"So, you guys watch the Lion's game last night? Poor bastards got blown out," Rusty asked around as he continued to follow traffic.

Lincoln didn't pay much attention to his ginger friend next to him as he was to focused on his phone, waiting for the text message. In the back of the caravan, Bobby and Clyde were gearing up as they started to pass up Lincoln and Rusty's mask and weapon.

Days of preparation led them up to this moment, and soon they'll be in the same situation they've been in before, adding another bank to their list of crimes.

"Really, Rusty? Small talk before we risk our lives for the hundredth time?" Clyde said, pulling the black ski mask over his face and adding a pair of shades to complete his hidden identity.

"Remember guys, we're here for the lockbox. No money," Lincoln emphasized, turning to look at Clyde in particular.

Rusty made a left turn down a side street before spotting the first city bank across the street. They pulled up near the bank and put the van in park as they waited for Lincoln to give them the signal.

"Did she send the text?" Bobby asked through his balaclava.

Just within seconds, Lincoln's phone pinged and he looked down to see the message that read 'green.' "Game time," Lincoln said, pulling his mask down.

Lincoln, Clyde, Bobby, and Rusty exited the parked van and quickly ran down the luckily empty street toward the bank entrance. As Clyde reached the front door, holding it open for the others, Lincoln was the first to head through and fired his gun twice in the air as Bobby quickly tazed the security guard, knocking him down and zip-tying his hands behind his back.

"DOWN, EVERYBODY DOWN!" Lincoln shouted in a Spanish accent.

The small amount of people inside the bank screamed and ducked in panic as Bobby, Rusty, and Clyde started to demand everyone to get down, pointing their guns at them.

"Don't you fucking move, cabrón!" Bobby shouted, standing over a man lying on the floor.

As Bobby and the others were busy trying to keep everyone under control, Lincoln looked around trying to spot the bank manager. His luck payed off when he saw the manager try to make a run for his office.

Lincoln took off, charging trough the lobby before grabbing the bank manager just as he was reaching for the door handle. Lincoln pulled the manager's left arm behind him and held him in a head lock as Clyde came over with an envelope.

He ripped open the envelope and pulled out a bunch of papers, showing the struggling manager. He looked in fright as Clyde flipped through each page, showing the manager printed photos of his home and family, that were posted on his facebook page.

"Do it for them, Richard," Lincoln told him before yanking him over to the vault.

The bank manager opened the vault and stood in place as Lincoln held the shotgun to his face and demanded for the safe lock key. Once Lincoln got the key, he started searching for the right lockbox while Clyde watched the manager. But while Clyde made sure the manager didn't make any sudden movements, he noticed the cart full of stacked bills, unprotected. Clyde did a double take, seeing Lincoln busy unlocking the safe, and unzipped his bag, tossing a few bricks of cash inside before Lincoln called him over and placed the lockbox inside Clyde's bag.

*All units be advised. Report of a robbery in progress at the First City Bank.* The police scanner said in Lincoln's earpiece. That was their sign to leave.

Lincoln tied the manager's hands to the bars of the vault before following Clyde running out. As they entered the lobby of the bank, Lincoln gave the hand signal to Rusty and Bobby that they were done here.

They all dashed out of the bank and ran back to their van, jumping inside and starting it up before speeding off down the street.

"Wooo! That's what I'm talking about, baby!" Rusty celebrated as he slammed his hand repeatedly on his armrest.

"Holy crap, I can't believe that just happened," Bobby sighed in relief, baffled that they managed to get away with no issues from the police.

Lincoln made a sharp right around a corner as he swerved in and out of traffic, and blowing through all the traffic lights. He spotted the ramp to get them on the freeway which would be their home free ticket, but just as Lincoln speed up, Clyde's bag started to release a cloud of smoke before a dye pack blew up, filling the entire inside of the van with red smoke.

"What the fuck?!" Bobby yelled out, shielding his eyes from the blast of smoke.

Everyone inside the van started shouting in panic as Lincoln tried to do his best to see through the windshield which was covered by a thick cloud of red smoke.

"I can't see shit!" Lincoln shouted as he dodged incoming traffic. Clyde and Bobby opened the sliding doors to let the smoke clear out as Rusty instructed Lincoln to not decelerate. But as Lincoln drove threw the red light right before their exit, a car crashed into the back, left side of the van causing them to spin out.

