Chapter 22: A Thousand Ways to Die in the Bayou

A Black Guy, A Chinese Guy, Two Native Americans, and A Mexican walk into a Bayou filled with a bunch of Racist Rednecks with more Guns then Brain…What Can Possibly Go Wrong?

New Arcadia

The sun was starting to rise on this morning in New Arcadia as Alison found herself slowly opening her eyes and realizing that she was once again waking up in the bed of the youngest Roman, but then reality soon hit her. She slept in Mark's bed with Mark in it last night and that was one of the things she was trying to avoid.

Upon looking under the covers at herself she noticed that she was still wearing her clothes from the day before so she gave a nod in a silent victory before looking up and realizing that the youngest Roman wasn't in the room similar to the night before so Alison quickly jumped out of the bed and made her way into the hallway where she heard a unsettling noise coming from the bathroom and quickly noticed Mark leaning over with his head in the toilet bowl.

"Ah fuck!" Mark said before giving a loud cough then vomiting again in the toilet as Alison walked into the bathroom and started to rub his back in a soothing manner. "Damn it!" he yelled upon finishing and looking up at the woman who looked down upon him with a look of concern causing the Creole to turn away.

The duo didn't have sex the night before but words were said, things were done, and right now they both were having that awkward moment in the morning where they couldn't look at each other and feared asking one another the questions that were on both their minds.

"Mark I-." Alison started deciding to break the silence that was building over the two of them but Mark quickly cut her off.

"Don't!" he said in a deep tone to Alison's shock. "Let's not sit here and talk about what happened last night and what was said, it causes less problems." He replied with a growl before looking down to his bandaged arm while Alison looked him over and noticed the small bandage over his forehead.

"As you wish." She replied earning a nod from Mark before he upchucked into the toilet while Alison continued to pat him on the back in a soothing manner while watching him take deep breaths.

"Mark…who's Dunbar?" she asked causing Mark's eyes to widen before giving a low growl of anger at her question. "Was he another one of the men that hurt all of you when you were young?" she asked causing Mark to look at her angrily, but he looked at her with hate in his eyes he noticed the concerned look on her face with this image before him he instantly calmed down and decided to talk to her.

"I lost it on my foster parents one day. I shoved my foster mother and punched my dad so they called Dockington Police to straighten me out…Officer Jacob Dunbar was the worst of them all." He started to Alison's surprise. "Being a cop in Dockington made Dunbar very…racist so he who liked to fuck with me instead of Link or Lee. He was a dirty cop but he never touched me in fact he despised what we were but as long as he got a cut of the money he turned a blind eye." He added while Alison looked him over.

"Those fucking assholes paid Dunbar two thousand dollars to disciple in me." Started before trailing off and looking to the bathtub. "He took me to this house in Northeast Dockington where him and a few of his cop buddies would spend the day cracking jokes and zapping me with Tasers and Cattle Prods." Mark shot back to Alison's shock and surprise.

"Then at night he'd lock me in this small, cramped, smelly closet tie me naked to a chair, and leave me like that for a week with music just blaring." He finished with anger in his tone. "Then when the week ended and I'm starved, thirsty, and covered in my own filth, he'd take me out to the foster home and parade me around for everyone to see." He replied with anger in his tone.

"Then after all of that was done, he sprayed me down with a hose, gave me water,…and then threw me back in that closet for another week." He replied with anger in his voice before elbowing the wall with anger in his tone.

"It's embarrassing, here I am a person not afraid to kill and that bastard is still in Dockington doing what he does best…making people suffer." He shot out while lowering his head before being taken off guard as Alison pulled him in for a quick hug before speaking out.

"He's alive but he'll get what he deserves…guys like him always do." She shot back causing Mark to lower himself while taking in her familiar sweet lavender scent before pulling away from her to the woman's surprise.

"You shouldn't have slept here last night." He shot to Alison's surprise.

"I had to make sure you didn't cut your hand off." She shot back.

"I thank you for that, but it may…complicate things with your boyfriend." He replied causing Alison eyes to widen as the thought of Steve finally filled her mind. He was coming to New Arcadia today and it had been over a day since she last talked to him so things weren't looking good right now.

"You should go to him." Mark stated causing Alison to look down at him and notice the serious look on his face while he looked away from her. "It's not good to keep a guy waiting so go to him, I'll be okay Lee and the others will keep me company." He added earning a nod from Alison before she leaned down to look him in the face but the Creole kept his gaze away from her while she looked him over.

"I'll call to check on you tonight." She said while Mark nodded his head before watching her stand up to leave out of the bathroom. As Alison stopped to look back inside she noticed that Mark was watching her leave so without thinking she decided to speak up.

"I don't want you to think that just because Steve is in my life you're out of it. I still care about you Mark and I want you to know you can come to me if you need to talk…about anything." She replied earning a slight chuckle from Mark.

"I know…I'll just the gruesome shit I do to myself though." He stated earning silence from Alison before she walked out of the bathroom and into the living room where she noticed Lee and Link in the kitchen making breakfast.

"When did you two start to cook?" she asked with a half-smile while Lee gave a chuckle.

"When Mark started leaving for weeks on end without telling people." Lee replied causing Alison to look down.

"Did he tell you how he got drugged, I mean I thought you guys were drug free?" she asked earning a chuckle from Lee.

"Yeah he told us." Replied Link while Lee looked to the hallways and shouted. "He told us and I don't feel sorry for his ass." Before turning to Alison and speaking out.

"Some bitch asked her to take her drunk friend to their car. When he layed her down in the backseat she jumped up and kissed him on the mouth and whatever she was drinking passed into him." Lee replied to Alison's shock.

"That was all her I had no intentions of doing that." Mark yelled out from the bathroom.

"Yet it happened." Lee shot back.

"Does that happen a lot?" Alison asked with a raised brow.

"Us getting drugged doesn't really happen. We play it smart by not eating or drinking anything while we're out so we stay clean but the kisses…well-." Link trailed off before Lee cut him off.

"Occasionally a few of the strippers like to kiss us after we got them out of the club from that shooting, but other than that nothing special. I mean occasionally I bring one of them home but we aren't whoring ourselves out to them." Lee replied with a slight chuckle. While Alison lightly nodded her head.

"Don't worry Mark wouldn't have his rumor of being gay if he was like Lee." Link replied to Alison's shock.

"Gay!" she asked.

"Yeah Mark's the only guy who goes to club and doesn't flirt, take a dance, or even want to talk to strippers." Stated Link.

"That's because I don't like being teased." Mark shot back earning chuckles from Lee and Link.

"Don't worry about Mark, we got him today." Stated Link earning a nod from Alison.

"Alright then, let me know if you need anything and I mean anything." She said to the two boy's confusion. "I may have been away these last few years but I've been keeping track of things in and around New Arcadia these last few years to make sure you aren't dead or in jail." She added.

"Well then glad to see we didn't give you anything to worry about." Lee shot back with a chuckle.

"You aren't dead or in jail but does the killing of the Ward Boss for the 17th ring any bells?" she asked while folding her arms over her chest and watching as the group looked away from her. "Or a shootout in the 17th that left five dead." She continued while the group remained silent.

"Mark told me about you boys running the 17th Ward. I have…some problems with that but I can work around them as long as there are no bodies anywhere…and I mean that." She stated earning nods from the duo.

"Well you ain't got nothing to worry about we're-." Lee started before his cellphone started to ring causing him to look down at the device and notice a familiar number of the phone.

"I gotta go." The Chinese man said. "But we're listening to you." He said before making his way into the bathroom.

"You got nothing to worry about Ali, last night was our first violent act in over three months. So there's been no need for violence." Link replied earning a slight nod from Alison.

