Razor do you mind if I dance with you?

*dance break*

By the way I'm posting this on the night of my high school graduation. Woop woop!

Now, let's go heisting.

Chapter 17 Be Swift When You Lift

"I'll ask you once more kid. What the hell is this supposed to be?"

In the increasingly secret and guarded area of the Crystal Cove Casino, an interrogation was being carried out by a large pinscher, and he was none too pleased with the answers he was receiving.

The cheetah, who appeared to be in his late teens, gulped up at the dark figure addressing him. He wished his heartbeat would let up just the slightest. He tried to maintain his composure and speak without displaying any anxiety. He failed miserably as he stammered, "W-well…um, th-th-the thing is sir, um…" he tried to maintain eye contact with the smoldering golden irises staring back at him.

"Spit it out, pussycat," the canine hissed menacingly, splattering saliva onto the teen's face.

The cheetah boy flinched and wiped his face with the back of his hand. He then gave a fearfully apologetic look to the pinscher. "There was more, but…I-I lost it."

The pinscher's lips curled back as a snarl formed in his throat. His beady eyes narrowed as he stared down at the small bag of powder in the cheetah's trembling hands. "You lost it? Or did you get a little selfish and take some for yourself?" he growled.

The cheetah shook his head in jerky movements. "N-no, I wouldn't."

The pinscher folded his arms across his broad chest. "Ya know, lying and being selfish is gonna get you in a hell of a lot of trouble here kid. Anyone ever told you not to fuck around with the Mafia?"

The cheetah's ears flattened against his small skull. He'd screwed up big time and he knew it. "It…it was an accident," he attempted hoarsely. He began to step backwards in a futile effort to escape the utter mess he'd gotten himself in. Numerous beads of sweat formed on his forehead as the bright office lights shown down. The teen didn't get far before bumping into another broad-chested canine.

"Accident?" barked the malamute he had bumped into, his hair standing on end. "No, keeping your own share was no accident, kid. It was a mistake. The biggest mistake you'll ever make in your putrid little life." He forcefully grabbed the feline around the neck, tightening his grip mercilessly. The cheetah pawed feebly at the enormous hand that was constricting his air flow. His eyes begged for freedom since he couldn't form words at that point and his legs dangled furiously beneath him.

The two dogs looked at him with malicious smiles on their faces.

The brawny pinscher got up face to face with the scrawny cheetah. "So pussycat…you sorry for trying to swindle the most dangerous mob in all of Europe?"

As best he could while still being held up in the air by the fluffy but powerful fist, the teen nodded.

The pinscher nodded once to the malamute, who then released his lethal hold on the boy. The flailing cheetah dropped to the ground with a loud thud. The shaken feline took deep exhales of glorious fresh air as he scrambled on all fours to make his way for the door.

The pinscher shook his head and stomped his foot hard onto the cheetah's long tail, which brought forth a cry of pain from the boy. He jumped up and held his tail gently in his hands. He looked up just in time to stare down the barrel of a 12 gauge.

"Didn't think you'd get off that easy, did ya puss?" the pinscher asked, grinning, a finger on the trigger.

The cheetah looked up in bewilderment, but didn't have time to scream or even be frightened for his life before his brain was blasted to miniscule bits.

The canines looked down casually at the now lifeless corpse on the wooden floor, not concerned in the least.

The malamute shot the pinscher a disapproving look as he nonchalantly scratched his chin. "Gristle, you just wasted a perfectly good bullet on that cat."

Gristle shrugged. "I can use a little target practice here and there."

The Alaskan dog shrugged back.

Just then the office door swung open. Another canine stood in the doorway. The daunting mob boss Alfonso De Luca. In each of his beefy furred arms was a female red panda. Each girl was dressed in some kind of skimpy dress, though the amount of material covering their bodies was almost too little to be considered a 'dress'. In each free hand they held a martini glass.

"Hey boys," said the coyote in a relaxed tone. His shirt beneath his blazer was inside out, though he didn't seem to notice, or care for that matter. The glazed look in his misty blue eyes was a sure sign that nothing was going to bother him at this point. "Picked up some extra guests. Twinsies!" The twin girls giggled stupidly as he said this. He slinked his big arms around their malnourished waists.

"Hey boss," the thugs replied in unison.

"Ooh. You're the boss around here?" one of the giggling red pandas asked.

