A giant thud jumpstarted him awake and immediately his hand sought out the pistol underneath his pillow. His eyes darted around the small space, checking corners and the door for people who shouldn't be there. It was disorienting waking this way, and he shook his head to clear it of the haze. The heat of the ship was near unbearable and kept him awake most nights, but for some reason he had been able to fall asleep for once. The jarring jerk of the cargo ship had him on his feet in an instant.

'Something is wrong…'

Niko checked his pistol and tucked it into his side holster, before grabbing one of the numerous assault rifles on the tiny table in his room. He glanced to the other cot and realized his cabinmate hadn't returned from post yet. That's when he heard the whirling of the engine powering down and the halt of movement. He nearly slammed into the metal hatch door with the sudden stop of forward momentum.

Screams in Russian, Serbian, and Albanian rose up above the eerie quiet that settled down in the rapidly cooling ship.

"You did this!"

"The hell you mean! You were in charge of the engine crew, not us!"

"Did anyone check for pirates? They love to scout out unmarked ships knowing we won't call for help!"

"Something hit us! We are taking on too much water!"

That's when the lights flickered overhead and got Niko moving out into the hall to see what was going on. He heaved the heavy door open and looked both ways before emerging into the narrow hallway. People scurried toward the forward staircase and climbed as fast as was possible. The rifle tucked into his shoulder in a ready position, and he took off in the opposite direction. If the ship was sinking, he knew the crew would've locked down the 'product' and left them to drown and the thought scraped harshly down his spine.

They would get a fair shot at surviving as the rest of them.

The lights shut off and the emergency ones clicked on with a loud pop. The red glow made the ship look more sinister than it really was, and he had to pause when he heard hurried footfalls heading his direction.

"Niko! Someone has blown a hole in the engine room! It is flooding too fast! We must leave at once!" One of Bulgarin's lead security men ran around the corner, covered in soot and burn marks.

"How do I know it was not you who created said explosion? Your hands look badly injured!" Niko lifted his rifle and took aim.

"I tried to disarm the bomb. But I was too late and had to take cover!" The angry tone and slanting of the man's eyes had Niko wondering if he was actually telling the truth. But he was almost too tired and strung out to care. His finger slipped through the trigger guard and fired off two rounds. He was done with the bullshit that was the operation. Too many lives were ruined because of the work he did, and he was losing what was left of him that made him feel human.

The body crumbled to the ground, and he stepped over them and headed off toward the lower decks to free the 'slaves'.

Which was he really no different from the label? He was forced to do work he was uncomfortable with and didn't want to do. Most of the time he wasn't even paid or compensated. He was told the roof over his head, a warm meal, and clothes on his back was his reward for service.

The ship groaned and slanted upward, forcing Niko to grab onto the side railing of the staircase he had reached. The sound of rushing water greeted his ears and he jumped over the railing to get down the steps quicker. He knew time was running out and if he wanted to have redemption later on in life, he wanted to save those below deck. Panicked shouts and screams echoed off the metal walls as he neared the locked cells.

"Please! Someone help us!"

"I don't want to die!"

"Help!"

Niko's feet splashed when he landed in about a foot of water. It was rapidly rising as the ship kept tilting and sinking. He followed the sounds of cries for help, the water slowing him down drastically, and finally reached the many locked cells.

"Please! We are trapped! They took the keys!" A man in broken English yelled out to Niko, clutching a young girl to his side.

"I have children back home; someone needs to go protect them from these evil men!" Another woman shouted at him, tears streaming down her face.

So many phrases, begs, pleas were hurled his direction and he had to fight with his own emotions to stay levelheaded, "Stand back from the locks. I will shoot them."

The crowd did their best to move away from the thick metal bars while standing in almost two feet of water now. As soon as Niko felt they were far enough away to not be struck by a ricochet or piece of a bullet he fired his assault rifle at the locking mechanism. Sparks flew in different directions, but the satisfying click of the lock giving way was one sound he would be glad to hear for the rest of his life.

He sloshed over to the next cage and waved everyone back and repeated the process four more times. So many souls were in his hands now and he didn't want to dwell on the fact that most of them wouldn't survive the frozen water outside. The air was frigid to begin with above the Adriatic Sea, and there was no telling how long people would last in cold water with no real sense of where to swim or go.

"Thank you… We will never forget this." The first man that had called out to him lifted a crying child up in his arms and tucked her to his body to keep her out of the water.

"No. You will forget my face. All of you!" He glanced around at the nearly one hundred people he had just set free, "Take this rifle and get to the top deck. Do not hesitate to kill anyone in your way. Get to the life rafts. It's your only option. No one is coming to help us." He passed off the rifle to a woman that had a large scar across her face, and a fiery determination in her eyes. She would lead them out of there.

"What about you?" A young girl that looked no older than ten pulled on his jacket, the water was nearly to her waist.

"I will find my own way and kill those along the way. You must be careful from here on out. Bulgarin will not hesitate to kill you if he sees any of you again. Know this and do what you will." Niko removed her hand from his jacket and turned away from them all and took off toward a different staircase that would take him up to the control room. He needed to figure out where exactly they were in the water, and how far to shore he needed to go.

"Which way do we go?" Another young male shouted when the ship made another creaking sound as if the metal was twisting below them.

Niko pointed to the staircase he had take down to them, "Go that way and follow every red sign that has an arrow on it. It will lead you to the top deck and where the lifeboats are. Load them as full as you can. I think fifty can safely be on each. Now GO!" He didn't bother to look back as he started to climb up to the control room. He had given them an out and if they didn't take advantage of it, it was on them.

The ship lifted higher before slamming down against the water, forcing Niko to smack into the metal flooring. The air left him in a rush, and he sucked in air, trying to dispel the pain that radiated from his chest. He was not about to go down with the ship. He was determined to get away from this life of his and start over. There would be no more jobs for Bulgarin. No more dirty work that left him feeling hollow and alone. He would find his own out.