"Alright then but I will check in on you guys." She said before making her way towards the front door. "And watch over Mark, he seems to need it right now." She added before Link nodded his head and watched her go out the door while Mark and Lee made their way into the living room.

"You feeling any better?" Link asked while sending a look to Mark who gave a violent cough before speaking.

"No, fuck I'm gonna slice Joe in half for this shit." The Creole yelled out with anger in his tone.

"Are you sure he was trying to kill you last night?" Link asked earning a nod from Mark.

"Yeah I'll admit I fell for the walk me to my car bullshit, but even if that weren't the case why was Joe and Cake following me there. It had to have been a trap." He yelled out while gripping the handle of his knife.

"I guess the BGA has given him that ultimatum." Lee replied while folding his arms over his chest.

"Ironic ain't it the BGA was trying to kill you but if it wasn't for the Vagos interrupting you'd be dead?" stated Link with a slight chuckle.

"Man fuck them boys they didn't save me they wanted Joe dead more than me, but I guess that's changed now." Mark shot back with anger in his tone.

"You got nothing to worry about with them Los Santos Rejects. We made sure their bodies won't be found…ever again." Lee replied earning a nod from Mark before his cellphone started to ring again.

"Who's that?" Link asked while eyeing the Chinese man closely.

"I gotta take a trip to Little Vietnam to meet with Sonny for a new job." He replied earning a nod from Mark.

"Alright be careful." Mark replied before collapsing on the couch. "I'm just gonna hang here...and hate myself for being weak." He added before pushing his face into the couch cushions.

"You do that brother." Lee replied before making his way out the front door while Link watched Mark closely.

Elsewhere

On the otherside of New Arcadia Joe found himself continuing to nurse the back of his skull with ice from his refrigerator. The man then made his way back into his living room where he noticed Muujai sitting on his couch smoking a joint.

"I don't like nobody smoking in my crib dawg." Joe replied earning a chuckle from Muujai who quickly said something in Somali before responding.

"Negro I don't care what you like because as far as I'm concerned you have no say here, until Marcus Roman is a dead man." He yelled out with anger in his tone.

"He would be dead if you didn't go and kill that fucking Vago." Joe shot back with anger in his tone.

"To hell with the Vagos, those butt babies messed up by messing with us and I expect you to make them feel for that…today." He stated earning a shake of the head from Joe.

"I can't…it's a Sunday." Joe stated to Muujai's surprise. "New Arcadia police crackdown a lot harder on dudes who do shootings on Sunday because of so there's this unwritten rule on the streets on what to do…and what not to do in New Arcadia." He added earning a slight nod from Muujai.

"Understandable…alright then we won't hit the Vagos, but Mark is still a target." He replied.\

"What makes you think Mark will just meet with us huh, what makes you think he doesn't suspect something?" Joe asked earning a chuckle from Muujai.

"I guess we'll find out today." He finished with venom in his tone.

Meanwhile

The drive to Little Vietnam wasn't long for Lee as he parked his car in front of a familiar Vietnamese Restaurant before stepping out of the vehicle and then making his way through the front door where he noticed a number of men and women sitting down eating as he made his way up to the counter where a young Vietnamese woman with short black hair, bright black eyes, and wearing a red dress stood before him.

"Sonny's in the back." She said before allowing Lee to step past her before making his way into the back of the restaurant where he heard the familiar sound of blows being landed against a human body and upon finally reaching his destination he spotted Sonny standing beside a Vietnamese man who must have stood about five foot eight with a shaved head, dark black eyes, and wearing a grey suit and punching a shirtless Vietnamese man that was tied to a chair.

"Lee glad you could make it." Said Sonny as he eyed the Chinese man with a smile. "You remember Nguyễn Van Tru?" he asked earning a nod from Lee.

"Yeah Winston." Lee replied earning a look from the man. He was a main enforcer for the Vietnamese gang and has put in work for them not only in New Arcadia but also Liberty, Los Santos, Sunbelt, and Carcer City. The man was also a Vietnamese immigrant whose name was sometimes hard to pronounce for a number of people so they "blessed" him with the name Winston something that he despised.

"Watch it China-Black." The Vietnamese man replied earning a chuckle from Lee who leaned against the counter with a smile. Over the years of working for the Vietnamese Criminals he'd earned a nickname of his own, China-Black, because unlike them he was Chinese and spent much of his life hanging around blacks so the name seemed to fit him.

"Who's the guy in the chair?" Lee asked before looking to the blood covered man who seemed to be cowering in fear.

"A Chết tiệt ăn chó, (Shit Eating Bitch), who thought it was smart to steal from us. Who's a second away from getting his dick chopped off he doesn't tell me where my money is." Sonny yelled out causing the man to cower in fear. "That's what's wrong with your generation Lee you boys are fucking greedy and power-hungry." He added earning a confused look from Lee.

"My generation I was born in the early 90's this dude looks like he maybe mid 80's." the Chinese man shot back.

"That makes it worse." Winston shot back with a chuckle.

"As far as we're concerned the generation gets worse and worse as time passes, just look at Millennials. I got a nephew that literally loses his head whenever the internet goes out." Sonny shot back earning a nod from Lee.

"Yeah well they are the generation that like to talk over a computer screen and not go out. Plus they didn't grow up in that age whenever someone had to make a call you couldn't be on the computer. That made tech support difficult." The Chinese man stated before giving a chuckle. "So you want me to get your money out of this guy?" he asked while Sonny shook his head.

"No, what I need you to do is more serious and you may need to bring that crew of yours with you for this job." He replied.

Red Stick

The day was finally starting for Felix as he found himself opening his eyes on this new day in Red Stick and noticing the smell of food air that seemed different from what he was accustomed to living with Mark and the others.

Upon lifting himself up from the couch he realized that he was in the living of Task and Adahy's home and deducted that he must have fallen asleep in their living room. After rising to his feet the Mexican man then made his way into the kitchen where he spotted Task standing over the stove preparing a breakfast of grits.

"Glad to see you got up." The Lakota replied before turning to face the Mexican man who rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah sorry about that." He shot back earning a shake of the head from Task.

"Dude you're practically with us everyday, the face that you don't spend some nights here amazes me." He stated earning a roll of the eyes from Felix.

"It still makes me look back." He replied earning a slight chuckle from Task. "Last night I was trying to think up a new job we could pull off." He added earning a nod from Task.

"Don't worry about it something will turn up." Replied the Lakota before Adahy walked into the living kitchen just as Felix's cellphone went off.

"Who is that?" the Creek Warrior asked he and the Lakota looked to Felix.

"Lee, he says he's got a high paying job that he could use extra hands for if you guys aren't too busy." Felix shot back earning a slight chuckle from Task.

"See I told you something would turn up." The Lakota shot back while Adahy shook his head.

"I get that we need the money but I'm getting tired of getting the scraps off their jobs." Adahy shot back to Felix's confusion.

"I get you don't like it, but it's worth taking so swallow your pride and put on your shoes." Task responded before fixing himself a bowl of Oatmeal and then making his way out of the kitchen.

New Arcadia Airport

The mixed order of sentences, tones, grunts, and scoffs seemed to be filing Alison's mind with a feeling of confusion as she stood inside of the airport awaiting Steve, whose plane had just landed. As she waited the FIB Agent's mind seemed to be working against her as she thought about the youngest Roman while continuing to remember the night they shared.

Their time was short but it still left a memory in her mind. After stopping Mark from cutting himself she had put the man to bed and despite her mind telling her not to hop in the bed with him her heart was telling her not to leave him alone…so she didn't. She climbed in the bed with him and held him in her arms in the manner a wife would a husband when their mother dies. The feeling of his head on her chest and her hands moving through his hair seemed to bring a blush to her face as she remembered kissing the top of his forehead after he'd fallen to sleep.