He flashed her a smile. His white teeth shined almost as brightly as the bulky gold chain around his neck. "Yea babe," he said. "But you ain't gotta call me that. I told you, just call me Fonzy."

She tittered tipsily and winked. "Sure thing, Fonzy."

Alfonso glanced down at the gruesome scene on the floor and didn't so much as blink. He looked up at the thugs. "He tried to cheat us, didn't he?" Alfonso asked in a bored, apathetic tone.

The canines nodded.

The large coyote shook his head. "Too bad. I really liked that kid too. Jerry was his name, right?"

"Travis," corrected the malamute.

Alfonso shrugged. "Eh, I was close." He motioned his boys towards the door using his head. "C'mon, guys. You're missin' the party!" Alfonso grinned broadly before leading his crew to his underground paradise.

The secret rooms there were filled with all kinds of poker games, both Texas hold 'em and strip poker included. Various mob members were in attendance tonight, and the stakes were ridiculously high in this illegal underground section of the casino. Everyone was temporarily stowing their valuables in Alfonso's vault, which was locked down with tight security.

Unbeknownst to others happily pulling the levers of slot machines and playing blackjack in the legal and open area of the Crystal Cove Casino that wasn't crawling with criminals and murderers.

Alfonso took his 'twinsies' and began to lead them to his own private room. He waved at his canine thugs. "I'll return shortly fellas! In the meantime enjoy yourselves. I know I will." He grinned and rushed the two tipsy girls down the stairs and the three disappeared behind the door.

A St. Bernard mobster walked over to the pinscher and malamute. He eyed the doorway at the bottom of the steps. "That's his third group tonight," he noted.

Gristle downed a shot of vodka. "Eh, let the boss have his fun, and we'll have ours." He cracked his knuckles, causing loud sickening pops. "I don't know 'bout you guys, but I'm feelin' lucky." He grinned with a mischievous gleam in his beady eyes and then walked over to an open table where another game was about to begin.

The fluffy malamute leaned against the wall, knowing he didn't need to take his job as lightly as everyone else did. His eyes shifted around the room of boisterous mob bosses, glancing around to the occasional gold digger girl, wrapping her arms around her man of choice. Each girl wore enough gaudy trinkets on her fingers and wrists to be able to pass for a walking jewelry ad.

Though everyone was having a blast, drinking, drugging, gambling, or having other kinds of fun in De Luca's case, the canine couldn't help but feel that something just wasn't right. Something was making him feel…on edge…

As the stealthy master thief and the three other members of his gang ran off to take care of their own small objectives, Sly immediately looked up at the towering building as he sprinted, staying low to the ground. Having already become familiar with it and its layout, he knew exactly where his intended path led. As he sprinted silently, he took the small amount of time he had to admire the exterior of the Crystal Cove Casino and Resort. It was a sight to behold. The architecture had a very Victorian era vibe to it, while still looking impressively and intriguingly modern. Flying buttresses even adorned the gray brick walls. Many locals and tourists could be seen walking the many bridges located near the top that connected the casino and resort. Not to mention, the top was a good twenty stories up, so everyone resembled colorful specs.

Knowing full well he had to avoid the security staff at the main entrance, he couldn't just walk through the front door. But then again, when did he ever do what others expected? A few gatekeepers wouldn't keep him out though; he'd find another way in. Just like always.

Sly edged his way around the back, to an inconspicuous edge of the gargantuan wall. It didn't take him long to spot a lamppost nearby. He laughed to himself at how simple this was all going to be. The coon placed the center of the cane in his mouth before hugging the base of the lamppost and inching up to the top. Crouching on the bulb covering, he performed a perfect ninja spire jump through the air, landing onto a flat edge on the upper level. He looked down to see that he was standing on the jutted-edged roof of the prestigious casino's entrance. Crouching low, he eased back to the edge of the building, and did a little ledge sneaking around the far corner, until he spied an air vent. The thief's best friend. Only problem was that it was sealed shut.

Luckily, Sly always came prepared, thanks to a certain heirloom he always had in hand. He used the hooked end of the trusty cane to loosen the screws on the stubborn vent. After some tedious loosening, the covering pried away, and Sly climbed into the tunnel.

As he army crawled through the small passageway, he couldn't help but smile as he remembered trying to coax Dimitri into one when he was trying to break him out of jail in Venice. Dimitri had immediately refused, explaining that he had too much sexy muscle to escape through one, and referred to the raccoon as a 'stick dude'.