Lincoln and the rest of the crew all hopped out of the van as they looked around, trying to find a way out this situation. As Bobby and Rusty were busy arguing, Clyde was digging through his bag trying to find the lockbox while Lincoln came up with a new escape plan.

"Rusty, make some noise! Get these people back!" Lincoln ordered.

Rusty jumped on top of the hood of a car and started to open fire in the crowd of cars, purposely missing. Drivers and passengers started exiting their cars, running and ducking to try to get away from the scene.

While all this was going on, Lincoln stood in front of an oncoming car and aimed his gun at the driver, causing him to slam on his brakes. Lincoln ordered the driver to step out as he slowly walked around the SUV and opened the driver-side door. The driver got out with his hands up, and Lincoln instructed him to walk to the side where Lincoln told the man to get on his knees and don't move.

The sound of police sirens could be heard in the distance, getting louder by the second, indicating they were getting close. Lincoln knew they had to leave now or possibly end up in a shootout, and none of them wanted that.

"Alright, Rusty, that's enough! Let's move!" Lincoln shouted as he jumped into the driver's seat.

Rusty hopped down from the car and followed Bobby to the stolen vehicle. Remembering the plan in case something like this happened, Clyde rushed over to the trunk of their van and opened it, spotting the homemade explosive attached to a jerrycan. He activated the timer and closed the trunk as he ran back to the SUV.

Once everyone was in and the package was secure, Lincoln put the vehicle in reverse just as the explosion went off, the wrecked van going up in flames. Under the cover of the blast, Lincoln slammed on the gas and skidded off down the street.

After an intense ride, Lincoln pulled up toward a garage in the abandon factory district, and honked the horn a couple times. The garage door started to slide up as Lincoln drove inside and put the vehicle in park.

"Rocky, shut the door before someone spots us," Lincoln said as he got out of the driver's seat and slammed the door, frustrated.

Rocky slammed his palm on the red button, causing the garage door to come back down. He turned around and watched as the others stepped out of the SUV, curious to why they were all covered in red paint and in a different vehicle.

"What happened to you guys?" Rocky asked.

"I don't know, why don't you ask Clyde," Rusty said as he stripped off his bulletproof vest, placing it on the table along with a row of guns.

"How the heck was I supposed to know there was a dye pack in the money?!" Clyde argued back, also taking off his stained clothes.

"The money was in plain sight! They do that so dumb fucks like you would take it and get caught!" Rusty shouted as he confronted Clyde.

"Oh, well I'm sorry. I was just looking out for us! Making sure we all had money in our pockets so we can survive in this dump!" Clyde announced, looking around at each of his close friends. "We wouldn't be in this mess if that bitch would pay us enough!"

"Ok, we get it!" Lincoln said, breaking up the argument. "This whole situation is messed up. But we have the package, and we're all alive. Let's just put this behind us and move on."

On the inside, Lincoln was just as mad as Rusty, but he had to make sure everyone here was cool-headed. He had to keep the peace and remind them that even though they all make mistakes, that they were all best friends and needed to stick together in order for them to survive.

It seemed to work as Rusty and Clyde decided to drop the conversation and separate to do their own things. As everyone was changing and cleaning up, Bobby got a text from one of his co-workers, telling him he was needed.

"Hey guys? Duty calls," Bobby said as he held up his phone, telling them he had to return to the other part of his life.

"Go do your thing, officer," Lincoln teased as he threw on his hoodie. "Just don't act too suspicious."

Bobby tossed on his badge around his neck and walked out of the garage to his parked car and drove off to where he was needed, leaving Lincoln, Clyde, and the Spokes brothers behind.

"Now then, Rusty, hide the guns for now until your dad comes by to pick them up. And Clyde, take the clothes and burn them in the back. It's still your fault we're in this predicament so you can clean it up," Lincoln told them.

"What about you?" Clyde asked.

"I have to see if Lana can scrap down this car at the mechanic shop without asking too many questions. Then I have to deliver the package to Sasha and hope she doesn't try and kill us. Why? Do you want to deal with her?"

"No," Clyde answered, returning to the task he was given.

"That's what I thought," Lincoln said as he got back into the stolen vehicle and backed out as he heard Rocky unlock the garage door. "I'll see you guys later."