The ship felt colder than it ever felt before and he fought off the shiver that was caused by his waterlogged boots and pants. The water was seeping up the staircase he had just exited, and he prayed the people were able to get up the other one just as quickly. But their numbers would have slowed them drastically. He shoved up off the harsh metal flooring and once more took off in a sprint for the control room.

He smashed open the control room door, pistol at the ready, and killed the two men still trying to salvage the ship. What did it matter if they lived? They would just report back to Bulgarin that he had set the product free. He made quick work moving to the map desk and where the last recorded position was at. He was a mile off the coast of Italy. It would be one hell of a swim, but he had gone longer in the water. The coldness worried him some. He had never had to fight off hypothermia.

Silently he used the instruments present, as the ship was not state of the art by any means, to recalculate their position. The moon was just starting to dip below the horizon, which meant the sun wouldn't be far behind. He rushed his mapping and grabbed a compass. He needed to keep heading northwest in order to have the shortest distance of a swim. He would leave all and any boats to those he had set free.

A couple more men entered the control room looking winded from running, "Niko? How bad we looking?"

"Bad." He didn't hesitate to lift his pistol and shoot each of them in the head. He knew he would have to finish off the rest of the skeleton crew before jumping ship. Too many of them would hightail it back to Bulgarin and blab about what took place. Even if he had nothing to do with the ship sinking. He had to lean slightly forward in order to walk over to the lockers in the room as the ship had pitched another degree upward. They were sinking way to fast for this liking.

He flipped his pistol around and slammed the butt of his gun against the lock several times before it broke. Silently he removed the sniper from the locker and made quick work putting it together and loading it up. He stalked over to the observation deck and shoved the door open. The chilly air slapped against him, and he shuddered at the unwelcomed cold. He took aim at everyone he knew was part of the ships crew and felt nothing as he dropped body after body.

He saw the crowd of people emerge from another heavy metal door and bum rush the lifeboats. They would be able to load up and get off the ship before things got too dangerous. Or so he thought. He swung his rifle around and saw more of Bulgarin's men running forward from their own escape path. He jerked the bolt action mechanism as fast as he could between each target. He planned to give them the best chance, and he meant it.

He lined up headshot after headshot, not letting his mind deter him from doing what needed to be done. If he wanted out, this was it.

He spotted the female with the assault rifle shooting at several men, before someone got a lucky shot off and hit her in the neck.

Anger boiled Niko's blood and he immediately killed the person who had shot the woman.

Someone else picked up the assault rifle and went back to defending their people. Boats were filled and lowered to the water as Bulgarin's numbers kept dwindling down. He shifted between targets no longer caring about the consequences. If he, had it his way, there never would be people like Bulgarin around on the planet. No one would be mistreated and sold. No torture. No pain. There would be a peace and a chance at finding a better life.

The ship jerked upwards, and he tumbled back at the sudden change of gravity. He rolled over himself several times before crashing into the metal desk of the navigational papers.

'So much for everyone getting off before we go capsized…'

He lifted himself up just enough to flick the 'SOS' switch on. Maybe the Italian Navy would pick up on it and come looking for life rafts. Or a nearby ship that wasn't being used for human trafficking or drug runs. It was just one more thing he did to ensure those people had a chance. There should be no evidence left to tie it back to him or Bulgarin. The people would be silent… Hopefully.

The creaking, groaning, and scraping of metal on metal drowned out every other sound and Niko did his best to climb along the floor to the open door of the control room. It led to the outside and where he'd be able to make a leap. His movements felt labored and strained as he went from fixed object to fixed object. Thankfully the people in charge had bolted the desks and filing cabinets to the floor. It was a small advantage, and he would take full advantage of it.

It somewhat felt like rock climbing has he had to jump from place to place along the floor as he made his way up toward the open glass door. Suddenly the hinge of said glass door broke loose and he was forced to swing himself free from the projectile path and to another fixed object. The lights flickered once last time before it all went dark, and he was descended into darkness. He felt the water splash against his boots as the ship kept sinking at an exponential rate.

His fear, anger, and longing to get out of there spurred him on and he found a depth of power and strength he didn't know existed. He rose rapidly up the now vertical ship and pulled himself up over the reenforced glass to be greeted by the chilly air. It was the first time he felt able to take a deep breath. It felt clean, welcoming, and warranted as he used the metal railings to hurriedly navigate the collapsing ship.

His limbs shook against the usage of them. But he tried to ignore the burn and pull of them. He still had a long swim to commit to. A lifejacket floated by him from the wreckage, and he snatched it up and quickly flung it around his body, snapped the clips into place. At the minimum it would allow him to stay afloat if he got too tired to continue into Italy. His eyes glanced around in a panic to see if the boats had at least lowered and had people in them. The other still attached boats would sink with the ship. He thought he saw a few wooden boats in the distance, but with the low light of the night it was hard to decipher what he was seeing.

He continued to climb up the sinking ship, using whatever railing, handle, and platform he could reach in order to stay above the water. Which was freezing to the touch. Even in September the water should've been warmer than it was. His body was shaking uncontrollably as he reached the highest peak of the now fastly sinking ship. The dark water was approaching him quickly. He tilted his face up to the heavens and pleaded with whoever would listen to be able to survive this.

He would change his ways. He would seek forgiveness and whatever else it took to gain access to a more peaceful end to his life. The ominous clouds above him heralded a storm, and he knew he had not done enough to be granted a happily ever after. He would have to fight a sea storm, swim a mile, and not die in the process. With a resigned sigh he pulled his compass out of his jacket pocket to see which direction he needed to swim in. The arrow spun around a few times before snapping in the northern direction. He glanced in the northeastern direction and shoved the compass back into his pocket, readying himself for the bite of the cold water.

"Niko?"

