Takes place in SR1 just as the Vice Kings missions finish up! Fairly late in the overall game timeline too. Kind of silly on the edges, but not too silly?

"King's gone?"

"He's gone, playa. Left just this morning," Julius told her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I don't know if this could've been done with anyone else backing Johnny up. Good work."

"It was your call, boss," V said, a stupid smile threatening to overtake her face. "It's my job to make it happen."

Julius looked her over as if he were weighing her up. He hadn't done so since the day of the canonization. "And you did. You've come a long way from the start. Humble beginnings with next to nothing."

"Had to start somewhere. Now the Row's practically ours. It's fucking amazing."

"That's right, playa. It is, isn't it?" There was another question there, but he hid it before V could even think about asking. "It's just the Carnales now. One last obstacle. Don't handle them lightly. They've known power. It's not easy to give up."

V laughed, her grin now out in full force. "I think I'm finally starting to understand that. Won't be a problem, boss."

Julius gave her a tentative smile back, but remained distant. "Don't let it become one."

Dex was waiting for her on the way out, a smile much different from Julius's on his face. "How'd it go?"

"All right? I know the boss is supposed to be serious most of the time, but something about Lopez is still worrying him for some reason. I think he also tried to give me a 'Be wary of power and how it corrupts' speech."

"Seriously? I can't even imagine why he'd throw that at you."

"Eat a dick, Dex," V said, rolling her eyes. "I'm not that bad."

"I know, but he's just watching out for you." he said, glancing back towards the office. "It's what he does. With only the Carnales left it's like we're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Don't want to ruin a good thing, right?"

"Right," she conceded. "Anything new on that front?"

"Plenty. I decided to take on a few things on my own time, and found out that Angelo's been making a few calls. It looks like he's getting ready to run. Could have a week at the most considering he's amped up his defenses at his mansion first, but we can't wait long. I'll have something better in a day or two, but when the time comes I want you there."

"Is that a special request?" she asked, feeling playful.

Dex grinned. "Might be. I'll need a driver."

"Now you're just messing with me, because I know I'm too sober to believe that shit."

"I'm being serious, but we'll talk about it more later. Just take it easy for now until you hear from me."

You, eh? She crossed her arms and leaned back on her heels. "Got it. Want me to pass that on to Troy if I see him?"

He thought about it for a second, then shook his head. "Nah, I've got it."

Once she left the church V had the rest of the day to herself. She figured she'd take some time to rest up before ransacking the Friendly Fire for her future visit to Lopez, so drinks at Tee'N'Ay seemed like a good idea. It was still early, however. Before twelve if she was being specific. Did she really need to damage her liver more by getting a headstart?

No, not really. She already needed to cut down on her pack a day habit, there was no need to throw alcohol into the mix.

A hole in her shirt stared up at her and she realized she should probably go shopping instead. The gray t-shirt had barely stood up to a month in her closet, and she knew she needed other things as well. It was just a matter of dragging her ass out to On the Rag.

With that decided she started to walk home, passing only a few people as she made her way around the church. Troy's car waited nearby, however, and she came to a stop. She hadn't seen him on her way there, but maybe it wouldn't hurt to look for him now.

She heard his voice before she saw him, pacing back and forth in one of the more isolated places littered outside. His cigarette burned away as he traded words with the person on the other end – likely one of his contacts – and there was something interesting about the way he was holding himself. He stood up straighter, tenser. It was strange in the subtlest of ways, but when he noticed her staring at him, he relaxed instantly.

That left her with nothing but a bemused look as she waved at him awkwardly, and he signaled for her to wait a minute longer. She used that time to shake the weird feeling off, and gave him a smile when he finally hung up. "Hey. Where have you been? You missed a lot of shit with King, man."

"That was Dex's and Gat's baby," he said, putting his phone away. "I've been working overtime on getting the Carnales sorted out, so I had to miss the going away party. Sounds like it was a hell of a time."

"It was fucking great. Don't think King felt that way after Tanya took a dive onto his car, but he took it well enough. It wasn't like he'd be able to hold onto it anyway. Anything new on Lopez?"

"He's been holed up in his mansion for the last week. I would think he'd try to get some protection out of the Colombians, but we took out the only brother that actually had a working relationship with them. He's probably seeing how much longer he can sit in one spot before someone comes calling."

"That's kind of what Dex was saying."

"He was?"

