Concrete Jungle

by Onkwehonwe Kashatstenhshera

A cartel hitman, an ex soldier, a wayward gunmen with no cause, an ex KGB agent, & a familiar family oriented coke addicted thug find their way to sunny LS finding themselves around similar scum. Immoral car salesmen, low life bangers, king pins, & hackers. When an eventual rift in the friendship divides their destinies, alliances shift & none of them will ever be the same again.

64. Different Places Same Conclusion

Packie

For Whom The Bell Tolls

Packie showed up at Gordon's place. They had a quick beer before they decided to hit the road to Alderney City. Packie told him everything regarding what happened with Kiki. He already knew what happened with Gerry. "So that's it then, huh? Phil is really in charge of the Pegorino Family and they got a seat on the commission. The fuck is the world coming to, Gordo?"

"Irishmen getting made in the mob," Gordon said as he took the beer with him to the car. "I'm not sure if that's coming up in the world or an all time low."

He took a sip and then said, "The brothers are bringing the heavier guns. We're going to West Dyke. You'll never fuckin believe this. Phil moved into Jimmy's old place."

"Hey, where's that Puerto Rican kid? He coming along for this?"

"No. Not this time. Kid's in school. It's crazy to think about it all. He ran away. He killed his dad upstate. His dad was some crazy Puerto Rican thug. Probably a Lord since Pablo hangs with them like he knows them. And his ma was some Irish lass just like me ma or Kate. Or whatever poor soul who gave birth to your ugly ass."

"on't talk about my ma, Packie. I'll split your fuckin skull."

"Anyway, aftter all that he's still doing the right thing going to school. He should. Maybe he has a chance to get out of this shit. Just like Kate. In a way he reminds me of a little brother I never had. He doesn't have to end up like Kate and Derrick did."

"School was a long fuckin time ago, Packie. I can't even imagine it anymore."

"In some ways, even though it sucked a lot of the time, I kind of miss it. The whole world was ahead of us back then. I wish I would have participated in more extracurricular activities. School wasn't that bad. Even despite the shitty food. It was a way to get away from the old man. It's just crazy. We think of recess and don't remembe how good we really had it. We had two fifteen minute ones and a half hour one after lunch. That was fuckin awesome! And we acted like the time we were in school was a pain in the ass. You don't know how good you got it. Then we get to middle school and there is no recess so if you want any time to play a sport you have to do it during lunch. Same with High School. Fuck I miss it all Gordo. I'd do it all over again if I could. Grade school, middle school, High School. I'd never take a drink never have a snort of blow."

"Yeah and especially cause in middle school that's when the broads tits started getting big. It was great when the girl's basketball team played or practiced. You could see their bra and tits through their sleeve. Fantastic."

The song Street Of Dreams by Guns N Roses played on Liberty Rock Radio. They had crossed the bridge. They picked up the car they were meant to tail. It was a dark gray Cognesetti and four men got inside. They began to follow them.

As they drove, Gordon said to Packie, "Never thought it'd just be down to the two of us, huh? Gerry too. Two McReary's left."

"They're charging him with attempted murder. He's never getting out of there. And yeah...in all seriousness, all jokes aside we give each other shit but I'm glad you're still with me boyo. We've lost almost everyone. Fucking Derrick, Ma, and Katie all within a year of each other. Life is cruel and she's unfair. Whoever said the Irish were lucky either aint ever met a McReary or they never read a history book."

"Hey,, I miss the boys too. I'm just glad Michael, and Derrick didn't go out by the hand of Guineas."

"Yeah but Katie did. Even if Jimmy meant to hit the Slav. The world don't remember you for what you attempt. They remember you for what you succeed at."

"Then let's succeed at putting two between this Mcwop's eyes. He wants to try and convince the Guineas that he's 50% Italian instead of 10? Fine by me. They're dumb enough to buy it? Fine. Maybe he passes for Northern Italian instead of Sicilian. But the payoff is, you identify as Italian and get made as an Italian you get killed like an Italian."

"You know why that is Gordo?"

"Cause we don't give a fuck if they're made men or not."

"Fuckin A. The way they go you gotta get permission to clip a made guy from the boss. They got it to where if you kill a made man even if you are a made man you could die too by your own guys. It's like they forgot how war work. You're supposed to kill your enemies and not care what their rank is. That's the point."

"It's just a way for them to be able to give themselves special treatment. Even when Guineas kill other Guineas they gotta make it some thing that they don't take lightly. They can kill any of us without any fuckin payback. And they can kill an associate without any payback. When you think about it, the guineas wet behind the ears are a lot like us non Italians."

"No, cause unlike us they got a chance of being made someday. I see your point but I don't know why anybody in 2009 is trying to be made anyway. This aint the 70's. It aint the 20's it aint the 40's."

"Not that we're doing any better. Even at the height of your brother's power there was never more than 20 guys."

"Well we're the few, the proud, the micks. Just like Derrick in the IRA. These days there's not that many still fighting for a free and United Ireland. Only about 200. But it doesn't matter how many there is as long as you let them know you're not gonna take it lying down. Whether it's wops or limeys. We don't stand for that. We may not ever win but we aint ever gonna lose either."

They pulled up and got out and Packie whistled. "So this is where the bastards were headed, huh? I aint been here in over a year. I guess I suspected that Angie and Phil were fucking but this is an all time low. Fucking your bosses wife.."

"Hey at least he waited till the old fuck was in the ground. 'Here lies Jimmy Pegorino. Stiff at last'"

Packie chuckled at that and said, "So much for Italian stamina and the Irish curse."

They waited for backup. Finally, Donovan and Liam arrived along with three other crew members. They had been loyal to Gerry as well when the family still had run Purgatory. The first was a curly haired blonde white male with blue gray eyes and pink skin, and an irritating smirk. He was the same age as Packie, thirty years old. They had once been friends but he had grown to be a piece of shit over the years with the decline of the McReary family, he had lost his sense of honor. His name was Lawrence Mcafferty. After him was Lewis "Raff" Rafferty, a thirty five year old gangster with two strikes. He had served eight years in the Patmos Correctional Facility for second degree murder of a Lupasella assciate. He had dirty blonde hair and a gold soul patch and his hair was a crew cut.

Next was the man Liam and Donovan had in the trunk with a man who was tied up. The man had dark brown hair and eyes yet pale skin indicating he was Black Irish. He was an immigrant originally from Coleraine. He wore a brown leather jacket over a black sweater and beige cargo pants. His name was Owen had actually known and fought with Derrick. Packie asked, "What's this?"

Liam told him, "This guy is a bodyguard and a butler for the Pegorinos. Or what's left of em..." The tied up man was bloodied and beaten. He was a Northern Italian man with a bruised left eye and a swollen right and his nose was bleeding. "This little son of a bitch is going to give us the password to turn the security system off."

"Usually guard dogs, you give them a pack of meat and they're good to go," Stated Raff. "I fucking hate dogs," Stated Lawrence his Upper West Side accent thick. "And why you got a guy riding in the trunk with him?" Asked Gordon. "Aint that a flight risk? We've kidnapped somebody before. Never did that."

The Irish immigrant replied, "To make sure he stays tied up."

Just then, another car pulled up. To Packie's surprise, he saw a familiar white male with brown hair and blue eyes but he had shaven his head and wore a black beanie over it. He also wore a white muscle t shirt under a gray Pro Laps jacket and blue jeans. He wore steel toed boots like before. "Stanford? The fuck are you doing following me? And who's that?"

With him, he had a man that Packie did recognize but was not sure where. He was a young Irish male with pale skin and a youthful face somewhat shaggy reddish brown hair and a goatee and eyes that were dark blue but somehow looked brown due to their darkness. "That's one of our boys," Stated Donovan. "Ralph Mac Liam. He was doing four years in Alderney State. Got out a few months after your brother went in. Haven't seen him around Purgatory though."

"I couldn't. I was at a halfway house until I could get out."

"Then what's he doing with you? You still didn't answer my question," Packie told the Aryan Vanguard member. "Look, we helped you before. And we helped your brother on the inside. Did you think that was a one time thing?"

"Fuck off, Stanford. We don't need the Vanguard for this, I'm not about to owe the Vanguard and you assholes got my brother an attempted murder case."

"Packie, you've been to prison before you know how it is. A fight for survival. If some nigger attacks you in there, you aint gonna take it lying down. But you can't rush their side lone wolf. That's fucking suicide. They always fight in packs anyway. So you'd go to the biggest and baddest white boys on the tier. The ones with clout. The ones even the Families and Ballas think twice before crossing."

"That might be true but we've stood tall on our own. We don't need anybody else above us."

"Look, maybe you never ate a meal with any of ours guys on the inside maybe you only hung out with other Irish guys but make no mistake you were under our thumb. The Irish Mob, like it or not, they were under our wing. You can be strictly Irish out here but in there, you're white first. Now some guys inside are Nordicists. Those guys are faggots. I follow Odin but I don't reject our Gaelic brothers."

"Yeah? What do you think of the situation in Northern Ireland?" Demanded Owen. "Yeah, that's right," Stated Packie. "Cause I've heard on your ntionalist websites many of you either take up for the British side and accuse the IRA of being Anti White even though they are white just because they don't want to be the same nation as the UK. I've heard some call us terrorists even."

"Aye," Stated Owen. "And the irony is, a lot of white nationalists in Britain called out some of our leadership for welcoming other religions and races besides Catholic and Protestant but Ireland is still at least 93% white. England is only 87%"

"My thought on the matter?" Stated Stanford. "You're right I'd say that we got bigger fish to fry. The niggers, the Pakistanis, they're trying to invade both countries. So that should be the biggest concern. But Ill admit England is in the wrong for it. I don't see any reasons why a United Ireland can't happen. And once that happens, both should shut their borders to anybody who aint European."

"Are youse two idiots gonna keep talking politics all day or are we gonna go kill some guineas?" Demanded Gordon. "Just as long as we understand each other..." Packie said. "We can work together on this for now. But I want to know what you'll do to help my brother. I want this attempted murder case to go away."

"Sure. I'll see what we can do. But you and I gotta talk about something else too."

With that, they broke out the weaponry. One more Irishmen emerged from Stanford's car. "Who's this?" Demanded Packie. "That's a friend of Owen's. He may not be with the McReary mob but he's a friend of Owen. A friend of Owen is a friend of the McReary's right? Plus he did work with Gerry and Derrick in their prime. He's been back and forth between here and Ireland over the years but whether he stays on this side or that side, the man's loyal to his people."

"Padraig Connolly," The Irishmen stated shaking hands with Packie. "You know, I think I remember you," Packie stated. "Haven't seen you since I was still in High School."

"Little Patrick! You've grown. I heard about your dear mother. My condolences. And Derrick, God rest his soul."

Owen nodded. "I fought alongside your brother in the Troubles too when i was eighteen and nineteen. Good lad. Looked up to him like a fadder whenn me own da passed."

With that, they got their weapons ready. Packie took an AK-74, Gordon had an Itcha 37, Liam had his usual silenced 9mm as did Donovan, Lawrence carried an M4, Raff carried a .357 Desert Eagle, Owen also carried an AK like Packie, Raff also had an MP5, Ralph had a Remington 1100. Stanford carried an MP-40 with dual magazines. Padraig had an AR-15

Meanwhile inside, a meeting was going on between the Five Families and as they snuck up to the window, Packie spotted Harvey Noto, an older man. He was the 67 year old don of the Messina Family. He was a Caucasian male with gray slicked back pomade hair and he had smaller lips. He wore a black sweater that he could see dressed somewhat informally. Packie also spotted a much older man sitting next to an older male looking much older with a receeding hairline and he had Medditerenean features. The older man was Vincent Lupisella the man rumored to be the man running the show despite being said to have retired. His nephew was Mark Lupisella AKA Loopy.

"I fail to see what your problem is, Phillip. If the McReary's have disrespected your old skipper in any way, that's really more of your own problem than ours. I was the one that put in a good word that we accept half breeds," Stated Harvey

"Hey! I got the same paisan blood running through my veins you do. Angie can attest to that. By the way, where's my drink, dear?" He said to the widowed Pegorino. "You could get off your ass an get it yourself. You're the host."