Back at the bank, the police blocked off the surrounding area while an investigation was on the way and to keep bystanders back as news reporters were quick to show up to report what had occurred. Bobby had arrived in his police cruiser and walked over to the scene of the crime as a fellow officer raised the police tape for him so he could duck under.

"Sup, Bobby. The lieutenant wants you. He should be inside," The officer greeted.

"Thanks, man," Bobby said as he headed inside the bank.

He thought it was pretty ironic that just moments ago he was here robbing this place to end up returning, only this time to help find out what had happened. He was definitely on edge, fearing one of the victims in the bank might recognize him or his voice. But he kept telling himself to relax and stay calm; just like Lincoln said, 'act natural'.

Bobby walked into the lobby as he saw a couple detectives taking statements from the victims while another was taking photos of the shotgun shells Lincoln had fired into the air. He was then brought back to the present when his lieutenant called him over.

"Santiago, glad you can make it in. Can you believe this mess? This is the fifth bank in just a year," He said as him and Bobby started to walk.

"Times are tough, sir. People are obviously desperate," Bobby said, presenting the scene around him for emphasis.

"I'm just getting too old for this shit," His lieutenant commented. "Anyway, the reason I called you here is because I got a new assignment for you."

"Uh, you know these kinds of things aren't technically my department?"

"Don't worry. You'll only be helping out the guy that's doing most of the work," the lieutenant joked as he led Bobby into the vault to met the lone man investigating the only open lockbox. "Here he is, Blake. The man I was telling you about. Bobby, this is Special Agent Bradley. He'll be leading the investigation for all these robberies."

"Nice to meet ya, kid," Agent Bradley said, shacking Bobby's hand.

"This is Bobby Santiago of the Detroit Gang Unit," The lieutenant said. "Bobby, any information this man needs you give him, understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Great. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to come up with some bullshit to tell these reporters."

As the lieutenant left, Bobby stepped over to Blake who was looking around the vault for any more evidence.

"So… what exactly is it you need, Mr. Bradley," Bobby asked, feeling awkward.

"Blake is fine, Bobby. And don't worry, I know you'll miss chasing and getting shot at by a gang bangers' so I won't intrude," Blake joked. "But If I'm gonna narrow my search on these guys… or girls, I'm gonna need some info. And since I was told that you know the ins-and-outs of these streets, you were my first pick."

"Well, I don't know about all that, but if they say I'm your guy then I guess I'm your guy… So, what do know so far?" Bobby asked, looking around the vault as well. He was starting to worry if he might have found something important but knowing Lincoln, Bobby knew he wouldn't make any mistakes… but then there was Clyde.

"The victims said the suspects were speaking Spanish. You know any Hispanic gangs in the area that could have done this… cartels?"

"Eh, robbing banks ain't really the cartels thing," Bobby said as he thought of other criminal organizations. "There are the Incas, a local Hispanic street gang that's been acting up. It could be them… What about the lockbox? You know what they stole?"

"I ran the name of the owner and it came back unknown so they used a fake name. As for the contents in the box… I have no idea. The bank manager doesn't even know… or he was paid to not know if you catch my drift."

"Well, all the kingpins I know are either in prison or dead so I can't help you there," Bobby said before he heard his name being called behind him and telling him a call just went out. "I-Is there anything else you need or…?"

"Thanks for your help, Bobby but I got it from here. I'll see you later at the office," Blake said, letting Bobby go. He started to hurry over toward the officer just when Kirk called him one last time. "And Bobby?! We're going to catch these guys."

Bobby didn't like how confident he said that, bringing his worries back. Bobby made a mental note to look up who this guy was and see if this Agent Blake Bradley guy was a threat to him and the others. He just put on a fake smile and nodded before leaving.

After dropping off the stole SUV at the mechanic shop Lana worked at, and finally convincing her to accept the car without raising too much suspicion, Lincoln took a cab to 'The Den' to meet Sasha. Once he was dropped off, Lincoln walked toward the back entrance where he saw once of Sasha's goons leaning against the wall as he took his smoke break.

"How is she?" Lincoln asked as he approached the man.

"She's seen better days," He stated, taking another huff from his cigarette.

"Wonderful…" Lincoln said in a miserable tone.

"Good luck," The man said as he opened the back door for Lincoln, letting him inside to meet his unavoidable doom.