Troy raised an eyebrow and V almost held her tongue. Dex had told her not to bother, but there was no real reason to with the two of them right there. "Yeah. He says that Angelo's waiting for the right time to run, and basically wants me ready until then."

"The hell does he want you there for?"

"My flawless driving skills. No one else tears it like me, babe," she said with mock seriousness. The wink that followed didn't help any.

Troy held the bridge of his nose as he sighed. "Great. Just have to twiddle our thumbs until Dex feels the time is right then?"

"I guess. You'd have to talk to him about that, because he didn't give me much more than what I told you. He plays things way too close to his vest. It's enough to drive anyone nuts."

He let the corner of his mouth quirk up. "That's Dex for you."

"No wonder you two can barely stand in the same room some days. It's a shame, really."

"Why?"

"It's just amusing. Both of you are so fucking hardheaded and set on how you tackle certain things. Half the time I feel like I'm playing middleman. The other half?" V let her eyes linger on him then glanced away. "Well, I'm trying pretty damn hard not to be an open book."

Troy exhaled a long stream of smoke and gave her a knowing look. "Not easy, is it?"

"No, but I don't think I'm that easy to read. However, there are days where I'm seriously glad that he doesn't have any of that telepathic bullshit. He doesn't need to see any of that." Troy laughed and she felt herself blush a little. "What? If I want to think about you doing…certain things I'd like to have some damn privacy."

"Course you would," he said, looking away. It didn't take long for him to look back at her though, and she had trouble making eye contact. "You need some now?"

She shook her head. "No. I'm just admiring this spot a bit. Good place to hide in case, you know…"

"Anyone's watching?"

"Yeah. Don't think anyone could see us from here, though. I'm wondering if my odds are good."

He took another drag, then crushed the cigarette under his heel. "At what?"

"Getting caught," she said, wetting her lips. "It'd be worth it, though."

He stepped closer and she tilted her chin up, anticipating something. Anything. The stone wall met her back and Troy covered her mouth with his, making the kiss simple and slow. Though they didn't have an audience in this hidden corner, they weren't exactly alone. Saints were everywhere, and all they had to do was wander down a bit further to find them curled against the church's side. It almost thrilled her.

When he pulled back, she had to breathe for a second. Make sure her knees didn't buckle. "You're being brave."

"Kinda. Wouldn't mind doing that again though. Want me to?"

"Shit, what do you think?" Her heart definitely wasn't going to stop pounding. "Not too sure about…this, however," V said, gesturing towards their surroundings. "Want to run back to my place real quick? Test my odds more?"

"There's also an old store down the street. Been out of business for months now," he suggested, his eyes flicking between her mouth and her shirt.

"And you want to break in?" She whistled and couldn't hide her wicked grin. "Sneaky. I think I like that."

He shrugged, but the smile tugging at his lips told her otherwise. "Thought you might."

"Lead the way, then."

It was a short walk down from the church, and she twirled bits of her hair around her finger as they played at being casual. He pried one of the boards off of the side entrance of the closed down building so she could get inside, and she ducked around the rest of the barrier only to be met by tables and shelves.

Spinning around on one boot to face him, she held back a nervous giggle as she took in everything around her. He had called it old, but the place wasn't even that worn down. The windows were fairly intact, and the only evidence of entry was the one loose board he'd removed.

She let him follow her as she backed further into the store, only stopping when the wall told her to. His calm approach wasn't surprising, but he didn't bother to hide the promise in his eyes.

"Cozy, eh?" Troy said, kicking at an old crate. "Real luxury accommodations."

"Yeah, I'm feeling it. You take all the girls here, or just me?" she teased.

"…Not all of them."

He was only a few steps away, and she refused to be the first to break. "Oh? Way to make a girl feel special then. I was hoping for some candles, music, the works."

"What? You're not a fan of the mood lighting already here?" He reached out to cup her chin and ran his thumb over her bottom lip. "The easy way this place just tells you it's a dump?"

She laughed. "I haven't run yet, have I? That's true romance for you."

Her tongue darted out to lick his thumb and she knew she had him. There was a short intake of breath, and he moved forward, pressing a sloppy kiss to the edge of her mouth. Her arms looped around his neck, and he kissed her again, deepening it quickly.

There was nothing slow to this like before. His hands yanked her shirt up enough to expose her bra, then ran under it, unhooking it in the back. The low whine that left her mouth made her blush as he lowered his head to her breasts, and she tugged at his hair as his tongue lingered where his fingers had previously. When his lips closed over a nipple she tried not to pull.