"I agree. As long as you're part Italian..." Stated Harvey.

Jon Gravelli Jr. rolled his eyes. "Please," He said. "You're just saying that cause Harry Hall is part Irish."

"That's right," Stated Harvey. "Harry Hall is a good man. If he were here he'd take exception to that."

"So how does he get to be your underboss when this kyke here..is just an accountant in his family?" He stated looking at Moe Schwartz. Moe, a man of half Italian and half Jewish descent glared at the middle aged mobster. "You better choose your next words carefully you coked out little shit. You maybe back in the family after a few months of rehab but I didn't forget you're a coked out degenerate. You don't even run the family."

"And Mark," Stated Jon. "You let some Dominican Moolie fuck your daughter and didn't put him in the back of a garbage truck?"

"Boys, can't we all be civil?" Asked Maria. Jon sneered, "Oh and the skirt comes in to speak. Since when are broads allowed to be dons? Last I checked the most a woman could be was a goomar. Maybe that's what you really are?"

"Back in Italy there are female dons all the time, Jon.. And I suggest you stop with the misogony or the next time you have a hard time getting your dick to work it won't be blow that's the reason why."

"Bring it on, sister. I look like I'm scared of you?"

Phil stated, "Whoa whoa! We're all here. You're all guests in my home. And it aint just the McReary's we got a score to settle up with. It's also the Russians. Ever since that deal went south and their man got killed, they think we were in on it since Niko Bellic was working with us more recently than them. You need to show me more respect in my home. I could have taken up with the Mcreary's. But I hate those drunken bastards. Really all those pricks from Dukes and Purgatory."

"I may have told it like it is," Jov Gravelli Jr, stated, "But at least I didn't try and have Jimmy P killed at a sit down like this low rent whore," He stated. Looking at Mary. Mary threw her drink on him. "Nice! Is that what you do to your cougar bait tennis boy when he's being lippy?" Phil bellowed, "Enough! We can be civil about this."

Mark stated, "If you had a problem getting a seat on the commission, with all due respect you should have come to us. Not Giovanni and not Mary. All due respect to your father," He said looking at Jon Jr, "Him either. He saw the Pegorinos as a joke."

"I know," Phil stated. "That's why i appealed to you. Now we aint asking you to throw in more support than needed to take on the thugs in Hove Beach. I'm just asking for a little support. I got nothing

"We had some of our boys take care of that. Gerry is having a hard time of it in prison so are the rest of them," Stated Giovanni a thin older male with dark skin and beady brown eyes and a receeding hairline wearing a black and red suit. "Yeah, I heard about that. But that prick has help on the inside. He's hard to get to."

"We'll have plenty of time to get to him," Stated another Italian with light skin and a thick Libertonian accent. He wore a beige suit and he lit a cigarette for his boss. He had somewhat curly black hair and an arrogant looking face. "Assuming he gets that life sentence we'll hav plenty of time for our boys to shank him. We got a lot of people serving life sentences," The young Italian stood next to Rocco Peloso.

Packie took notice of this man. He was a capo. "The mulingnan have an ax to grind with Gerry now. Alive or dead, you stab a man he's not likely to let it go. We can take their problem with the micks as an oppurtunity for us."

"Why pay them?" Asked Rocco. "They already want to stick that red haired fuck. Why not just let nature take its course?"

"Because we're the ones with deep connections. Deep enough to get one of their men close."

"They got connections too. That MOB drug crew? Forget about it."

"They haven't been as long as we have," Stated Mary. "So we can get this done."

They got the alarm disarmed. They brought the wounded Pegorino associate and forced him through the door. Gordon fired striking him in the back of the head. The blast took the top of his head off. He aimed for another mafia soldier the next one was a Messina Family goon which he hit in the stomach and chest. The man fell over crying out in agony. Packie fired striking an Ancelotti soldier in the throat. The dons moved to cover but the Irish mobsters were invading the house from windows and doors.

Owen cut down three of the Pavano bodyguards and Liam and Donovan made their way to the elderly Mary but the Capo for the Ancelotti tackled her and got her to safety. Raff fired leaving a massive hole in the stomach of one of Phil Bell's guards and the powerful .357 slug hit his spine. He fired again striking a Gambetti bodyguard with a shot to the left temple blowing the brains out of the man all over the picture of the late patriarch who once called this house home.

Padraig fired an AR-15 striking Vincent Lupisell in the side on his left side. The old man fell clutching his wounds as he bled out. The next to take a hit was Roy Zito as he took six in the back from the two brothers with their silenced pistols. The older man fell over and Jon Gravelli helped him up firing a Beretta to try and cover them. He managed to hit Raff with two rounds in the side his right hip. Stanford sprayed the MP-40 striking two more Pegorinos and two more Gambetti goons. "What the Vanguard's business is inside is none of yours!" He screamed. Mac Liam also fired taking down a Gambetti thug, a fat man about 110 lbs overweight with three shots to the chest.

Owen unloaded the last of his magazine into Harvey Noto striking him down with fifteen rounds. Packie was about to do the same to Giovanni but he was stopped by the capo. He was struck in the face and thrown back. Rocco crawled ducking under a table trying to crawl to the doorway as he had rounds in both legs from Stanford spraying. Packie head butted the Sicilian and followed with a left hook striking him in the nose but the Italian responded in kind with a hook to the jaw.

Packie went for his sidearm and the Italian hit him again but he fell back and began firing the Glock 22 striking the Sicilian in both legs multiple Sicilian however did not let Packie get away that easily. As the Irishmen tried to run he stabbed him in the small of the back and he fell had just the typical mobster knife but it hurt like hell and it was cold. He fell over and the Sicilian was on top of him. Mac Liam fired striking the Sicilian in the back but from far enough away and through a lamp and some furniture that it took away some of the blast. Still, the capi managed to get his own gun a Beretta M9 and fire at the Irish thug. He missed as the gangster ducked down and he fired nine rounds off but he did manage to hit Raff twice in the chest and twice in the stomach. The wounded gangster fell to the ground bleeding and crying out. Packie seized the moment kicking the Capo in the face and went for the AK and the Capo could have risked trying to stab him but it was a long shot and figured that the Irishmen would get his Rifle before he could get his blade so he dove behind the couch for cover with what little strength he had.

Giovanni helped him to his feet and a larger Italian that same Italian he had seen before at the hotel, helped Rocco up. "Come on, kid. You're supposed to be protecting me not the other way around."

What dons could escape, did but Lawrence had hit Phil Bell in the buttocks and he was laying down at the crazed Irishmen's mercy. Packie weakly got up. Gordon had reloaded his shotgun after the firefire but he walked menacingly towards Angie Pegorino. "You fucking piece of shit! I had you and Gerald over here and gave you coffee!"

"We were nothin but straw dogs for him..." Gordon replied before shooting her in the chest mercilessly. Even Packie was taken aback by this as he didn't intend to kill her but what was done was done. She cried out bleeding on the floor. "Phil...Jimmy...oh god..." She gurgled with blood in her yelled, "ANGI NO!" He snarled at them, "You motherfucker! You just insured your own families extinction!"

Packie punched him in the face. "You're the reason why we're close to extinction! Pegorinos and all the rest of you!"

"Fuck you! By you and your shit for brains brother introducing Ray to Niko you brought destruction on this family! So your little Colleen of a sister is a small price to pay!"

Packie told him, 'You once called Niko up and said you were retiring. You should have done that."

Packie grabbed Phil and had Gordon carry him. "Get him in the back of the car."

He forced Phil into the trunk of his own Intruder. He crased through the house after hotwiring it and took out the wall. Packie began to light the curtains on fire all over the house. Just then, Mary was brought back having failed to get away. "You don't have to do this!" She screamed. "I'll suck your cocks real good!"

Packie looked at a wounded Pavano soldier who had a gunshot wound in the stomach from Lawrence. "She any good? Shit what am I saying you probably showed her how."

"Arthur's gonna kill all you needle dick motherfuckers!" Screamed Mary. Donovan and Liam aimed their silenced pistols at the female don. "You know the thing they say about how women poison more both for murder and suicide?" Asked Liam. "Men tend to blow our brains out. more drama. Bigger mess. Which means when we kill..." He fired striking her in the throat and his brother fired as well striking her between the breasts and the two began to empty several more rounds into her face.

They began to all get out of there. Stanford told Packie, "I'll be in touch. By the way you should be proud of today. Your family may not have the influence it used to but today we just took out several high ranking mafiosi. Three dons from the commission and one wounded. Four if you count Vince. That would make the West Side boys that started your little faction back in the day proud. Any way you slice it that's a hell of a blow at the Big Five. That being aid you better watch your backs."

"i could say the same thing to you," Packie stated. "Please. The Brand? They cam to us for help in the 90's despite being part eggplant themselves. These octaroon cowards couldn't handle themselves against their more uh..swarthy counterparts so they asked us to hit one of them just cause their don got his ass kicked and they didn't even have the clout to have one of their own guys pay them back. Then the old bastard croaked. My older brother was one of the people they came Sicilians know if they start any shit with us behind bars there will be more blood on blades and broken bones and it'll be theirs not ours.

Paul

2014

He was surprised to see G Note. He picked the phone up. "What are you doing here? How are you even able to see me?"

"I got my record expunged. After all we been through you aint happy to see me a little? They changed you this much in here?"

"What do you want? i don't have a lot of time."

"Oh it's like that, huh? Your Ese's can't see you talking to me, right? Bullshit. I had your back plenty of times on the streets. You owe me at least a little courtesy."

"And? Look, I saved you. I know I was too late to get ou out of there before...but who knows what those Carson bitches would have done if I hadn't done what I had? You see I wasn't from the Hills and I wasn't put on. But I was just as loyal to you guys as anybody who was from there. I proved myself and I still got sold the fuck up the river. If I owed you anything for having my back at times, that takes care of my debt."

"Look, I aint...look...thank you. I'll always be grateful to you for that. But I've been hearinf some fucked up things. Shit they say you did..."

"Yeah well plata talks bullshit walks. You can't believe everything you hear..."

"What happened? You even talk different..." Paul told her, "Yeah. that's right. I cliqued up with the enemy. Only I'm not sure they wee ever my enemy. I just thought they were and acted like they were to it in with you assholes. See, I'd rather have an honest enemy than a dishonest friend. When I got in here, they let me know they planned to kill me. I knew what to expect. Hell, I knew it would have to be that way before I got in these gates. But we talked. We're all men in here. They understood I got a raw deal. And they've even had Chicanos representing the Families. Confused people who when they get to the pen find they can't roll with their set from the they get set on the right path or they get checked."

This was, as Paul had learned the case with brown members of mostly black gangs and black members of mostly brown gangs. In the case of white boys who represented either the Ballas or Families or a varrio, the deal was with the Vagos and others in the South Side car, that if you did want to represent your race instead of your hood in prison, something white members of brown gangs could do if they didn't want to roll with the Aryans, if they chose to represent their race, they would have to tell the guys from their own hood inside they're done with that gang and would not be able to go back to it on the outside. A similiar case was true for white guys in black gangs. There was an understanding with them and the Aryans that the Aryans would have a week to check a wigger inmate and make him drop his flag. If they didn't do that, they belonged to whatever gang module they claimed and the AV would no longer be able to go after them without leading to problems with that gang.

As far as why brown and black inmates and gang members couldn't have that same deal in terms of allowing the inmates to roll with their own gang despite ace, Paul wasn't sure why that was. He guessed it was probably because of the tension between La Raza and blacks that made this impossible. With the Asian and Samoan gangs, they didn't have to make any such trade off since their gang affiliations and that of the Families and Ballas were about the same.

"So what you like one of them, now right? You aint even denied that it was you that had that done."

Paul laughed. "I didn't admit it either. But even if what you had said was true, what do you give a shit? Its Little New Arcadia, not Strawberry so why do you give a fuck?"

"I give a fuck because Lil King was out there too. The Paul I knew he wouldn't have had that done..."

"You didn't know me. And if you had it died when I got shot. You want to sell a wolf ticket and tell me you didn't know who set me up at the time? Fine But if you had known, would you have been able to kill him in revenge for setting me up? Or Gerald for example?"