He chuckled aloud. It was times like this when Sly was very proud to be a stick dude.

Sly soon made his way to an opening on the interior of the building. He pushed his way out and found himself looking out over a passageway that led to the dance floor. His ears twitched as he heard voices and he dove behind a verdant plant. Concealed by the elephant ear leaves, he whipped out his binocucom, and Bentley's nasally voice sounded in his ears.

"Sly, did you make it in?"

"Yep," the thief answered. "I'm near the entrance to the…night club area…wait, why is there a night club in a casino anyway?"

"So people can raise the roof?" Bentley guessed.

Sly smirked. "Funny."

Bentley tapped away on his keyboard and pushed his thick frames up against his eyes. "The lounge, bar, and night club areas serve as means of distractions, to keep from drawing attention to Alfonso's underground organization. Plus, not everyone who comes to a casino is there to gamble."

"So true," Sly agreed deviously. "Some of us are here to steal."

"Ok," Bentley said. "Getting down to business, Penelope and Murray are down on the lower level, shutting down the security mainframe. Murray is protecting her while she hacks." The turtle sighed deeply. "Man I love it when she accesses entries into weak motherboard ports using her astounding intellectual capacity. It's downright stimulating!"

"Easy there, Romeo," Sly joked. "Let's stay focused here." He scaled the wall and leaped onto a horizontal arch that looked over the walkway. He peered into the immense room ahead. "Alright, so what's Dimitri's status?"

"He should be approaching the dance floor area now," answered Bentley. "While he's creating his diversion, the guards should be distracted just long enough for you to snag their keys. When you've gotten all three keys, head for the back rooms where Alfonso keeps his 'winnings', but do this with the utmost care. These Italian dog mobsters and their guards don't mess around."

Sly nodded, backing up against the wall to keep from being noticed by the groups of people below. "Noted. How're our two other members doing?" Sly asked.

"We're good," came Carmelita's voice. "Bentley's keeping us company."

Sly smiled. "Great. Stay put, we'll be out of here in no time." He put his binocucom away and crept along the edge of the wall, heading for the night club section's upper level.

Tiptoeing through the shadows of small alcoves scattered about, he kept watch. Right on schedule, Sly watched as Dimitri strolled onto the vibrant dance floor, alit with blinding neon pinks oranges and greens.

The iguana made his way to the center, and was already getting curious stares from dancers. He pressed his earpiece against his head. "Bentley bro, I'm in position," Dimitri whispered.

"I'm gaining access to the DJ's music collection…now," the tech-savvy turtle informed him. "You may proceed to…break it down home boy."

"That's what I'm talkin' 'bout, turtle dude," Dimitri answered, a smile forming on his lips.

When the familiar tune played through the dozens of speakers, Dimitri took command of the dance floor and captivated the crowd with his extraordinary dance moves.

Soon, the crowd was cheering him on, and just as planned, the dense guards were entertained and thoroughly distracted by the impressive show.

Sly stayed close to the shadows as he crept up to the first huge guard dog. Keeping absolutely silent, he pickpocketed the key straight from his pocket. The three Great Danes were much too busy laughing and clapping as Dimitri did a few back flips and breakdancing to notice the thief steal the coveted keys. Sly shook his head as he headed for the back rooms for the vault. He didn't understand how so many guards always seemed to be so easily distracted and never seemed to notice the sharp end of a cane feeling their back ends up for the very things they were supposed to be guarding.

No matter. It made his job that much easier.

Back on the dance floor, Dimitri was being applauded by the club-goers. He was enjoying every bit of being the center of attention. As he was soaking up his glory of being praised for his dance moves, Bentley's voice sounded in his earpiece.

"Nice job, Dimitri. Sly got the keys. You can make your way back outside now."

Dimitri looked over to see a couple of reptilian females, a chameleon and a gecko, smiling and waving at him.

A smile tugged at his lips. "Yea in a sec, bro. I got another task in mind first." The smooth iguana strolled over to the reptile girls admiring him from afar.

"Wha…uh…well alright, just maintain your cover above all," Bentley ordered.

Dimitri nodded as the chameleon girl gave him a sultry smile. He wasn't really listening to the turtle anymore at that point.

Sly snuck past the security guards who were already returning to their patrolling positions. With Bentley's direction, he was able to make his way through the labyrinth of hallways.

"Bentley, what's up with all the hallways?' Sly whispered. "I feel like I'm in a maze."