Her thoughts were then interrupted by someone yelling out her name causing her to look up and notice a familiar rugged brunette approaching her with a smile and wearing a black button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, blue jean pants, and white shoes.

The sight of Steve seemed to bring a smile to Alison's face as the memories of Mark quickly faded out and were replaced by new thought as Steve approached her and quickly wrapped her into his arms and then planting a big kiss on her lips to Alison's surprise. After a few seconds though the woman lazily closed her eyes before wrapping her arms around him and taking in his taste as she kissed him back.

The duo then separated and smiled as they gazed into the others eyes silently before Alison finally broke the silence.

"I didn't think you'd miss me that much." she said while watching him chuckle.

"Yeah well when you don't answer your phone all-day I kinda got an idea." He replied before planting another kiss on her lips.

"So are you gonna show me the town?" he asked while Alison nodded her head before looking down as Steve took her hand within his own and following her out of the airport.

Elsewhere

"What are we doing here?" asked Muujai as he found himself sitting outside of a Corner Store in the 17th Ward watching as people went in and out.

"This is usually a spot where we can find Mark." Stated Cake as he found himself sitting beside Muujai watching the building. "Niggas on the street think he be bringing fools up in there chopping them up and eating." He added earning a slight chuckle from Muujai.

"Is it true you eat people?" he asked causing the Somali man to turn to him with a smile.

"I'm not gonna dignify that with an answer." He replied while looking back out at the restaurant where he noticed an Indian American man make his way inside but failed to think much of it as Manfred sent a look back and noticed Cake in the car with the BGA Hitman.

"Hmm!" said Manfred before he stepped inside the store.

East New Arcadia

The ride back home wasn't long for Felix as Task pulled his car up in front of the Mexican man's home before stepping step out of the vehicle just as Lee pulled up and parked in his usual place before stepping out and noticing Felix step out with the two Natives.

"Well, glad to see you two could make it." Said Lee as he approached the trio and shook hands with Task.

"You said big pay day." The Lakota replied while Lee sent a look to Adahy who remained silent. Over the years Lee had learned not to expect much from the Creek Warrior so he often didn't push the man to open up unless he had to.

"Not really a pay day but what we are going after is big and could get you some more money for your pockets." The Chinese man replied with a slight chuckle. "But come we can talk about this inside." he added before leading the trio to the front door before opening it up and allowing the group to step inside where the group quickly noticed Mark resting his head on the lap of a familiar Chinese woman who was sitting on his couch wearing a dark red dress.

"When the hell did you get here?" Lee asked earning a wicked smile from Ana.

"A few minutes after you left, I heard Mark had an incident last night so I thought I'd check on him." The IAA Agent replied while stroking the head of the Roman.

"I'm fine." Mark shot back with a growl while Task, Adahy, and Felix got a look of the Creole and noticed his eyes were somewhat bloodshot, he had dark circles around them, and he looked somewhat weaker with less color in his face.

"What happened to him?" whispered Felix as he looked to Lee.

"Some bitch at the club passed him her spit without telling him she was full of Mushrooms and LSD." The Chinese man shot back knowing he was only giving a half-story but the less Felix knew at the moment were for the best.

"We got a bone to pick with you." Said Adahy as he eyed Ana who gave a chuckle while eyeing him before looking to Lee.

"What's the job you got Lee?" she asked just as Link and Buck walked into the living room.

"Alright I got a job from the Sonny, apparently some shits been going down the Asians in Los Santos and they need some…hardware to help them sleep more comfortably at night." Lee replied to the group's surprise.

"Well if you're looking to us you're out of luck, someone bought our entire supplies a few days ago." Shot Adahy as he folded his arms over his chest while Felix gave him a confused look.

"Thank god for that we haven't been able to get a real sale these last few months and we don't know why." Added Task causing Lee to send a look to Mark who shook his head at the man. The duo knew the exact reason why the two Natives hadn't been getting any action but they decided to get keep quiet on that for all of their safety.

"We don't know you need to sell them guns, we need you to help us steal some guns for them." Lee replied to the group's confusion. "A couple of nights ago some hillbilly walks into one of their restaurants with his wife and son. The dumbasses thought nobody in the place spoke good enough English and started talking about a shipment of guns these rednecks in the bayou are holding onto for some guys in Alabama until the heat dies down." Lee stated earning nods from the group.

"Sonny's people have already been doing recon and area and it's legit." He added before reaching into his pocket and pulling out pictures of an old rundown building with a few trailers around it and a large truck parked out front.

"Sonny's already given me thirty thousand for signing off on it and he says he'll give me another thirty when it's done, but I doubt I can do this alone." Lee replied before sending looks to Mark and the others.

"I'm in." said Buck before sending a look to Link who shot out. "Someone's gotta watch over your." Before folding his arms over his chest while Lee sent a look to Task and Adahy.

"Aside from a cut of the money you two will also get a crate of weapons to sell for yourselves…for your troubles." Lee added earning looks from Task and Adahy before the former replied. "We're in!"

"I'm in as well." Voiced Mark with a growl earning the group's attention.

"Are you sure you can fight?" asked Lee as he watched the Roman struggle to rise to his feet.

"Yeah, she's just gonna make me fight anyway." He replied while all eyes fell on Ana who gave a smile. "Plus you need someone who knows those Bayou's. Those Rednecks know it like they know their sisters G-Spot but I can get us where we need to be." The Creole added while Ana smiled.

"You can count myself in as well." She replied to the group's surprise.

"I thought you didn't like to touch jobs like this?" asked Lee while Ana gave a slight chuckle.

"Normally I don't, but seeing as Mark isn't exactly the best prepared for battle I think I'll insert myself into your job…free of charge." She replied to the group's surprise. "Plus this you time to stretch the legs." She added with a wicked smile.

"Alright then, we're all set so let's go make some money." Lee replied with a half-smile before leading the group out of the house.

Elsewhere

The chiming sound of someone entering the front door seemed to instantly catch the ears of Manfred as he turned his head and noticed Miller and Viktor entering the place with mixed looks on their faces as they approached him.

"What's going on brother?" Miller asked as he stood across from the Indian man who looked out the window of the shop and noticed that the car from earlier was still parked out front.

"Don't turn around, but Cake and some other guy are parked out front the store right now." he stated earning confused looks from the duo before they slightly looked back and noticed a silver car parked across the street from the store.

"You think this could have something to do with last night?" Viktor asked earning a slight nod from the Indian man.

"Either way it goes you both remember protocol for this situation so we gotta act." Manfred replied earning nods from the duo before they went to move around the while he went to the back office of the store and noticed a small safe resting on the floor behind the desk.

The Indian man then quickly opened the safe and revealed its contents which consisted of almost fifteen thousand dollars in cash and a 92 FS Beretta's resting atop the money. He then quickly picked up a plastic bag and started placing all the money inside. Over the last few years the BSU members had grown rather accustomed to hiding and cleaning the money they collected from street taxes and heist and had developed a system for moving everything around.

After filling up the bag the Indian man then returned to the front of the store where he handed it to Miller and Viktor before saying. "Move to get the others and make contact with Mark when you're done." He said while Miller handed him twenty dollars in a ruse that looked like they had actually bought something before speaking out. "What about you?"

The Indian man then replied by slowly lifting up his shirt and revealing the handle for the Pistol to the duo's shock. They knew Manfred wasn't a shooter and it was well established that he wasn't good with a gun, but the Indian man would happily use it if a situation came up and right now he hoped nothing would as he watched Miller and Viktor stepping out of the store while Muujai kept his eyes on the place as Cake slumbered beside him.