As soon as Lincoln stepped inside, he quickly ducked as a glass bottle came flying past his left ear, crashing against the wall as a woman shouted 'where is he!'. He looked back in front of him to see Sasha, and judging by her heavy breathing, Lincoln guessed she already found out what happened and wasn't too happy about it.

"I didn't think you'd miss me that much," Lincoln teased, trying to lighten the mood even though he knew it never worked.

"What the fuck happened?!" Sasha demanded once she heard Lincoln's voice.

"I know you're upset but let me-"

"You're damn right I'm upset! I'm fuckin livid! You told me there would be no complications. You gave me your word… I told you no money," She said, standing behind her desk and staring daggers at Lincoln.

"I know," Lincoln said as he started to walk toward her. "But Clyde-"

"CLYDE! I should have known that little vermin was behind this!" Sasha rambled on, pacing back and forth. "I've given him too many chances. When I get my hands-"

"SASHA!" Lincoln said, grabbing her attention. She paused and stared at Lincoln in shock as if she was having a flashback. Lincoln returned the same look as he just realized what he had just done. Sasha was feared amongst the other crime syndicates and street gangs in Michigan. No one dared to challenge her. No one, but Lincoln that is. He made that mistake once, showing his dominance over her. And what scared him the most was that Sasha did nothing about it. "I… I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"No…" Sasha said, clearing her throat as she fixed the smoothed out the wrinkles on her dress shirt which were caused by her rage fueled rampage. If only she could button up the rest of her shirt, Lincoln thought. "You're right… Continue."

Lincoln mentally let out a sigh of relief as he took a seat in front of Sasha's desk. "I know things didn't go as according to plan… and you are obviously mad at me… but we at least have to package, and that's all that matters."

"I can never be mad at you my love," Sasha said as she took the package from Lincoln's hand and thanked him, looking deep in his eyes she admired so much. "*sigh* But I am mad that I'll be on damage control for the next week."

"You do have most of the police under your payroll, but…" Lincoln was going to regret saying this but he needed to keep him and his friends on her good side. "If I can make it up to you somehow…"

"Careful, Lincoln, you know I can be a dangerous woman~," She said in a sultry tone before turning around in her chair to grab another envelope of money to give to Lincoln. "Here's your payment as promised."

"It's light," Lincoln told her, feeling the weight of the envelope in his hand. He's done enough jobs for her to know exactly how much they should be paid and how much it weighed. "Let me guess… Compensation for the 'reckless' behavior?"

"Yours, Roberto's, and the ginger's payment is all accounted for… It's Clyde's that I cut. Hopefully he will learn to behave," She said as she got up and walked slowly around her desk, stopping behind Lincoln and leaned forward to wrap her arms around his shoulders, her lips centimeters away from his ear. "I train my dogs to obey. And I always give my good boys a treat…~ Isn't that right, Lincoln?"

Lincoln shivered at her tone of voice and hot breath hitting back of his neck. But he couldn't show type of emotion. She loved to get a reaction from her favorite "pet" but Lincoln never gave her the satisfaction. She just figured he was playing hard to get which she enjoyed as well.

"He's not going to be happy about that. This is the exact reason why he took the money," Lincoln told her as she returned to her seat.

"He can earn the rest later. In the meantime, you and your little friends lay low for awhile till this whole situation dies down. I'm going to make a few calls," Sasha said, dismissing Lincoln.

He got up and exited through her office door, now standing inside the gentlemen's club. It wasn't busy since it was still in the afternoon so Lincoln decided to grab a quick drink, knowing he won't have to deal with any obnoxious patrons.

As he walked out of the hall toward the bar, Lincoln stopped in his tracks as he noticed the attractive young lady sitting alone at the bar with her empty glass. She was wearing a short black dress that hugged her body perfectly with a pair of matching heels that strapped around her ankles. Her hair was in a ponytail and her eyeliner was a bit smudged, giving Lincoln the impression that she had been crying.

She looked miserable, so empty inside. And Lincoln knew it to be true. It wouldn't be the first time he's seen her sitting there like that. Every time he saw her caused his heart to ache, and make his blood boil. But it also reminded him why he was doing all this… who he was doing it for.

He let out a deep sigh before he continued his journey to the bar, approaching the stool next to the young lady.

"Mind if I join you?"

"I guess I can use a friend," She said after a small pause. "But if you want to talk, it'll cost you."