"They're there to confuse thieves like you from getting to the stash of course," Bentley answered.

"Ah, well they failed to consider a thief like me having such a brilliant genius on my side to aid me in this theft."

"Oh please Sly," Bentley said flatly. "You're making me blush."

Carmelita giggled softly in the background.

Sly was about to banter back with his turtle friend when he heard an unfamiliar threatening voice.

"Back here! Follow me!" barked the boisterous male voice.

Sly's head snapped up as he heard footsteps rapidly approaching from behind. He apparently wasn't being as quiet as he thought. His eyes frantically darted around, looking all over the area for somewhere, anywhere, to hide. He dashed down a nearby hallway and a large decorative came into view.

Perfect!

He somersaulted into the air and dove into the top of the giant vase. As he hid inside, he listened to the low male voices as they stood by the door, bewildered.

Sly peeked over the edge of the vase's opening to see one enormous Great Dane scratching his head. "I swear I saw a coon headed back here," he said.

The Dalmatian next to him growled low. "Sure you weren't just seeing things?"

The Great Dane glared at him. "No, I know full well what I saw. You callin' me a liar?" he asked with a snarl.

"No Max, chill out," the Dalmatian barked. "I'm just saying," he replied, using an arm to gesture to the hallways. "You said you saw someone headed back here, and there's no one here. Not accusing you, I'm stating simple facts."

Max's nostrils flared, running a hand through his unkempt fur. "I know I know. Sorry, there's just a lot goin' on tonight. The boss has never had this many of his friends over, and it's making me feel a tad uneasy."

The other canine gave a nod. "Yea, me too. But no one's here. They'd be stupid to try and break in, since the security system leading to the vault is nearly impenetrable."

Key word: nearly, Sly thought.

Max nodded in response, feeling more at ease. "You're right. Ok, let's get back to the lounge." The two canines turned and left for their posts.

Sly began to slink up out of the vase and leaped to the floor. Looking around once more to make sure the coast was clear, he inched down the hall.

"Bentley, did you get that?" Sly asked.

"About the impenetrable security system? That never stopped you before, did it?"

Sly pursed his lips as his tail whipped back and forth uneasily. "I just want to make sure you've got everything under control. We're dealing with mobsters here."

"Not to worry Sly," Bentley assured him. "Penelope and Murray are taking care of that at this very moment. In a matter of minutes, that security system will be completely deactivated."

Sly nodded and continued on.

Down in the lower level, Penelope and Murray were indeed doing just that. Penelope was, anyways, while Murray kept watch.

As the brainy mouse hooked up her small hacking device and gained access to each port, Murray watched on in awe.

"I'll never understand how you and Bentley do that," Murray said.

Penelope smiled at him as she moved onto the next port. "We all have our own strengths, Murray. Mine is technology and aerial RC maneuvers, and yours is brute strength. Everyone brings something important to the table. If it weren't for you, I'd be a total goner down here with all these guards."

Just then two bobcat guards barreled down the steps and caught sight of the two.

"Speaking of," Penelope cued the hippo.

Immediately, Murray charged them, grabbing them up and slamming their bodies together. Now mangled, the felines groaned, only half-conscious. He body slammed them, forcing that other half of their consciousness to disappear.

Penelope placed her hands on her hips and grinned. "Nice going, Hercules."

He smiled, comically flexing his muscles.

She motioned for him. "C'mon, we got three more ports to access before we can hack into the super computer up ahead.

Every time a new security system section of the casino was deactivated, Bentley was notified through signals on his equipment.

"Nice going, you two!" Bentley said when they reached the main computer. "As soon as this baby is down, Sly can get to that vault."

Murray and Penelope were then spotted by the panthers at the controls.

"Hey! You two don't have permission to be down here!" one of them shouted. "Authorized personnel only!"

"You didn't know? We're VIPs," Murray said, slamming his fists together.

The two cats looked at each other, their brows quirking. "Oh really?" one of them asked doubtfully.

Murray nodded and ran up to one panther and threw a powerful hook, causing him to black out instantly. "As in: Very Important Painbringer," he told the unconscious cat.

The second panther was not as easy to take down. He came at Murray violently and they tussled for a good while, throwing jabs around before Murray winded him and had him on the ground as well.

"You rock Murray!" cheered Penelope as she sat down at the controls and began to shut down the security mainframe.

He shrugged. "Nah, just doin' what I do best."

