader then stepped aside as the body of the dead Lord rolled down the stairs before hitting the floor hard.
"I'm heading up!" yelled Guardo to Task and Adahy's disapproval as they watched him and another Azteca make their way up the stairs.
"Stick together-." Started Task a Spanish Lord came rushing out of a separate room firing two Mini-Uzi's while another with an M16 followed him out and fired on the group striking one Azteca in the shoulder and causing the others to move to cover.
"You sewer rats don't belong here." Yelled the man with the M-16 as Task stood up and fired his MP5 at the man before rolling to cover behind a pool table while the man continued to light the table up.
"This is our city now Cabron." Yelled Loka earning a chuckle from the lord with the two Mini-Uzi's.
"Please bitch this city is far from yours, I don't even think there's an 18th Street in this city." He yelled out before firing a barrage of rounds at Loka who had to duck to avoid the shots as they ate away at the pool table she was using for cover.
"GO!" yelled the man with the M-16 as he and the other Lord made their way out the front door and fled from the Pool Hall.
"Running like cowards as always, fucking Chavalas." Loka yelled out with anger in her voice.
As Guardo finally made his way up the stairs he scanned his surrounding to see that he was in the clear before turning towards the door to the next room while the other Azteca slowly made his way up the stairs. The Azteca leader was then caught off-guard as a Lord wielding a Glock 21 jumped from his hiding spot and fired a single shot that struck the Azteca behind Guardo in the face causing the Mexican man to whip around and fired a shot into the shoulder of the Lord causing him to spin around before hitting the ground face first screaming in pain.
Guardo then looked down at his fallen brother and noticed that he had taken the bullet under his left eyeball and more than likely died before he hit the ground. Enraged by the death of his comrade Guardo moved to the screaming Lord and fired a single shot into the back of his skull and watched as the top of his skull rolled away from his body.
The sound of more gunfire outside the back of the pool hall is what caused Guardo to break his concentration and look to the other door as Travieso, La Quica, Raskal, and three more gang members found themselves in a shootout with seven Spanish Lords and things didn't seem to be going in their favor.
"Kill these imitating marks." Yelled King Vinewood as he stood behind his Spanish Lords before running away and allowing him to run away from the group just as Guardo got to a window drew his Pistol and fired five shots at the fleeing man who managed to avoid all five shots before hopping into a dark red Emperor and speeding away from the Pool Hall.
"Damn it he got away." Yelled Guardo as he reloaded his pistol before firing out the window at the Spanish Lords causing them to turn in his direction and giving Travieso and the others the breathing room they needed.
"NOW!" yelled Travieso as he, La Quica, and Raskal jumped from cover and fired on the remaining Spanish Lords shredding them with rounds and watching as bullets went out their bodies and actually tore through the brick wall behind them.
"GO!" Raskal said before leading the remaining BPV into the Pool Hall where they quickly regrouped with Guardo, Task, Adahy, Loka, and the remaining Azteca.
"Boboso got away." Said Travieso with anger in his tone.
"Fucking Lords always running from a fight." Stated Loka.
"And if they ain't running they snitching." Added La Quica as she and Loka shared a laugh before the group was interrupted by the sound of police sirens making their way to the group's location.
"We gotta go." Yelled Task as the groups made their way out of the pool hall.
Meanwhile
The drive back to New Arcadia wasn't that long for the group of thieves as Mark, Lee, Felix, and Manfred found themselves driving their stolen vans through the streets of the cities 3rd Ward before pulling up into an abandoned warehouse where they were quickly greeted by the sight of Marrick and several other Roman Boyz standing around awaiting their arrival.
"Nigga you late." The second eldest yelled out earning a chuckle from his younger brother.
"I'm late, but we made it anyway." Mark replied with a chuckle as he and Lee watched the group of Roman Boyz make their way towards the vans and begin to take out the boxes filled with cocaine.
"We got enough to resupply your guys in the 3rd, our own guys in the 17th, and maybe we can bring some guys in the 2nd and 4th in on this haul and maybe a few independent niggas in the French." Stated the Creole earning a chuckle from Marrick.
"Or we can keep it all ourselves and sell it on our own." He shot back earning a chuckle from Lee.
"Yeah but between our two sides we wouldn't be able to move this much coke in a few weeks. A big rule to selling drugs is to sell all you got as fast as you can because you don't want to be caught with this much." Stated Lee while Felix nodded his head.
"I'd say this alone is enough to get life in a federal prison, if what remains of the Arturo's don't use the Zeros to kill you first because we did just wipe out what remained of their leadership." Added the Mexican man earning a nod from Lee.
"I'll see if pops can talk to the dudes in the 2nd, but you'll have to talk to the dudes in the 4th. You know we don't fuck with them boys." Marrick shot back earning a nod from Mark.
"Done, our part is done now you guys do yours." Said Mark before he slapped hands with his brother before walking away with Lee and the others in tow.
"Glad this day is done." Stated Manfred before Mark's cellphone started to ring causing him to look down at the device and notice who was calling him.
"Link what's up?" the youngest Roman asked while Lee, Felix, and Manfred looked to him.
"Brother, you need to get home fast like right now." The blonde man replied while standing in the hallway with Buck as the duo looked into Mark's room and noticed a familiar redheaded woman sleeping soundlessly on his bed.