The New Arcadia Hustler quickly fell asleep from boredom from sitting outside of the store and because of so was unable to identify Miller and Viktor as they stepped out while seeming to be in the clear with Cake never seeing him before and Muujai not knowing any of them as he continued to look at the store.

Meanwhile

The drive back to her home wasn't long for Alison as she walked through the front door with Steve following behind her as they walked inside and took in the décor of the house.

"Wow you moved in nice." He said with a smile Alison gave a slight chuckle.

"Thanks…I had a little help." She replied while remembering Lee, Buck, and Link helping to move her furniture in the other day while looking at the floor as Steve moved throughout the house.

"You didn't cook last night?" he asked causing the woman to go wide eyed as she remembered that she didn't sleep at the house last night so there would be no sign that she was.

"No, I ordered out…and today is garbage day so I went ahead and took it out." She shot back while Steve nodded his head.

"Alison Trueblood always the go getter." He replied before approaching the woman with a smile and watching as she blushed before him.

"So are you just gonna stand there or are you gonna show me what New Arcadia has to offer?" he asked earning a slight smile from Alison before she gave him a quick kiss before leading him out of the house.

Le Lezard Roi Bayou, Outside of New Arcadia

The sound of the long stretching wetlands seemed to the only things filling the ears of Mark, Lee, Task, Ana, Felix, Adahy, Link, and Buck as they found themselves standing on the otherside of one of the largest Bayou's in the country looking out at a rather large boathouse on the swamp with a few armed people moving around it carrying guns with a large truck was parked outside of a worn-down cabin, and a few guys on Airboats moving around the swamp.

"That's a lot of Rednecks." Stated Buck as he noticed a heavyset brown haired Caucasian male with a long brown beard wearing a dirty white t-shirt under a black leather vest, blue jean pants, black boots, and carrying a Remington 870 Shotgun around the house.

"Getting near that truck maybe difficult with the amount of security these guys have around them and going in stealthy may prove different." Added Link as he looked over the area.

"Why can't we just swim over there that way they won't see us?" asked Task.

"Because that plan will get us all killed or missing limbs." replied Mark earning the attention of the group as they watched him suck on a piece of Watermelon he had brought from home causing Lee, Link, Task, Felix, and Adahy to note that he looked like a big ass stereotype right now sucking on the fruit.

"This place is called Le Lezard Roi Bayou, and there is a reason for that." Stated Mark as Ana watched him approach the water with a smile before looking down and then tossing his piece of watermelon in the bayou to the group's confusion as they watched it float along the top of the murky waters. "Wait for it." Mark added before the group watched in shock and awe as a set of long powerful jaws broke the top of the water and clamped down on the piece of watermelon causing a big splash that caused Link, Buck, Felix, Adahy, and Task to all step back as they noticed the bright red eyes of the armored modern day dinosaur before them.

"Le Lezard Roi translates to The King Lizard, this area is known for having rather Gators." Said Mark as he eyed the Reptile angrily before the group watched it give a low hiss before submerging itself back into the murky waters of the Bayou.

"Well that takes my plan off the board." Replied Task as he took a hard swallow at the realization that he'd rather be shot then eaten alive. "Any other takers?" he asked before the group heard the familiar sound of an approaching engine and turned their heads to notice a dark grey van speeding towards them.

"You guys still using the van thing?" asked Task as he looked to Lee.

"Best way to get our things around." The Chinese man shot back as the van came to halt before the group who looked inside to notice an African American man with a shaved head, black eyes, and wearing a black track suit in the front seat.

"I got your gear ready boss." He greeted earning a nod from Mark and Lee who led the group to the back of the van where they opened up the doors and revealed an arsenal of weapons and ammo in the back.

Over the last few months the group had decided that constantly going to Ammunation wasn't as smart as some would think, especially after hearing about a New Arcadia gangster getting arrested after using the bullets he bought just mere hours before to carry out a killing. Since then Mark and Lee payed the man before them, Emmanuel, to buy their bullets and carry their guns to keep them out of their house and whenever they needed them the group often called him up.

"Man it feels good to hold this." Said Lee as he picked up and looked over his Tactical Mossberg 500 Shotgun with a smile. Over the years his weapon had received some wear and tear from over use such as the number of scratches on the stock but the weapon was still good and Lee even had the phrase "Have a Nice Days" written on the side in marker.

The Chinese man then started to load his gun up with Shotgun shells before reaching behind his back, pulling out his Sawn-Off Shotgun and loading a few shells into it, and then loading a few into his Glock 19.

"Hold still." Said Link as he found himself strapping Buck into his bulletproof vest while the boy loaded a Magazine of rounds into his Mini Uzi.

"This is gonna be epic." he replied before adding a magazine into his Glock 19.

While those two readied themselves Task, Felix, and Adahy found themselves doing the same as they popped open the trunk of Adahy's truck and pulled out the weapons inside. Task took his MP5 Submachine Gun and a Pistol but he also grabbed Quiver and a few Arrows for silent combat, Felix grabbed his Ruger SR 556 Assault Rifle and a Pistol, and Adahy stuck with his own AK-47 Assault Rifle and a pistol.

"You have something I can use?" Ana asked while watching Mark dig into the back of the van and pulled out Remington 700 Sniper Rifle with a Silencer before presenting it to Ana who gave a slight chuckle.

"You want me that far away from the fighting?" she asked with a slight smile.

"Like you said I'm not operating at a hundred percent so I might not be able to take the bullet today." He replied earning a slight chuckle from Ana before she took the Rifle and noticed Mark handing her his MP7 Submachine Gun that she also took while watching Mark reach into the back of the van and pull out his SCAR-L Assault Rifle. Like Lee's Shotgun the Rifle had also taken some damage over the years such as the scratches and paint beginning to fade and Mark had also written the phrase "U Mad Bro" on the side of his sight in marker in a fashion that had some symbolic meaning.

The Roman already had his M1911 Pistol on him so he quickly started to load it up with ammo as well reaching into the back of the van for a little something extra.

"So what's the plan?" asked Link as the group heard a loud clacking sound and noticed that Mark had dropped a box of bottles with rags coming out the top on the ground and now had his M203 Standalone Pistol in his hand.

"The plan is simple." Said Mark as the group watched him detach the Grenade Launcher from its Pistol Grip attachment and then move to begin attaching it to the Under-barrel of his Rifle. "You see that row boat over there?" Mark asked directing the group's attention the single boat on the water.

"Me, Lee, and Task are gonna squeeze in that and use the current to guide us over to the otherside of that swamp. If we're lucky and stay calm the gators shouldn't touch us." He added to Lee and Task's unease. "We'll create a distraction and make a lot of noise to draw those fucks to us with Ana keeping us covered. And while we're doing that Felix, Adahy, and Buck will go right up the middle to the truck. Once you get it drive off with it, with our combined efforts we should be able to keep them back long enough." He finished earning slight nods from the group.

"Any reason why I gotta be on the boat?" asked Task as he sent a look to the waters.

"Between all of us, not counting Ana you're one of our best shots." Mark replied earning a slight chuckle from Task.

"Plus with you in danger we don't have to worry about this guy leaving us." Lee added while sending a look to Adahy. "Just a precaution." He added while the Creek Warrior rolled his eyes while watching the group move into positions.

"I hope this plan of yours works." Said Ana as she watched Mark, Lee, and Task climb into the small rowboat and lay themselves down while resting three of the Molotov Cocktails beside them.

"Doesn't it always." Mark replied earning a smile from the woman as she watched Adahy and Felix move to push the boat into the water and watched as it started to float to the otherside.