"Niko?"

"Niko?!"

He startled from his hunched over position of the dining room table, wire brush tightly fisted in his hand. His eyes shifted around the room before noticing Kate emerging from the makeshift hallway. He lowered his eyes back to the table and what he had been doing before his mind had locked him into a memory he hadn't revisited in years. The pieces of gun before him let him know he had been in the middle of cleaning his sniper rifle.

"Am I going to have to make a rule about no guns at the table?" Kate walked into the living room pulling her hair back into her normal, signature bun, missing him swipe the cold sweat from his face. The night had been a blur to her, and after spending more time than was necessary in the shower this morning, she realized that some ground rules were needed. Her eyes wanted to roll at the sight of Niko sitting at the dining room table, sniper rifle disassembled, and his hands scrubbing a wire brush along a random piece of metal.

'Honestly… Is this how it is going to be from now on…?'

"I'm almost done cleaning it." Niko glanced up from his work and did a double take, "You plan on wearing that when Georgi gets here?" She had his flannel button down on and he couldn't be sure if she had shorts on or not. Her hair was somewhat still wet, and he could tell she had spent extra time getting herself ready. Her legs looked silky soft. Her face glowed, and she raked her eyes over him with that teasing, dangerous look.

"Depends. I have some rules and suggestions I'd like to go over." She walked over to the table and leaned into the edge of it where Niko sat, "For starters, no guns at the table. This is where we eat." She pulled on the shirt to get it to lay right and softly smiled when it tried to fall down her shoulder. She loved when she spotted him checking her out. His eyes would dart to the area and back to her face as if he didn't want to be caught.

Niko scooted his chair out some and turned in her direction giving her the space to slide in front of him, "Okay I can just clean this on the kitchen island or coffee table. No problem."

She took his opening and did a small hop up to be able to sit on the table, placing her foot on his thigh, and shoving pieces of the sniper away from her, "Maybe I should clarify? No knives either." She looked down to his waist and spotted the hilt of one of his throwing knives and nudged it with her toe. Normally she didn't care if he was armed. But in their home, their safe place, she wanted to feel like the danger wasn't within the walls they took refuge in.

"Easy enough." Niko pulled several knives from their resting place within his waist, ankle, and inner pocket of his jacket. The metal clanged as it hit the surface of the table. He felt his blood warm under her stare. If he was picking up on her signals correct, he didn't mind delaying their breakfast a little longer. He would call Georgi and ask that he take the long way to the apartment. Not to mention… his mind could go for a serious distraction right about now.

Kate moved the knives further away from her after he completely disarmed himself, "Anything else on you?" Slowly she dragged her eyes over him. He was fully dressed, as if he was ready to leave the house at a moment's notice. It was painful in a way she wasn't ready to face. They were supposed to be enjoying their time after the fall of the Rascalov clan, but now they were gearing up to take on yet another crazy group of people. Would the madness ever stop?

"If you ask there be no weapons at the table, I'll be forced to remove myself." Niko leaned back in his chair and took hold of her ankle. He used his fingers to lightly massage her calf as his hand traveled up her leg, "Do I need to get myself away from the table?" He watched as she dropped her head back at his touch and lift her other leg to rest on his opposite leg. Her arms and hands spread in order to lean back on the sturdy table.

She felt his other hand stroke over her knee, and she bit her lip wishing she could just focus on the things she needed to talk about, rather than continually surrender to her need to feel him touch her, "Niko… You are not a weapon. A weapon would not be capable of such a tender touch."

He placed a kiss to her inner thigh close to her knee, "I know what I am. And nothing is going to change that fact."

"You may think that. But I know better." Kate shivered at his touch, "I need to ask a couple of things of you."

Niko ignored her words and placed another kiss to her leg, pulling her forward to the edge of the table, "If what you ask isn't to take you back to the bed, then I don't want to hear it." He smoothed his hands up her legs to hold her hips, "Who needs breakfast when I have you?"

"Niko!" Kate gasped as she tried to catch herself and rebalance on the table, "Will we ever be truly safe and free? Before I believed that things were done… Now? You are who used to hunt you down. Even if you do relinquish the title and power, will people simply forget and move on?" She rolled her head to side with his touch and looked at him with half closed eyes. It was a thought that showed up with the rising sun. Just because the title was removed, will the world just shift its focus?

"These people are going to do whatever they can to destroy us. Maybe they will blow up a city block. Maybe they will infiltrate our group. Maybe they will try to break us all apart…" He placed another kiss to her inner thigh and rested his cheek on her leg, "But this time I know about it. I'm ready for it. They won't be able to hurt any of us." He lifted his eyes up to meet her gaze, "Our safety is my priority. And when it comes time to step down, the world will know it and only be focused on Kenny again. We will be nobody's again."

"I don't want to go through what I went through again. And while I will have experience, I don't think I'd survive it. Not with how much there is to lose. We don't have someone on the inside this time. We don't have IAA backing us. We got lucky last time I think…" Kate drifted her foot up his leg to rest against his hip, "We can't keep this level of insanity going all the time." Her eyes landed on the golden ring that graced his finger, "But if you think you can convince me that we will be able to bow out at the end… I will be okay."

"I will never let what happened to you happen again. I have too many people helping out and on the look out to let that slip through the cracks. Ray is dead. His second is dead. These people should have no issue with me. If anything, they are after Kenny. I only took over once Kenny was attacked. There is no way they know I am in charge now." He firmed his fingers on her smooth legs and tried drowning himself in thoughts about shoving her back on the table and feasting on her.

Flashes of his time of the cargo ship screeched across his mind and he shook his head to rid himself of the dark memories. It was in the past. Where it belonged.