"You know that's not fair to ask!" G Note said her voice cracking. "what are you crying for? You're G Note. Miss slob killer, remember? You're a hardcore gangster bitch. Or was that just a facade?"

"I am SORRY for what they did to8 you. I really am but what you want me to say? What you want me to do? You know i can't kill somebody from my set off the bat for no reason."

"See you just answred your question. I'm no reason to you. You know, Lil King in a way...I almost don't hold this shit against him either. Sure he's a brother so unlike me he probably won't get shot when some asshole decides he doesn't belong there for that reason but he's just as expandable in a way. He's from out of town."

"Nah it aint like that. A lot of the originals were from Lousiana...and I didn't say you were nothing or no reason. Shit you know what I mean!" Tears rolled down her cheeks. "I don't see you as an outsider, in either way you talk about it. And yeah to me I'd even say you were from South Central this was your home. But the set wouldn't see it that way even if some respected you it'd be me blasting a consolidated CGF nigga over somebody who aint from the hood like that."

"That's interesting, Danielle...hey, Rhino was from Chamberlain Hills though, wasn't he?"

"I know what you're trying to say! And just like I can't just what you're asking me to do, it aint the same for you to kill on of us as it is me. You can do whatever you want and you might get got by the homies but you can still stay in town. Me, if i did that i either gotta run, snitch on somebody for witness protection or answer for it."

"Danielle, you and me are enemies. This goes beyond just who we are. It's what flags we wear. Now maybe in a way, I was at fault cause I rolled with you guys but I never officially got put on. Now in here I have..."

"Yeah wel who's the traitor now? You roll with the people that tried to kill you? They shot ya ass too. Why you forgive them but not us? And I know for a fact that there's Families and Baller cliques on reservations!"

"That might be true. And they're just like me. Confused idiots who tried to be what we aren't. Baller and Families, that's not who we are. But that sort of proves my point anyway. In the joint, the northern skins, even guys who hang it up, and join the sweat lodges still got the tattoos from when they were bangin' and I know Families like you have seen it. So with that in mind they knew I was potentially the same as these boys out on the rez's in western states and midwestern states but they still shot me. You wanna know the difference between Vagos and the Families? They didn't pretend to be my friend when they were shooting at me. And if they wanted to finish the job, they could have let the Families after me. But they wanted to test me and I passed."

"How you aint locked up in the SHU any motherfucking way? You should be."

"That's it, G Note. Show your true colors. You were never a friend. You're just another hood bitch. See I can't do anything about what was done to me in here. But my carnal? He won't let that go. If you're smart, you'd take advantage of that expunged record. Get your serenghetto ass the fuck out of here."

He then spit on the plexi glass since he couldn't spit on her. She walked away with tears on her cheeks. "I hope it was something I said!"

The CO stated, "Hey, Chief Lowrider, you wanna go to the solitary?"

"Uh, no," Paul stated. "Then you better grab some window cleaner and a rag cause you're not leaving that there."

After he did as he was told and taken back to gen pop, he was directed by Sleepy to go see the Salvadoran guard he'd had sex with. She had Neto on the line. "It's for you..."

"Q vo, carnal?" Asked Neto. "No mucho, perro. I'm just taking it day to day. What's up? How are things on the outside?"

"I've been trying to get things together...you know...I'm not so cool with Mai and Ivan anymore you already know why."

"Yeah...Mai...we have no choice but to cut her offbut it's too bad you couldn't fix things with ivan. Then again, I can't really blame you for that. i just told G Note me and her are enemies too."

"I'll admit..." Neto said, "The reason why we fought is kind of bullshit since it was over Mai..and if it wasn't for that fight, none of us would know who she was. I assume Ivan or somebody must have told you, right?"

"No. i got a wila from somebody. I don't know who. It's clearly an alias. Called himself Argyle Rosenthal. That name is fake as fuck but at the same time, they did send me proof. Like evidence of her files. I wish I would have been on the outside to find out the way you two did. It looks like I just barely missed it."

"But that doesn't change the fact that he chose a woman over business. I won't go as far as to say we were carnales me and him or even you and him. But we did have a good thing going and he let his dick and some jail bait get in the way of it. That bitch aint gonna make him rich. And she doesn't have the combat skills to do what Ivan wanted us to help him out with. That's off anyway since Mai already knows what he was up to. For all our intelligence...me down south, I fought fuckers like her. And him in the KGB. Still outsmarted by the IAA. And not even a good one. If she was good we'd never know. If she was good she wouldn't even be operating on US soil."

"Well that just as easily could have been me...I could have...with G Note...I just don't know what would have happened if they hadn't betrayed me. I could have just as easily been in the same situation Baba Yaga is with Sugar with G Note. And then I would have been the one compromised..."

"Yeah but you didn't. Thank whatever higher power you might believe in. Or demons or whatever...you did good carnal."

"Maybe but I wouldn't have been much use to you guys on that job either."

"That's not true. The way you handled that prison job, those Humane Labs? You might not have a military background but you've proven yourself. If you had to, you could hold off an army of LSPD from a rooftop if you just had a good vantage point and a Sniper Rifle. And a few AK's and shit. Anyway listen...all that aint why I've called. I might not be able to get Ivan's papa out but I can get you out. I'm making connections on the streets. We showed up at a deal. There were Families there but us too and some bikers. The Yakuza are starting to take over the meth trade. They're well organized. They had a lot of clout back in the 90's in LS too but they lost some of that due to the puercos."

"I thought we were done trusting chinos? Wasn't Mai enough?"

"Vietnamese, Filipinos and Cambodians, si mon. They're nada. They got no real history or impressive empires. They're descended from ignorant farmeros that couldn't read. No wonder they get along with The Families. They got that in common. But China and Japan had impressive empires ancient kingdoms. Korea had their moments so did the Mongolians. Point is, you know that guy Tanaka that Ivan sent to help you? It's true he used to know Mai and he used to b IAA but before that, he used to be Yakuza. In fact some say he still is. One of his old road dogs from back in the days is Yoshida. Yoshida's the man that i met with. We can work something out and maybe if he gets word to his boy Tanaka we can find a way to get you out."

"Sure...send me a picture and I'll see if Tanaka knows him..."

He sent him a picture. "What the fuck NETO?!" Paul screeched. "WHERE THE FUCK DID YOU GET THIS?!" Neto asked, "The fuck are you yelling for carnal who you think you're talking to?"

"This motherfucker is my enemy! He's not a Yakuza! If he is he played Tanaka and you! That motherfucker is a Triad! If I ever see that mothefucker I'll kill him!"

"Perro, what the fuck happened with you and Yoshida?!"

"That's not Yoshida. I knew him as Liúmáng..."

2012

Mama, Just Killed A Man

He was taking a drive to Mount Royal. He wanted Aila and Dawn to meet her. It had been years since he had seen her. He had looked it up but he wasn't sure if she would still be there. He arrived at the place. He knocked on the door to find a Collie at the screen door. Just then, a Caucasian female with auborn brown hair in French braids wearing a Ramones t shirt with blue eyes standing at 5'10 came to the door. Her eyes watered as she saw him. "Paul!" She opened the screendoor. "Mom!" They hugged for the first time in six years.

Aila and Dawn teared up too watching this happen. Paul felt like he might cry but he had bottled up a lot of his emotions inside for a long time. He hugged her. "I missed you..."

"Come in...quick..."

She looked and saw the two First Nations women with him. "Who are they?"

"Mom...that's two friends of mine. Very close...Dawn and Aila."

They tried to shake hands but she hugged tehm as well. "If you've been looking after my son, you're good with me."

They came in. "Where have you been all this time? I always thought you would get caught..."

"But I wasn't...I stayed away. How have you been? Who's this?"

He looked at the friendly female dog and his mom smiled ear to ear. "That's Lassie."

Paul chuckled. His mother had always loved both the original plus the remake movie set in the 90s. He had too and they had watched it over and over when he was little. "I know I shouldn't be here...but...I was in town on some business...and i had to see if you were okay."

"And how do you know these two? Are they both..." He said, "Aila is the same nation as me plus Miq'maq. Dawn''s Cree. They've had my back a lot these last few years when I've come back."

"Mrs Hoffman...we didn't want to intrude but Paul did insist..." His mother rolled her eyes. "Fuck the formalities. Call me Laura."

He sighed and said, "Is there...did you hear anything? Regarding the tribal police or city cops?"

"That's just the thing..." His mom smiled with happy tears. "You've been exonnerated. I talked to my lawyer. I don't know exactly how. But your case was ruled that you were killing to defend another. And in his last days he wasn't well liked even by his own tribe."

It was true. Harlan had been in fact kicked from not only the Longhouse their family had frequented but every Longhouse. He had been disowned. "So that's it...I'm free to come home?"

"You are!" She said, "We can be a family again..."

He smiled. "There's so many stories I have to tell you. Not all of them good..." He said with a frown. "I've done some bad things on the streets of Liberty just to survive."

"Oh god...I'm such a horrible mother...i never should have let you go. But I was just afraid they'd throw you in Juvie and you'd end up getting in more trouble. I'm so sorry...if I had known we had a shot of you being pardoned...I would have never wanted you to wander the streets."

"You didn't let me go...I ran away...the tribal police...the white man's jails...even with First Nations men who are repeat offenders, this is still Canada. Where a killer can get out in a short amount of time. So an abusive man would be too. Honestly, if I had gone to jail I'd have probably been getting out of jail either right around now or before now."

"I hope you at least had some happiness..." He nodded. "it was hard without family...but I did make some close friends and I've lost a few too. They treated me like family. But I always hoped I'd see you again."

"The irony of this is...the same life I didn't want for you...you seem to have lived anyway..."

Aila told her, "listen...I don't mean to intrude but...we're Warriors. Paul is too. I know you won't approve or even understand that but...the way things are both in the city and rez...we got people that want to do us harm and the best way I can put it is that we try to stick together because if we don't nobody else will. You know that basketball game that Paul told you about? He met some of us well...a friend of ours, Chogan at that game"

His mother nodded. "That game...thats what got Harlan in a foul mood. They arrested everybody but the charges ended up dropped but he was still pissed anyway. He went to try and hit Paul and I intervened...he started getting real bad when I fought back because I did. I kicked him. I got him on the ground at one point but he had a hard punch. Paul got the Rifle from the other room...I never wanted that goddamn Rifle in the house. Back then. But nowadays, I see the need for it. That's why I got that..." She beckoned to a Remington 870 she had above the fireplace. Just then, the door burst open and tear gas filled the air. Paul, Aila, Dawn and Laura began coughing and soon the four of them were surrounded by masked figures with weapons. "What the fuck...!"

Before anything else could happen, as Paul went for her shotgun he was hit from behind and a man began to choke him from behind. Before long, he blacked out. When he woke up a bag was over his head. He could hear his mother and Dawn whispering to each other. "Mom...! Dawn! Aila!" A male voice with a Chinese accent punched him in the face. "No talking!"

"Fuck you!" He screamed. The man punched him again. "No talking!" Paul breathed hard.

"Skennenhahsón:'a, wakntonte:'on tsini kenton..." Aila whispered. "Satónrye Skennen'sho:'na."

(Calm down...slow down..breathe slowly)

"'He said no talking!" Screamed another Triad and punched her. They rode in silence Paul was fuming. Finally they were let out. When he and the others could see, he saw six Triads. One of them included Liúmáng who was carrying his mother's shotgun. "Just what the fuck do you think you're doing?!" Demanded Paul. "You're fucking up our deal! Shep will have your balls for this!"

"I'm sure with as much time as that Red devil has spent in prison, balls are the main thing he is after. I am more interested in survival. It is not me who as you said 'fucked up this deal' but you."

"How the fuck have I fucked the deal up?! You're the one who kidnapped us!"

"Yes...and the day we make the deal with you, men dressed as police show up to steal from us and the Warriors. If you're not an informant or a policemen who has betrayed his own brothers, then you are at least looking to betray us. I find it very odd that this happens the same day that you show up. We lost men because of you. But did the Warriors take any losses? No. Only Yardies and Triad."