"I hope this plan of yours works Mark." Said Lee as he felt the boat move across the water.

"Yeah I just realized, I think I would rather be shot to death then eaten alive." Added Task as the group heard a low hissing sound come from the side of the boat followed by a slight tapping as an Alligator moved along the side.

"Just stay quiet and remain calm." Mark shot back while looking up at the skies as he felt the boat rock to the side while Link and the others looked on with wide eyes at the scene before them as an alligator brushed across the side of the boat.

"They're not gonna make it." Said Buck before the group heard the sound of an engine and turned their heads to notice an airboat speeding towards their location.

"Looks like we might have found a distraction." Said Ana as she lifted the Sniper Rifle looked out the scope and noticed a skinny Redneck with long brown hair and wearing a white shirt with the Confederate Flag design in her crosshairs.

As she pulled the trigger on the weapon the muffled sound of the bullet came off as a low hiss that created a loud popping sound as she blew a hole through the face of the man on the boat causing his corpse to fall into the water while the boat continued to speed down the Bayou.

The smell of blood soon filled the water and caused the Alligators to swim away from the boat and approach the corpse in the water while Mark, Lee, and Task breathed a sigh of relief as they continued to float to the otherside while Felix, Adahy, and Buck made their way to the only entrance to the compound while a shirtless redneck carrying a Pistol quickly noticed the rowboat floating towards the compound.

"What the he-." He started before looking and noticing the three men in the boat. "SHIT!" he yelled before drawing his Pistol just as Task lifted himself up and fired an arrow that struck the man in the center of the chest taking him by surprise and causing him to fire off a round that alerted the other Rednecks.

"Fucking hell." He whispered out while looking down at the arrow sticking out his chest. He then tried to lift his pistol again but before he could fire off a shot his chest cavity was obliterated courtesy of Lee who cocked his Shotgun before giving a wicked smile.

"So much for the element of surprise." Said Task as he cocked his gun.

"Prepare for combat." Mark yelled out just as the group noticed three Rednecks making their way to the side of the Lake House with their weapons at the ready.

"Let's do this." Task yelled out while firing off seven shots that struck the first man in the chest and stomach, shredding up his intestines and destroying his gallbladder in the process.

"Kill those fucks." Yelled another man with an M16 Assault Rifle as he and a man with a 12 Gauge Shotgun opened fire on the group causing the trio to duck behind the boat for cover but their efforts seemed to be in vain as the powerful rounds started to tear through the wood and to make it worse the group could hear the engine of another airboat speeding towards their location

"What are we gonna do now?" asked Task as Mark blindly fired from cover just as four more men started to fire on the group.

"We got them-." Started one Redneck but before he could finish his sentence his sentence he felt a sharp pain go through his chest that caused him to look down and notice his white shirt starting to turn red as his blood soaked into the shirt.

"Missed Target." Said Ana before she fired another shot that struck the man in the center of his forehead and caused the others look at him and this moment of relief was quickly exploited by Lee and Task who grabbed two of the Molotov's, lit the paper inside, and then tossed them in the direction of the group.

"MOLOTOV'S!" yelled one Redneck as the flaming bottle collided with his face and shards of flaming glass embedded themselves in his eyes while the liquid inside was ignited by the fire and splashed across the bodies of the three other men causing them to ignite and scream in pain as the fire burned into their bodies.

"MOVE!" Mark yelled to Lee and Task causing them to break cover and run to the side of the Lakehouse while he noticed the Airboat speeding down the waters towards them with a Redneck carrying an AK-47 Assault Rifle trying to hold on.

"Almost-." Mark started as he tried to line up the airboat into his sights. "THERE!" he yelled before a Grenade from his Launcher underneath and striking the front of the boat causing an explosion that created a cloud of fire that engulfed the men on the boat.

"Talk about getting their attention." Started Ana as she covered the three men as they split up and moved around the Lakehouse while more Rednecks seemed to be pouring out of almost everywhere.

"What the hell's going on out there?" yelled a Blonde haired man wearing a black leather jacket, blue jean pants, and black boots as he eyed a man with an M16 making his way for the window.

"There be a fucking Coon, a Chinaman, and a Dirt Worshiper outside causing a heap of-." The man started before the top of his skull was blown apart and his brain matter splattered across the room to the man's surprise.

"Shit what are we gonna do Earl, if we lose Fosters Guns it's gonna be the end of us." asked a Skinny Redneck who was missing a few teeth as he held a Remington 870 Shotgun while watching Earl pick up a M4A1 Assault Rifle.

"We fucking kill those bastards, let's go boys." He yelled out before making his way down the stairs of the house while ducked alongside of a parked truck and fired off two slugs that hit one man in the chest and blew the knee off the other while Mark laid down cover fire.

"Shit!" said Mark as he felt himself already starting to get tired. His body still hadn't yet to recover from the drugs being in his system so he could feel himself getting weaker but he would still push through as he fired off his last three rounds from his Assault Rifle before moving to reload.

"That's it fight on Marcus." Said Ana as she smiled at Mark who finished reloading and broke cover while Task shot down three more men.

"Get that Featherhead." Yelled Earl as he directed four Rednecks at Task who quickly ran for a trailer while the men continued to shoot at him.

"Wait don't shoot we got merchandise in there." Yelled one of the men at another who had already pulled the trigger on his Shotgun and hit the Lakota once in the back. The shot didn't pierce his bulletproof vest but the force of the hit was powerful enough to send Task rocketing forward through the glass window of the trailer and landing hard on the carpeted floor.

"Shit!' said Task as he looked down and noticed that his right arm had a long scratch on his right arm where a shard of glass had cut him. He then looked up and noticed that the entire living room of the trailer resembled a college chemistry lab with beakers, burners, and such lining the tables in the room.

The Lakota figured that this must have been where the group cooked their meth and more than likely had stolen the equipment from a local school because he noticed that one of the beakers had SHS written on the side which was a local high school in New Arcadia.

"Motherfuckers!" Task yelled out while noticing the Rednecks were beginning to make their way to the front door of the trailer.

"Let's go!" one of them yelled as he kicked open the door and quickly noticed that the lab had been smashed to pieces and there was no sign of Task.

"SON OF A-!" he yelled out before a loud explosion caught everyone's attention as they turned their heads and noticed the trailer was now engulfed in flames while Task stood around the back with a smile on his face.

"Meth is flammable dumbasses." He said before leaning down while Earl looked on at the sight with anger in his eyes before turning his head and noticing Felix, Adahy, and Buck making their way to the stalled truck.

"They're going for the guns kill those sons of bitches." He yelled out causing the remaining Rednecks to direct their fire towards Felix and the others causing the modern day Aztec and Creek Warriors opened fire on the men striking one man several times in the chest and another once in the head and three more times in the ribs while Buck climbed to the side of the truck.

"SHIT!" yelled Buck as a bullet collided with the truck just mere inches away from his head causing him to lose his gripping and hold onto the side of the truck with one hand.

"FUCK!" the Juvenile then drew his Mini Uzi from the side of his belt and fired off twelve rounds that struck one Redneck three times in the arm and another once in the thigh.

"Got it!" he yelled out as he finally bust the side window of the truck before climbing through and opening the door from inside.

"Let's go!" he yelled out while Adahy and Felix continued to shoot at the men.

"Aim for the gas tank." Earl yelled out causing the Rednecks to redirect their fire to the side of the big rig to Mark and Lee's surprise and fear as they lifted their guns and started to fire on the Rednecks hoping to get their attention.

"Damn!" said Ana as she fired her Sniper Rifle almost nonstop and struck one Redneck in the back, another in the arm, and one more in the side. As of this point she wasn't trying to aim only to thin the number of men firing.

