Red Rides And Retribution

A/N: I apologise for leaving this for so long. My laptop broke, and I only recently acquired a new one.

Chapter nine

Cho crossed his arms, listening to the blonde man as he described what he thought was going on. The insurance broker was making some disturbing sense. He looked over at Lisbon, realising she felt the same way. "You believe him?"

They were all still in the Blood Guns bar, discussing the attacks from the last two weeks. There was one obvious solution, but neither gang leader was willing just yet to commit to a full alliance between the groups. They could, however, work together to share information that might bring a stop to the unwanted fighting.

Lisbon nodded, sliding over a piece of paper for Cho to read. It was clearly a measure of good faith, since the gangs never shared information from their elusive sources. "We had Mr Jane here checked out when he first approached us. His motivation is clear. No links to any of the encroaching groups."

Jane looked at the two gang leaders and laughed. Abbott and Rigsby gave him a curious look, unsure why this man was laughing at their bosses. Jane shook his head. "You two are like big predators, not sure whether to trust each other yet."

Cho looked at Jane. "You're right. But it's necessary until we can figure this out."

Jane let the two gang leaders continue to talk, and pulled out the photo of Angela. "Something doesn't make sense," he murmured. "If she was killed in this area, shouldn't the only two contenders be either an Outbacker or a Blood Gun? Five years ago, you two were the main powers in the area, so it makes sense that it was one of your gangs."

Rigsby looked at Abbott, both men close enough to hear Jane's words. Rigsby thought for a moment. "You know, Patrick, you're right."

Abbott nodded in agreement. "Any other operation in the area, even a freelance, would have been tracked down and eliminated. But we know there weren't any in the area."

Cho looked up at Abbott. "What are you saying, Shotgun?"

The conversation was related back to the two gang leaders, who seemed to agree.

As Jane listened, he came to a scary conclusion. "Someone else is calling the shots. They were back then too." He turned to Lisbon. "What happens if you and Iceman go into a gang war?"

Lisbon shrugged. "We take out as many of them as we can before we go down."

Cho nodded in agreement. "It's the same for us. My men are the same as Teresa's, blood loyal."

Jane nodded. "So, at the end of it all, what happens to your territories? They're pretty large, and from what I hear, quite desirable."

Lisbon froze. "You're right. They are. And the fact we are both having the same problem leads me to believe Patrick's assessment."

Cho nodded. "So what now? We can't jut wait for this guy to attack."

Jane stood up, and noted both Abbott and Rigsby going for their guns, an automatic response to Jane's abrupt movement. Wandering around the room, Jane continued to listen to the group at the edge of the bar. "You need to seriously consider an alliance," he said from the corner. "You can pass on information, but if you're divided it won't do you any good. That's the only way you're going to hold your territories against this mystery gr…"

His statement was cut off by the sound of a ringing cell phone. Cho snapped it open. After a few curt words, he shut the phone and looked pointedly at Abbott. "Coke house on the north west just took a hit. Three green bikes seen leaving the scene."

Lisbon shook her head. "It wasn't us."

Cho stood up. "Shotgun, get Tank to take these three back to their territory. Teresa, we will be in contact. Especially with your insurance broker. He's useful to all of us."

Lisbon nodded, and strode over to the door. Jane followed, Rigsby bringing up the rear.

Cho waited for confirmation they were out of his territory before turning to Abbott. "Shotgun, go to the scene, confirm the details, and then we will talk."

Abbott nodded and vanished, leaving Cho to nurse a drink and think hard about his next move.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

Lisbon slammed down the phone onto the desk. All of her informants had said the same thing; her men had been where they were supposed to be. No one was unaccounted for at the time of the attack. She swung around to the sound of the door opening, gun ready. Jane stood in the doorway, watching her. "You need to call Cho. Tell him that so he knows it's not your men. And then you need to relax for a moment. Your men will tell if you're on edge."

Lisbon nodded. "The men are losing faith in my ability to lead."

Jane raised an eyebrow. "Dissent in the ranks?"

Lisbon sank down into her chair, and put her leather boots up onto the scarred desk. "Yes, Mr Jane." She watched the blonde as he walked to the chair opposite her and sat. "But what can you do about it?"

Jane smiled, the smile edged with a tinge of violence. "Do what you need to do, Teresa. Find out the three top contenders, and call them to a meeting. You need to set an example to them."

Lisbon frowned. "When did you become so blood thirsty, Mr Jane?"

Jane shrugged, settling himself into the chair. "I never said I didn't understand the way you run your gang. The carnival was similar, which is why we had to escape under the cover of dark. It's under the same sort of control as the gang. Tight knit families, and you leave when you die."

Lisbon stared at the man across from her. With his classically handsome face, blonde curls and boyish grin, he was attractive in a way few men in her career ever were. "What do you propose then, Patrick?"

Jane grinned. "Bring them in, just for a chat."

A half hour later, Lisbon strode the width of the bar as three men sat against the far wall. Rigsby and Jane were there, as well as two of her most loyal men, Pike and LaRoche. The men watched Lisbon as she toyed with her gun, her eyes never leaving the men. "give me one good reason why you three should still be alive."

The man on the end opened his mouth, but Lisbon waved her gun into his face before he could speak. "I don't care what you reason is, Kyle, you were telling my men that I couldn't do my job, weren't you? That I wasn't a fit leader for this gang."