"Heh, into the quiet types huh? Well, you're in luck. I'm not really in the mood to chat," Lincoln joked back as he took his seat next to the woman. They both sat at the bar in silence for a couple seconds, but with his fearful thoughts returning, Lincoln couldn't stay quiet any longer. "You had me worried about you the other day… I didn't see you during breakfast."

"I'm fine, Lincoln…" Luan said, finally looking up at him. "Sorry about that. I should have told you. But like I told Luna, I was with a friend…"

"… And did this friend hurt you?" Lincoln asked with a hint of anger as he noticed bruise marks around Luan's wrists. He knew he shouldn't have brought it up since Luan didn't like to talk about her 'friends', but seeing something like this set Lincoln off the edge.

Luan looked at her wrists and became self-conscious as she brought her bracelet down her wrist to cover up one of the marks. She knew she should have worn long sleeves.

"I'm fine, Linc. No one hurt me," She answered, getting a bit annoyed of her brother's over protectiveness but still appreciating his concern. "… Some guys just like to play… rough."

Lincoln just let out a sigh as he looked back down at the bar table in defeat. Ever since Lincoln and his sisters learned about their financial problems, they all made the choice to find jobs to make ends meet. But Lincoln would have never imagined the route Luan would take that she was still currently in.

She was an escort.

Something that only him, Luna… and Leni knew about. Lincoln had a feeling Lucy also knew along with Lynn, and Lori who he figured only had a suspicion, but everyone else was clueless, and he wanted it to stay that way.

Lincoln tried everything he could to prevent Luan from doing it, but when he found out that Sasha had pretty much trapped her like she did with him, he knew there wasn't much he could do. But Lincoln knew he would make the split decision to kill anyone who even tried to hurt her. And Luan knew he would too. She's seen what would happen when that line is crossed.

"I… I just care about you, Luan."

"And I'm grateful for that, Linc. If I ever need anything, I can come to you. But I can handle myself just fine. You of all people should know," Luan said, getting a chuckle of approval from him. "Besides, the guy wasn't a threat at all… Poor guy couldn't even last a minute."

"Jeez, thanks for that image," Lincoln mocked. He really didn't want to hear about his sister's client's performance, but see as she smiling, laughing at the guy's misfortunes, he decided to go along with it.

"Sweet guy though. Bought me dinner, acted nervous the entire time, stayed in a really fancy hotel room. He obviously has money. Want me to give you his name so you can rob him?" Luan saying that last part as a joke, elbowing Lincoln in his side a few times.

"I'm good, thanks. But I'll let you know if I change my mind," Lincoln joked back.

The tension in the air seem to have vanished as Lincoln and Luan continued to chat. It was one of those rare moments where they actually didn't mind staying in this hellhole, ignoring all the problems this place had brought upon them. It didn't take long however, for their moment to be ruined as a gentleman in the back started to call for Luan.

"Hey, beautiful, over here!" The man called out with a smile, trying to wave her over.

Lincoln ignored the man, but Luan knew he wasn't going to stop so she looked over her shoulder to politely decline the man's offer. "Sorry, buddy, already got a man."

She looked back at Lincoln to return to their conversation, adding a few side comments making fun of the guy before the man got up and called her again, this time walking up to them. The man just couldn't get the message.

"Hey, I just want to know if you're free. Maybe I can show you a fun time?" The man flirted. He was well-dressed, wearing a business suit. Luan figured it was another one of these rich egotistical executives that was married but couldn't be satisfied with just one woman.

"Like I said, I'm with someone, ok?" Luan did her best to be polite, but this guy was really testing her patients.

"What, this nobody?" The man said, pointing at Lincoln. "Come on, babe, let's ditch this place. I can double whatever this scrub paid you."

Lincoln just ignored the man as he continued to stare at his glass drink.

"Then find someone else. I'm fine right here," Luan told the man.

"You sure about that? You don't seem like you're having fun."

"Hey, man, the lady doesn't want to go, alright? Leave her alone," Lincoln interjected nonchalantly, glancing over at the man next to him.

"Hey, pal, I'm not talking to you," The man exclaimed, looking angrily at Lincoln. "Do you know who I am? I can fucking buy and sell you and this whore-"

Luan knew it was coming once she heard the man say it, and she was right as Lincoln in a flash stood up from his stool and grabbed the man from the back of his head and slammed it hard against the bar table, holding it there as Lincoln flipped his switchblade and held it against the man's neck.