"You're fucking deluded! Those guys were Angels and Indian Clique!"

Laura cried out, "Paul, what are you involved in?!" Paul said, "She's got nothing to do with this. None of them do. Shep could give a fuck about me. I'm expandable to him. But Aila and Dawn are trusted soldiers."

"How noble of you. But you're forgetting one minor detail. I also looked into your case. The one where you murdered your father and got away with it."

"He didn't murder him it was a well deserved kill!" Screamed Dawn who as then punched in the stomach by a Triad. "Even so, killing even a woman beater is not legal. Yet you were pardoned. By who? The tribal courts or the Crown's courts? You weren't even around to do this. Who could have pulled such strings for you? This makes me even more curious..."

Paul noticed the cuts on his mothers arms. "What did you do to her?!" The Chinese gangster smiled wickedly. "One thousand cuts. I only was able to get five done so far before you woke up. I tried to inquire as to who you really work for."

He then pointed his mother's shotgun at Paul's face. "Did you know this stupid gwelilo didn't even have shells in this? I had to put some in for hr just to make this antique lethal! You're lucky your father had ammo in his gun. i would think a drunken reservation welfare leech would be too poor to afford a gun but you surprise me every day. I would think a runaway such as yourself would have dropped out of school, being on the run from the law in a new you finished school and managed to deal drugs without being caught. But then Manny Escuela the man you woked within Liberty City goes missing and Elizabeta Torres goes to prison. And the Irishmen you work with. You may not have been as close as other outsiders with them in recent years but I find it suspiscious that not only did Elizabeta Torres go to prison in 2008 but so did Gerald McReary. And you just so happened to have worked with both."

"Don't shoot my son!" Screamed Laura. "Don't shoot any of us!" Screamed Dawn. "Not if you want to fucking live!" The Triad laughed. "These women...they're stronger in will than gweilo! But not as strong as women from my hometown. Maybe since your mother tells me nothing even when I cause her pain, maybe I should try another way. You tell me what I want to know or i shoot her."

He aimed her shotgun at her. "Alright! I'm a government agent!" The Triad asked, "What branch? What agency? You're not RCMP. Or LCPD or FIB. They have no jurisdiction in each other's countries. IAA doesn't have jurisdiction in the US but they can be up here. Why would IAA look into us? We have not made problems for Americans."

"Let her go and I'll tell you everything..." The man nodded to his men and told her, "Now start running. If you can make it, I let you live."

"What?!" Paul tried to go forward but the Triad hit him in the gut. "You have till the count of five..." The middle aged woman took off. "One...two...three...four..." Paul saw him aim the shotgun at her and tried to stop him tackling him but the Chinese man threw an elbow his his jaw knocking him back and the two men holding him began to beat him. She came back to try and go for one of the men that had a gun to Aila's head. He knew what she was trying to do. Aila suddenly head butted the man and struggled for the gun and Laura managed to get the Handgun while Aila struggled. It was close but no cigar. He grinned and said, "I don't see why she does not have shells in her shotgun This is what they are made for. So I gave her some shells. It's the point of being shoot!" Were it not for what happened next, Paul would have laughed at his broken English.

He aimed and fired striking her in the back. She fell over crying out. Paul screamed, "NOOOO!" As he saw the holes in the back of her shirt and the blood from the wounds. He ran up to her. "ISTA!" He got to her side and she cried out in pain, "Paul...run...!"

Aila managed to get a grip on the 9mm the Triad had been using on her. He didnt see how but she had gotten her hand ties free. Paul charged at the Triad only to be pistol whipped by another Triad. He fell over and tried to get up but was dazed. Another Triad kicked him in the side. He walked over to him. "Kill those squaws next..."

Aila fired three rounds, two into the left thigh and the next into the man's groin. He cried out in pain. Aila got Paul to his feet. The Triads opened fire on them and Dawn also took cover behind a tree as did Paul and Aila. "We have to get her! I wont let them take her!They killed my mom!" He screamed, with tears in his eyes. "YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD YOU CHINK RAT FUCK!" He vowed. Liúmáng sneered from cover as he fired at them with his pistol. The two Triads on his orders in Mandarin. They grabbed her and took her body into the car. "You are a child with no skills in hand to hand and only slightly above average in shooting. You could not kill me with a shotgun and a head start."

"I'M GOING TO BURN EVERY FUCKING TONG IN EASTERN CANADA DOWN!" He screamed.

He told the rest of his men, "Kill the rest of them! I'm going to get rid of her. You kill the women."

They came after them. Dawn had not been able to get a pistol but she had a way to help them. She found a branch. She threw it toward some bushes. This caused the two remaining Triads besides the one that had gone with Liúmáng, to come firing at the sound exposing their position. Aila fired the 9mm striking the first man in the throat. The next she hit twice in the chest but he grabbed her an was physically stronger. He kicked the short petite First Nations girl down and got a grip on the pistol. "FUCKER!" Screamed Dawn grabbing a rock about the size of a fist striking him in the back of the head. Blood ran down his wound but he flung her to the ground but she managed to pull the gun from his grasp but seeing he was losing control he kicked her hand and the gun went off and went flying beyond the reach of any of then. He kicked Dawn in the chest knocking the wind out of her.

Paul got to his feet. One big man and two women smaller in stature, none of whom knew any martial arts versus a man five seven who despite being smaller than Paul and not much bigge than the young women did have hand to hand training. Paul hated these odds but it was better than they'd had five minutes ago. He swung at him several times but the Chinese man blocked every blow and reversed them. Paul grabbed his foot a he kicked him in the ribcage on the left side but he followed up kicking up his other foot hitting him in the jaw and he fell over but he landed on his hands.

Dawn tried to take several swings at him but he blocked every blow and as she tried to kick him in the stomach, he grabbed her foot and pulled her leg slamming the small Cree to the ground winding her. Aila got him with a hard punch to the groin. No matter how much training he had it hurt. He held his injury and she kicked him this time and got herself out from under him. Her foot kicked his hands against his balls. He fell as the pain from his balls spread to his gut. Paul took the chace and he hit him in the face with a haymaker busting the Chinamen's nose. He grabbed him and hit him with two more punches in the face followed by a roundhouse to the chest. He went to body slam him but the man managed to defend himself with a left kick to Paul's stomach and he pushed him off and as Paul staggered back, the Triad kicked him in the back of the leg and he fell as his feet were kicked out from under him.

Aila jumped on his back trying to scratch his eyes out and her nails did rake his left eyeball and he screamed as he bled but he threw her to the ground with such force he nearly knocked her out. Paul had a pocket knife that he flicked out. He knew it was dangerous because with this man's skills he could easily get the knife from him. The Triad sneered and said, "The first thing I'm going to do when I take that blade is shove it up your ass."

"Who says you're getting that close?" He threw the knife at him and the man guarded his face with his left hand and the blade went through his palm. The man screamed in pain and the blood sprayed from his wound. He pulled the knife out and threw it back at Paul but Paul ducked. "You're not the only one with speed and tricks, pal!" Paul screamed. "I'm gonna skin you alive, son!" He said invoking Libertonian street slang.

The Triad laughed. "The three of you cant even handle me!" He flicked out his own knife, a Butterfly knife. "I'd be more scared normally..." Paul stated. "But you got one eye now."

He moved and kept side stepping to stay in the man's blind spot. The man came at Paul swiping at him and backed away. He kicked the man's legs out from under him and the man fell over on top of his own knife. The man cried out but he had managed to get his hand on his own gun. He aimed at Paul and growled as he coughed blood. "You got me...but I'm still going to finish this...!" Dawn was at his back. She had the pistol retrieved and pointed at the side of his head near his left ear. "Same here!" She pulled the trigger and the round blew off his ear but also went into the back of the head of the man and he fell forward dead before he hit the ground.

"Fuck..." She said taking a breather and Paul helped Aila up. "Of all the people that we allied with that could have turned on us why did it have to be the group that invented Kung Fu?"

Paul looked at the dead man and said, "That's for my mother you punk bitch! And the Pacific Railroad and all the people that died because of it."

Ail pulled on his arm. "Come on...we'd better tell Shep."

When they got back to their spot on the rez outside the city they told Shep what had happened. They knew he and Paul did not like each other but upon hearing what had been done,as Paul waited in the vehicle, Shep looked out with a look of pity. "He can stay here if he wants. It's not really smart if two fugitives are in the same spot but...this could be mutually assured destruction of another kind. We won't have the option of ratting each other out."

"But you'd never rat..." Stated Dawn. "And neither would K:or..." Chimed in Aila. "True but he and I don't know each othe and we don't know that about each other. It's a way of showing kindness...disquised as self preservation. Or maybe the other way around..." He sighed. "I despise anglos. I always have. Even more when I got inside but...he aint the first Indian kid with a white mama and losing her still wouldn't be easy. Honoting ones mom...it's not just a biblical commandment. It's in touch with your Kayenerehkowa and our wayof Mnaadendimowin...it's tradition..." He paused and then said, "He respects his mother. That aint a white boy cause he respects his mom even if she was a moniyâw.I had to test him. All breeds gotta be tested you know? Gotta make sure a Metis aint a punk. Having French or English blood makes you softer. But the streets of Liberty seemed to do him good. We're gonna make some calls. See what Sun knows about it all. If he doesnt serve his boy up on a golden platter we're gonna run those Mao Zedong motherfuckers back to the ocean. Above just what they did to one of us and trying to kill you two, they violated our deal."

2015

New Arcadia

Lee was still resting off his injuries when Felix and Adayh came through the door. "What do you want?" He demanded. "Did you really think I was going to let you try and kill me? You did try."

"Yeah let's not pretend you weren't about to stab me."

"If I had, it would have been in self defense."

"And Mark would have killed you."

"You're on his nutsack."

"It's called loyalty. You should try it," The Chinese American shot back. "Well, you're a moron. You have misguided loyalty. There's a difference between that and true loyalty. You realize in order for me to have done what was done to Laurie, I would have had to have killed Rano too? Why would I have done that? I was the one that brought him into the BSU."

"With you?" The BSU member sneered. "I wouldn't put anything past you."

"Well, even though I didn't do it, clearly Neto wanted to send you a message. I hope you did learn your lesson."

"Fuck you. Your woman might actually walk again. Laurie's gone."

"Your fault. See, I miss her too. I don't like what was done to her. But you killed her too."

"I helped her end a life of suffering. It was an act of mercy," The Chinese American said leaning forward. Felix scoffed with a bitter smile. "You do know they've done eye transplants, right? And there has been hearing restored. And tonue transplants. It would have been a long shot but I know you and Mark would have been good for that kind of money. You make that kind of money in a day."

"You're stupid. There's no tongue transplants."

"Yes there is," Felix stated. "Back in 2003 they did that. They did a transplant on a 42 year old who had a malignant tumor on his tongue in Austria. They removed his tongue. A middle aged male. Laurie was a young female in her 20's."

Lee was silent. Felix even had the story on his cell phone. He showed it to him. Lee looked at the ground. Felix pulled up another article. "And this woman had to have half her tongue removed and they gave her a transplant in 2013. And she spoke her first words to her children recently since this happened. You could have done it."

"Thats just her tongue...There's no way to transplant entire eyes."

"No, just the cornea she would have needed," Felix said. "And for her ears, they have something called a middle ear transplant. So what you thought was an act of mercy, was really just you killing her. You accused me of attacking her but you finished her off. Maybe you're the traitor. Maybe you're the one that didn't love her..." Lee threw a punch but Felix caught it and twisted his arm behind him. "Let me go you son of a bitch!"

Felix gritted his teeth, "That's the last time you take a swing at me," Adayh pulled out a hunting knife and out it against Lee's throat. Jimmy racked a shotgun, and put it to the back of the Creek's skull. "Drop the knife."

"Pull the trigger, you piece of white trash," Adayh stated. "I'll still open up his coratid before you do. And if you kill me you'd better be ready to kill Task but he'd get you first."

"No, we don't need to do all that," Felix said. He let him go. "You and me are going to fight. We're gonna settle this. It can be till one of us is knocked out or dead. We'll just see which way the scale lands. But you can go ahead and rest up because I want you at your best."