"But you are Kenny now…" Kate leaned forward to tilt his face up to hers, "You wear his ring. You are in charge of his entire empire. I'm not blind. I saw the way everyone treated you last night. The respect, fear, power… They look to you for direction and orders. I can't wrap my head around it. But overnight you've become something I didn't think was possible." She caressed his cheek with her thumb, "You are the most powerful- the most highly sought after person in all of Liberty."

"And I am desperately beholden to you." Kate cupped his cheek and kissed his lips. The startled squeak slipped past her lips when he jerked her from the table and into his lap. It was effortless how their bodies connected with one another. The scratch of his scruff as it brushed along her neck forced a shiver of anticipation to travel the length of her spine. His feather light kisses to her sensitive flesh caused her eyes to flutter closed on a breathy moan of his name.

"I only want you to come after me…" Niko dipped his hands under the hem of his button down that graced her body and trailed up her back, realizing she didn't have a bra on. It was permission enough for him to shift his hands to her sides and get to work on getting the article of clothing off of her.

Niko's phone started to ring on the table and they both looked to it to see Roman's name flashing as the caller. Kate exhaled a loud huff and went to get off his lap when his hands firmed on her waist, keeping her in place, "You know you are going to have to answer the call Niko…"

"He can wait a damn minute. I'm busy." He ran his nose up her throat and kissed her below her ear, "I told you I'd make time for us."

Her legs shook and she wanted to give in so bad, but what if Roman was in trouble? What if Mallorie was having a complication and they were on their way to the hospital? The what ifs were killing the mood within her, and she dropped her hands to his shoulders and gently asked him to stop, "I think we both know it could be absolutely nothing, or he could be in danger. Check in with him, and then we can make time for us?"

"I know… I know. I'm sorry." Niko buried his face in her neck and wanted to groan at having his morning spoiled already. Regretfully Niko removed his hand from Kate's waist in order to answer the call, clicking it on speaker, "Yes cousin?"

"Tell me it's not true!" Roman nearly yelled out over the background noise.

"I'm telling you! Kenny is dead and Niko is in charge!" Brucie's voice screamed out over the call.

"What is this about?" Niko face planted into Kate's chest and wanted to groan out with the way news spread. He was worried about the fallout but figured he would have more time before having to tell everyone what was going on. He felt Kate's arms hug him to her in a comforting way and he returned the embrace. The last thing he wanted to go through was reassuring his family that they had nothing to worry about…

'Don't lie to yourself that way.'

"Niko everyone is freaking out. They are saying you are in charge of Kenny Petrovic's mafia. Someone texted Brucie last night explaining how he needed to stay underground for a time. Is this true?" Mallorie spoke out over the call and both Kate and Niko sighed heavily. It was one more thing that could stress Mallorie out.

"Kenny was dying. He asked me to protect his family and organization…" Niko closed his eyes and dug deep to be able to tell his family that he had once again put their lives and wellbeing in jeopardy. Not on purpose of course. But he had accepted the offer from Kenny. He felt Kate lovingly run her fingers over his hair and he tried to take strength from her gesture.

"Niko is in charge. We are working through all this. I'm not sure what it all means or what is expected. But yes… Niko has taken Petrovic's title." Kate continued her stroking of Niko's hair and yearned to get him back to feeling like himself again. They all were in a weird position and just trying to tread water. It was as if their noses and mouths were just above the surface of a vast ocean, but time was winning, and slowly they were being pulled under- losing the willpower to keep trying.

"Holy shit… NB? You?!" Roman stuttered out-

"I TOLD YOU!" Brucie screamed out sounding excited about the change of events.

"Kate, do you need me to come over?" Mal offered.

"One at a time please!" Niko moaned and turned his face toward the phone.

"Niko if you have it all, which Kenny clearly does, does this mean we won't have to worry about whoever is after us?" Roman spoke up and could be heard shushing his wife and friend.

"Bobby is dead. But there is a bigger problem. Ray Bulgarin's old mafia is after everyone. Not so much me specifically, but through the new alliances with the Irish and Italian's and Kenny. Petrovic tried to overtake Ray's territory overseas. Here it's been absolved into various other groups. But there is still a large presence in Europe. I am also concerned that the Rascalov sympathizers will join them." It was a thought that came to him late in the middle of the night as Kate slept in his arms.

"Nicky if you need cars, a need to race, or want someone's specific car, I can get it done for you! I did it for Kenny all the time bro. It'll be like old times!" Brucie sounded way to enthused about Niko's new situation and Kate frowned at his words.

"Not looking for anything Brucie. Thank you though for the offer." Niko patted Kate's back and helped her get up off his lap. He could tell she wasn't enjoying the conversation and would be asking him questions about 'old times' as soon as he hung up.

"I'm your guy dude! Bro this is awesome!" Brucie could be heard trying to take the phone away from Roman before his cousin took control of the phone call.

"NB, we will talk later. We can go suit shopping together later and sort out some stuff. Just please be safe and careful. Also, Kate if you need a place to stay when things go crazy, our home is always here. We both love you two very much." Roman sighed heavily and turned off the speaker on his end of the call, "And cousin? Congratulations I guess?"

"Love you too Roman. Thank you for the offer." Kate found her footing and kept her hand on Niko's shoulder, letting him know in her own way she was staying by his side and not pulling away. Things were bound to be discussed she didn't care for. Kenny's second in command was due to sit at this very table and lay out the operation in full detail.

"Love you cousin. We will talk later for sure. Later on." Niko pressed the end call button and looked up to his girlfriend, "I'm sure you have questions?"

"I do. But at this point I believe what I would be told would be about your life before I came into the picture. And that's okay. I-" Kate started to speak up before Niko cut her off.

"I did car boosting for him. A couple of street races here and there. He is a close friend of Roman's and he offered me money to help pay off Roman's debts and get us ahead in life." He said he was going to be more honest with her and open about his past. And sure… He had killed Tom Rivas for Brucie. But he wasn't about to let that one job out of the bag. Maybe one day…

"Oh. Well. Thank you for telling me." The shock wore off faster than she figured it would. But was it really a shock he had committed crimes for money? Her brothers thrived on that lifestyle. And in a weird, backwards way, he was doing it to help someone. And from the few times she got Mal to open up about Roman's life, it sounded like he was in major debt and trouble when Niko arrived in LC.