"Do you know who I am?" Lincoln asked, whispering in his ear. "I can kill you and make it look like an accident."

"Is there a problem here, gentlemen?" A feminine voice said. Lincoln looked up to see Sasha in front of them with two of her bodyguards standing behind her. Her expression looked normal, but Lincoln knew it was never that simple. One of them was going to get scolded or punished for sure.

"Not at all, ma'am. He was just leaving," Lincoln said as he slowly let go of the man, putting his knife back in his pocket.

"My apologies, sir. My acquaintance can be rowdy at times. Please, let me treat you to another one of our girls. Free of charge," Sasha offered.

The man fixed himself up and thanked her as he followed one of Sasha's bodyguards to a backroom. Lincoln had a strong guess that he was the one that was going to get punished until he noticed Sasha call Ivan, her right-hand man, over her shoulder with her finger as she kept her eyes on the man.

"Teach him how to properly treat a woman," She ordered as Ivan grunted, understanding her command and followed him in the backroom.

Lincoln looked at Sasha and nodded in thanks as he decided now was a good time to head back home. He grabbed Luan's winter coat and helped his sister put it on before offering his arm to her and started to walk to the main exit. As the walked, Lincoln and Luan past the backroom that the man and Sasha's goons went in and could hear the man groaning in agony. Lincoln was glad he wasn't in his position.

"Sorry about that. I know I… overreacted," Lincoln apologized as he held the backdoor to the cab for Luan before following her in and telling the driver to head to Franklin Ave.

"That you did, little brother," Luan said, resting her head on Lincoln's shoulder, enjoying the peaceful ride. "… But thanks."

They arrived back home, happy that they could both finally relax. Sasha was surprisingly generous enough to give Lincoln and Luan a couple days off. Of course, Lincoln understood his reason since he and the guys probably made national news, but Lincoln now-a-days never really had a 'day off'. There was his real job he still had to do, and then there was any maintenance around the house he remembered as he looked around the front lawn. He was at least glad they hadn't been hit with a sever snowstorm. Lincoln hated the bitter cold Michigan weather.

Lincoln unlocked the front door as Luan and him entered, being met with their younger siblings running around and arguing while the others were gathered in the living room watching TV.

Oh, and then there was helping his sisters with whatever they were up to, Lincoln remembered. "Ah, the joys of being the only brother."

Luan and Lincoln were greeted at the doorway as Lincoln, being the gentleman he is, took Luan's coat of her and placed it on the rack along with his. She placed a quick peck on Lincoln's cheek, thanking him again for standing up for her before departing upstairs to change out of her 'revealing' dress. Lincoln joined the others in the living room to see what they were doing.

"Hey, guys. What's everyone looking at?"

"Bro, didn't you hear?! Another bank got robbed. The guys later ended up shooting into a crowd of people near the freakin' highway! Man, I wish I was there to see it all go down," Lynn said with excitement.

"No, you don't, Lynn," Lori said, warning her to cut it out. "Heaven forbid you got caught in the middle of that and got hurt."

"It does sound pretty cool though," Lucy added, agreeing with Lynn.

Lori just rolled her eyes as she returned her focus back on the TV and switched to a different channel. She didn't like to watch the news with how everything is going now, especially when Lily was in the room. Lily wasn't naïve of today's current state, but Lori didn't want her to feel accustom with it. She just wanted Lily to have a normal life, and not focus on the negatives. Lori just wanted for things to go back to the way they use to.

"Damn… well, I'm sure glad I wasn't there," Lincoln said before greeting Lana who decided to join them in the living room.

"Hey, Lincoln, you got some red paint on your shoe," Lana pointed out. "You a painter now or something?"

Lincoln looked down at his shoe and cursed himself, seeing he missed a spot. "Uh… Y-yeah, kind of. Clyde needed some help painting his basement so I stopped by," Lincoln told her. He developed a great skill at convincing his sisters where he's been while actually out doing a job with the guys, but it was starting to become difficult as some of his sisters were getting wiser.

Lynn and Lori gave Lincoln a questionable look, but his saving grace came to rescue him as he heard the cries of a baby coming from upstairs.

"Excuse me, ladies, but it sounds like someone is hungry." Lincoln left with Luna following, having to attend to her child.

"Yeah, that's probably a good cue for me to start prepping dinner," Lori said as she got up from the couch to head into the kitchen to begin cooking.