Back up in the casino, Sly was waiting for the all clear.

He began to grow bored and impatient. What was taking so long?

"Alright Sly, the system is down!" Bentley suddenly informed him. "You're clear to swipe. I repeat, clear to swipe."

Sly grinned. "You just said the magic words, pal." He approached the heavy door, which was yet again guarded by more dogs.

The raccoon slipped two sleep darts out of his pouch and aimed the darts straight at the dogs. The canines toppled over in seconds. "Excuse me fellas," Sly said as he stepped over the bodies of the snoozing dogs. Sly crept up to the towering door, and, being that the electronic locks were no longer working, the door swung open easily. He stepped inside to see the golden vault surrounded by ritzy bronze statues.

He made his way to the vault effortlessly. It felt weird, and almost not as fun, to not have to worry about all the cameras and lasers. He didn't have to be as sneaky. Where was the fun in that? He shrugged and studied the keypad lock with a confused look.

"Uh…Bentley?"

"One step ahead of you," answered the turtle. "You better thank me dearly for all the file scavenging and hacking I had to do to find this code. It's 2-5-8-7-3."

Sly smiled as he typed. "I'm always thankful to have you and your expertise around pal."

The vault lock clicked and the raccoon slowly opened the door to reveal the vast amount of riches. Though he didn't do it for the profit, and did it for fun, it was still a nice feeling to stuff all that cash in the sack he'd taken out of his backpack.

He hadn't taken two steps when an infrared laser appeared out of nowhere and came in contact with his foot, tripping the alarm.

The alarm sounded deafeningly through the room, and Sly dashed for the wall and clambered up it to the small window there.

"Bentley, I thought you said the alarm was deactivated!" Sly yelled over the blaring horns.

"It was!" Bentley yelled back. "I have no idea what happened! Penelope, what's going on?"

Sly looked up to see two thugs walk in. They spied him crouching on the ledge.

"I'll be damned!" one of them growled. "Come back here you little thief!"

He only smirked at them, slinging the sack of treasure over his shoulder. "Hey, what are you two fluffy huskies doing in Italy? Shouldn't you be pulling sleds in Alaska?"

They growled viciously and dashed towards him as he jumped through the window.

Bentley sat at his own controls, nervously waiting for an answer from Penelope.

Carmelita watched over his shoulder, growing very nervous as well.

"I-I don't know!" Penelope finally shouted. "There must be some kind of system override that I overlooked!"

He reconnected with Sly. "Sly! Loot or not, you guys all gotta get outta there! Now!"

"I got it Bentley," Sly answered calmly. "These two pinschers are on my tail though. I'll lead 'em off, then I'll head out."

Bentley eased back in his seat, putting a hand over his mouth. This was not exactly part of the plan.

Carmelita looked to him worriedly. "Is this always how heists go for you guys?"

Bentley looked over to the very pregnant vixen, and knew it probably wasn't the best idea to give a totally truthful answer. "Oh yea," Bentley lied, keeping her calm. "These kinds of things happen all the time in the field. Don't worry, Carmelita." He then added, "Sly and the others can always get out of these kinds of situations. It's what they live for."

She nodded, but continued to frown as she rubbed her stomach. It was unbelievable that she'd spent years chasing her husband with a lethal weapon, and was now more concerned than ever about his safety, hoping he got away with this big crime.

She trusted Bentley's reassuring words though. Sly had done this his whole life with no problem.

Still, things didn't look good.

Sly loped through the casino, staying well ahead of the livid guards. This was more like it. He loved the burst of adrenaline he always felt around this time, when he was being chased. He'd wanted some excitement, and he'd gotten his wish.

He slid around the corner and ran past the lounge, suddenly stopping when he noticed Dimitri in the corner, chatting with a chameleon and a gecko. He had his arms snaked around them, and the three seemed to be enjoying themselves quite a bit.

Unfortunately, he had to cut the smooth pick-up artist's fun short.

"Dimitri!" Sly called. "We gotta go!"

Dimitri looked over to his raccoon friend disappointedly. "Aw c'mon man, we was just getting to know each other, weren't we, my sweets?"

The girls batted their eyelashes and giggled. The gecko girl placed a fingertip under his chin and he laughed.

Sly glanced back at the group of guards. "That's great," Sly said curtly. "Now we gotta get going, or you'll wind up in jail again."

The mention of the wretched place snapped Dimitri from the reptilian sirens' hypnosis.