"Fucking Bitch!" yelled Earl as he caught sight of the Chinese woman and fired a barrage of rounds at her causing the IAA Agent to move for cover.

"Fuck!" yelled Felix as he watched a bullet collide with the gas tank and actually put a small hole in the side big enough for gas to seep from the side.

"Oh shit!" he yelled out just as the remaining seven Rednecks prepared to pepper them with another barrage of rounds but before they could fire off a single shot the ground before them exploded and Felix, Adahy, and Buck watched in surprise as they were blown across the battlefield with a few of them missing limbs.

"Shit!" yelled Earl as he turned his head and noticed Mark reloading his Grenade Launcher.

"Felix Buck separate the truck and get it away from the guns." Mark yelled out while the two men nodded their heads and separated with Buck going to the back of the truck while Felix moved to the front seat.

The teenager quickly reached into the back of his pocket to pull out a combat knife and started to cut the wires that connected the back of the trailer to the front of the truck while Felix pressed a button that detached the trailer before moving to hotwire the vehicle.

"Goddamn Coon!" Earl yelled out before firing a barrage of rounds at Mark striking him three times in the chest and bringing the already fatigued Roman down to his knees while he continued to reload his weapon.

"Sons of a bitch!" yelled Lee as he and Task moved to fire on Earl before each being hit once again in the back and turning to notice three more airboats pulling up to their location with a total of eight men carrying Assault Rifle on them.

"Kill those fucking cocksuckers." Yelled Earl as Lee and Task moved to cover while firing their weapons at the men who finally reached dry land and started to move up on the group.

"Hurry up!" yelled Adahy as he noticed he was close to now a full puddle of gasoline just as Felix finally got the truck to start up.

"I'm going I'm going." Felix snapped before slamming his foot on the gas petal and sending the truck rocketing forward while Earl looked on with anger his eyes before raising his gun and firing a barrage of rounds at the truck and front before Felix dove out of the vehicle just as ran into the swamp.

"Talk about a lucky jump." He said before moving to cover behind the trailer with Buck and Adahy who were laying down covering fire.

"Goddamn democrats giving fucking guns to niggas." Yelled a Redneck as he fired at Lee who couldn't help but to chuckle.

"Actually we got our guns from some Republican who wanted a quick buck." He shot out before firing off three shots from his Shotgun and striking one man in the face while Ana shot another in the back and Mark shot one man six times and smiled as the powerful bullets ripped through his groin and actually shot out his ass.

"Talk about a way to go." The Creole replied before saying something in French and then firing another barrage of rounds that struck another man twice in the face. He still had another Grenade left for his launcher but he figured it would be best to save it. Without the truck the group was unable to just drive off into the sunset so now they had to hold out against the Rednecks or slaughter them all so they could get the weapons.

"To hell with you." Said Task as he fired his last arrow and struck the neck of a Redneck who quickly started to spit out blood while trying his best to keep his Rifle leveled as he pulled the trigger and shot off his own foot before falling to the ground.

"Damn fuckers none of you belong here." Yelled another Redneck before Mark slung his Assault Rifle across his back and draw his Pistol before firing off a shot that struck the man in the knee while Felix fired another that shot the top half of his head off.

"You an American in New Arcadia, well you die in New Arcadia." Mark yelled out before turning to Earl who broke cover just as Ana fired another shot from her Sniper that almost hit the man who gave a low growl before firing on her and actually managing to hit her three times in the chest, once in the arm, and knocking her to the ground.

Seeing the IAA Agent fall seemed to leave Mark seeing red as he turned to the remaining Rednecks, drew his pistol, and then vaulted over the car he was using for cover.

"DIE DIE DIE!" he yelled while squeezing the trigger of his pistol and striking one Redneck in the center of the forehead, another in the neck, and another in the chest and watching as the bullet actually blew pieces of his heart out an exit wound in his back.

"Kill that-!" started another Redneck before he was hit in the right eye and fell backwards with his blood spraying over the face of another Redneck who went to wide his eye.

"Fucking Nig-." He started before being silenced as Mark drew his knife and in one slicing motion cut the man's jugular before watching him fall to the ground.

"Mop um up!" Lee yelled before Task, Adahy, Felix, and Buck each opened fire on the remaining Rednecks cutting them each down as Earl tried his best to escape before being hit in the behind by a bullet and falling to the ground.

"SHIT!" he yelled with a loud groan before rolling over on his back and noticing Mark standing over him with his gun pointed at him.

"Shit man you got the guns, why not just let me go?" he asked with a half-smile that soon turned into a pain filled expression followed by a loud scream as Mark shot him in balls.

"That was for calling me a Coon." Mark stated before shooting him again in the arm. "That was for shooting at my brothers." He added before firing another shot that hit the man in the thigh. "That was for shooting at my Natives." Mark finished before grabbing the man by his blonde hair and dragging him over to the edge of the land while Lee and the others watched closely.

"Oh boy." Lee said with a chuckle while Task, Felix, and Adahy looked on with confused expressions.

"And this is for hurting Mon Amour." The Creole yelled out before stabbing Earl once in the stomach before tossing him back first into the waters where he started to float.

"You fucking idiot you stabbed me in the stomach I might survive this." He yelled out while flopping his only good arm in the murky waters.

"Oh shit!" said Task as his eyes went wide at the realization of what was about to happen to the man.

"You just wait boy when I get outta-." Earl started before he heard a loud hissing sound and turned his head to notice an Alligator swimming to him on his right. "Shit!" he yelled before moving to his left and noticing more another Alligator and another emerging from the waters.

"FUCK!" he yelled before the Gator on his right in a quick flashed opened it's jaws and clamped down on his right arm while another clamped on his left with enough force to cause Earl to shriek at the top of his lungs while Link looked on at the scene with wide eyes as the water started to fill with blood.

"SHIT!" said Task as he, Felix, and Adahy looked on with a look of disgust.

"Here comes the best part." Said Buck with a chuckle as he and Lee watched in delight as the Gators performed their signature Death Roll and spun fast enough to literally tear Earl's arms clean from his body.

"Oh shit that's sick." Said Felix as Link tried his hardest not to throw-up while Earl continued to scream at the top of his lungs just as another Gator came up and bit down on the man's leg before rolling and ripping the limb off.

The sound of the man's bones cracking seemed to finally do it for Link as he bent over and vomited next to a bush while Lee and Buck continued to smile at the torture before they heard Earl give his finally scream as a Gator came up to his side and bite down on his head with enough force to crack his skull but instead of rolling with him he actually dove downward and took the Rednecks body with him into the murky waters.

"If I would have none all I had to do was get shot to get you at your best." Came a familiar voice that caused the group to turn their heads and notice Ana standing before them clutching her bleeding arm. "I would have done it a long time ago." She added before Mark approached her and quickly went to inspect her.

"It's just a scratch and the rest are all in the vest lover boy." She replied with a smile while Mark rolled his eyes.

"Lee call Sonny, tell him to come pickup his guns." Mark stated before taking Ana by the hand and leading her over to the trailer. "And patch Task up before he passes out." He added before all eyes fell on the Lakota who finally noticed that the scar on his leg was bleeding and the Shotgun blast to his back must have actually broke through a little because there was bleed also leaking from there.

"Holy shit!" he said.

"That's gonna sting like a bitch when the adrenaline wears off." Lee replied before making his way over to the Lakota.

New Arcadia

The sun was finally beginning to set on this day in New Arcadia as Alison and Steve found themselves walking the calm streets of the upper 2nd Ward with each other taking in the sights layed before them.

"I see what you mean this city is beautiful." Said Steve as he and Alison made their way down the streets holding hands.

"It's beautiful, but it does have its dark side." She replied earning a chuckle from Steve.