Just then, there was a clicking sound and a pistol at the back of Jimmy's skull. Cruz stood behind him. "Drop yours."

Adayh told Lee, "And after Felix beats you, you can go ahead and get rested up. Because I'm going to do the same thing. Then again, maybe not. See, I know you can't take me fair and square. So what I'm going to do is finish you off."

"Mark won't let that happen," Jimmy said. He addressed Cruz. "And you shouldn't have come here."

"A lot of things that shouldn't happen happen every day," The OG said. "Get used to it, kid."

"Besides, we don't take orders from Mark.," Adayh said. "You claim to be equal, you BSU guys. But Mark is at the top and you're his soldiers. There is no equality. You're a gang just like anybody else. And Felix may run with us but he's not really an Azteca. If nothing else, he's got independence."

Cruz took Jimmy's gun. "I'll just keep this for safe keeping. Till you're old enough to own a gun what do ya say?" Adayh told Lee, "Recover from this too.." He dragged the blade across his right cheek cutting him. He then threw him onto the couch. Lee tried to get up but Felix had his own Handgun drawn in a flash and he pointed it at his waist. "No. This is over. You want to be a bad ass, vato? Hit the punching bags. I'll be ready for you."

"You can pretend to be a cholo all you want. Me, Mark, you, if what hey say about us is true then we're all white washed and that includes you. Don't go jumping in lowriders now. We both know you want to throw the plaid and khakis away and put on a black t shirt and wear jeans with chains and spikes on some guy liner too since you're such an emo about what happened to your woman."

"At least i didn't kill her..." Felix sneered. Lee wanted to hit him again but he didn't. Felix then said, "You know why Asians from San Fierro don't accept you? It's not cause you don't speak Chinese. Plenty of ABC's don't. It's just the way it is. They didn't accept you because you're a moron. An American idiot. You didn't even realize Mexico is north of the equator."

"You're still gonna hold onto that?" Lee rolled his eyes. "Besides, last I checked we do better in school than you do. And China is a 5000 year old civililization. Older than all the kingdoms in Ethiopia, even Iraq."

"China has been a shit hole since 1949 and that's if i'm feeling generous. When you were talking shit about Neto even though I don't like him, you talked shit about Mexico calling it a third world country and you talke shit about the Zapatistas. that'd be like me talking shit about the Boxers in the rebellion. And as for China most of the people that come here are the richest students they have. Of course they get good grades! They're not sending the dumb ass Chinese peasants that can't read or the ratas in the city that need suicide nets. That's why you get along with the Vietnamese better. Because they're poor and nothing majestic about them. Japan and Korea are the smart ones. Rich and smart. Your country's been garbage since the Qing dynasty fell. It's funny how the Chinese act like they're one of the better cultures of Asia like Japan and Korea. Maybe in terms of the very top being rich. But deep down you know China's a garbage country. That's why you identify with the US. You know China is closer to being like North Korea. A communist shit hole with a dictator ruling it. Being large in size doesn't mean you got much to show for it."

You were never my friend. Honestly, neither was Victor. You both always talked shit about me. Mark was a friend. But that's over now. You're a goddamn hypocrite. You hang out with the Vietnamese gang out here. You belittle me for doing the same thing you're doing. You better hope they never have a problem with Mark. Then you'll have to make a choice. Maybe one of the hardest choices ever. I hate you and Mark. But in the end, you'll have a problem with each other too. I hate Mark but right now I think I hate you just a little more. Mark, I'd rather just never see again. You? I'd rather you were six feet deep. I'm not gonna kill you Im just gonna break your jaw. But the next enemy that takes a shot at you? Maybe next time you're not so lucky."

Lee stared daggers at him but just said, "You know what, Felix? You just name a spot. And a time and a place. I'll even let you know when I'm healed. I'm thinking maybe we fight in a graveyard. I'm gonna break your bones against the headstones."

Felix nodded. "Alright," He stated as they left. "It doesn't matter whether you win or lose," Stated Adayh. "I'm gonna put that blade you stabbed me with into the back of your skull."

"You think you can take me?" Lee snorted. "You can't fight you're just big."

"You don't stand a Chinamen's chance..." Adayh stated. "You know, both our histories in this country and the wars we had with ivory and ebony overshadowed things. Us in the 1800's, you in the 60's. But make no mistake. We were enemies too. Us and you.I don't see you as any different than Mark. Or this adolecent looking pipsqueak," He said referring to Jimmy. "Racist..." Lee said. "You two deserve each other."

Adayh laughed. "I never pretended to be anything else. You're the ones with the pretense of tolerance. But I think you know it too, Lee. Your people built Railroads in New Mexico. And dug mines."

"How is that my fault?" Lee barked. "The irony?" Adayh said, talking over him. "Most of those mines and railroads are abandoned. So your people were the model minority for nothing. And like Felix told me, the Japanese sterilized over 300,000 Indigenous women in his people's homeland."

"They got nothing to do with me. You're just deflecting."

"Funny. That sounds like somthing a couple of college liberals like those two would say," He said beckoning to Link and Jimmy. "'It wasn't me. It was my ancestors. I can't be held responsible for their sins' The irony is most of you don't even know it. You are a hypocrite. You lust after Indigenous Mexican women while you fight their men. Even use slurs against them. Maybe you can see me and Felix are the same way but at least we don't fuck the enemy."

He then smirked. "Unlike Felix, I don't give two shits about that bitch. I'm glad she's dead. I would have said I would shake the hand of the man who did that to her but then you're the one who killed her."

"You sure?" Lee said trying to hold his temper. "She had Cherokee blood too not just Asian black and Irish."

"You've spent too much time around Marcus," He looked at Felix and then said, "And fake Indian Puerto Ricans. We don't do the one drop shit. See, I'm not concerned about Laurie. The best part of that is that you're hurting."

Link went for his pistol. "You'd better take off. If you want to live long enough to have a chance to box Lee, fuck off."

Hours Later

Mark looked at the cut. "I'm gonna kill him."

"Nobody's killing anyone," Stated Link. "I'm getting a bit tired of this bullshit, actually. Mark got his revenge on Neto. We made peace with Ernesto. That's what matters. If we're at peace with Ernesto we're at peace with Felix."

"No," Mark said. "Because he brought Cruz along. You know, I'm thinking I can predict where the cards are gonna land with him and Ernesto. I'm sure they're gonna back each other even with Neto gone. I can probably take Ernesto out but I'm not sure."

Manfred shook his head. "You want to kill Felix. But he saved your life in Sunbelt against the Vagos. Twice that I remember."

"And I saved his twice in those battles," He shot back at the East Indian. "So that made us even. What doesn't make us even is him turning his back on his brothers. He's in the same boat in my view as Ryan. He might not be as bad as Neto or as much of a potential pain in my ass as Baba Yaga stands to be and he's more dangerous than Ryan but I see him as the same."

"No, on that charge, I disagree," Stated Lee. "He may be a backstabbing traitor but he didn't fuck Tasha. He left us for a woman. In a way, you and him have that in common. And that's fine. But he betrayed his brothers. I'm going to beat him until Loka doesn't want him anymore. Then I'm going to knock Adayh down a size."

"There was a time he saved your life you didn't realize," Manfred told Mark and Mark, Lee, Jimmy and Link all looked at him. "Remember that night two years ago? We had a shootout with the South West Vagos in an alley in their turf."

"Yeah. I took out one of their OG's. I put a knife in his larynx. I didn't need help from Felix."

"You almost died. Two Vagos had the drop on you. One had a Tec, the other had an Uzi. They had a bead on your head. Felix shot them both in the back before they had a chance. You just thought that was part of the rest of us cleaning up their wounded. But it was him. He saved your life. You should forgive him."

"I'm not sure I can..." Mark stated.

"Well after your injury you're in no shape to be fighting," Stated Link. "You should be laid up."

"i'd love to be but I've got a club to run. I can't afford to take a siesta."

Just then he got a call from Allison. "Well well. if it isn't Rhonda Rhousey..."

"That's not funny," Replied the FIB agent. "It's a little funny...what's up? I'm kind of in the middle of something right now."

"Four men were found dead from gunshot wounds in Central Louisiana. They're from your neighborhood, Marcus. We're not even supposed to be here ourselves except the Natchez Tribal Police found these bodies on their land and gave us a courtesy call...do you know anything about this?"

"No. No telling what they could be up to but you already know from what you've been through with me, my brother's crew is all over the state trying to make a quick buck."

"The thing that I don't get is there's a dead rattlesnake here too. Shot by a gun from a different caliber than these men were."

"Ms Trueblood...I thought law enforcement can't discuss ongoing investigations?"

"Yeah well..." She sighed. "I'm following up on leads," She said in a quieter tone, "Besides, we've done plenty of things we're not supposed to..."

He talked a couple minutes longer and then politely excused himself off the phone. "I got bad news..." He said to the rest of them.

Two Days Later

Mark, despite his injuries and the need to take it easy, found himself in Sunbelt. The hot sun and the dry heat was a bit much even in the winter but he had a job to do. He suspected that Neto was being helped somewhere around here. He couldn't have gotten it from Cruz or Ernesto without him knowing. Mark couldn't also get the same kind of surveillance that he had in his hometown as here at least not the way he could when he and his family within the BSU had lived in Sunbelt.

As he drove the stolen gray Oracle he thought of Tasha. He still held a lot of resentment towards her but the death of Laurie had him thinking about the past. It wasn't as big of a loss in his heart as it had been with Lee but it had all the same still hurt. It hadn't been easy to sell that with those of his crew that knew that but now word had it that Onda in this state had helped Neto survive what Mark had done. He was driving through South Western Sunbelt. After torturing a Vago and following up on a lead, he had gotten an address that he had thought might be where Miguel might have been helping Neto recover.

He had Link and Jimmy with him. To be on the safe side, he had Lee watching over the Vago captive Kyra was with him as was Ren. Just then, several shots rang out. He braced himself bringing up his M911 but to his surprise none of them hit the windows but he knew they had targetted the tires. Several gang members rushed Mark's car as he managed to bring it to a screeching stop and they began dumping gasoline all over the car. They had on baklavas and blue and yellow bandannas. One of them held up a lighter. Some of the gasoline got through the window. "You got three choices. Get out of the car, stay in and let me light this or you can just stay in anyway and your boys suffocate from the fumes," The guy was definity Chicano but had a bit of an accent. He wasn't Miguel but he wasn't that much older than him.

He got out. The three had bags put over their heads. "This is a mistake!" A hammer was cocked as they were lead away from the car. The cholo had a pistol to Mark's head. "Shut up."

He then told the rest of them, "Until we get there, say nothing. This one's done surveillance and counter surveillance. He's gonna listen to surrounding sounds to make up for what he can't hear. If you gotta talk do it in Spanish. One of the South West Pachucos stated, "El es el pistolero negro. Él puede entender español."

(He's the black gunslinger. He can understand Spanish.)

"Solo es Nahuatl," (Nahuatl only)

They tied them up and put the bags on them and to keep the sound so that they could not hear their surroundings, they blasted the song It Doesn't Matter by Payaso 915. Though the use of torture by music had been used especially by Neto, in this case it wasn't that or they would have picked something like Katy Perry or Taylor Swift but all the same, the problem wasn't the music itself so much as the volume because while this was not Marcus Roman's first time with a bag over his head, the cholos had guessed correctly just what he would try and do when unable to see.

Before long he found himself in a house that was obviously abandoned. The bag was removed from his head. He found Miguel looking at him. "You!" He tried to charge him but he was tied up. "Where's Link and Jimmy?"

"Don't worry about them...i got a surprise for you but it's not here yet. So until it is you and I are going to keep each other company."

"You're not my idea of good company."

"But you were looking for me. Let's not waste each other's time. So now you're here. What do you want?"

"You're harboring a fugitive."

Miguel laughed. "Are you serious? You're exactly that."

"A fugitive of justice. My justice..." Mark growled. "So Neto huh...?"

"You're not denying it," The Creole stated. "Why should I? I run this motherfucking city. You don't. I accept that I don't run shit in New Arcadia. Mi papa? He can't seem to. In a way, New Arcadia is like Afghanistan."