In the dinning room, the Loud family or what remained of the ones that still lived at home, were all gathered around the dinner table, enjoying their meal as they talked and laughed amongst one another. Lincoln looked around the table with a faint smile on his face, seeing that even though times were tough for them, they could all still find a time to act like their former selves.

It was like if the outside world meant nothing to them. They were living in the moment, ignoring all their troubles. Lana was playing with her food trying to gross out Lola, like she always did as a kid. Luna and Lynn were having a contest to see who can chug their drink down the fastest as Luan, Lucy, and Lily cheered them on. And Leni playing peekaboo with Luna's baby as she giggled on Lori's lap.

Lincoln was amazed how his sisters can go from being stressed out from working so hard to being the wild and loud sisters he's grown up with. He was one to talk as Lincoln's own personal life was like a switch. One moment you're a notorious bank robber, working with one of the most feared crime bosses in Detroit, and the next, you're enjoying a lovely dinner with your family as if nothing had happened.

Life was a strange and dangerous thing in Lincoln's book.

By the time everyone was done with their meal, and the table was cleared, most of the Loud sisters returned to the living room to watch some TV or called it in for the night. Lincoln had joined his sisters on the couch and let out a sigh of relief as he plopped down next to Lily. He couldn't wait to finally get a full night's rest, now that he was free from his "boss's" orders. And what better way to start his free time than spending some quality time with his sisters.

As they continued watching TV, another commercial popped on screen, earning a yawn from Lynn who then announced that she was clocking out and heading to bed. Lincoln checked the time on the clock above their fireplace and remembered he had one last thing to do before the day ends. He stood up and stretched his back before walking to the kitchen, seeing Leni drying up the dishes.

"Hey, Linky," Leni said in her cheerful voice as she placed another plate in the drying rack. She hadn't change much through the years other than her hair was longer and filled up in all the right places, still holding on to the title as one of the most attractive girls in all of Royal Woods. She was also still her caring, optimistic self. But Lincoln knew she still had her moments… Leni had been through a lot after their father passed away.

"Hey, Leni. I have to step out real quick, but I'll be back," Lincoln said as he grabbed the keys to his car.

"Ok, Lincoln. Drive safe," Leni replied.

Lincoln went out through the backdoor and walked down their driveway, passing old Vanzilla. Lori hated drive the old family van to work, but it still held up and Lori didn't have to worry about it getting stolen since on one in their right mind would want that piece of junk.

Lincoln then walked around his 'piece of junk' car and got in, starting her up. He made sure his rear-view mirror was correct, checked if any suspicious people were lurking around his neighborhood, and took off.

About a half an hour later, Lincoln arrived to his destination and walked through the automatic sliding doors, seeing people sitting around and moping. He hated hospitals.

He took of his beanie and put inside his jacket pocket as he walked up to one of the nurses behind the desk. "Uh, hey. I was wondering if I can see a Rita Loud?"

"Lincoln… you know visiting hours are over," The nurse said.

"I know, Patti, but it's my mom. Can't you let this slide one last time? Please… For me?" Lincoln asked, giving the nurse sad puppy eyes.

She gave him a long scolding look before finally shaking her head with a small smirk appearing on her face. "Fine… you can go. But, don't stay too long, you hear me?"

"Thanks, Nurse Patti. You're the best. And say hi to Mr. Pacowski for me!" Lincoln said as he rushed over to the elevator. She just kept shaking her head and grinning as she watched him enter the elevator.

"Nine years and I still can't say no to those cute puppy eyes," Nurse Patti said to herself, returning to her work.

The elevator doors opened as Lincoln stepped out, arriving on his floor. He started to walk down one of the hallways, reading each number on the door as he got closer to the room his mom was in. As Lincoln was approaching the door to his mother's, a cop came exiting out one of the rooms and started to walk toward him.

Lincoln's heart rate began to speed up as every step they both took felt like it was in slow motion. All noise seemed to slip away except for the small chatter coming from the officer's radio. Lincoln's mind was all over the place. Was this it? Did they finally catch up to him and learn who he really was? He wondered if he was going to have to fight his way out and make a run for it. Lincoln felt his hand slightly creep around toward the right side of his waistband but remembered that he wasn't armed. He never brought his gun when visiting his mom.

'It looks like I'll have to go hand-in-hand.'