"Everywhere does just look at South and East LS, South Carcer City, and parts of Liberty." He shot before adding. "If there wasn't a dark side to this we'd be out of work."

"Yeah but sometimes don't you wish we could be out of work?" she asked as the duo finally made it to their car.

"Yeah but that would involve too much." Steve replied while making his way to the driver side of the car while Alison went to the passenger side.

Elsewhere

The boredom had finally gotten to Muujai as he eyed the building angrily before starting up the car and driving away while Manfred watched him leave with a smile before making his way over to the door and changing the open sign to closed.

The Indian man then made his way to the back of the store to grab his coat before pulling out his cellphone and dialing a familiar number.

"Everything good on your end?" he asked before hearing a chuckle from the other end of the phone.

"Yeah we're all good brother." Said Miller and Viktor as the duo found themselves standing storage locker overlooking a pile of money that was stacked just above their waistline.

"This pile seems like it gets bigger every day." Stated Viktor earning a chuckle from Miller.

"Our money from the heists, the street taxes, and plus the money Ana brings in. I'm actually surprised this thing isn't higher." Miller shot back before eyeing the money.

"You want to lie on it?" he asked earning a look from the Puerto Rican man. "Just to know what it feels like." He added.

"Grow up!" he shot back while Miller chuckled at his statement.

Le Lezard Rio

"And there you go." Said Link as he finished stitching up Task's leg injury before watching as the Lakota slowly rose to his feet with a smile.

"Thanks man." He said before looking up with Adahy, Felix, and Link as Lee spoke with Sonny while a few Vietnamese gangsters loaded the guns into a truck.

"Don't worry we left two cases of guns for you to the side." The Irish man replied earning nods from Adahy and Task who continued to watch Lee while Mark found himself on the otherside of the Swamp with Ana bandaging her arm.

"I didn't know you were such a mother hen." The woman stated earning a slight chuckle from Mark.

"Yeah well you did the same for me on many occasions." He replied before noticing the woman looking up at him with a smile as he planted a kiss on her bandaged arm.

"Mon Amour." Ana stated to Mark's confusion. "It's what you called me when you were executing that guy, it's French for my love." She added earning a slight chuckle from Mark.

"Since when did you learn French?" he asked.

"You forget I'm with the IAA, being multilingual is a requirement." She replied while Mark looked away from her.

"Did you sleep with Alison last night?" she asked earning a few seconds of silence from the youngest Roman before he responded.

"No, unlike you she's with a guy she actually cares about and I don't want her to trade up the life she deserves to be with me." He replied earning a slight nod from Ana.

"I can understand, but the heart wants what the heart wants. You and her can stay away from each other and say you won't do anything with each other, but in the end…she's gonna make her way to you. That's just fate." The IAA Agent shot back earning a few seconds of silence from Mark before he responded.

"And where do you fit in this?" he asked while eyeing Ana closely.

"You know how this goes Mark. We may care about each other but soon I won't be here with you." She shot back earning a nod from the Creole.

"I'm aware, and I guess that just means I better take advantage of the little time I have left." He replied while moving to give the Chinese woman a kiss before she pulled away from him.

"Not now, you have work to do tonight Marcus." She replied to Mark's confusion.

"What kinda work?" he asked while eyeing her closely.

"You're gonna kill Joe." She declared to his surprise. "Like you said last night he tried to kill you before the Vagos showed up and ruined it. He will try again so you need to strike first before he does while he still thinks you don't know." she included.

"Killing Joe will result in a power vacuum in New Arcadia." He shot back with little emotion in his tone.

"A power vacuum that you could fill or control. Are you forgetting how you took the 17th and got everyone in line?" she asked while Mark looked away from her. "Jonathon Jones shot outside his mother's house, Travis Pennywell throat slit in his own home while watching Deep throat Girls 17, Manny Washington set on fire while sitting in his car outside his daughter's birthday, Carlos Jordan buried alive on the beach and drowned when the tide came in, and Anthony Spencer beaten to death outside a Strip Club-." She added before Mark interrupted her.

"What's your point?" he asked.

"My point is you could run this city if you wanted to." She replied while Mark took a few seconds to respond with "The crown is heavy and those who wear it may have friends turn to enemies."

"Yeah it's heavy, but you're smarter then you were in Dockington and know just how heavy that crown can get. Use that to make this city your own." She finished before grabbing the Remington 700 Sniper Rifle and presenting it to the Creole.

"Now go put one right between Joe's eyes and come see me afterwards." She finished before moving to walk away from the youngest Roman who watched her slip away into the bushes while Link approached him.

"Things good at home?" Lee asked earning a nod from Mark.

"Yeah, but I got a new assignment tonight that may have fallout tomorrow." he replied while Link gave a confused look before Lee, Task, Felix, Adahy, and Buck approached them.

"Well we got paid." Said Lee as he held up his envelope before presenting Task and Adahy with their cut of the money.

"Thanks for this." The Lakota replied.

"No problem we get a new job like this one we'll let you know." The Chinese man stated while Task nodded his head before moving to walk away with Adahy.

"Looks like we got more guns for Guardo, let's see if he'll answer his phone." Adahy declared as he and Task made their way to their car while Link spoke up.

"We may need to head back to New Arcadia Manfred's been blowing my phone up all day." Link stated.

"You guys handle that, I've got to take care of something on my end." Mark shot back before moving to walk past the group who eyed him closely.

New Arcadia

The sun had finally set on this day as Alison found herself fully opening her eyes and noticing that she was resting her head on the lap of Steve as they sat on the their living room couch watching television. The woman's eyes then widened as the thought of Marcus came to her mind and caused her to jump to her feet and instantly go for her shoes to Steve's shock and surprise.

"What's up?" he asked with an exhausted look.

"I just remembered I have something to do." She shot back to Steve's confusion.

"Do you need me to go with you?" he asked.

"NO!" Ali sternly shot back to both her own and Steve's shock. "Sorry it's just something I have to do on my own." She added earning a few seconds of silence from Steve before he spoke up.

"Alright then just be back soon." He replied before Alison moved to give him a quick kiss before making her way out the front door.

Her first instincts was to go to home of the BSU members but over the last few hours she'd learned that going to their home seemed to have a fifty-fifty chance of them being there so she decided to do something else.

The FIB Agent reached for her cellphone and pulled up her Trackify App and quickly went to search for Mark's cellphone where she noticed it heading back to New Arcadia.

Red Stick

"Still no answer?" asked Adahy as he and Task found themselves making their way back into the city of Red Stick.

"Nope it's been all day and still no response from Guardo, Travieso, or anyone." Task replied earning a low growl from the Creek Warrior.

"Ungrateful pricks, we go through all that to get them more guns and they don't have the decency to answer their phones." He shot back before pulling up at their home and making their way inside where they instantly turned on the television and moved to the kitchen while the news played on the screen.

New Arcadia

The sound of the door opening seemed to alert both Manfred, Miller, and Viktor causing them to lift their heads and notice Lee, Link, Buck, and Felix standing on the otherside with mixed looks on their faces.

"Couldn't resist lying on it?" asked Lee as he smiled at the duo who were lying on the pile on money like it was a bed.

"No, but if it makes it sound any better this isn't as comfortable as you think." Miller shot back with a smile.

"Yeah we know we've all tried it." Link replied before the group watched the duo hope off the money pile.

"So what was so important that you had to move all the money here?" Lee asked while folding his arms across his chest.

"There was a silver car parked outside the store earlier today. It was Cakes car and he was inside with this other guy we've never seen before." Manfred replied earning a nod from Lee.

"Looks like Mark was right. Joe maybe trying to kill him," Lee stated to Felix.