Mark smiled. 'Destroyer of empires? I'd agree with that," Miguel sat down. "You may think I'm not as smart as Ernesto but I do take an interest in history. But sure. I'm sure that's the reason you see it that way."

"What reason do you see it?" Mark asked. "Like Afghanistan, it's not worth it. High risk little reward. Now before you let your ego inflate over the risk part, the thing I care about is the reward. Oh sure, your city is a tourist area. I don't deny that. But was your city, in the state you were born in ever a country on its own?"

"You sound strangely patriotic for a Mexican American seeing as they were rebelling against you."

"That's because everyone that's lived there has had an imperial spirit. Comanches, Mexicanos, Anglos. All were huge empires of power. I don't respect gavachos but I respect power. The thing is, our state is bigger than some countries. I know how you New Arcadia boys feel about it. The feeling is mutual. We shouldn't be going over there and you shouldn't be going over here. I know you're on the warpath about your cousins too. Mi carnales put them under. But for once it has jack shit to do with you. They dug their own grave. The Roman Family doesn't and never will run Sunbelt or any other city here."

"Yeah...I'll remember that when the Condados are taking your neighborhoods from you," Miguel snickered. "We just ran them out of our neighborhood. Now back to what i was saying. I get that you had a problem with some of the paisas down there that were slinging on the side. I even heard about the conversation you had with papa. As for El Hurricane? Maybe he would have gotten praise if he had told anybody what he had done down there. But we also let New Arcadian Refugees into this city. And yet you war with us over here. I might take you seriously about your tendency to be protective of the 3rd ward if you hadn't been running around here a few years ago like an idiot doing exactly in this city what you don't want us doing in yours."

"What do you got against New Arcadians really? It can't just be cause we're 'mayates' or is it Creoles specifically? Cause if thats the case you got plenty of that in your state."

Miguel's expression turned sour. "Every fucking hurricane you have, we had hurricanes. But when do you ever see us getting to seek refuge in your town? When do you ever open your doors to people that had theirs taken by a tornado? When I was a little kid and we came back out here, I remember thinking the earthquakes were less terrifying than the tornados. Ernesto was still in the pinta so there wasn't any man to show me how not to be afraid in the house with us when this happened. It was just me, mama and Carmen and we had to duck down in a 've lost a house before too. But we didnt run to New Arcadia. We wouldn't have gotten help."

A vehicle pulled up and Miguel dragged the chair to the door. "I got something I want you to see..." His eyes widened as he saw Lee and Kyra with duct tape around their mouths and rope behind their back as well as Link and then, several shots were fired and he couldn't see it but he saw Lee's shirt redden up around the area where his heart was and he fell over. "NO!" Mark cried out. Two shots ran out and hit Kyra next in the back and she fell over on her belly. The next hit Lee and Jimmy. Link crawled on the ground and a bloodied up cholo carrying a Revolver aimed at the back of the Irish American's head and pulled the trigger and brain matter sprayed all over the ground.

Miguel then shut the door. "YOU MOTHERFUCKER! I'M GOING TO GUT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS, EAT THEM AND SHIT THEM OUT!" Mark screamed. Miguel sneered, "No you're not. What I just did there is to show you you're not in charge. Do I have your attention? It can always get worse."

Mark's nostrils flared with rage. "Did you really think I wouldn't find out when Lee and some limey bitch got a hold of one of my guys? And sadly for you unlike that last guy your busters that tried to set me up took, this vato is still alive. You're not the only one who can do rescue missions. It's even a good thing that he wasn't too hurt. He was well enough to climb onto this house's roof and man a Sniper Rifle. And Lee should be twitching in his own shit!" Mark squirmed with rage. "The truth is...yeah...I am watching out for Neto until he can recover and come after you. But you won't find him. I got my own eyes and ears to the streets. We knew you were coming."

Miguel flicked his knife out and cut his ropes. Mark tried to charge him but Mark fell over as his blood circulation had gone from his legs. Miguel set Mark's Handgun on the table as well as two magazines. Mark tried to get to his feet. "You're the black gun slinger. Let's put that theory to the test."

The cholo that Lee and Kyra had tortured showed up. He had dried blood on his nose, dark brown skin angry brown eyes and stood five foot nine in height and had a stocky build and he wore a white wife beater and blue jeans and a buzz cut and a soul patch goatee. He held a Double Barreled Sawed Off. One of the cholos, the one who had stopped Marks car, carried an AR-15 and he got in position. There was also three cholas and two more South West Pachucos and two gang members who Mark guessed were vagos but not from the same neighborhood. They had Handguns and shotguns. "If you can survive all of us with just the pistol, which should be more than enough, you can make me tell you where Neto is..."

"No..." Mark said. "You're up to something. This is a setup. You wouldn't just give me a gun."

"I didn't do anything to the gun. It works."

"Even if I was stupid enough to take your word on that, you got guys dug in."

"Again, you've faced worse odds than this."

"Yeah but it was spur of the moment. They didn't WANT me to try and kill them. You do."

"Well, that was smart of you. Kept a tactical head under pressure. Dont worry. I didn't actually kill any of them."

"What?" The Creole's eyes widened. Miguel chuckled. "That was fake blood. And rubber bullets. Oh sure, it hurt but that was just theatrics. Same with the sheep brains in the back of your friends head. That wasn't his. Loaded em in a shell. Your friend will have a headache but he'll live. But just because that was to show you who is in charge doesn't mean I couldn't have still killed them. it dosn't mean I can't still kill them. It doesn't mean I won't still kill them if you and the rest of your punk rock maricones don't get the fuck outta this town."

"Unless we leave Sunbelt. That's fine. I know wherever you got him anyway he'll be back and he'll come to me..." Mark said. He then paused. 'Why did you want me to really try and shoot it out with you?"

Miguel told him flat out. "I know you know what I did to Laurie. Had a little...heart to heart with the patriarch. So you managed to convince Lee it was Neto. But others know. Allright. I'll play your game. But me giving that pistol to you was my own way of saying, you know. What are you gonna do about it?"

"You've made your point. And maybe you did by right of war have a right to do what you did. But if that's true you should have just killed her and not sent Lee that message. You started a shit storm you won't be able to control. Even I won't be able to. What am I supposed to tell Lee? Not exactl easy to keep this pretense up when you kidnapped all of us and shot us with rubbe bullets."

"The same message applies. Showing you who runs Sunbelt. And with Lee you'll just have to sell it that this is my way of saying we're not letting you anywhere near Neto. But you and I know this is about Laurie too. I could have Neto tell you and Lee himself that he didnt do it. I know you know that but who knows how far you'l go to sell a lie even to your own friends? But Neto would insist."

"It doesn't matter what he says," Mark told him. "He's going to die himself."

"Whatever you say.I heard about that surgery you had to have. Even when you win you seem to take a loss. Oh wait excuse me. 'Take an l' isn't that what you chingados say? But a seizure, damn. Now you stay the fuck out of Sunbelt. See I don't mind never setting foot in New Arcadia again. There's nothing that is there that I want. And what is there that I might want I can get here. Everything is bigger in New Austin. Bigger money, bigger oppurtunities."

"Bigger ten gallon cowboy hats that real estate agents wear," Mark said with an eye roll. "Speaking of which you're starting to sound more like one of them than a gangster. I'd expect that from your old man but not you. You might have brawn but you damn sure don't have brains."

"No? I took you all by surprise didn't I?"

"Maybe you're smarter than I thought but you're not as smart as you think. Otherwise, you wouldn't have left any message to Lee. You know he thought that was Felix, right? You could have gotten him killed. And I might keep a lid on things now for the sake of peace but in truth even I can't control Lee when he gets like this. And I wouldn't want to since I get the same way when somebody I care about gets hurt. Like I said if you'd just killed her normally without the insult to injury it would hurt but it wouldn't be as bad."

"Then she shouldn't have written it in her diary. Especially when she's ripping off dealers.

"Like I said before, I'll be seeing you again. And when I do, it won't be pretty."

"I look forward to it, puto. But if it happens it'll be on my turf. Because I got no problem warring with you but I'm not going back to that swamp that calls itself a city."

"You sound so sure of that. But what if your old man has a problem? And i don't want to come back to this desert that calls itself a city. At least New Mexico's cities are an Oasis. Your state's version of Chicano heritage is unique in the Mexican American war in that the US won because a lot of you were traitors siding with a bunch of rednecks over your own countrymen. Your fuckin banda music isn't even Mariachi it's got German in it and hell I aint even 'Raza' and I know that real tacos are supposed to be with corn tortillas not flour. So in that debate between San Andreas and you, they win. Your paisas up here sold out their own original cuisines to try and appeal to anglos who eat Mexican food. i don't blame you for that probably can't handle it too spicy. So you're less calinte than the real deal but hey don't worry. At least you're more authentic than Taco Bomb. For as much as that's worth," Mark said without missing an oppurtunity to throw shade at Sunbelt.

"Then he can deal with it. He's turning his back on us. The carnales inside like the feria he sends for it but it's not like we got any real power behind bars down there. But he's soft in my eyes. Two years ago, you and the rest of your crew would already be dead. But ever since mama died, he's softened up. But see me? I don't have that problem. I don't love any woman. I do what I gotta do and move on. We all got impulses. I'm good with friends with benefits and so are they. Easier that way so the loss aint as hard when people die."

"Don't love any woman? Even Carmen?"

"Go home, Roman. And if you want your cousins out here to not get killed against us, then feel free to take them with you. I won't stand in their way. Like you NA levas always say. New Arcadia is so much realer than Sunbelt. If that's true, then go back live in a city you don't want to be in around people you can't stand? I won't have any problem honoring my end of the deal but you'll have some excuse to come back. You just can't stay away. We got 27 million people you got 4 million. It's more exciting here. But you'll be back. And next time you won't get a warning."

"About that, you're right but we got bigger things to deal with than you right now. But unlike you, Neto will come and chase me on my own turf you right about that. But as for you? I'll be seeing you and when we do you best have real bullets. I admit you gave me a little heart attack. But don't expect to ever get that lucky again. In fact, you should have killed us all right here. While you had a chance."

"Yeah, while your IAA bruja and her gavacho sugar daddy are out there with drones? You think I'm stupid, fool?"

"Yes. But I guess not as much as I thought. You resisted temptation today just like I did with you offering that gun and having a showdown. You're learning."

"One more thing!" Miguel called s he started to walk away. "You threatend my family. This was my response. Because whether you kill Ese Santa Muerte or not, that little option you gave mi jefito? That's not gonna work for me. You underestimate us cause it'll be your family that will die if that happens. But I doubt he'll have the balls to do shit if Neto does die. The love of his life dying...it crippled him. But me? It drove me to be more of who i was meant to be. Now I don't got her trying to fill me with Catholic guilt. So if Neto does die, we'll be seeing each other again..." He grinned and said, "Maybe we should meet at the state line when that happens so you don't have to come tome all the way out here and I don't gotta go there. You don't have to see paisas in cowboy boots or redneck eal estate agents in ten gallon hats and I won't have to see Criollo idiotas dressed like Indios for Mardis Gras or those Krewe of Mwindu and Lords Of Leather faggots because if I see one, I'm gonna stab one."

Mark chuckled at that as he left. They all would have to find their way back since Mark could see this part of the city was not even in South West Sunbelt and it wasn't even a primarily brown area. It was just an area that happened to have a few houses that were abandoned.

One Day Later

Mark and Ernesto sat in a Salvadoran place in Metra. "You know, I thought what we discussed stayed between us..." Mark said with a scowl. Ernesto replied, "i get you might keep secrets from some of your friends and maybe because of the two out of three women in your life that's what you have to do but do you honestly expect me to believe you don't tell your brother, the one you do get along with some personal shit about what you do?"

"Fair enough..." Mark said. "But where does that leave us? Like I said, I'll keep it a secret the truth about it all but Miguel pretty much admitted it to my face. He's not ashamed of it. He wants me to stay out of Sunbelt and he said that he'd stay out of our city. Thing is, I don't see how that's gonna work for me. Truth is, i never said he couldn't come and go. He just has to behave."