The iguana jumped up and kissed their hands. "I must disappear into the midnight. Farewell, my beautiful ladies. Dimitri will never forget you." Then he and Sly darted for the exit.

The two girls looked at each other and shrugged. Then stared wide-eyed at the mob of guards following their iguana friend and the raccoon stranger. Their jaws fell open at the sight.

The chameleon glanced at her drink, thinking it was time to call it quits on the alcohol.

Sly and Dimitri ran into Penelope and Murray on the way out.

"Hey guys," Sly huffed as he ran. "Great to see ya."

"Likewise," Penelope breathed.

They continued to head for the one of the inconspicuous side doors that led outside when more guards jumped out from the shadows.

"Stop!" one of them bellowed. "All you crooks are going to jail!"

Sly backed up against his frightened friends. "Get outta here," he ordered in a whisper. "I'll take care of these guys."

"What about those guys?" Penelope asked frantically, pointing to the other group of guards rushing to their position from the opposite direction.

"Leave them to me," Murray answered.

Sly tossed the bag of loot to Penelope. "Go! Now!" he ordered.

She and Dimitri didn't need to be told twice, as they ran off to escape the way they'd broke in.

As Murray brawled with the first group, Sly ran to look for another way out, luring the second group away from the escaping members along the way.

The raccoon led his pursuers to a dead end. Looking up to see ornamental flags on poles jutting out from the wall, he seized an opportunity. He jumped up and connected the hooked end of his cane with the lowest pole and swung back and forth, maneuvering to higher poles each time, finally perching on a high ledge. The guards watched from the ground, dumbfounded.

As Sly crept across snuck around the ledges, he looked up and smiled, spotting another air vent. "Hello beautiful," he said as he loosened the covering. He looked down to the dogs and waved. "Have a pleasant evening, gentleman," he called to them before crawling through the vent.

When he crawled out of the other end, he found himself outside, nearly home free.

Then his ears perked to the cocking of guns. He looked down to see that it was quite a good distance to the ground, and there were a few more of those wonderful dogs on the security staff, looking up at him and firing their guns from below. He knew good and well he couldn't simply make his way down without being blasted to procyonid bits. So he scrambled upwards, scaling the building all the way to the top, soon out of range of the crude weapons.

At last he reached the lip of the building and climbed over to the top. He got to his feet and turned to look down at the cursing canines below and he chuckled. "Really wish they'd been a bigger challenge," he said to himself.

"How about facing me then?"

Sly spun abruptly to see Alfonso De Luca standing beofre him, flanked by his many Mafia boss allies. Everyone one of them held a Glock pistol firmly with both hands. Alfonso himself held an AK74U.

The gun-wielding coyote looked quite pissed.

Sly made no sudden movements as the coyote sauntered forward, confronting him. The atmosphere was tense, and Sly's heart began to thump loudly, but he maintained his composure. The harsh night wind that was more prominent on the rooftops whipped his fur madly. Sly put his hands behind his back.

The pinschers and malamutes held their weapons up towards Sly, but Alfonso waved them off. He wanted to take care of this thief personally.

"So, you're the punk that tried to steal from me?" Alfonso hissed.

"Not tried, succeeded," Sly answered smoothly.

Alfonso's lips curled back and he snarled loudly. "You've got real nerve to fuck around with me," he spat out. "I'm the most powerful man in all of Italy. You have no idea who you're dealing with, rat."

Sly shrugged as he fiddled with something behind his back. "Sure I do. You're a prestigious mobster, climbing the ladder of power totally illegally. Must feel pretty good."

The coyote sneered down at him. "Got that right. It feels great. Doesn't matter how I did it, rat. Point is I did. And you tried to take away everything I have to show for it." He narrowed his eyes in disgust. "Well you ain't gettin' away with it. I got you trapped now; you won't live to regret the day you stepped onto Alfonso De Luca's turf." He cocked the gun and aimed it at Sly's chest. "Any last words, coon thief?" he asked with a dark laugh.

"Yea Alfonso," he answered casually with a knowing smile. "You're the bomb."

Alfonso's brow furrowed. "Huh?"

Sly gestured subtly with his head at something to the ground.

Alfonso's gaze dropped down to see a small explosive fall near his feet.

The device connected to it was beeping loudly and rapidly.

The coyote's eyes popped wide and he dropped the gun as he caught on. "Oh shit…"

"HIT THE DECK!"