Authors Note: And boom a lot going on in this chapter and a big cliffhanger at the end that I hoped you liked. Sorry it took longer than usual to update but school has started back up and the work is pouring on me Monday thru Friday. I've also got my hands on the remastered Resident Evil 4 that is occupying my weekends, I didn't play 4 when it first came out so you can see why.
So I can't give you an exact date of the next update, I also want to work on the next chapter of Roman Empire before people start thinking the story is dead so expect that coming up next.
Also this chapter was long and introduced a number of people but it was supposed to be a lot longer. I was gonna introduce another Sunbelt Street Gang that was gonna help Mark, Lee, and the others rob the Cartel, I was gonna have a police chase scene with Task, Adahy, and the Vagos, and there was also a scene where Alison found Mark's gun-stash that I took away. Oh and a fight at hardcore club in Sunbelt between Mark's Crew, BSU, and the Skinheads. All in all this chapter would have been over 26,000 words and I didn't want to make this chapter as long as lost so I decided to shorten it.
I will feature that fight scene at the hardcore show in a later chapter that I can promise though.
One of the reasons for this chapter being so long was all the introductions of new characters. The biggest being Mark, Lee, and Link's other foster care brother Jimmy. Jimmy is visually based off Cameron Monaghan's character Ian on Shameless and that scene where he shot Luis all over his body was based off a scene in the first season where Ian shot a cardboard cutout. He won't be featured in a lot of chapter at this point in this story but he will make more appearances throughout the story as another gun for Mark and Lee.
I also introduced Mark's ex-girlfriend Tasha Jackson who is visually based off Cymphonique miller who is the daughter of Master P. She will make another appearance in a few chapters down the line as Mark's ex who constantly calls him for bullshit and help.
I also introduced the leader of BSU's Sunbelt Chapter and the guy who took Mark's old lady Ryan Lanes. Who is visually based off Liam Hemsworth who played Gale in Hunger Games, and Jake in the new Independence Day. I also wanted to introduce more BSU members in this chapter but being that I had to cut the club fight scene I decided to push more introductions back to another chapter.
With that I also introduced Heather Cho who is visually inspired by Julia Ling who…isn't really a girlfriend to Lee but a girl he had a close relationship with that went sour. There is also Myra who is Link's ex girlfriend who is visually based off Moira from the Resident Evil game and Brooke who is Ryan's ex-girlfriend that is visually based off Tina Majorino.
There was also the introduction of the BGA General locked up in prison Omar who is visually based off Ving Rhames. He will make later appearances down the line but I'm also curious as to how you all see the BGA's decision of killing Mark and I'm wondering if you think he'll go through with it.
A lot of this chapter followed Mark and Lee, but I didn't want to not feature Task and Adahy doing something in this chapter so I had them working with the arrival of Azteca's in New Arcadia and the surrounding Parishes. Amongst them I introduced Guardo who is visually based off the Rapper Sir Dyno and his sister Loka who is visually based off rapper Flakiss.
With them I also introduced Travieso who is visually based off Honduran born American actor Rigo Nova. Along with him introduced Raskal who is visually based off rapper B-Real and La Quica who is visually based off Rocsi Diaz who was cohost of BET's 106 & Park.
In the past it was rare to see brown gangs in Louisiana but after Katrina there was influx of illegal immigrants mostly from Mexico and Honduras but also an influx of brown families from across the south from as far as California to Tennessee and with those increased numbers you see more brown gangs. The Latin Kings have been here for a while but there are now Surenos, MS-13, but I've also heard that the Fresno Bulldogs are also located in Louisiana. If true I don't know but if I find anything out I may feature them later.
With these influx of brown gangs you start to see some conflict and in the past black drug gangs have gone to war with brown gangs after Katrina. You don't hear much about it now but you can guess the animosity is still there and that will be shown next chapter.
I also gave a slight glimpse of who King Vinewood is, if you read some facts online about Latin Kings you'll know who he's based off and why a lot of people black or brown call him bullshit. I'll show some of the reasons why people don't like him next chapter but he will make more appearances down the line and will become a major threat to not only the Vagos but also the New Arcadia gangs.
The Condados gang is based off Tango Blast, Condado is something they call themselves when they enter the jails that let's people know they run with Tango. I want to thank Onkwehonwe for helping to come up with the name. We didn't want it to be too close to Tango but know that it was something they used.
The shootout at the Pool Hall was based off a shootout on Season 2 of Narcos with members of the Cali Cartel against Pablo's Hitmen for the Medellin Cartel. Mark's drug heist was longer in this chapter then what I originally thought for it mostly because I wanted to show off the weapons they use in Sunbelt, I wanted you to see that Jimmy isn't just a name but he's also on the same level of bad-ass that both Mark and Lee are on, and I wanted all of Mark's crew to pitch in not just the gunners but Link and Manfred also did their things and helped out in ways.
Stick Around for Part 2 as Mark and Alison finally reunite, Lee and Felix help Mark's sister Gwen with a serious problem, Task and Adahy help the Vagos in their hunt for King Vinewood, Marrick has an encounter with some Vagos that doesn't go to well, and Joe decides the fate of Marcus Roman.
Thank you all for reading stick around for next chapter Zilla 2000 signing out.