"Mark..." Ernesto said. "I'm gonna be honest here. I do respect you. A lot more than I have other people I've tangled with. But you...you're a youngster. And maybe I was wrong last time. You do get respect. Maybe not from thugs but from your adoptive familia...but you're not BGA anymore. I appreciate you keeping this under wraps...but that last time you threatened my family? That is the last time you threaten them. If you do it again, we go to war."

"Seriously, Ernie? i thought we were past this? We reached a level of mutual respect."

"You call it mutual respect but you still want me to do what you say. Thaht's not how this works. If it was mutual respect it would be us going our own way. You're ex BGA. If you were still BGA that would hold more every time you have a run at us, even if you win battles you lose people. People you can't afford to lose. You might have some contacts in that world but you're still considered a traitor. I've been arond longer than you. When you reach 45, you can be the one telling a twenty something how it is. I control more territory in my state than you do in yours. I aint saying this for a pssing contest. I'm saying it so you know that I'm not one of your lackeys."

"Understood on that part. But you've seen what i can do. And if anything it's not even really so much a thing of intimidation so much as common courtesy. I place the blame on Neto not your son. In return I expect you to respect the outcome. The same applies to Cruz."

"Imagine..." Ernesto began. "If you killed somebody close to me. And lets say...i blamed Martin for it. And I told you that I'd keep the blame on him and keep you from retaliation but that while i attack and kill him you'd better not interfere. That Maurice better not interfere. It sounds pretty fuckin stupid when you say it out loud doesn't it?"

"I'm sticking my neck out for you..." Mark said. "Yeah, you just threatened to kill me before my son. So just so we're clear, I can get Patrick if I wanted to. And if you did move on me and kill me, even if me and Miguelito died, the carales would send an army until there was nothing but burned houses left in the wards."

"Well let's hope it doesn't come to that. You know that you're not Neto and you dont have his capabilities. You could maybe kill my family. But you'd lose a lot of soldiers. And you'd only do it by numbers because you are not ex military the way Santa Muerte is. So if Neto does die against me which he will and he's tougher than all of you, wouldn't that be a sign that there's been enough blood?"

"I also have contacts in the Zero Cartel. I don't like working with them but we have in the past. Before I solidified any alliances with the original San Andrean Onda, back in the 90's it was the Zero Cartel we worked with. They supplied us. So if any of you outsiders wonder how us and the New Austin Syndicate can work with them when San Andrean South Siders work with Madrazo and TJ...that's why..." Mark asked, "Is this going anywhere?"

"Not only will my companeros wipe out your entire family should you kill me and Miguelito, and Patrick kills my other children...Ana since she's dangerous will be put down. But Alison? She'd be sold to the cartel down there. They love redheads down I can promise you that beingte seniorita of a sicario or anybody else in the cartel is a fate worse than death but you would never see her again. But before the compadres out here killed you, they'd be sure to show you just how she's doing in the hot Mexican heat."

Mark rose up from the table as if ready to strike. Ernesto didn't flinch even slightly. Ernesto was showing a dark side that Mark had thought had died when his wife had and in many ways it seemed like it could be darker than Miguel. "You wouldn't do that..." Mark declared. "I know you. You were disgusted when Patrick did what he did to Isabella."

"It's BECAUSE you and the IAA employed that marrano that I would. Do I want to do that? No. She seems like a nice enough lady for a fed and a gavacha. But if you fuck with my familia, I will be triumphant from beyond the grave. You've taken certain measures so that if something happens to you, whoever kills you has their whole world torn apart. Well I got myself an insurance policy too. I made the Zero's a lot of money. Now with me working with Los Santos vatos yes I had to work with their enemies and they didn't like that but at the same time, you pay rent to whoever is in charge there and down there it just happens to be Madrazo supplying people. But I've still got a few favors owed to me by the higher ups."

"Neto's parents were killed by the original 30 in the Zeroes. You sure he'd be ok with that?"

"I'm sure he wouldn't but this was before he and I ever met," Ernesto's face went dark and Mark got a glimpse of who he had been when he had been at his prime. "I don't believe in human trafficking but I also don't think that any of my children that are civilians should be involved. You said you wouldn't harm them but that you can't say Patrick wouldn't. You're bullshitting me, youngster. You have the power to end him right now if you wanted. You have all these fail safes in place if you get killed. Nothing will happen to you if YOU kill him. So you could stop him if i was dead and Miguel was if you wanted. But by you bringing it up, I know this means you would betray your own morals again and work with him if it suited you."

Mark started to say, "Hold on..." Ernesto snapped, "Hey! Sorry for talking while you were interrupting. I wasn't done. It doesn't matter what you say. I know now that if it came down to it you're not above working with El Morrano again. That's my word for Patrick. I did a little homework into who he is. So it's a fitting name. In the event that Patrick did go after my children, he would just have to be put down like the rabid dog he is. He's got nothing to lose. He's like Neto in that way. But you and me? We got everything to lose. So if I lose, you lose."

"None of this has to happen if you let nature take its course. Stay your hand, Ernesto," The Black Gunslinger told him.

"Well that brings me to my next and final point," Ernesto stated. "In the Art Of War it says he who seeks to battle first then win will lose but he who seeks to win first and battle later will win. That could be what your steelo is..." Mark confirmed it with a nod. "But you're also overconfident. You're a lot of things. Many of them remarkable. But you're not a citizen of a third world country. You shouldn't sound so sure that when this is all said and done it'll be you standing and not him. So for the sake of peace, yeah...I'll do what I can to control Miguelito...and believe you me...I'm gonna watch. You've said a lot about the outcome of this and fallout with Cruz but Cruz probably won't get his revenge on you unless Neto allows see...as certain as you are that you're going to beat Santa Muerte...I'm just as certain that it's going to be the opposite."

"Now who's overconfident?" Ernesto shrugged. "You live in the US. You used to just live by the code of the streets but you're not afraid to call 911 when you have to and you kill whoever has a problem with that. Where Neto comes from even if he was a rata, the police are in the cartels pockets. He's coming from that place of survival. Maybe he didn't run away on the streets like you did but he lost his parents. You may hate yours but they're still alive. Neto is a man with nothing to lose. You have plenty to lose. You're more like me."

"i can't just let what neto has done slide. Sorry..." The Creole stated. "Then I'm talking to a dead man."

"Aren't we all?" Replied the youngest Roman.

Neto

He had finally recovered from his fight with Mark which was not to say he didn't still have soreness. He did but he was able to get up and around. He would be back in New Arcadia but for now, he was back in Los Santos as it was time to lay Pajaro to rest. Renata and Gata were in tears as they lowered him in the ground. "This motherfucker's gonna pay..." Stated Nata. "First all those lives lost in the hood then when Pajaro goes to do to them what they did to us, they kill him...I want in on this..."

"Yeah... " Stated Gata. "I'm gonna kill everybody in thei neighborhood! They forget we're international! We can get those pendejos anywhere in North or Central America!"

Ivan was also there. Several cholos were attacking him and he was defending himself but it was five on went over and yelled, "Knock it off!" One of the Aztecas, a bald headed cholo of about five eight in a Pounders jersey with a dark blue bandanna around his forehead and a teal and gray plaid shirt and gray khakis bellowed, "Didn't you and this fool throw down, perro? This motherfucker stood tall with Leondre, man! He's as bad as that punk that killed Demon's boy!"

"He's not, homes. Let him through. The fuckers that did this...we got a mutual enemy."

Neto helped him to his feet. "Nice little Rancho greeting..." Ivan said wit a bit of blood on his lip but two of the cholos were bleeding as well. "He's cool, guys. He helped me go against the fucker that did this to me. This vato right here..." He held up a picture of Mark on his cameraphone. "He's the one that sent all those terroistas into our varrio and destroyed a couple buildings. We went down there and he almost killed me. ..." He would not admt that technically, Mark had killed him and then brought him back just to do it all over. "But if he thinks we're done he's got another thing coming!"

Just then, he noticed several cholas including Zorra and Liche as well as Dimples swarming on a familiar Asian American woman. They were about to do the same thing the vatos had just done to Ivan but he saw that Dimples had her cuete out. "Calmate! i want to see what this bitch wants!" He walked up to Mai and told the rest of the Aztecas, "Give us a minute."

He then glared and said, "What do you want?"

"I know you hate me and that's fine. People in my line of work make more enemies than gang bangers do. Look, I stopped you from killing Lee and the others and I cant exactly tell you why but that doesn't mean I won't still help you."

"How?"

She held up footage of a few members of the BSU shooting Aztecas. Lee was not one of them but Jimmy and Thire and Tup were seen shooting. "This shoots their Sunbelt alibi to shit."

"I couldn't help but notice that Lee isn't in that video. You want to explain that one to me?"

"There was one but...I admit..." Neto chuckled. "So it is true. But of all the chinos in the world, him?! Really? Not even one of the Da Nang Boyz?"

"I've partied with them but they are gang bangers at the end of the day. Lee...he's different."

"Well, listen you IAA fuckers are known for spying lying and extorting. But I know where your parents live and you don't want that. Don't think about trying to move them out of state. My boys will get them before anybody you have would. So what you're going to do...is send that right now along with the footage I KNOW you have of Lee Shen. You're going to send it to Agent Alison Trueblood. That way she knows. They don't get to walk away from this shit. Tu sabes que? We can end any threat I have to make towards your parents if you did it right now..."

She sighed and did exactly that while he watched. "Send it to the director of the FIB in New Arcadia too. Just in case..." He ordered. She did as he asked. She growled, "You're such a psychotic piece of shit!" He told her, "Pick your family over the BSU groupie you fucked. You ask me that's a no brainer. Now... get the fuck out of here...you're still a tresspasser. And if that hacker Mark works with thinks of pulling some kind of fancy work of making it so the videos don't go through, I've got backup ones. I asked everybody in Rancho that day that caught it to give me a copy of their recordings. Rancho is a strong city that's been through a lot. They don't need to be afraid anymore."

As the Vietnamese American woman left, they returned to the solemn event. "Where's his family?" He asked Jose. He noticed Chela bawling her eyes out as well. He had heard they had hooked up at least once before he did go to New Arcadia. "Non here..." The Chicano Navajo said. "Far as I know most of them are in El Salvador. He had nobody but us up here."

"That's just great..." Neto said with a distressed sigh. "We should have found that out before we buried him..." Stated Jose. "No...you saw what Mark did to him. Besides, I did look into it before we did bury him. We waited as long as we could. I never thought I'd say this but his family...whatever is left of it might be safer in the murder capital of the world than up here..." He thought to himself, Because Roman aint down there...

"The most we can do for him now is to avenge him. And I've only just gotten started with Mark."

Meanwhle, in New Arcadia, the FIB director got an email of video footage of Jimmy and Lee Shen. This was also recieved by the FIB in Los Santos. At the same time, Alison Trueblood was also seeing this on her email as well. "Goddamn it, Lee..."

Strawberry

Lil King pulled up in Forum Drive as Big Sway and H Bomb gave a ride. This was a different turn of events. They were meeting up with the Ballas again trying to put on a meeting for the end of violence between the gangs. Represenatives of Forum Drive had showed up but Carson and Chamberlain as well as other sets refused but Davis Neighborhood, at least the 165th set was there. On the purple side, there was OCB, South Side and Eastside. A light skinned black male with dread locks and rather crooked and unattractive teeth wearing a burgandy t shirt and glasses and red gym shorts was representing for the East Side Avenue Ballas the East Side of South Central su set of the South Side Ballas while the main set was more Strawberry focused now. Representing the Mercenary Ballas from the Rancho Housing projects as was a dark skinned heavyset black male with a snapback hat and shades on wearing a white t shirt and beige khakis.

They were introduced as Weasel and Slugz. Both were OG's. In addition to them was an OG known as Skell wit two of his boys. Skell was from the Macedonia Park set, a neighborhood not too far from Chamberlain Hills. Skell was a light brown skinned African American male with a black d-rag wearing a black t shirt and blue jean with tattoos all over his arms.