Sly had already made his way to the ledge and was paragliding off into the distance by the time the bomb went off. The explosion in the background was music to his ears.

When his feet met the ground, he broke for a run, heading straight for a certain sports car.

Back in the car, everyone was growing uneasy. The whole gang was waiting for their leader, who had yet to make it back. Murray sat up front with Dimitri and glanced around to the others nervously.

"Where is Sly?" Carmelita finally asked Bentley, breaking the tense silence.

He held his hands out, palms up. "I'm not sure! I've been trying to communicate with him but I haven't been able to get a response for some time. I just hope he didn't get caught up with Alfonso."

Carmelita closed her eyes and shook her head. "Ringtail, if you got yourself in trouble, I swear I'll—"

"You'll what?" came Sly's smug voice.

Carmelita looked up to see him casually leaning in through the open window.

"Sly!"

Everyone cheered excitedly, so relieved to see he was alright.

Sly opened the door and slid in next to Carmelita, who hugged him tight. "You had us worried!" she cried, though her voice was muffled since she had buried her face in his chest.

"Aw I'm fine Carm," he told her resting a hand on the back of her head. He looked to his iguana friend. "Hit the gas, Dimitri."

Dimitri did just that, and they sped off, hearing the sirens from the numerous cop cars wailing in the distance.

Bentley dabbed a handkerchief to his forehead. "Sly, why didn't you use the sleep darts?" Bentley asked in exasperation. He had been exceedingly worried for his friend. "I gave them to you so you could avoid guards, not get chased by them!"

"I used a few, but I wanted to save the rest. Besides, what would be the fun in a heist if I didn't get chased?" Sly asked with a toothy grin.

Bentley sighed deeply. "Never mind. The point is your safe. Just be more careful when we ransack the beach house tomorrow night. Remember it's crucial that we uncover that secured file off his home computer. That's how he stays connected with fellow mob bosses across the globe."

"Sure thing," Sly answered, wondering if the coyote and his team had in fact survived the explosion. He shook his head and pushed the thought out of his mind. "And thanks for equipping me with that neat little bomb, Mr. Demolitions Expert. Really came in handy."

The turtle smiled. "I wouldn't put you out in the field without the proper tools to get the job done."

"And a job well done too," said Sly to his gang excitedly. "We pulled it off guys!"

Murray, who was now sitting up front with Dimitri, smiled at the mouse. "We make a great team."

She smiled back, guarding the gang's earnings in her lap. "All of us do," she replied.

Carmelita continued to hug Sly and he chuckled. "Thanks for staying put against your will," he joked.

She kissed his cheek. "Thanks for coming back safe and sound."

He rested his chin on her head, saying nothing. Because he knew that in all honesty, he almost didn't. But he wasn't about to tell her that. They all headed back to the Safe House for a well-deserved good night's sleep.

Several hundred miles away, back in Paris, another house was currently being ransacked. The front door had been kicked in and many tables were turned over. Papers were scattered all over the floor like toys thrown down carelessly by a messy child. The ransacker had not yet found what he needed, but he would continue to search until he did. For he had finally found the place of residence he was looking for. The only problem was that no one was home.

After scouring the room, he finally found a piece of paper that caught his eye. He snatched it up and studied the writing on it, reading the information that turned out to be the very clue he desired.

A sinister smile appeared on his face and his red eyes narrowed.

"So, Cooper," he hissed aloud. "Think you can run off to Sicily and save your little friends and family?"

A strange mixture of fury and excitement burned within him and a green energy appeared in his now clenched fist. The paper ignited in green flame.

He looked down to see that the paper was now nothing but ash. He slowly turned his hand palm down, watching the ashes fall pathetically to the floor.

He stalked out the door, spreading his massive wings and soaring into the air.

As he took to the sky, his eyes blazed once again with determination.

"You can run Cooper, but I will find you. And when I do, you and your precious little family will be no more. You can leave town, you can travel the entire world, but nothing will stop me from killing you. Nothing."

Looky, I did a whole chapter without any romance. And boy was it tough. I've always written about romance, but I feel I need to broaden my horizons. And I hope the action and humor makes this a more fun read for you all. I also tried to stay true to the games and I hope I succeeded. What I mean by that is that I made the tasks sort of quirky. Steal the keys while Dimitri dances. Because he's so smoove, yea?

Next chapter we ransack the beach house. So I hope you stick around!