"I will answer what I can when I can. You wanted to know things." Niko leaned his face into her wrist and kissed her skin.

"I just want to know about things that would directly affect us. Everything else can wait or stay in the background. There is one thing though… And I feel like I already know the answer." Kate scooted closer to him and tilted his face up to her knowing his eyes wouldn't lie to her.

"What is it, Kate?" He reached out and held her waist. 'Please don't ask me about Derrick… Anything but that.'

"The Bank of Liberty? That was you, Packie, Derrick, and Michael?" She smirked at the blank look that fell over Niko's face, "I had made large assumptions. I mean… Packie did buy a brand new red comet the next day. He was so proud of it. He drove me around the block several times. And as bad as this is going to sound, it gave us the ability to pay for Ma's sleep study. She was bordering on insomnia. A stiff drink and pills wouldn't put her out anymore."

"I am sorry I couldn't keep Michael from being shot." Niko let his features go to a neutral look. He wasn't okay with her knowing how many cops and accidental civilians had been killed during their escape. The body count was extensive. More so than any other job he had been on… "I did not like the exit strategy. Had that been my planning we'd gone out a different way."

"I don't blame you for anything that took place. My brothers can be rather reckless and crazy. When they told me to be out of the house for most of the day after dropping Ma off at the hospital, I figured they were up to no good. I passed Michael as he was walking up to the front door. He looked hyped about something. He kissed Ma's cheek and gave me his typical smile before disappearing into the home. We must have just missed each other." Kate fondly smiled as some of the memories surfaced within her.

"Packie called randomly. I am not even sure I was meant to be part of that job. I will admit, all I thought about was how you would think of me." Niko dropped his hand to her exposed thigh before slipping it up her leg and into the hem of her shorts, grabbing the flesh that he wished to hold as he rocked into her.

The sudden rush of euphoria that flooded her body was hard to ignore, "Niko… At the time all I cared about was you calling me up to hang out again. I worried about your safety and where you'd be…"

The elevator doors dinged loudly causing Kate to jump back and hit the table. Her eyed widened considerably and she took off for the bedroom in order to get dressed decently for company. She could hear Niko's laughter from the bedroom, and she leaned out into the hall to flip him off. She was not about to be seen by anyone in that state of undress. The only one allowed to see her naked would be Niko.

"Good Morning Pakhan. I have brought several bags of groceries. May I enter?" Georgi's arms were loaded down with large brown paper bags, stuffed full of random ingredients to make whatever dish Kate would come up with.

"You can put the bags down on the kitchen island. Here. Let me help." Niko shook his head and glanced down the hallway one more time to see if Kate was still spying on them. It had been hilarious to see her sprint off toward the bedroom like a caught child with their hand in the cookie jar. He took one of the heavy bags from Georgi and showed him where to put the others.

"This is a very nice place. The décor and style is very different from Kenny's place. I like it." Georgi carefully put down the grocery bags and glanced around the space. His eyes landed on the dining room table and all the pieces of a sniper rifle. His fingers twitched. If there was one thing he loved doing, it was disassembling weapons, cleaning them, and putting it all back together again. There was a methodical peacefulness to it.

"I see you've spotted my sniper." Niko followed his line of sight and smirked seeing the excitement build on Kenny's second. It would be interesting to see how skilled he was with weapons.

"May I?" He nodded in the direction of the gun and hoped he'd be able to show Niko he was proficient at guns and was how he rose within the ranks so quickly. Kenny had a need for someone to train his men and he had been more than happy to step up to the task.

"Sure." Niko looked down the hall again wondering if she was going to take longer to get dressed or if she'd be right out. When he didn't immediately see her, he walked over to the table and sat down where he had been earlier. He pulled his knives back toward him and went back to tucking them in their rightful place.

Georgi followed him to the table and stood across from him, surveying the parts looking for the one he needed to restart the assembly process, "Am I allowed to speak of business? Or do I need to wait?"

"You can talk. It is fine. But if anything is too dark or violent, you will say it in Russian." Niko crossed his arms and darted his eyes toward the bedroom. Kate did not need to know any gory details. He didn't like the thought of her knowing any of the information, but it seemed like when he kept her in the dark, the more danger she found herself in. He figured if she understood what was going on, maybe she would be more willing to listen to him when it came to her safety.

"I understand. The scout team reported back in this morning. They have confirmed the mansion is still the headquarters for Bulgarin's bratva. Which we still do not have a name or face for who is running it. I have bad news though." Georgi picked up several pieces of the sniper and started to reconnect them. It would be a good distraction in order to keep the conversation level and not let his own emotions run away from him.

"What kind of bad news?" Kate walked into the living room, fully dressed, and smiled at Georgi seeing him work on the rifle. She had pulled on a pair of jeans, socks, tennis shoes, a t-shirt, and a maroon hoodie, which was zipped up all the way to the base of her neck.

"Good Morning Miss McReary." He nodded to her when she joined Niko at the table, sitting down at his side.

"Remember, you can call me Kate. Miss sounds so formal." She scrunched her nose at the formality of it all. 'If he is going to be so formal all the time, I'm going to have to start calling him sir to see how he likes it…'

"I will try to remember. Hard habits to break." He picked up the stock and connected the pistol handle grip to it.

"The bad news?" Niko leaned back in his seat, watching Georgi carefully. He didn't want it put together wrong and he be left with a useless weapon if he found himself needing it. Not that he planned on needing to shoot someone from a distance, but he was meticulous when it came to his own personal arsenal.