"Tease," she gasped, getting him back up to her level, or close to it. His height gave him a few inches over her, just enough to have her look up at him.

He kissed her hard, and she could feel his grin. "You're the one hiding the purple. Stands the hell out."

The bra she wore was an obnoxious shade, but she bit back her response when his hand slid lower, moving between her legs. The sweet pressure was tough to feel through the denim, but it translated well enough. "Shut up. I don't wear enough as it is. …Do you think these tables would hold me?"

Troy glanced back at the room and shook his head. "They're covered in at least four layers of dust, V."

"But they're stable, right?"

"Hey, it's bad enough I'm fooling around with you here. I'm not going to immortalize it by sending you to the goddamn hospital when it breaks."

"Holy hell, Troy. I want to fuck you. We don't have a lot of surfaces to choose from, so I'm not being picky." He pushed his leg between hers and she dug her nails into his shoulders. "The wall's fucking solid. Does that work?" she breathed.

"Nope. Can't do that either."

"Why? Chafing?"

He snorted and shook his head. "No condoms."

"…You serious?" V groaned and let her head fall back. "I could've sworn you'd have at least one on you."

"Used them all. Must be a hazard of working with you."

She rolled her hips against his almost painfully slow and tried to sound defensive. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You do the smallest thing, and it gets hard to focus after that," he said, trying to match her rhythm. "Fucking impossible."

"You know I don't mind helping you out with that, right?"

He was breathing hard against her neck, and she couldn't resist putting her hand between them to feel him through his jeans. "Course I do."

"But you fill in the blanks if I can't, right?" she asked, pulling him up to gently bite his lip. His leg pressed up against her, and she bit down harder as she tried not to rub herself against him. She lost the fight after the rocking motion began to hit her just right.

"And spend some time jerking off? Yeah. Can't fucking avoid it sometimes," Troy said, sucking on the skin beneath her ear. His teeth grazed her earlobe as well, but he didn't bite her. It was something he'd always tease at, but never do.

"Damn. Now I'm curious. Any hints? Tips?" she asked, as he started messing with the button on her bermudas. Her voice was nowhere near steady.

Neither was his. "Your mouth's usually an easy guess. The desk's also a fun trip. The one in the office."

"Johnny's desk? You've seriously thought about…?" V's face flushed at the clear image of him entering her while she was perched on the edge, and she wanted it. She wanted it bad. "Oh, fuck me."

"That was the idea. Wouldn't be a bad place to lick you either, eh?" His hand slipped past her underwear and he swallowed. "Guess not. Shit."

"You asshole. You're so coming over later."

"Is that an order?"

"Yes," she moaned, this close to just covering his hand with hers so he'd finger her already. "Fucking tease."

That drew a chuckle from him, and he kissed her like he did the first time outside, slow and deep. She made a frustrated noise and went right for his belt. It was half off of him when something began ringing.

The sharp default tone was his. He froze, and V tried to understand the shift in his expression.

"You going to get that?"

He hesitated, then pulled his phone out to check the number. If anything, he seemed to withdraw more. "…Yeah. Can't skip this one."

"Well, shit. Now you're definitely coming over tonight," she said, giving him one last kiss before reluctantly stepping away from him. Her body ached, but this had to go on ice for now. "Promise?"

Troy nodded, not quite meeting her eyes.

She motioned for him to call her and quickly left after fixing her clothes up, her smile slipping as she made her way towards the side entrance. His voice was low as she stood out of sight, but she couldn't bring herself to listen in. Not with the way it seemed to carry in the small space. She replaced the board after climbing out, and tried not to look back.

"King's out. The airplane ticket checked out, and he's far enough away that he's someone else's problem now. The Carnales might be done by the end of the week at this rate, depending on whether or not the raid Dex's planning goes down as planned. He says Lopez might run, so it's either now or never."

"Those details are going in your next update?" Monroe asked.

"Yeah, they'll be there. I just need some extra time to sort through it. Organize it and all that shit."

"I wouldn't be making this call otherwise. You're taking some liberties here that we can't afford to take right now. The election's coming up and gang leaders are dropping left and right. All the Saints have to do is turn their head and-"

"They could start aiming higher. I'm aware of that."

"Then start acting like it. Slip too far, son, and I'm going to have to make some difficult choices. Understand?"

Troy's grip on the phone tightened. "…Yeah, I understand."

"Good. We'll be in touch."

He hung up. Troy watched the screen dim, and shoved the phone back into his pocket without another word.