From South Side came Tyson as well as G Bone and Janea who had had her baby by now. From OCB was Stone and Sugar and K Low. Despite being from CGF, G Note and Peaches were along for this as well. "First things first..." Stated Stone. "If it's finna be any peace between any of us..yall gotta serve that lil nigga up.." He said glaring at Lil King. Lil King went for the 10mm Handgun in his pants. "Come on wit it then!" He said. Lamar told him, "Hey nigga chill! You're fucking up our parlay! Aint nobody serving shit up."

Big Sway smiled and said, "Besides, you want him for killing Leondre you best to give us the nigga that iced my homeboy Tony last year cause I know it was one of you."

"Fuck that! Yo Stone this shit is a waste of time, blood!" Stated K Low. Sugar spoke up. "Nah hold up. if you want to talk about making shit right why not give up the nigga from your hood that shot my baby?"

"Bitch it looks like you got another one already and last I heard it was from some pink motherfucker. Trying to move up in the world, huh?" She growled, "Nigga fuck you!" H Bomb stepped in between the two sides. "Look, this is getting us nowhere. Both sides have wronged each other. We need to come together. Ya['ll know me. You got people both sides that know who I am..." He looked at Skell. "Homie, we did time in the bin together, we watched out for each other in there. When it wasn't you in the B Dog module and me in the Families module and we had to actually be on the same yard at Boilerbroke didn't we watch out for each other against the Aryans?"

"And the Ese's too..." Stated Skell. "They was always trying us..."

"Exactly. But that's just it. We've done this truce thing before, were at the one in 92 and so was I. We both rioted even. Now I can't say I know these dudes..." He said referring to Slugz and Weasel. "But we want the same thing. If ya'll wasnt trying to come to an understanding you wouldn't be here."

"Yeah well we are here..." Tyson said. "Except OCB aint the only ones that got beef with him..." He said looking at Lil King. "This cat been setting it off all over town. But yeah I'm willig to let bygones be bygones but I aint lettin nobody else step on our toes again you feel me? I lost too many patnas in this shit."

G Bone nodded. "Word. Truth is I aint feeling this shit either. Peace never lasts with them so why we even here?"

"Look, who stahds to gain from us killing each other?" Asked H Bomb.

"The spics..." Stated Slugz. "Besides them..." H Bomb said. "One time?" Replied Sugar. "Yeah them too but I'm talking about in the game. With records and tattoos like us."

"The AV?" Lil King suggested. "I don't know I'm just guessing..." H Bomb nodded. "Exactly."

"So what you saying?" Demanded Slugz. "Who cares about them old peckerwoods? They aint bringing it to South Central."

"I'm saying we war with the Ese's on the streets and in the pen," Stated H Bomb. "We united with our own inside but we're not out here but we need to change that. But like I said we war with the Mexicans no matter what. But notice how we only hit the Woods up mostly in the pen? Why is that?"

"Cause in there, they're the niggers, not us," Said Weasel and this earned a laugh from gang members on both sides. "Nah that aint what i'm saying. We funk with them in the pen right? So why we aint putting more of the squeeze on them out here? Look, whatever we decide or don't decide about each other I'm done killing brothers man. Those days are done for me. I did all that in the 90's. I aint funking with the set trip on other brothas in green and I aint going against my violet wearing brothas either."

"I'm saying..." Said G Bone. "How you gonna be a Muslim and still be even here, dog?"

"Look, just cause I aint down with the ignorant shit no more doesn't mean I aint down. I'll still war with the real enemies. The Quran says it's better to make war on your enemies than to be oppressed. So I'm not down with the Willie Lynch bullshit no more but I'll always be down for coming up with a peaceful solution among ourselves. But when it comes to the Vanguard...they might be criminals yeah./..but theyre the same as the system. They're just honest about who they are. The system pretends like it's blind as far as justice but we know that aint how it is."

"So hat you saying? You trying to ride on the Vanguard or what?" Asked Peaches. "That's exactly what I'm saying. We got no problem saying we at war with the Ese's. That's been on. And we got no problem saying fuck a ball sack fuck a tranny. But why we aint openly as at war with the Vanguard?"

"Cause they're white boys," His older brother stated. "You know if they start turning up dead it's gonna raise questions we don't want to be around to be asked."

"But I'm saying though. These fools got into their organization by shanking some of us, right? That's what they gotta do to get in. So why should we let that happen anymore? We should they get to rest eas when they're out on the streets making their little collections? We should turn it up on them."

"I mean...if we set it off in the white boy's neighborhood..." Stone stated, "We might just make it so the one time is all over the West Side and it might actually be quiet around here. And if we make a war with them, difference is they aint gonna come back on us in our own hood. They aint got the balls for that. You know what, dog? I'm with it..." He slapped hands with H Bomb. So did Skell.

"So you got a plan or what?" Asked Tyson. "I'm down to try it."

"Yeah...there's a house full of AV and AV associates up in Chumash. Me and my partnas cooled at the beach since the homie went straight and moved to Vespucci Beach. We got to the same mosque together sometimes but anyway, this brother says he's seen people come in there trying to get clean that have been on meth before. We figured maybe it was that crazy guy out there in Blaine County but nah. It's them. They're moving glass from Chumash to Del Perro."

"Hold up my nigga...you want us to go stop some meth dealers from slinging when that's the same shit we do in the hood?"

"Everybody that clocks a grip aint all about the yayo, cuz," Stated H Bomb. "There's other hustles. If you only got one it's real easy to shut you down fast when the market's , they're the ones that at the end of the day bring this shit in. The original Families even original Ballas weren't about this slinging shit! We gotta try another way. If not for moralist reasons, then at least to keep our black asses outta jail."

Big Sway laughed at his younger brother. "oh what and chipping off woods won't land us in the pen, motherfucker?"

"it could..." He stated. "But killing the AV is rightous. Aint no rightousness is slinging. Look they even sling to their own the Mexicans, Colombians, whatever they're slaves to them cause they still want the drugs so somebody gotta supply that demand. I'm saying though Onda aint even the biggest prison gang. We may outnumber the Aryans ten to one or more in most prisons but state to state and coast to coast it's different gangs that run different joints. I'm not even saying the AV runs all the joints but they're in every state."

He looked at the younger Families gangsters who were looking at him. "We can't get set up in Ohlone cause the local crew ain t having it. We can't get ay real power in Carcer City. But the AV is in the prisons in both states. How much power they got is another story but the point is they're the one group that's consistant. You got Vagos, Aztecas Marabunta in about thirty five to forty states, you got us and the Ballas maybe thirty to thirty five. But the Vanguard is in EVERY state my is that? It's gotta be that they got a pass from big brothers or something."

"I'm i..."Big Sway said with a sigh. "But i want whatever chips we find on those skinheads. If they running glass outta that house enough for all the tweakers on the beach then they clocking some serious paper and I want in."

H Bomb said, "We can divide the loot up evenly among ourselves. But I'd prefer we just take the paper not the drugs."

Sway took his own sunglasses off. "Now that baby bro? That's what you get no say over. I'm with this peace shit i even tried it out too same as you but if you remember I got shot during what was supposed to be a peace sit down so I'm always on my toes. So we're gonna try things your way. Stop beefing at least with the sets that showed up here today and we go after the AV. But you expecting nobody here to take any meth to sell on the streets if we find it?" He chuckled as did the other Families and Ballas. "Now that,'s something neither side is gonna agree to. Niggas gotta eat. Simple as that."

H Bomb didn't say anything to that. he just said, "Aight...we'll meet up in Vespucci in three hours."

He frowned to himself. He had won a victory of a sorts in that they agreed to at least try and keep the peace in the hood but at the same time, he couldn't stop even his own gang from partaking of whatever meth they would likely find and selling it. It didn't matter that meth wasn't popular in South Central. In all of LS if there was buyers, they'd find them. The Loony Block Families were good at that. He said to himself as the others departed, "Can't win them all..."

Meanwhile back at Lamar's crib he and G Note were getting ready loading up weapons. "This shit is about to be cracking! LD's finna get paid! You know that's all I ever really wanted. We didn't have to ever have problems with the Ballas. We can live in peace and just knock down rich motherfuckers and bustas..."

G Note chuckled. "Fool you was born in the wrong generation. I mean you was born in the 80's so you came up on that 90's vibe but then your ass would have had to be born in the 70's to be the age you are now in the age you want to act like. But you would have had to put up with disco in the 70's and hair bands in the 80's."

Lamar moved towards her and said, "What you saying? The boy LD can move on a floor with the disco ball with the best of em! And pop and lock what's happening?" She chuckled. "You a clown."

She then kissed him. "We got a couple hours to kill..." He asked, "Hey you sure you ok...I mean I aint complaining it's just..." G Note put a finger to his lips. "Shhh...you talk too much, Lanky. Let's not talk..." She kissed him and the tall gangster kissed back. "Oh hell yeah I'm down...i'm a lover nota fighter..."

---

That's it for this chapter. i hope you enjoyed though most of it is in a past tense. So we see what Pal's beef with Yoshida is. What do you think is happening there and will he be able to get revenge? There's actually a significance to the way he shot his mom that I won't get into publically but ill probably tell some of you like maybe zilla why i did it that way.

As for Packie killig Phil Bell some might debate on whether or not he was a made man. On one hand Ray said you're just an associate on another hand though Jimmy said that hes see as a joke for having Phil so high up in the organization. The way they killed Mary was sort of based on The Sopranos.

As for the Families and Ballas meeting about killing AV, I'll get into that and a lemon with Lamarg and G Note next chapter but I figued it is strange we hear abou crips and bloods fighting surenos in the pen and the streets but not the AB so much on the streets. As fo Weasel he is visually based on Redrum from the Bloods & Crips and Slugz is based on stretch. Mercenary Ballas are based on the Bounty Hunter Blood set and the Loony Block is based on Nutty Blocc Compton Crips as i have referred to DNFG being from the thing is while that gang is more based on the Neighborhood Crip card sort of the thing to rememner is that in the early days of the crips it was really more like three sets. You had westsidcrips under Tookie East Side under Raymnd and comptn i guess under Jamel Barnes but while various compton crip gangs may beef with each other now i can justify it because all compton crips would have still come from that initial gang.

Padrag is an oc Zilla mentioned so i thought id have him appear in this for some context even though he died in Zilla's story and just so you all know that Capo was Charlie from New Arcadia that got wounded which could be the basis for a deeper hatred of the Irish mob.

As for the bloodpack and rubber bullet fakeout that is from a couple of episodes of Burn Notice where they faked gunshot wounds to make a guy seem crazy but then in another episide they used rubber bullets so the rubber bullets was to knock them out so they woldnt tell that it was fake and the sheep brains thing is from the show peaky blinders. So yeah it was just a thing with Miguel fucking with them mentally

Lawrence is visually based on Dylan Chalfy who played Patrick Keenan on Oz. Mac Liam is visually based on the guy that played Liam Meaney on oz. Owen is based on Charlie Cox from Boardwalk Empre and Daredevil which no i have not watched. Raff who died pretty fast is visually based on Ron Eldard.

Also Mai sent the footage that destroys lee and jimy's alibi idk what kind of shit storm its gonna start and yes it might cause tension between mai and lee but Neto did threaten her parents. While it is true that she didnt try and resist him that much on it part of that is guilt for spying on him but the other thing is she knows what neto can do. Since Lee doesnt know to what extent he threatened her family he might be pissed but in the end understand why she would give reason i do this is that while mai has helped Lee and co a lot leading one to think shes flipped sides, like Ana whp has pevented mark from going after Neto in the past which in a way is helping neto, ana is still on mark side more so in this way this was Mai still showing alleigance to neto and ivan despite what her job is. But then she and ana have both violated protocol.

I'm not even saying have Lee and Jimmy go to jail from it at least right now it's just when you do something of that magnitude it won't just go away. Neto's actions won't either at some point he'll go to prison I'm thinking Mai and Ivan too. I just haven't decided when.

By the way as far as the time frame of this, this is obviously after the chapter I showed with Neto and Mark fighting and after Zilla's latest chapter but before Neto did the robbery just so i could show some extra shit and let zilla get caught up

Anyway till nexxt time.