"Right. It appears the Albanian's have joined forces with them. I do have a name though…" Georgi glanced toward Kate quickly before going back to the partially assembled rifle in his hands, "I believe you know his brother."

"How? I do not associate with any Albanian's here in LC. Killed plenty at Derrick's funeral." He narrowed his eyes when he caught the look in Kate's direction. 'Just who would I know that high up in the Albanian gang?'

"Vova Mikhailov used to lead the faction here in Liberty. His brother is the boss of the other faction that used to operate out of Vice City. When you… um… Killed Vova after he-" Once more he darted his eyes toward Kate before dropping them to the barrel of the sniper, clicking it into place.

"Why does that name sound familiar?" Kate placed her hand on Niko's knee. She had no idea what was being said, but the name Vova was bouncing around in her mind. She had either read it someplace or was told about him. And the way Niko had tensed with her question gave her all the context clues she needed to know that this guy was not a good person. Flashes of her time being spaced out with the man from IAA going over her statement tried to surface in her mind, and she blinked a couple of times to sort through the noise in her head.

"Kate. It's not something you need to-"

"You will tell me. No more secrets." She firmed her hand on his knee and glared between the two men at the dining room table, "And it clearly has something to do with me."

"Pakhan? I can explain it." Georgi attached the scope to the railing and placed the gun down on the table- it would've been a record for him had he been in a better mood. He would take the heat off of Niko and lay it all out there in a nicer way than how he had been told. There was never a good story that came from hearing about Albanian hits…

"Kate. Vova is the man I killed in your bedroom…" Niko couldn't bring himself to look at her. He never thought there would ever be a need for her to hear about the two men who broke into the McReary household and kill Ma and attacked her. They had been dead for months now. There hadn't been a single attempt to get revenge against him for killing them. Natalya freelanced them for the job. At least that's what he was told by Bernard.

"I… Excuse me." Kate stood up from the table. She had never known the man's name and really never wanted to make him human by having a name associated to the sneer. The feel of his mouth and teeth clamping down over her skin forced a shudder over her body and she hurriedly moved into the kitchen to get the items out of the grocery bags. It would be something to focus on and not get stuck in the nightmares. The IAA officer had given the names to her, and she must have locked the information away. It was still too fresh at the time to comprehend the ordeal she had gone through.

"I'm sorry…" Georgi whispered wishing he could have spared her that news, "But Vova's brother has taken over the Albanian's overseas and has fully committed to helping Bulgarin's old bratva. His name is Alexi Mikhailov. He used to be an arms dealer that caught too much heat in Vice and had to return home. Their other brother was killed in San Andreas when a father found out his daughter was nearly taken by their sex trafficking ring. Our scouter's have said that many people have been boarding planes with one way tickets to Liberty. They are building an army here."

"So, if the Albanian's and whoever is in charge of Bulgarin's crew are building their numbers, should we be expecting an attack any time soon?" Niko watched as Kate continued to empty bag after bag and sort out the food Georgi had brought. He hated the far off look that graced her face. He had never wanted her to know their names, so how she thought it sounded familiar was puzzling. Unless Francis said something to her back when they were recovering.

"I'm not sure. With the upcoming party they may just be getting a security team in place for their leaders. Makes sense to me. But I don't think their trip out here is only for festivities. If anyone knew who killed Bulgarin or could point them in the right direction, I have no doubt that they will go after them. I would want to kill the person responsible for killing Kenny or you. No matter how many years have passed." He pointed to the chair in front of him asking for permission to sit down. At Niko's nod he pulled out the chair and sank down on the cushioned surface.

"It's no one in our organization." Niko crossed his arms and thought back to the man who had helped capture Bobby. The man that he was beginning to believe had something to do with the diamond deal going south. Packie and him nearly died when Bulgarin showed up with a small army of men. There would be no help given to him after the way he threatened him in front of Kenny's crew, Roy's men, and the McReary's.

"Understood Pakhan." Georgi looked down at the table and kept his retort to himself.

"Niko… Do you know the person who killed Bulgarin?" Kate looked up from folding the brown paper bags, having been listening to their conversation in order to keep herself together. The way Niko spoke gave her pause. It was as if he was signing someone's death certificate. 'Since when has he not wanted to help people…?'

"I do. Met him last night." Niko was not about to have his stance changed. He did not owe Luis anything and Luis owed him nothing in return. It was a good balance and one he planned to keep. He had already warned him when he was leaving the cemetery with Tony. What more was there to say or do?

"Niko," Kate walked back around the kitchen island to stand where she had been before Georgi showed up, "If someone out there in this city had knowledge of a pending attack on your life, I would be forever grateful to them for coming forward with that information. What if these people plan to harm someone close to him? What if it was like the attack that happened to me? The guilt of not doing anything would crush me." She caressed his cheek with her knuckles, "He has a right to know that some ridiculous death squad is gunning for him."

"She does have a point. And one more ally in all this would be good to have." Georgi normally never spoke up, but with Niko he felt safe voicing his opinions and helping guide his new boss through the world he lived in. If they were facing war, the more numbers they had, the better.

"Fine. But I have no idea where to even start looking." Niko huffed and let go of his anger for the time being. Kate did have a point. If someone knew he was going to be attacked, or Kate, or Roman, or anyone else close to him, he would like to know. It was only fair. If he had been given even a five minute heads up the night Kate was attacked, he might have been able to get there and save their mother. Or at the very minimum warn them before the door was kicked in.

"I believe I do." Georgi was hesitant to give out the knowledge that Kenny's men had been keeping tabs on him since he left the cemetery. They needed to know he posed no real threat to their new boss. Or organization. Finding out it had just been a lone wolf that had taken out Bulgarin had piqued his interest. It was almost unheard of in their circles. Niko being the exception.