The men turned pale. Jan suddenly realised exactly how Teresa Lisbon had gotten her reputation as one of the most feared women in Sacramento. It wasn't through kindness or mercy, that much was clear. The three men were now all bone white. The man in the middle looked up at her. "We didn't mean anything by it, Trig…"

The gunshot made them all jump, but the man slumped forward in his chair, an oozing hole in his thigh. Jane could see she had missed the femoral artery, but not by much. He figured she had done this before, a few times. "What did you call me?"

Jane understood the ruthlessness of the woman in front of him, for her to have held the territory for the better part of ten years. She couldn't show weakness, and he respected that. The two men who hadn't lost consciousness began to speak, and Lisbon listened as they listed names and locations. She turned to Rigsby when she was done. "Rigger, get these men out of here, make a specific example of him," she gestured towards Kyle as he began to regain consciousness. "And let Iceman know that he and I will be having a chat."

Rigsby nodded, and he headed towards the men. Jane turned away as the semiconscious man was dragged from the room. He followed Lisbon into the back room. "I think that may have worked."

Lisbon sat back down and put her feet up on her desk, dropping the gun on the surface. "Too bloody for you, Patrick?"

Jane shook his head and shut the door. "Teresa, I knew you were ruthless. You're a gang leader, and you're one of the best ones in the area. I would be an idiot to expect anything else from you."

Lisbon was surprised at Jane's words. "Most men baulk at the violence. They can't handle it when I need to look after my reputation."

Jane shrugged. "It's part of you, Teresa." He took a seat opposite her as she fiddled with her gun. "Why did you shoot him for calling you Trigger Lizzy?"

Lisbon's face broke into a startlingly attractive grin. "I don't mind the name, but they all think I hate it. I might as well keep that up and use it to my advantage."

Jane flashed a smile. "What if I were to call you that?"

Lisbon's grin didn't fade. "You do forget, Patrick, that I am still a gang leader and fully capable of killing you if I need to."

Jane just looked at her. "Teresa, you're a fascinating woman."

The colour crept up onto Lisbon's cheeks as she just stared at the man across from her. He was an infuriating man.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

Three days passed quietly, and Lisbon found herself back across the desk from Jane, discussing a possible alliance with the Blood Guns, and what it would entail. The door opened behind him. Lisbon looked up to see Rigsby standing in the doorway. His face was drawn, his eyes were wild. "Boss, we just took a hit. Three dead."

Lisbon shot to her feet. "Where?"

Rigsby looked at Jane. "North side of the territory. Four out for a ride, one made it back after an unknown on a black bike opened up on them. There are guys up there now clearing the scene."

Lisbon felt her blood run cold. "Who survived?"

"Kirkland. Managed to dodge the bullets."

Jane frowned. "He didn't get hit at all? Isn't that odd?"

Lisbon nodded and pulled out her phone. "Recall as many men as you can." She strode to the cabinet behind her and pulled out a map. She unrolled it onto the desk, and Jane could see it was a map of the area her territory covered. She pointed at four locations on the corners. "I want two men each on these locations. We're under attack and I won't have that."

Rigsby began making phone calls as Lisbon called Cho. She began to discuss tactics, and Jane tuned her out. He needed to think about his next move with these very dangerous people. "Teresa, keep Cho on the phone there for a second." Jane walked over the map, which also showed the Blood Gun territory. "Can Cho set people up on these locations?"

Lisbon looked at the positions Jane was pointing to on the map, and relayed the information to Cho. After a few more minutes of terse discussion, she put her phone away. "Cho listened to your idea. We both agree, the less men we have on the street tonight, the less we can blame each other for these acts."

Jane wasn't really listening to her. "This whole scenario has happened before. Where has this happened before?"

He was thinking hard, when Rigsby put his phone away. "Chicago, about six years ago. Two main gangs went head to head and destroyed each other. The territory now has a new power."

Jane started in surprise. "How popular was Angela in the area?"

Lisbon shrugged, confused by the subject change. "She was seen by members of both gangs. Liked by them too. They left her alone because she was friends with Grace Van Pelt."

"And did it start a fight when she died?" Jane began to pace.

Lisbon looked at Rigsby. "Your wife was liked by all of us. There were accusations from both sides, but the cops couldn't get anything out of us."

Rigsby nodded in agreement. "Some cop from South SacPD asked a lot of probing questions. Seemed really interested in the situation."

Jane frowned. "Do you have contact details? I need to make a few calls."

Rigsby handed him a card, and strode from the room. Lisbon had some work to do now.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

On the northern edge of the territory, a lone rider on a black bike pulled up to a warehouse. He waited for the door to open, and rode into the dark depths of the large room. The Boss was coming out tonight to brief the men on the best course of action to take the southern territories. They interference they were running on the two warring gangs in the south wasn't working, and they had no idea why. The gangs should have started killing each other a week ago.

The group of mismatched men gathered in the corner as the boss walked in. He still hadn't changed out of his work uniform, and his police badge reflected the dim light back at the men in front of him. "Boys, we move tomorrow. They haven't attacked yet, so we won't give them a chance."

The men all nodded and smiled at each other. It was time to strike.

A/N2: Please drop me a review and let me know how it's going. Thanks.