"Wait I get I haven't been around much these last few days but what are you talking about?" the Mexican man asked earning the groups attention.

"We'll fill you in on the way home. In the meantime I want all of you carrying guns, registered guns, and moving pairs. If Joe's got his panties in a twist because we upstaged him a few dead assassins will send the greatest message ever." Lee stated earning nods from the group.

"Let's go!" said Lee as he, Link, Buck, Felix, and Manfred made their way out of the room.

"So why does Joe want Mark dead?" Felix asked as the group stepped out of the warehouse.

Elsewhere

The drive to Downtown New Arcadia wasn't long for Alison, but it did seem off to the woman. She was still busy tracking the youngest Roman and was wondering what he would be doing in a place like Downtown New Arcadia. This part of the city was the most diverse and there wasn't much of a reason for someone like him to be here.

As she looked down at her phone she noticed that her trackify app said that Mark was just a mere feet away from her and as she looked up she quickly noticed the car of the youngest Roman parked up the street but nobody was inside.

"Where are you Mark?" she asked herself before stepping out of her car and looking around before noticing that the app said that she was right on top of the youngest Roman but still couldn't see him.

Then a mental lightbulb seem to go off in her head, she wasn't on top of Mark he was on top of her. As the woman lifted her head she quickly noticed an all-black figure sitting on the edge of the building rooftop before her aiming a Sniper Rifle at the adjacent building.

"Shit!" Alison yelled as Mark loaded a fresh magazine into his Rifle before looking out the scope and noticed Joe sitting on his living room couch through the man's window.

In the past few months Mark had familiarized himself with the men he worked for and thanks to the help of Ana he was able to find the homes of all of them, for precautions.

"Right between the eyes." Said Mark as he lined Joe's head up in the middle of his crosshairs but before he could fire he was interrupted by the sound of his cellphone ringing causing him to dig for it and notice Alison calling him.

Despite his better judgment telling him to not answer it the youngest Roman did the opposite and quickly put the phone to his ear and giving her a lackluster "Hello."

"Hey Mark I was just calling to see if you were alright at home?" she asked while continuing to eye the man.

"I'm doing a little better but I'm not home right now I needed a little air." He shot back earning a chuckle from Alison.

"Do you think that's good?" she asked to Mark's confusion as he instantly caught the sadness in her tone.

"What do you mean?" he responded with a question of his own.

"Sorry I'm just worried about you is all. I know you can handle yourself but I get more peace of mind when I know you're safe in your own home." She stated earning a few seconds of silence from Mark.

"Are you there." She added before Mark responded.

"Yeah I'm here." He replied. "Is…Steve there?" he asked to Alison's surprise before she responded with a slight lie.

"Yeah he's here for me, but I'm still here for you so please…go home so I can stop worrying." She replied earning a loud exhale from Mark before he responded.

"Alright I'm heading home now." He replied earning a slight smile from Alison as she continued to watch the Roman from the ground floor.

"Thank you." She replied before the duo gave their goodbyes and hung up. She knew she got him to say he was going home but she still kept her eyes on Mark as he looked through the crosshairs of his Rifle and noticed Joe still sitting on his couch.

"Sorry Ali, but I need to be a little late for all our sakes." He whispered to himself before shouldering the weapon but before he could fire he watched as Joe rose from his bed and made his way to his front door to open it.

"Who's there." Mark asked himself while Alison eyed himself.

He couldn't make out the words but Mark watched as Cake walked into the room followed by a man he hadn't seen in a few years that seemed to make his heart skip a beat as he watched him yell at Joe with anger in his voice.

"No!" he whispered before picking up his Rifle and moving to make his way off the rooftop while Alison smiled as she watched him walk down the stairs.

"Thank you Mark." The FIB Agent whispered to herself before stepping back into her car while Mark slid into his own and pulled out his cellphone to call Ana.

"Did you do it?" the IAA Agent asked as she found herself sitting up on her bed with a smile on her face.

"Change of plans we got a problem, Muujai is here." He replied causing the usual calm look on the face of Ana to fade as she jumped from her bed and spoke out.

"Muujai, Kareem Farah, are you sure you saw him?" she asked.

"Right before my eyes with Joe and Cake." Mark replied earning a deep breath from Ana.

"This is a game changer then Marcus you need to come over now." She stated while Mark gave a nod.

"On the way!" he finished before hanging up his phone and preparing to start the car just as the phone started to ring again causing him to answer it.

"I can't talk now Lee we got a rather big problem to deal with." Mark shot out.

"Great more problems just keeps pouring on." The Chinese man replied.

"Wait what's the other problem?" Mark asked as Lee walked into the living room where he noticed Buck, Link, Felix, and Manfred standing before the TV with mixed looks on their faces.

"A brown one." Lee finished before eyeing the television.

"The New Arcadia Coast Guard found the body of twenty-two year old Maya Ramirez floating in a Bayou outside New Arcadia with gunshot wounds and suffering from many ailments that come from prolonged exposure to the swamp. Coast Guards then took the woman to a local hospital in New Arcadia where she awaits in critical condition." The reporter added as Lee, Manfred, Link, and Buck easily recognized the picture of the girl as one of the Azteca's from the night before while Felix found himself inwardly cursing whoever would do such a thing to the woman.

He wasn't the only one mentally cursing though as both Task and Adahy found themselves standing in front of their televisions with mixed looks on their faces after hearing the news about Loka.

Westbeef Prison, New Austin

The loud buzzing of a bell seemed to be the only thing heard throughout the large prison as a Chicano Corrections Officer with short brown hair moved through the clear halls of the prison before making his way into the Special Managements or Administrative Segregated portion of the prison.

Here is where the New Austin Correctional Department kept their most violent offenders and members of gangs classified as Security Threat Groups. These men are dangerous not just because of their hands but because of the power they wield on the streets of New Austin and that power was something all of them held greatly.

"Ramirez." The guard yelled before standing in front of a cell and then watching as a tall muscular Mexican American man with short black hair, dark brown skin, with various Aztec tattoos stood from his bunk and eyed the man.

"They found your niece, and let's just say she's not in the best of conditions." He added to the man's anger and surprise.

Authors Note: And there's the end everyone I hoped you liked this chapter and the twist ending that will lead to a lot of problems in the future.

The heist Mark, Lee, Task, and the others pulled off was based off a heist from Mafia 3 where you steal guns from the Dixie Mafia for Cassandra. The alligator eating was actually something I had featured in Nolens but I decided to add up to it because alligators are a big deal here in Louisiana and almost as big as Florida.

You're less likely to find an alligator in your backyard in Louisiana but you will find a lot of them and there's even an Albino Alligator at the Aquarium.

Also some of you might ask why Mark was sluggish in this chapter and that stems from the drug he took last chapter. He was given LSD, Mushrooms, and a few other stimulants and with a Stimulant it increases your heart rate and when your heart rate goes up your body fights to get it back down to its resting point and the harder your body fights the more fatigued you'll be in the morning. You'll feel like you can't feel anything and you can barely walk and Mark was going through that same problem in this chapter.

That scene where Mark told Alison about his account in foster care was based off a scene in Animal Kingdom where one of the brothers talked about going through the same experience while at Folsom Prison after he attacked a guard.

Miller and Viktor lying on the money was based off a scene from the Breaking Bad where Huell and the other guy lie on the stack of money. Be honest if you have a stack of money before you'd lay on it everyone's thought about it.

Stick around for next chapter as Task and Adahy see Loka in the hospital before making a move against those that hurt her with the Vagos and Azteca's, Lee is tasked with carrying out an assassination, and the group try to find a way deal with Muujai.

Thank you all for reading have a nice night.