"What? The club scene?" Niko rolled his eyes as he remembered that Bernie had shown up with them and he had been at a club when Bobby showed up on radar. 'Great… Now I get to go to some lam club and confront Luis…'

"It's a- It's a club of sorts."

aaaaaa

"You sure about this?" Niko glanced down the narrow alley in Holland. Georgi and three other men within Kenny's organization flanked him on all sides, armed with pistols, rifles, and knives. They kept up a steady surveillance of their surroundings to make sure no one would be able to get the jump on them. The air was chilly, but not as cold as it had been yesterday, and Niko was thankful for it.

"Positive. My sources tell me he came straight here after you warned him about Bulgarin's men." Georgi shifted his hold on the assault rifle he carried, "I have never been inside, so we are walking in blind."

"Wouldn't be the first time I walked headfirst into danger. Let's get this over with and back to the apartment." Niko sighed and wished he could've put this off for a little longer. Kate was adamant he go warn this man now before it was too late. She would get to work on breakfast and would have everything ready for them when they returned. He had made her swear she wouldn't leave the apartment this time. It was her word that let him feel slightly comfortable leaving her alone.

'Of course, Georgi did instruct a small team of men to hang out in the lobby till we get back…'

She would not be able to slip past any of them easily. Or really at all. The elevator was the only way in and out of that apartment.

"Alright. Move out." Georgi spoke to the other men in Russian and they as one, moved forward to a shabby looking metal door. Georgi took the lead and opened the door from the alley, checking the immediate interior for people or traps. Inside was a small room with a staircase that descended down into a basement. The lights were dim, and it made it hard to make out objects and shadows.

"Stay close Pakhan. I don't like the tight space." Georgi headed down the staircase with his rifle drawn another man was on his left with his own weapon at the ready. They kept close to one another and the loud clicks of their safety's coming off echoed off the walls.

Niko stayed silent as he did his own checks when he entered the building. There was an odd smell to the place. A weird mix of sweat, urine, and dirt. It burned his nose and he covered it with his hand. The steps were somewhat steep, and he had to watch his footing in order to not tumble forward into Georgi. An opening on the right at the bottom of the staircase allowed a faint glow to filter into the hallway.

Muffled rock music reached their ears as well as loud cheering, jeering, and applause. Georgi stopped just before the opening and looked over his shoulder to see if Niko wanted to proceed or not. It was unfamiliar territory for them all, and it was technically on someone else's turf. The ramifications could be severe if they didn't tread lightly. Last thing they needed was to create enemies at a time like this.

"I'm good. Would rather be out of this shithole." Niko whispered to him when he noticed they were all waiting on his order. 'I am never going to get used to this…'

Georgi nodded before rounding the corner and taking aim at the only person in the space. They stood in front of a green metal door and immediately held their hands up in surrender. The other men filed into the space and kept a perimeter going to keep Niko safe from all sides.

"Look I don't know who sent yous here. But this is a private club. No weapons allowed!" The man shook from head to toe with all the guns pointed his way. It was usually and easy gig- stand guard and check ID's and invitations before letting people in or throwing them out. A loud roar from people inside rattled the door slightly and he took a step back to it to keep the armed men from barging in.

"You are talking to the most powerful man in Liberty. I would watch what you say next." Georgi lifted his rifle and aimed at the persons mouth, "Or it will be the last thing you say. Do I make myself clear?"

"Well Kenny's the most powerful man and that ain't him!" The man gained some confidence knowing that Kenny would be let it no problem and the person they were protecting most certainly didn't look like Kenny. He had pointed in Niko's direction with his words and Georgi slapped the finger to the side with the tip of his rifle.

"Haven't you heard? He named his temporary replacement last night." Niko lifted his hand and showed off the gold ring. It felt weird having someone start to cower in fear at the sight of it. But the man nearly fainted in front of them all. The sweat rolled down the side of his face and his hands shook terribly.

"Forgive me! Here!" He shuffled to the side and sat down hard on the wooden stool, not once lifting his eyes up off the ground, "Just who evers you have business with, know we don't carter to just one group of people. This is a neutral site."

"Good to know." Niko nodded to Georgi to open the door so he could locate Luis and get the hell out of there. He would give the warning, let him know what was coming, and hightail it up the steps. The smell was starting to churn his stomach.

"Ready?" Georgi glanced to his trusted men before shoving open the heavy door. A massive crowd of people were cheering their heads off, all facing a large chain-link looking cage. The lights were just as dim as they were in the hallway, and it made it more difficult to identify people's faces. Another wave of name calling lifted in the space and people banged their hands on the metal, creating an uproar from the people on the other side.

Niko took in the lay of the room and knew in an instant this was some kind of underground fighting arena. The sounds of fists pummeling flesh greeted his ears and he winced at the sound of it. It sounded as if one person was getting completely worked over.

"Pakhan?" Georgi stayed close to his side and looked to him for direction.

"Stay close and follow my lead." Niko moved toward the crowd in order to see who was in the ring and where Luis was at. People turned to look at him when he placed his hand on their shoulders. Each person had a look of dread cross their face when they spotted Kenny's ring and took several steps back giving him a wide berth. They parted ways and allowed him to approach the closest side of the arena.

Hushed murmurs ran the length of the crowd, and everyone started to look in their direction,

"Is that…?"

"No way…"

"I didn't want to believe that Kenny was gone."

"Those are definitely Kenny's normal bodyguards."

"I wonder if they are here to place a bet. That's not someone I want to bet against."

So many questions, wild theories, and even one person wondering if Niko would take the ring buzzed in the room. The fight in the ring slowed once the two people realized they had lost the interest of the crowd. Niko leaned into the crossbar of the cage and observed as the two shirtless men backed away from each other to see what was going on outside of the arena.

"Well folks it looks like we have a special guest in the crowd!" An announcer spoke over a loudspeaker, and it caused the fight to come to a complete stop, "It appears the new head of Kenny's Bratva is in the building!"

Silence filled the space before everyone went nuts with applause and cheers.