But as they both came inches away from each other, and stared into each other's eyes, the officer just smiled and nodded as he walked past Lincoln, going on his way.

*sigh*

After Lincoln's 'close encounter', he quietly opened the door to his mother's room and walked in, spotting his mom resting in the medical bed, wide awake, watching TV.

She looked good, Lincoln thought.

"Hey, mom. Sorry, I know it's late," Lincoln said as he closed the door behind him.

"Lincoln! I'm so glad to see you. It's never too late to see my baby boy. Come here," Rita said happily as she patted the space on her bed, telling Lincoln to come over. He grabbed a spare chair in the corner of the room and brought it over to the side of her bed as he took a seat. "How are you, honey?"

"I'm good, mom. Ya know… holding the fort down, and stuff," Lincoln told her.

"And how are the girls? Not giving you too much trouble, are they?" Rita joked, getting a small chuckle from her son.

"Heh, no mom, they're not giving me too much trouble. But they're good… they're all good," Lincoln said as he took his mother's hand in his own, rubbing his thumb over it. "What about you, mom? How are you doing?"

"Always trying to turn the topic around about me," Rita laughed. "I'm doing well, sweetie. My energy is getting better and I'm walking around more, but I'm not a hundred percent yet."

"That's good to hear, mom. I knew you were the strongest one in the family," Lincoln said. He brought her hand up to his cheek and held it there, placing a kiss in her palm. He kept on holding it there, basking in the comfort of his mother's touch. "I love you, mom."

"I love you too, Lincoln," Rita said as she cupped her son's cheek, wiping a small tear with her thumb. She looked at her son and admired how much he's grown into a handsome young man. "Look at my baby… all grown up now, doing all he can for his mother and sisters. Your father would be so proud of you, Lincoln."

Lincoln felt his heart tighten at the mention of his dad since the memory was still fresh in his mind. He was devastated when his father died. He didn't know how to cope with it in the beginning. He felt lost. And now with his mom sick, Lincoln didn't know what he would do with out her. He couldn't lose her too.

"… We'll get through this, mom. We'll find a cure," Lincoln said, holding in his emotions as he leaned closer into his mom's hand.

Rita placed a kiss on his forehead, doing all she could to comfort her son. "I know we will, honey."

There was a long pause as Rita turned her gaze back up at the TV screen mounted on the wall, enjoying her son's presence. Her kids visited her nearly every day, checking up on her or wanting to just spend some time together. There were even times where Rita would forget she was in a hospital, having too much fun with her family. But sometimes it did break her heart to see her kids see her like this.

"Can you believe this?" Rita asked, getting Lincoln's attention again. He saw her watching the TV and looked up to see the news about the bank heist that occurred hours ago. It showed a recording on a phone of them shooting in the street. Lincoln never got use to seeing himself on the news. "Animals… Things have really changed for the worse around here."

"I know how you feel. I still get worry when Lily wants to ride her bike in the park."

"So many people turning to crime to survive… But not my babies. We do it the right way, even if it's harder. Right, honey?" Rita said, turning to Lincoln with a small smile. It melted his heart and he felt like garbage knowing he was one of those animals.

"… Right, mom."

Rita covered her mouth as she started to yawn, feeling her eyelids getting heavy. Lincoln helped her lay down, resting her head on her pillow, and placed a goodnight kiss on her cheek.

"Get well soon, mom. I love you," Lincoln said, giving her a genuine smile.

"I love you too, honey. Tell the others I love them too," Rita said, returning the smile.

"Will do, mom."

Once Rita fell asleep, Lincoln walked back to the door and gently opened it, trying not to disturb his mother. Halfway through the doorway, Lincoln stopped and turned around to look at his mom, sleeping peacefully. He hated to see her trapped in this place. And he hated it more that he was lying to her. But he had to go down that path. He had no choice. Lincoln still had morals, he still had a good cause. He was doing this for her, his family. Lincoln wasn't turning back now.

"I'm doing this for us, mom… I won't let you down."

A/N:

The bank scene is from the movie Triple 9 which I recommend if you like crime movies.

So now we know what Luan's been up to. Kind of a messed up occupation but I'm trying make this a dark story so be prepared for the most of these characters having terrible lives. If all goes well, things will get a lot more tragic as the story progresses. Please let me know what you all think so far. It's greatly appreciated!