"Oi! I thought you and I weren't going to be seeing each other ever again!" Luis swiped at the sweat on his face and stumbled a few feet away from his opponent. He had spent the entire night knocking people out and sharpening his fighting skills. If Bulgarin's crew really meant to come after him, he would need to up his game.

"What?" I can't come place a bet or watch a fight or two?" Niko pressed his face into his folded arms on the crossbar and smirked against his sleeves. He could respect the fact that he treated him no differently than he did the night before. It was refreshing to not have people look at him with fear in their eyes when it really wasn't justified.

"Bro. You don't just come out here on a whim. What do you want?" He narrowed his eyes at the men who trained their weapons on him.

"I have some information to share with you." Niko lifted an eyebrow when Luis stopped in his tracks and shook his head as if he didn't believe him.

"Nah. Russian's don't operate that way. I know better." He tapped his index finger to his temple, "Been there, done that with Bulgarin. I ain't about to start that shitshow again with you."

"Bulgarin is my enemy. Just as he was yours. You did me a favor by killing him. But you need to listen to what I have to say." Niko stood up from his relaxed position not liking the tone or way Luis looked at him. There was a wild hostility there and the longer he studied him… He could see a concern that was being shoved down deep. 'There must be someone he is worried they will go after…'

"If you got something to say, you say it in this ring." Luis waved around him, and the crowd went utterly crazy. Bets started piling up for and against the new fight.

"Fair enough." Niko started to unzip his jacket before Georgi gripped his shoulder.

"I do not advise this." Georgi spoke softly in Russian and looked around them to the crowd of spectators, "I can't see weapons and you'd be left defenseless."

"It'll be alright. Need a good fight to get the blood going." Niko yanked the zipper down and pulled off his normal brown leather jacket. A gate slid open a few feet down and the other competitor stumbled out of the ring looking bloody and disoriented.

"Pakhan, we did not come here to draw blood. Or kill him." Georgi moved into his path and once more tried to stop Niko from entering into the ring. He didn't like the odds and was somewhat scared of what Kate would say or do if he brought Niko back to the apartment with cuts and bruises.

"Do you not trust in my ability to stay unharmed?" Niko glared at his second and tried to figure out why he was being so adamant about him not fighting Luis.

"I trust you. I don't trust him. We don't know much about his fighting prowess. We also have no idea if this is some kind of trick." Georgi had to tuck his rifle to his body when Niko handed him his jacket and pistol.

"I got this." Niko smirked and entered into the ring, "The rules?"

"Anything goes. No weapons." Luis shook out his arms and hopped on his feet to reawaken his body.

"Give me a second then." He noticed a small stool in the corner, and he walked over to it and began removing knives from their hiding places. He spotted Georgi and his men move over to the corner, looking worried and apprehensive, "I was going to have to prove to you and everyone else why Kenny asked me eventually. This just happens to serve more than one purpose. Place your bets or not. I do not care." Niko cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders.

"You really think you will take him out that easily?" Georgi fixed his eyes on the man in the ring that was boosting the crowd's hysteria.

"Just watch and see." Niko smirked at him and spun on his heel to march in Luis' direction.

"Alright folks looks like our fight is about to begin, betting is closed, so let's get this cage locked and ready!" The announcer yelled out enthusiastically. People rushed the edges of the cage and started smacking their hands on the metal chain-links. The loud rock music started blasting over the speakers and helped drown out some of the profanity being hurled out at the two men in the ring.

"I don't appreciate you coming down here with your men loaded down with guns." Luis started to circle Niko, noticing that he didn't take up a fighting position of any style.

"When you are being hunted by powerful groups of people, you take ever precaution. It's why I'm here. They will come knocking at your door." Niko held still and let the strange man make a full circle around him. He saw how Luis favored one of his sides and kept blocking himself from getting struck in an area that would do him harm. Niko knew one well placed kick or punch and Luis would crumble.

"LC Cage Fighters are you ready?!" Everyone yelled and cheered and kept slapping their hands against the cage.

"I already told you. Thanks for the heads up. I will be fine on my own." Luis stopped in front of Niko and kept a rhythmic bounce going on the balls of his feet. He was more than capable of looking out for himself in this city. He had been doing it for years before Tony came into the picture. And he thought he handled getting rid of Bulgarin with flying colors.

"Three!"

"These people will go after loved ones first. Family, friends, even people you pretend mean nothing to you- they will be captured, tortured in the worst ways in order to give you up. They will get anyone to talk. There is no holding out against their methods. You thought working for Bulgarin was bad, try being on the run from him." Niko crossed his arms and tried to reason with the man that looked punch drunk and might actually be intoxicated by the way he swayed some.

"Two!"

"Yeah, the severed head in a box was my first clue. They are insane. But I killed every one of them down in Funland." Luis lifted his fists and kept them in front of his face getting ready to go on the offensive. This was a worth opponent. This would let him know just how far he had to go in order to protect his family from more Russian gangsters.

"One!"

"That was only his operation here in Liberty. There is an entire other side of the business still operating in Europe. One I used to know inside and out. You will not want to face them alone. Let me help you. My girlfriend told me that if someone was able to give me a heads up before something bad happened, that I should return the favor if I find myself in a similar situation. Do you really want to risk your family?" Niko lowered his arms and widened his stance when he saw how his words weren't really getting through to him.

"Leave my family out of this!" Luis scowled at Niko and waited with bated breath for the bell toll and the announcer to yell fight.

"They won't. I can promise you that." Niko tilted his head to the side marginally and glanced to the metal bell on the wall. Any second it was going to be stuck and he would be in a hand to hand fight with someone he had never faced before. A thrilling thought about getting to put him in his place slid down his spine and he smirked at the old, familiar feeling he'd get back in the war. They did hold scrimmages between themselves to keep them on their toes…

"Fight!"